On 9/11 America learned what is means to be afraid.  I was in Israel at the time, studying in a college program abroad.  While we were safe on-campus, many of us witnessed more than one terrorist attack first-hand while in town for a drink or a slice of pizza.

The experience is both jarring and terrifying, shocking you to the core.  Perhaps the scariest feeling in the world is the waiting, the listening to sirens, to helicopters, to the world around your seeking to confront and control the chaos all around you. 

Until recently, these experiences lived in the memories of those who lived it, those who were there.

But the remarkable world of web 2.0 has opened up a new window into this shocking reality.

My old friend Ahuvah Berger, a startup guru based in Jerusalem, has been tweeting updates as they happen, far before the press were even aware that anything has occurred. 

Reading these raw emotions, getting a play-by-play of these events, I cannot help but question the line between "reporting" and "transmoting".

Reporting transmits facts. 

Social media transmotes - both reporting and emoting. 

Reporting informs. 

Transmoting speaks.

Reporting gives facts and figures coupled with some light perspective. 

Transmoting is real, human and deeply communicative.

Transmoting is different.  I am glad that I have The NY Times for "factual reporting", but I generally prefer "social news" for perspective, opinion and human connection.  I rarely care about the reporter's perspective.  I care about the blogger on a deeply human level.

We care about people, we cherish human life.  These horrible events deserve more than a blurb in print or a talking head on tv.  They deserve transmotion.  They demand our attention, our thoughts, reflections and prayers.  They demand human attention, connectivity and passion.  Thank you Ahuvah, for sharing this experience.  Our hearts and prayers are with the victims of today's attack.

photo credit here and here