How strange

I have had all sorts of thoughts about the online world over the last couple of days. I wanted to write it all down in separate ideas, and I still may do that, but I have to give my sister a shot first. I went to her blog, and out of curiosity I tried to click the link on her page that would take me my own blog. Well it turns out that we have to go read about some dude named Luke whose blog is attached to both links. Oh well, I think he's a DJ or something, so he must be fun.
So fix it so people can read your fascinating blog, and if they get bored they can come over and see how life in St. Albert is. Although many of them (myself included) are likely more interested in eating fried caterpillars than looking at my terrible moustache.
Anyway, I have been thinking about Facebook, Myspace and the internet in general. I have a video camera on my cell phone so if I happened to be near a crazed gunman, or a big fire I could yank the phone out, and with a few clicks of a mouse I could have my video playing on the evening news.
All the major networks had as the Virginia Tech story was breaking, was this grainy footage from people who were filming with their cell phones. So that's what the CNN's and CBC's have to do to keep up with the internet. I may biased a little, but the fact of the matter is, radio is the only other medium that can deliver the goods immediately. And I am guessing most people ran straight to their computer. It is easier than running to your radio and trying to figure out how to switch it back to the AM function and find newstalk radio.
Frankly though, I don't need to feel like I am watching the Blair Witch Project when I am watching the news. None, I mean absolutely NONE of the cell phone video captured my attention or showed me anything particularily interesting.
Now, I must admit that I went straight to the 24 hour news staions like CNN and CBC Newsworld to find out. First I saw 2 killed, including gunman: AP Report - then I switched back and saw 31 dead etc. It was a time when the journalist in me woke up and I wanted to reach for a phone and dial until I had someone on the phone who could give me the deal.
There was one time in Saskatchewan when there was a dozen miners or so trapped in an Esterhazy, SK mine and it was a Sunday afternoon. I was one of the only ones working, and we were just getting the story in bits and pieces. One of the guys in the newsroom was from Esterhazy and he started calling, and I helped and we eventually got the Regina reporters on the way there and spent two days covering the story non-stop. It was fascinating stuff really.
Earlier this week was one of those exciting times to be working in the news biz. I know while I was at the gym running on the treadmilll watching the news, most of the Lulu Lemon wearing moms in the joint were tuned into those same news channels.