The news of the Yahoo Groups Ban - How news travels and grows in scope

Dr. Madhukar Shukla sent out this to some folks and I am putting this up for you all to read:

"how ideas travel across the globe, I had put a search on Google News for 'yahoo group block india', and the following are the figures:

Sept 9:
Ministry of Comm & IT issues the directive to ISP

Sept 19:
first report on this issue in Hindu Business Line

Sept 23:
7 newspapers report the ban

Sept 24:
3 newspaper reports

Sept 25:
5 newspaper reports

Sept 26, 27, 28
2 newspaper reports
[though in the regional editions of Indian and Asian publications thre were reports which the key words, I had put in for 'news alert', could not find out]

Sept 29
16 newspaper reports

Sept 30
25 newspaper reports

What is important to note - if you scan through the links below - how the news travelled from:

1. how the information moved geographically - from India to East Asia/Australia, and then to UK and USA
2. how the information moved from local/ technical publications to global popular publications

Companies which succeed in the emerging environment, seem to track and manouver the trajectory of the 'idea virus'..
(1) they create the 'hype' among the consumers to quickly increase the market size and bring down their per-unit cost... or
(2)use 'viral marketing' to disseminate their offerings (did you ever see any ad of hotmail or yahoo?? - if not, how did you come to know about it???...

that is 'idea virus'/ 'meme'!!! :0))"