Net communications at Va. Tech

Administrators used email and students used Facebook as, in many cases, their only means of sending and receiving information fast in the aftermath of the worst mass shooting in modern US history, ABC News reports. The death toll was 33 by late Monday night, the Associated Press reported. With phone and other communication systems jammed, "many people turned to social networking sites to try to connect with friends, family and loved ones." ABC cites a MySpace user sending out a bulletin asking if they knew about six people she listed (presumably at Virginia Tech) and a Facebook user who "suggested that all others [on Facebook at Virginia Tech] update their profiles to say 'I'm OK'.... For the most part, the comments posted online were from people sharing their prayers and sympathies." Along those lines, see also Canada.com and the Los Angeles Times. Reuters and CBS analyst (and BlogSafety.com co-director) Larry Magid zoomed in on Facebook's role in helping Virginia Tech students (here's Larry's audio interview with Chris Kelly, Facebook's chief security officer).