We often take for granted what Twitter and other social-media tools offer in terms of instant publishing, until someone live-tweets a historic event like the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound or a congressman torpedoes his political career with an ill-advised photo. In another example of the power of instantaneous publishing, a woman in Florida who was raped posted messages about her attacker and the incident to Twitter — raising questions about how the traditional media should handle such an event, and reinforcing how the way we consume news and information is changing.

The victim, whose name appears on her Twitter profile, posted a message about the attack within minutes of it happening, describing the man who raped her and the vehicle he was driving. She followed that up with several other tweets about her physical and mental state as a result of the attack. She even posted a message from the back of a police car as she was being taken to the hospital by the police. Eventually, the Florida authorities asked that she stop posting messages relating to the details of the actual crime, presumably because they might affect the investigation of it.

As Mallary Jean Tenore and Kelly McBride note in a piece at the Poynter Institute website, this kind of real-time reporting by someone involved in a potential news story can make things very complicated for the mainstream media. Should newspapers and wire services have used the woman’s name? Typically, those kinds of details aren’t released by the police and other agencies involved in a sex crime — but what if the victims release names themselves? The woman in this case has said several times on Twitter that she had no real expectation of privacy when she posted the messages, nor did she mind people writing about it (although she did ask later that the Poynter piece not use her full name).

Using Twitter during such a sensitive personal incident may look like just another example of social-media “oversharing,” but the victim said she specifically decided to continue talking about her rape despite the police request because she thought it might help other women who had also been involved in sex crimes. She also said many people contacted her saying they had been, but were afraid to talk about it (she also said that one of her main concerns about her name being used was that the reports would follow her whenever someone searched for her name in Google). She told Poynter:

Many of my close friends and I communicate via Twitter. It was a way to reach out quickly to a large number of people who had the potential to have information or the ability to help. People I have never spoken with before have sent their support via Twitter. I could not have gained that through any traditional means of communication.

In a media-related sense, this is another example of what programmer and media theorist Dave Winer has called “the sources going direct,” meaning that a potential source for a news story — someone directly involved in an incident, or someone with a newsworthy opinion about an event — publishes their thoughts on Twitter or Facebook or in a blog post, without waiting for a reporter to interview them. Billionaire Mark Cuban became well-known for doing this after interviews with journalists, posting his own thoughts and email responses as a way of setting the record straight. But Twitter allows anyone to publish while an event is occurring.

On the one hand, that can provide different viewpoints on a news event — including those of the victim or victims, those of the police (who have started to use social media for their own purposes), as well as bystanders and so on. While that can be valuable because readers no longer have to rely on a single “official” version of events, however, it can also be difficult to pull together all these different viewpoints and make sense of them (the BBC has been experimenting with new ways of showing a story with multiple conflicting viewpoints).

That’s one reason why I’ve argued that we need more people collecting and curating and making sense of these kinds of stories — whether they are professional journalists or amateurs, or even people who don’t see themselves as journalists at all. We need more ways of curating and making sense of real-time news now that it is coming at us from dozens or even hundreds of different directions.

Post and thumbnail photos courtesy of Flickr user George Kelly

Related content from GigaOM Pro (subscription req’d):

• Players and Strategies for Real-Time In-Stream Advertising
• A Media Tablet Forecast, 2011 – 2015
• Finding the Value in Social Media Data

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GigaOM — Tech News, Analysis and Trends

The crowd of internet forums has changed several times throughout the life of the internet. First they were filled mainly by the techies. Just those who were true computer geeks could figure out the software and hardware combination required to connect with the internet and find the chat rooms that were most widely used. All else were excluded due to the time and understanding requirements that were present during the early stages of the internet.

As time moved on, the audience changed. Middle aged people started to discover that the internet could be very useful for communication. As these people get older, more and more older people can use the internet effectively for communication. Internet chat rooms can be very beneficial for seniors, providing the social conversation they need in order to remain healthy and happy throughout their gold years.

Communication as well as companionship

At times seniors can be forced into isolation, whether it be due to health problems or simply their own friends and family moving away. Although phones are typically how people connect over long distances, the internet makes it far easier and simple to get touching their friends. Sometimes a bit of communication is it takes to help keep seniors in touch with the world as well as feeling good regarding their lives.

Maintaining in touch with family

When you start going up in years, priorities tend to change. Things tend to matter much less than these people used to and you often find that your family is everything really matters to you.  Giving the elderly the ability to keep up with their family can help to keep up their spirits.  A fast chat on the internet will go a long way in their lives.

A way to pass time

One thing that many seniors have problems with is simply monotony. With no job and frequently being left in order to fend for themselves, it is not uncommon for many elderly people to find themselves bored stiff.  Using the internet to chat, even when it is not with family, can help them to pass the time and keep your mind busy. Maintaining in touch with friends and family is one of the things that should not be shunned as time pass, and the internet is a perfect tool  for this type of communication.

A gadget is a small electronic or mechanical device of practical use. It is also a symbol of novelty. Sometimes people take it as a futile but at the same time have fun playing with it. Therefore gadgets are considered wonderful gift ideas and gadget lovers are more than happy if they are given gadgets as gifts. For giving gadgets as gift one needs to have some gadget and gift ideas. If one has better understanding of the gadgets he would buy a gadget with sense and purpose. It means the receiver would enjoy it both ways. He can use it for practical purposes and at the same time he can have lots of fun using it.

Gadget and gift ideas make you buy some perfect gift. But before that it is essential to understand about what constitutes the best gadget ideas. If you are willing to get such ideas you can check out various websites where you will have wonderful gadgets and their descriptions. Take a look at the gadgets most suitable for gift purpose. One unique gadget is atomic projection clock. You don’t have to face any hassle as it is self setting item. It does not require any extra protection and the receiver will have time zones all around him. Lightning detector is also equally one of the exciting gadgets and gift ideas.

A gadget like robotic pet is also one of the best gadgets and gift ideas particularly for pet lovers. It is the hottest gadget as it does not require you to take your pet outside for morning walk. But you enjoy and relish the same flavor of a pet with this robotic pet.

Some other remarkable gadget and gift ideas include wireless mail alert, wristwatch television, batteries, cords, adaptors and many more accessories. These are some items a gadget lover always loves to have. These are things of practical use and without which he just cannot get along with his other electronic items. For example you might have to visit your mail box several times if you are waiting for a piece of mail. Wireless mail alert makes you relax and helps to get rid of this unnecessary exercise. Thus it may be a wonderful gift for the internet savvy. Likewise wristwatch television can keep you in touch with the world all the time.

If someone is searching for a machine that’s flexible, the mini skid steer is something they should buy as it’s an item that can be used for plenty of different applications. When a person adds mini slip steer attachments, another machine can do a lot more . When anyone is searching for a way to expand the lineup of their heavy machinery, the mini skid steer is something to consider. Here are some pointers to recollect.

First, you wish to consider the attachments that youwill need before you start purchasing them. There are lots of different attachments and probabilities are that you are not going to require all of them for your purposes. Look for kit that’s going to offer you the widest assortment of uses when you’re using it. This way itmay pay you back several times over.

Next, you have to figure out what big brand you’re going to buy for your mini slide steer. There are a few different ones that you can select from. There’s the boxer, the Ditch witch, Toro Dingo, Bobcat, and the RC 30. As the prices that these have can vary, it’s a good idea to look at your position when selecting one.

There are a few good reasons why you should purchase a mini slip steer. The 1st reason is that it’s extremely maneuverable, that means that it can be used in very tight quarters vs the bigger excavators that will cause some damage when trying to be used in a smaller space. The second reason is that it can do turns that are of nil radius and can load, carry, or push, depending on the Mini Skid Steer attachment that’s being used and what you have to do with it.

The third reason is that it can be fitted with some tracks if they are needed due to the terrain that the machine will be used on, even though the version with four wheels is the application which is commonest. When the machinery has wheels, the left and right side are going to turn independently, allowing for turning that’s precision and flexibility that tracks don’t permit. The last reason is that the Mini Skid Steer lower to the ground and smaller, suggesting that you may find it better to be employed in areas that are residential or in areas that are beneath structures that prevent bigger excavators from having the ability to get to the site of the job.

This piece of kit has been around for at least fifty years and has been improving over the years. People who have acquired one for their business love what the equipment does for their business and the versatility that it offers. When you get a mini skid steer for your business, you’re going to notice that you are going places and doing things that you have never been ready to do before. Itis an necessary piece of equipment that every excavation business should have.

Playing over the internet using cash on one of the free poker sites can be pleasing but can also take its toll. This article aims to give you a variety of ideas to keep the game refreshing, ok it’s an alternative guide!

1. Once prefrontal lobe pressure has built up due too an excess of wishing on the river, nip to the kitchen and grab the nearest tea cosy and place it on your head. This will disperse the pressure around your skull, as well as keep you warm.

2. When playing Online Poker on a laptop. If you become worried that your unmentionables are beginning to cook, ask your partner if they would kneel in front of you and gently blow between your thighs. They will also make a handy footrest.

Alternately wrap yourself up in Tin Foil to reflect the heat. This will also stop any evil aliens sending you messages.

3. When suffering finger cramp from obsessive bluffing, swap hands and rest your playing finger in a pot of low fat yoghurt. Allow five minutes to soothe then continue. Eat yoghurt at a later date.

4. During the long games with a full table you might feel like you are going to nod off. Bang a nail in the wall behind your playing chair and attach a length of string to it. Sellotape the string to your ear. That way if you do nod off, you will rip your ear off. Waking you up ready to make a bet.

5. After a long period of time sitting down and playing you will eventually have back pain- a good solution is to pinch your checks several times which will not only give you a nice blush effect it will also give you something else to think about!

These methods have been invented by myself and I can assure you no women, child or animal has been harmed in making these!

Always remember free poker is always a laugh but when you get online exhaustion you need to take some serious action.