Facebook becomes bulletin board for Virginia Tech

By Jeremy Pelofsky

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - "I'm ok at VT" on the Internet social network Facebook has become an online bulletin board for Virginia Tech university students to post their whereabouts and condition after the campus shooting that killed 32 people.

Some 236 groups related to Virginia Tech have been set up on Facebook, a sign that Internet social networks are beginning to replace e-mail and cell phones as the preferred method for spreading information quickly among younger generations.

The "I'm ok at VT" group included a list of those killed as well as details about the condition of others injured.

One student asked about whereabouts of her friend in a posting on Tuesday morning. "She sits beside me in my Abnormal Psychology class and I really want to know if she is ok," said Victoria Borkey.

A message posted shortly afterward said the person had been one of the shooting fatalities and called for prayers for her family.

Another Facebook member, Andy Millman, pleaded with members of the group to only post information if they are "absolutely positive" about a person's condition, noting one of his friends was inaccurately described as OK.

Other students set up a Web site, www.vtincident.com, as one outlet to discuss the shooting. Police identified Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old Virginia Tech student from South Korea who was a legal U.S. resident, as the shooter.

On Facebook, some students have posted a black ribbon with the university logo "VT" over it to commemorate the victims, replacing their own profile photo, and spread invitations to attend a candlelight vigil on Tuesday evening.