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May 12, 2008, 14:28 will be a time and date remembered by those in China forever. The memory of the catastrophic earthquake in Sichuan province that happened that day is tattooed onto our brains just like 9/11/01 is for Americans. May 12 is when time stopped; when the country stood still. It is when, for one of the most memorable times in recent history, Chinese united together around one event in a massive show of solidarity that demonstrates the strength of this powerful nation.

For anyone who knows China, the fact that the Internet and Internet Word of Mouth (IWOM) served as a central platform for the nation to share the latest information, to help out and to grieve should come as no surprise. At last count, China has 210 million Internet users and likely now has more users than any other country in the world. Chinese netizens are also among the most engaged in the world, with some reports suggesting that 98% have created content for BBS, blogs and other forms of IWOM. The netizens were out in full force during the week following the event: major portals hosted over 23 million netizen comments and blogs with over 12.6 million comments.

We have put together a special IWOM watch report on the power of the Internet, IWOM and netizens. Perhaps more than 9/11, more than Katrina, the Sichuan earthquake is the prime example of how engaged netizens can play such a significant role in sharing and even shaping the news. From the Wenchuan native posting landing instructions for a military relief helicopter on BBS to Netease setting up an interactive map to make it easier to find messages written by victims and relatives, there is much to be learned from these innovative uses of Internet and Web 2.0 technology. The rest of the world should look to the Chinese response on the Internet as a model and as a source of inspiration on how to react in similar times of crisis.

To download the report, please go here.

Recommended Reading

Below please find some recommended articles and blog posts in English for further reading on the power of the Internet and IWOM around the earthquake:

-How the Chinese Internet Becomes a Platform for Earthquake Grief (A local perspective)
-Earthquake Relief Efforts on China’s Web
-China: Time to pray