Traffic
I suspect that past days have seen a remarkable realignment of Web traffic, as people search for information, reassurance, and compassion. Web memoirists like
Cameron Barrett and
Dave Winer report huge traffic spikes -- up to a tenfold increase in readers. In part, this may have been triggered by access problems at the big news sites on Tuesday, but in part it's community: people want to know what they should be thinking about and doing. Within the last few hours, for example, posting pictures of your missing family and associates has become a spontaneous, widespread Web phenomenon, a new custom.