L

ast Friday's bombings in Jakarta have sparked a new movement on the web as Indonesian "Twitterers" rally behind the nation to internationally condemn terrorist acts that have once again rocked the nation.

Just three hours after the shocking attacks, Twitterers (people who send short messages or images via a free online social network) across the nation decorated their usernames with red and white, the colors of the Indonesian flag, and sent thousands of messages of support for Indonesia through the online network.

The messages flooding through Twitter were linked via the hashtag (jargon name for subject grouping) *indonesiaunite, which as of Tuesday night was still one of the top 10 most-viewed topics on Twitter along with Harry Potter, swine flu, *iranelection and Michael Jackson.

Blogger Budi Putra said Tuesday the hashtag *indonesiaunite was originally coined by Indonesia Twitterer @ifahmi (Twitterers use @ in front of their username).

"It's like a moral movement to show the world that Indonesia is responding against the bombings. And it is gaining more support and getting bigger," he said.

*indonesiaunite became the number one topic on Twitter following the bomb blasts, which seriously damaged the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in South Jakarta on July 17, killing 9 and injuring dozens.

Budi said Indonesian Twitterers had been outwardly expressing their pride in the nation since the blasts, focusing on its culture and natural beauty to try and detract from the fact terrorism had struck Indonesia once again.

Also, it was not mainstream media that first spread the news about the bomb attacks, but two Indonesian Twitterers.

@DanielTumiwa "tweeted" the breaking news as he witnessed the blasts, while @dregar, who was staying at the Ritz-Carlton, posted the first photo of the explosions.

The *indonesiaunite movement is not dissimilar to the hashtag *iranelection, where users updated news and expressed opinions surrounding the recent Iranian elections via Twitter.

"I think Twitterers start to become like the media. They spread information, check its accuracy and warn other users of falsities. They don't trust unclear facts," Budi added.

Shortly after Friday's blasts, rumors quickly circulated that there were a number of other bomb threats at various locations around the city, but Twitterers were able to quickly warn each other and others that the rumors were purely speculation.