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Twitter shows the way in Mumbai

Blogs will never be able to match the mainstream press, if for no other reason that certainly at the moment, they don't have the resources. But - and it is a big but! - blogs are beginning to show their metal and what they can do. For instance, during the London terror bombings in 2005 it was blogs who were first out with the news.

Tragic as things have been in Mumbai, Twitter has "come of age", as The Guardian describes it, in its reporting from Mumbai - leaving the maintsream media in its wake:

"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.

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."

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