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=Wikispaces Assignment:= =POSTED: MAY 6TH= =DUE: MAY 13TH (10 pm)= =Please read the article below and answer the following questions in the discussion tab. Reply within my post labeled Homework.=

=Twitter is an increasingly popular website that allows people to announce their opinions, concerns, or even if they are about to tie their shoes. You can take Twitter for what it is worth by understanding who and what motivation is behind comments that are posted. In relationship to this article, do you feel Twitter is a beneficial tool when it comes to promoting public awareness or do you think it has the potential to mislead readers? Why? If you haven't been on Twitter since our class, you can always sign in again or create a new account at []. Any questions, please see me in Rm. 311 or email me at= mruskey@mercyvhs.org It is a fact that some 30,000 people in the U.S. die from flu-related symptoms a year. That was not as highly publicized. Some say, “ "This is a good example of why [Twitter is] headed in that wrong direction, because it's just propagating fear amongst people as opposed to seeking actual solutions or key information.” But in an emergency, that tendency means people write about their own fears of symptoms and widespread deaths, which can create an uninformed hysteria.
 * (CNN) ** -- The swine flu outbreak is spawning debate about how people get information during health emergencies --Some observers say Twitter -- a micro-blogging site where users post 140-character messages -- has become a hotbed of unnecessary hype and misinformation about the outbreak, which is thought to have claimed more than 100 lives in Mexico. Twitter's popularity has exploded in recent months, and Slattery said it's a new development that a wide number of people would turn to the site in search of information during an emergency.

Others argue, “online buzz about swine flu is a good sign. It means people are talking about the issue, and that's the first step toward learning how to reasonably protect yourself.”