Depending on your perspective, this is either interesting news or heartening news: Michael Jackson’s funeral and memorial were indeed a giant Internet event. But they don’t seem to have been as big as Michael Jackson’s death, and they weren’t as big as Barack Obama’s inauguration. So, let’s call them the third-biggest Web event of the year. To date.
The “fail” meme is one of the digerati’s least pleasant contributions to pop culture. Wouldn’t be accurate, anyway. Instead, let’s just say that the Internet was…challenged yesterday by the crush of people who flocked to it when Michael Jackson died. And that it seemed to do a pretty good job in the end. That’s a more interesting story, right?
The Obama presidency-to-be has already provided a boost for media companies. So it will be nearly impossible to boot up your browser and not end up watching a live stream of the pomp and circumstance–we’ll even have coverage at All Things Digital! But here’s a guide, just in case your online venue of choice gets the hiccups.
Some of us cynical types used to wonder if Facebook would ever amount to anything beyond a place to throw sheep at your friends. Silly us! While we were really talking about Facebook’s ability to generate revenue, and eventually a profit, Facebook’s users have had more ambitious goals: Changing the world. That, at least, is the theme of the grandly named “Alliance of Youth Movements Summit,” which kicks off today at Columbia Law School.
Peter Kafka has been covering media and technology since 1997, when he joined the staff of Forbes magazine. Most recently, he has been the managing editor of the tech and media Web site, Silicon Alley Insider.
Here is a statement of my ethics and coverage policies. It is more than most of you want to know, but, in the age of suspicion of the media, I am laying it all out.
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