An extraordinary news day played out online .... We'll continue to keep tabs on this & be a source on the topic ... Following are some background notes am using for on-air interviews:
INTERNET HISTORY IS MADE: It's a seminal moment in Internet history. We've never seen anything like it in terms of scope or depth. How did online events unfold? How big was it?
AOL.com, AIM: Significant spikes.
Twitter: Instant doubling of "tweets."
KEY SOURCES: TMZ.com broke news of both cardiac arrest and death. Breaking news alerts, including on cellphones. TMZ mobile traffic (people checking the site on their cellphones) actually exceeded usual traffic to flagship website on an average day. Other sites: LATimes.com, etc.
MODERN WAY TO MOURN: Historically, celebrity news prompts a worldwide outpouring with several key consumer behaviors -- searching, sharing and reacting to news, followed by online tributes has become the modern way to mourn. Princess Diana was the first notable Internet example. Michael Jackson and Farah Fawcett are the latest. Tribute examples (user-generated/fans):
eBAY & iTUNES SALES SURGE: How are sales of Jackson-related items affected?
More than 9,870 "Michael Jackson" listings on eBay. Signed items getting most last-min bids. Example: Watched 8X10 photo go from aprox. $30 to $300 in 30 mins.
On iTunes Thriller has rocketed to #1 since the news of his death with several other albums making top 10. Songs also trending up on itunes singles chart; total of 12 songs, including Billie Jean, Beat It, Thriller, Man in the Mirror, Bad and Don't Stop Till You Get Enough.
SEARCH SPIKES: Michael Jackson death dominating. Farrah also in top 5. Sanford gets bumped.
VIDEO: The biggest winner of the day might have been Gov. Mark Sanford. He was the lead news video on video search site www.TRUVEO.com until bumped by Fawcett and Jackson.
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