Erica Batte was stuck at work in Swissvale yesterday while thousands of Michael Jackson fans gathered in Los Angeles' Staples Center for the tribute concert to the King of Pop. But that didn't stop her from watching the memorial service at her desk.

An employee at a nonprofit, social service organization, Ms. Batte, 38, watched a live stream of the concert on her computer using CNN.com Live on Facebook, which allowed her to simultaneously read and share comments instantly with other viewers.

"I have a lot of online friends and it was nice to watch with them instead of watching and then talking about it later," she said.

She was joined by millions of people who used CNN and Facebook to watch the service in one of the most popular live video streams in Internet history.

The joint coverage of the Michael Jackson memorial service marks the second time CNN.com Live and Facebook have joined forces in this type of live stream.

"We first did this for the inauguration on Jan. 20 and that day actually broke the record for the largest live video event in Internet history," said Jennifer Martin, CNN director of public relations.

The inauguration of President Barack Obama drew 21 million live video streams, she added. "Based on preliminary data, [the memorial service] doesn't look like it has broken the inauguration record."

With their collaborative video stream, CNN and Facebook have brought fans together, said Brandee Barker, director of communication at Facebook.

"People can view the Michael Jackson memorial service ... and participate in a conversation about it with their Facebook friend or a stranger watching thousands and thousands of miles away," she said.

Dawn Keezer, director of the Pittsburgh Film Office who attended the service in the Staples Center yesterday, said the audience was doing its part in keeping the world connected.

"Everybody had some sort of PDA [personal digital assistant]. We were told not to bring in cameras, but everyone's phone has a camera.... Everywhere you looked, you saw a blue light -- every third person was on some sort of PDA."

Ms. Keezer said she didn't know what to expect. "I've been to the Staples Center for a Lakers game and heard what that's like. This time, the place was silent, like a funeral. Then Smokey Robinson got up and read a telegram first, and the place got completely quiet. But every time there was a lull, someone would yell out 'I love you, Michael.'

"It was really interesting to see people willing to express their grief in that way."

Ciara Walter, a 20-year-old student watched the service on her home computer in Harrisburg.

"It amazes me that there are billions of people watching this at the same exact moment I am. I feel like the whole world is paused to bid farewell to this man."

Despite the popularity of these communal video streams, Ms. Martin said CNN and Facebook will not be hosting them frequently.

"We're reserving it for these kinds of seminal moments where we're seeing a huge outpouring from our users to want to communicate and connect."