"The WTC is just 10 blocks above, and we all saw EVERYTHING happen as
it unfolded," wrote another New York City worker. "We are all in shock. It
is hard to work. We are also trapped into the city; we can not get home."
Some concerned New Yorkers even set up personal Web sites to have
friends and family check in with each other and verify each other's well
being. Bill Shun built a Web log
asking friends and family from New York City and other affected cities to
sign in showing that they were OK.
One New York resident who couldn't get to traditional news sources over
a T-1 line jumped onto IRC (Internet Relay Chat), to find footage of the
plane crashes and get information on the events.
"Normal Web/Net paths are overloaded...IRC has always been a good
source of information when something like this happens...(It's) sort of a
'backdoor' to the rest of the Internet," said one New York-based IT
manager who went by the handle "Man in Black." He said he found some good
information about the events and "some rumors flying, of course, but I try
to keep a level head."
He was joined by thousands using chat rooms to exchange information on
the attacks. Already people have set up discussion groups using IRC under
"Worldtradecenter," "Wtc" and "Terrorist-moderated."
IM services from Yahoo and America Online experienced increased demand
as people sought to contact friends and family. A Yahoo representative
said the company's network had experienced "an unprecedented increase in
traffic" and had added more servers to handle the load. AOL said that it
had seen a "small spike" in instant chat usage.
Web communities also bubbled up all over the Net to let people comfort
one another and get information. People on Yahoo Groups created a public
discussion group to share information on the attacks. Craig's List, an
international community listing of jobs and related information, created
an open forum on
the disaster.
Others worried about false tips, and terrorist propaganda shut down a
service called "remailing" that allows people to cloak their identity when
posting to Internet sites and newsletters. One such service, called
Randseed, was taken offline as "a precautionary measure," according to an
e-mail from its operator, to thwart bogus threats or tips from anonymous
senders. Remail services allow those who want to maintain their privacy
online to anonymously send e-mail by bouncing it through several servers.
Businesses located in and around the World Trade Center also used the
Internet to provide updates on the status of their operations.
The Marriott Hotel posted this
notice on its Web site about its 800-room hotel at the World Trade Center:
"The hotel has been evacuated. We are working closely with authorities and
they are managing the situation. We will continue to monitor and provide
updates as we have new information. We are activating a special number for
inquiries, and it will be available soon."
The American Red Cross used the Internet to reach out for help, asking
technology companies to donate Web advertising space to urge people to
donate blood. Among the contact information given in the ads were
1-800-HELP NOW to reach the Red Cross and 1-800-GIVE LIFE for donating
blood.
Morgan Stanley, headquartered in the World Trade Center, also posted a
notice on
its site about the collapse.
The law firm of Sidley Austin Brown and Wood, which has its New York
office in the World Trade Center, used its Web site to let clients and
employees' families know that it believed its workers were evacuated
safely.
"Due to the tragic events that have occurred in New York and Washington
this morning, we are closing all of our offices. We will keep you apprised
of developments, as appropriate, via the Web site, voice mail and e-mails.
Based on the information currently available to us, we understand that all
of our personnel in the World Trade Center were evacuated safely."
The rush to find alternative modes of communication was partially the
result of the loss of cell phone service in much of New York City after
the attack.
Frank Davis had been trying to reach his wife, who left him a voice
mail after getting out of a subway in Manhattan's financial district just
a few minutes after the first plane struck.
Although she "sounded fine--just shaken," Davis said he had yet to
reach her.
"Nothing has worked since about 9:15 a.m. (EDT), and it still isn't
working," he said in an e-mail to CNET News.com. "I've been trying pretty
much every 10 minutes."
Some cell-phone carriers asked customers to use alternative methods to
communicate.
VoiceStream Wireless, for example, asked customers to use short text
messaging, which is similar to sending instant messages on PCs. Such
messages are sent over a different network so they don't clog the ones
used for voice calls or emergencies, a VoiceStream spokeswoman explained.
Still, e-mail seemed to be the preferred communication tool.
| Gartner
analysts Maurene Grey, Joyce Graff and Robert Batchelder say
the Internet forms the lifeline for business
communications--one that may work when others do not.
 see
commentary
| |
Randy Walker, a Web developer working in the Chicago suburbs, used
e-mail to get in touch with family and friends about Tuesday morning's
events.
"It's just been impossible to get through on the phone lines this
morning," Walker said. "So I've been sending e-mails to friends and
family, letting them know what I know, trying to understand what's going
on, making sure everything is OK."
He noted that many of the major news outlets on the Internet were
unavailable when he tried to get further information on the attacks.
Tony Borelli, a senior writer for New York-based human resources
consulting firm The Empower Group, sent e-mail to "everybody I could think
of" after the attacks.
Borelli, who could see one of the towers from his office near the
United Nations, said he sent out the e-mails "as soon as things got really
bad because I knew people would worry about me. After that, the e-mails I
got were from people worried about other folks in Manhattan, and news
updates.
"We were at a window in our office on East 45th Street, watching the
one twin tower burning. Then we walked away for a while. Then we came
back, and the tower was gone, and there was just a huge volume of smoke in
its place," he wrote in the e-mail.
"Now we're milling around, watching fighter planes roaring overhead,
wondering how we're going to get off this island. All the bridges and
tunnels and trains and airports are closed down. As I write this, the
second twin tower has now collapsed."
CNET News.com's Margaret Kane, Ben Charny and Ian Fried contributed
to this report.
