Twitter comes of age with fast reports from the ground in Mumbai | World news | The Guardian

Guardian is writing about Twitter and the Mumbai tweets during the incident.

1. There are a multitude of sources
2. Twitter is very fast
3. Mobile tools can be used for the reporting
4. Flickr for photo sharing
5. Wikipedia to collect scattered information
   

Twitter comes of age with fast reports from the ground in Mumbai | World news | The Guardian: "From the moment the first shots were fired, the internet provided a kaleidoscopic view of events in Mumbai. Using blogs and file-sharing sites, those caught up in the mayhem rapidly provided accounts from the ground as well as links to the best news reports appearing on the web.

One rich source of information was Twitter, which provides text-message-length updates. Its Mumbai thread provided a stream of snippets, not all accurate, from observers on the ground, with details of casualties, sieges, gunfights, and even the suspected names of terrorists.

Helge: In chaos no media is able to provide all accurate information. The reader has to filter the facts from a trend. There are also "several truths and myths" about a war like situation.

In many cases, Twitter updated developments faster than many TV networks or newspaper websites. The site's contributors also questioned the veracity of some news reports, pointing out contradictions and errors. When Indian reporters announced that the siege at the Taj hotel was over, for example, Twitter contended that gunfights were continuing. 'Locals say gunfire still happening at TAJ,' said one feed, hours after fighting was said to have finished. 'Twitter comes of age - Mumbai coverage way ahead of traditional media,' added another contributor."

Helge: The story continues to explain other Web 2.0 tools in use during the terrorist attack.

Guardian writes.

Vinukumar Ranganathan was one of the first to upload photos to the picture-sharing website Flickr. His and others' blurred images from the bloodied streets of Colaba instantly conveyed the gravity of the attacks. As soon as it emerged that the head of the antiterrorist squad, Hemant Karkare, had been killed, Flickr instantly contained a portfolio of images of the official.

By last night Wikipedia contained more than 4,000 words of detailed - and corrected - information on the attacks.