As social networking continues to redefine the way that many of us experience the world, and share our experiences with friends, acquaintances and complete strangers, Internet users trying to make sense of the chaotic scenes in Mumbai this week found themselves reading -- and writing on -- Web sites run by traditional news organizations, like this one, and sites that enable anyone to pass on information they've gathered themselves, either first- or 19th-hand.
According to a report from AFP, an Indian blogger, Arun Shanbhag, was among the most prolific and multifaceted citizen journalists reporting first-hand from the scene in Mumbai this week, using his blog, his Flickr account and Twitter. As AFP explains:
As it happens, Mr. Shanbhag is a reader of NYTimes.com who has written here too. A quick search of our archive reveals that he has written comments on our blogs in the past, on fitness and health issues. His sudden burst of eyewitness reporting during a visit to his family in Mumbai is a clear example of how what Lawrence Lessig has called "the Read-Write Internet," is becoming more of a reality every day.
According to a report from AFP, an Indian blogger, Arun Shanbhag, was among the most prolific and multifaceted citizen journalists reporting first-hand from the scene in Mumbai this week, using his blog, his Flickr account and Twitter. As AFP explains:
As heavily armed militants rampaged through Mumbai, bloggers, citizen journalists and users of Twitter, the short-messaging service, provided riveting, if sometimes erroneous, accounts of the bloodshed in India's largest city.
Arun Shanbhag, a 46-year-old American of Indian origin who lives in Boston, where he teaches at Harvard Medical School, was visiting his parents in Mumbai when the militants stormed luxury hotels and other city landmarks.
Shanbhag wrote on this blog that he slept through the attacks on Wednesday night, but he has since provided a gripping and emotional eye-witness view of the events around the Taj Mahal Hotel.
As it happens, Mr. Shanbhag is a reader of NYTimes.com who has written here too. A quick search of our archive reveals that he has written comments on our blogs in the past, on fitness and health issues. His sudden burst of eyewitness reporting during a visit to his family in Mumbai is a clear example of how what Lawrence Lessig has called "the Read-Write Internet," is becoming more of a reality every day.
posted 11/29/2008
