This week was a very tough week for many Americans and particularly for Bostonians.  What should have been an annual festive sporting event turned into a nightmare. This post is not about politics nor the attackers but how we became aware of the events and followed them.

On Monday afternoon I saw an item in my Twitter feed about an explosion quickly followed by multiple tweets from people/organizations I follow. Simultaneously some of my coworkers—we work in an open environment so everyone pretty much knows what anyone else is doing—found out about the bombing at the same time. All via social media.

We have two TV’s within easy walking distance of our desks in the conference rooms and no one left their desk to watch CNN. Everyone tracked their Twitter and Facebook feeds, selecting a link to follow.

In January 1986 the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after launch. The…