April 28, 2003
Israel's Terror Text Alerts
All Israelis live in constant worry that a terrorist bomb or shooting may have occurred and are all are hooked on the hourly radio news broacasts. According to a very interesting article by Bruce Krulwich in IDG News Service, this same worry is blazing a trail for a new range of services that send breaking news by SMS. Some offered by local newspapers, others, by new companies offering different levels of subscription (for just headlines or more detailed information). Future services could arise such as one that would send an automated "I'm OK" confirmation for people near terror events, easing the 15 minutes of panic Israelis feel after each bomb, as they attempt to reach all their relatives and friends by cellphone.
Bruce Krulwich explores the trade off subscribers are willing to make between quick response and news accuracy. News culled from police and ambulance radios, for example, can be disseminated much faster by SMS than newspapers or on-line services can respond, but runs the risk of being unconfirmed. A must read article.
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