Technology has transformed the way thousands of supporters celebrate the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon. Thon has now become a worldwide phenomenon, touching 25,000 viewers in 30 different countries.

People unable to attend the event could watch the dancers, moralers and supporters for the full 48 hours via WPSU's cable network on campus or a live Web cast on Thon's Web site. The broadcast even reached the children in the pediatric cancer ward at Hershey Medical Center.

Participants could also create blog entries on three laptops on the dance floor to be published on Thon's Web site www.thon.org.

The Web cast was first made available last year, but now, the audio and video quality has been improved mainly due to a bandwidth increase, Julio Negron (senior-telecommunications), who headed the project this year, said.

Kerrie Aman Carfagno, Web cast adviser, said because the project was so successful last year without being publicized, it's hard to determine how big it would be this year.

Last year 9,425 users watched Thon online from 27 countries and online donations increased by 82 percent from the previous year. A third of those who watched online donated money, she said.

The Web cast was made possible by monetary and equipment donations from several of the colleges and alumni and Information Technology Services (ITS). ITS sent the broadcast to Hershey Medical Center. Three of the five cameras were donated by long-time Thon disc jockey Larry Moore.

There were 35 to 40 communications students who ran the cameras and other behind-the-scenes equipment.

"It takes all those different groups to donate and come together," Carfagno said.

The Web cast committee started the Web cast at 4:30 p.m. Friday -- almost three hours before the official start of the marathon -- and it received almost 500 hits in an hour, Negron said. By 10:30 p.m. Friday, the site had gotten 4,962 hits.

At 8 p.m. Saturday, WPSU put up an alternate feed option for the Web cast to improve video quality and to keep one server from being bombarded with so many hits at once.

This year also marked the first time students could watch the festivities from the HUB-Robeson Center. Information advertising the HUB broadcast was posted around Rec Hall, so students who couldn't fit inside the building wouldn't miss a moment of excitement.

Blog entries from anyone on the dance floor were also published on Thon's Web site. Participants could write a blog, get their picture taken, and have their messages viewed by anyone, including family and friends at home.

"People were all over it," said Andy Karch (junior-computer engineering) on Saturday. "It's one more way they can see how everyone's giving all they got for Thon."

Reid Exley, overall technology chair, said he expected the blog counts to be much lower than they were.

"I think it's popular because it enables dancers to communicate with family or friends back home, a way for them to reach out to the outside world," he said.

Exley said it's also popular for corporate sponsors who were given added exposure as a result.

Pass System Developer Mike Weinstein said that by 6:30 a.m. yesterday, the blog count was up to 261.

"You can get the best feeling from Thon without actually being there," Weinstein said.