Yesterday, a massive earthquake did untold amounts of damage in Chengdu, the largest city in China.

While people were trying to get details of magnitude, damage and the status of loved ones, the Web was simultaneously aflame with self-congratulatory news that the first reports of the quake came out on Twitter, thanks to Robert Scoble bringing attention to them.

As people interested in reporting what’s happening around us, we should think more carefully about where and how to find our sources.

Twitter is a great tool for communication, and a great resource for scanning what’s happening “out there.” But by no means should anyone be congratulating themselves for being first to report about an event in China on a service that’s primarily used by those who type in English and Japanese.

Danny Sullivan at Search Engine Land, Kaiser Kuo at Ogilvy China and Joshua Allen have some additional thoughts worth reading.