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Michael Jackson Death Stops the Web, Causes Wikipedia Editing Chaos
Jose Fermoso/InsideTech.com
June 26, 2009
Music icon Michael Jackson died Thursday in a Los Angeles hospital, causing millions of fans to overwhelm traffic servers and dominate the conversation of the most popular applications online, including Twitter.
Early news reports had reveled the so-called ‘King of Pop’ had suffered a cardiac arrest in his home prior to being rushed to the hospital. This caused many sites to announce the singer’s death hours before the hospital or the family had made any official statements. One of the biggest problems facing publishers online is enforcing strict source-based quality control over the news, especially when anyone is a simple blog sign-up away from spreading lies.
This is especially true when not-sourced allegations get into increasingly legitimate information resources, such as Wikipedia. As news of the singer’s stroke came in, a few volunteer editors of the web encyclopedia overrode protocol and kept changing Michael Jackson’s page to include his date of death. As CNet noted, opposing editors tried to keep the page lie-free, noting they were “premature edits,” and some pleaded for responsible web behavior: “ONCE AGAIN, HE IS NOT DEAD, JUST STOP.”
Once Jackson was rushed to the hospital and passed away, most of the comments were gone and his final date of death was established.
But other blogs around the net also failed to wait for the official word. TMZ.com was the first site to publish the singer’s death, about 3 hours before any major site. It received so much traffic that it went down a few times throughout the day.
Jumping off from TMZ.com’s lead, people logged on to social networks en masse and crashed several sites. Within three hours of the heart attack news, nine out of ten terms on the trending topics on Twitter were about Michael Jackson. Most tweets expressed sadness and grief over the news, while many used the service to publish links sending out users to other Jackson-related news around the net. In a statement to the New York Times Twitter co-founder Biz Stone said the site saw “double the normal tweets per second the moment the news broke—the biggest increase since the US presidential election.” According to many users, the site crashed many times throughout the day.
News aggregators also reached very high levels of participation. On Digg, news of the singer’s death reached over 12,000 diggs within four hours.
PC World reported that instant messaging service AIM appeared to have more problems than most dealing with influx of traffic. Around 2:30PM PST, the service was blocked and failed to work for a long period of time.
In addition, Google noted earlier this morning that so many people searched for ‘Michael Jackson’ that the site’s crawling robot believed it was under attack by a malignant bug. The company said that when the site receives a large volume of similar requests, CAPTCHA and malware-protection programs are automatically launched. This led to many people landing on a user-alert search page, instead of the news they were seeking.
And of course, video and music sites saw a huge spike in Jackson-related content. By the end of the day yesterday, Jackson’s Thriller album was the top album on iTunes and his videos on YouTube (including coverage from TV feeds) led the site on page views.
Michael Jackson was a child prodigy who became famous along with his brothers as part of the R&B group The Jackson Five. Later on as a solo-artist, he recorded Thriller, the best-selling album of all time with sales of more than 100 million. He was 50 years old at the time of his passing.
pattigp67
4 months ago
10 comments
"3much. I totally agree with you about any parent would fight tooth and nail for justice and not accept a payoff. I would not want to see other kids go through what mine went through if it, in fact, was truth. I also heard something exciting. I heard MJ got saved 2 weeks before he died!! I also have to comment on the remark 'they shall be known by their fruits'. I agree 100% with that. I am the person that no one will tell a dirty joke in front of, or say a cuss word in front of. I don't judge or argue with people that aren't saved I just witness to them. My heart has been heavy with thoughts of MJ not being saved, but God reassured me by letting me know he was tonight. I love testifying of all the wonderful things God has done in my life!! Also, don't forget, God gave MJ the talent he had, so I really wouldn't knock it. I also believe in walking the walk, not just talking the talk. "
3much
4 months ago
374 comments
@pattigp67 - I am with you on this one. Sometimes we dedicate our energy shouting to all and sundry about our faith and religions, which is all very well and good, but do we actually practice what we believe and preach? Actions speak louder than words. After all, who are we to judge anyone, anyway? Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone.....
Michael Jackson was talented and gifted, whether we like to admit it or not. For worth its worth, he, needed to be vigilant and perceptive about the people he surrounded himself with. We sometimes fail to realise that the people around us (could be "friends" or family) that we share our plans, happy thoughts etc. with, are most times not ecstatic on our behalf and will do anything to put a spanner in the works, to cause unnecessary rifts and "toothaches". Their reasons, is only best known to them; it could be varied - either they have a vested interest or it could be just plain envy. As they say, "Que Sera, Sera", but to avoid unnecessary prolongment of destiny, I guess people need to be more careful, discerning and act, as and when appropriate.
Unfortunately, his life has been cut short; he is DEAD. Whether he committed those crimes or not, is neither here nor there now..... It's time to let it rest and allow all those accusations against him, die. We spend and waste precious time pointing one finger, conveniently forgetting, the rest are pointing directly back at us, not spending enough time learning to apologise, forgive and move forward...before you know it, it is too late.
PS: To the parents who levelled accusations against him and accepted an out of court settlement - given the magnitude of the crime, any "loving" parent would fight tooth and nail for justice to prevail, if they actually believed their child had been molested; no amount of millions exchanging hands, in an out of court settlement, should suffice to assuage any "perceived" hurt and betrayal.
UnkieBo
4 months ago
1040 comments
@ suntzu
If you think your not being judgmental with your comments then your sadly mistaken. As far as me having "NO" idea of what I am talking about as you put it let me tell you I have "EVERY" idea and I "KNOW" what I am talking about. As far as anyone trying to take this discussion into anything that would be you trying to do that and you make it very obvious that what offended you is the word "Christian" or maybe it was because I know Scripture and you don't because you choose to life a different life and that is your choice.
Now let me tell you that everyone that has ever watched the news has seen displayed numerous times a picture of Michael Jackson holding a baby over the rail of a fire escape. If you looked at that picture at all you would have seen that Michael himself put a towel over that baby's head and had his arm wrapped very closely to that baby's throat. If you knew anything at all about a baby you would know that it would not take long at all for that baby to suffocate. Another picture displayed all over most every news media in America was a picture of Michael Jackson holding a baby by the leg over the rail of a fire escape. Now you have to have a warped mind to be able to do this sort of thing to an innocent, helpless baby and Michael Jackson was seen laughing about it in those pictures.
Also Michael Jackson was arrested for molesting young boys on more than one occasion. Now in order for Michael to have been arrested for such a crime as this, the law enforcement officials had to have a strong "Probable Cause" in order to legally arrest Michael Jackson and charge him with this crime. The problem that you and a lot of other people don't see or understand is that when a law enforcement official makes an arrest they (law enforcement officials) are totally dependent upon a judge or jury to decide if they (judge and jury) believe a person is guilty or not. This is no way means that every decision a judge or jury makes is 100% accurate but the pure fact of the matter is that NO law enforcement agency in the USA can arrest a person at anytime for a crime without a solid "Probable Cause". By probably cause I mean that there must be enough evidence present that a law enforcement official knows a crime was committed as well as there must be enough evidence to give that law enforcement official reason to believe that a certain person committed the crime. If Michael Jackson had never been arrested for a crime such as this then he would not have ever had to appear in court and defend himself. Michael Jackson was charged with molesting young boys who were under the legal age according to law. I do not care who you are if you can do such a disgusting act as this then you are very much in need of professional help and very quickly.
You see I make my decision about a person based upon how a person lives before the world and not anything more. It is not called "judging" it is called being a "fruit inspector" because the Bible very plainly tells us that we shall know them by their fruits. Every fruit that I ever saw from Michael Jackson's lifestyle was that of a very undesirable person which I label pure trash. Michael Jackson lived a life with drugs, trying to become Diana Ross because he wanted to be thought of as highly as Diana Ross was and even more. But when you live a life like Michael Jackson did, in my book you will always be trash and I can say anything that I choose because it is my constitutional right as a citizen of the United States of America.
As I said earlier, I will stand on my beliefs anytime, any place without any apology to you or anyone else for what I believe and why I believe that way. I am not ashamed of what I believe and I will stand up for rights anytime, any place and those who don't like it will just have to live with it because that is just the way I am and I don't care if you like it or anyone else likes it or not!
NOW ENOUGH SAID!
suntzu
4 months ago
2 comments
Unkie bo, you say you are a christian, yet you are very judgmental and have NO idea what you are talking about? Your whole believe is pure propaganda with absolutely no spec of evidence to support it, but, we are not talking about that. Let us not take this into the garbage discussion which it could extend into. However, for you to judge someone, you are not being very Christian like. But, like we know, 80% of Christians like to pick and choose pieces of the bible to live by and ignore the rest...laughable really. And, very much sad for you; I will pray for you.
pattigp67
4 months ago
10 comments
Have to add one more thing, I honestly hope the poor guy was saved, as he was so miserable on earth, at least he will have a wonderful eternity, and if he does have any tears, the Lord Himself will wipe them away. :-)
pattigp67
4 months ago
10 comments
I also am a Christian, but not a judgemental one.....Like Jesus said, he who is without sin, let him cast the first stone. I do not believe Michael Jackson molested any kids. It was people wanting money. Just like when he was taken to the hospital during the trial, the lady that tried to sue him saying "He took her bed". Come on, did she have a reserved room at the hospital? He was aquitted of all charges of molestation, so who is anyone to judge him and say he did it?
UnkieBo
4 months ago
1040 comments
@ ccorliss
The USA is still a free country and anytime, any place that I want to share my "regligion" as you so called it I will do it without any apology to you or anyone else. If you bothered reading the Bible you would know that God says that if we are ashamed of him before men then He (God) will be ashamed of use before the Father. I am not ashamed of my beliefs now and I never will be so therefore I will stand upon my beliefs anytime, any place that I so choose whether you like it or if anyone else likes it or not.
ccorliss
4 months ago
164 comments
@UnkieBo
Don't go around spreading your religious Bullshit, people like you are the reason that many people now choose not to follow religion. I really couldn't care less what he did in his personal life, his music and dancing were revolutionary.
TrippinOut
4 months ago
2 comments
He sure touched people of all ages, namely the younger types.....
Account Removed
4 months ago
Michael Jackson was the kind of guy that touched people of all ages...
wdr525
4 months ago
44 comments
People die. It's what they do. I am surprised, however, at the response. I thought Jackson's star had long burned out and he was simply relegated to a role as a largely distrusted, extremely eccentric celebrity and/or child molester. I would have expected apathy among most. Perhaps it is the evil that men do that is interred with their bones...
NMc
4 months ago
2144 comments
i'm really going to miss billy mays. his death was totally unexpected. :(
UnkieBo
4 months ago
1040 comments
I cannot believe that anyone would call such a piece of trash as Michael Jackson the King of anything. There is only one "King" and that is Jesus Christ. He is the "King of Kings" and "Lord of Lords". You know if everyone was as concerned about Jesus Christ and if they have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, then we would live in a much better world.
princecharming
4 months ago
32 comments
Maay his soul rest in peace,so sad!
Enabler
4 months ago
2902 comments
Long live The King of Pop.