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Peter Brock and wikiNews?

Written by Laurel Papworth in Uncategorized Last Updated September 7, 2006

I just heard a rumour on Barren’s Chat (virtual world chat) that Peter Brock had been killed. Nothing on wiki until a few minutes ago and then only today’s date and a “just kidding” next to it.

But now News has

Car champ Peter Brock dead: report

MOTOR racing champion driver Peter Brock is reported to have died in a racing accident in Western Australia, according to Sky News.More to come

No clue if traditional media are just picking up on the same “Just Kidding” report on wiki or if its true. Ah the nature of viral news reports…

If true, hot on the heels of Steve Irwin, it seems unlikely the traditional media will have upgraded their services to take the outpouring of emotion in guestbooks and the like. This is the online equivalent of people taking flowers to a crash site or lining up for Princess Diana’s funeral. The human race has always wanted to take news to an emotional level but are rarely allowed that luxury. Look to the feedback, conversations, dialogue. That’s the telling point of an online community – the eagerness to participate, not observe.

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Laurel Papworth

Named by Forbes™ Magazine in the Top 50 Social Media Influencers globally, named Head of Industry, Social Media (Marketing Magazine™) and in the Power150 Media bloggers (AdAge™). CERT IV Training and Assessment certified trainer (Diplomas and Certificates etc) Adult Education. Laurel has manager Facebook Pages for Junior Masterchef, Idol, Big Brother etc. and have consulted on private online communities for banks Westpac, not for profits UNHCR & governments in SE Asia. Lecturer, social media, University of Sydney for 10 years and Laurel has 11,000 online students. Laurel Papworth personally connects to 6 million followers online and has taught around 100,000 people in the last 10 years how to be social media managers.

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