Michael Jackson vs. The Internet

The chaotic web-based system that encouraged over a million fans to compete for several thousand tickets to Michael Jackson's memorial service in the Staples Center in Los Angeles has already received a lot of negative press, as the cash-strapped city tries to figure out how to handle would-be lookie-loos, and fans are encountering tiered forms of participation in the singer's legacy. (As though the strain on the very Internet created by Jackson's demise weren't enough to drive former listeners away from their keyboards.)

Meanwhile MichaelJackson.com is soliciting online memories from fans. Although viewers are encouraged to flag offensive postings as inappropriate, there are still a number of computer users who are advertising pornography or suggesting that the pop star should go to hell.