(Not So) Breaking News: Twitter Changes News Cycle

And by the way, there's gambling at Rick's.

Gigaom provides an excellent look at the drop from hours to minutes on breaking news. As you read about how fast Whitney Houston's death moved -- and the unique sourcing right next to the situation -- remember the catastrophe that was the Joe Paterno death watch.

As you fill out Chris Syme's survey on crisis communication for CoSIDA in particular, think about those two situations. What are you doing right now to keep an eye on potential disasters, how fast can you respond and is social already in our toolbox?

If any of those answers start with "no, but" -- you're in deeeeeeep trouble.