Social Media and the 2010 Winter Olympics

Photo courtesy of www.Mashable.com.

Let's think back to the Olympic games of years past, shall we? Were you updating your Facebook status with feelings of pride or disdain during the events? Were you tweeting every emotion during the Opening or Closing ceremonies? Were you posting pictures of favorite athletes at key moments in their fight for the Gold? You probably weren't. You most likely gathered around the TV with a few friends or you picked up the (GASP!!) telephone to share your opinions on the events.

While chatting on the phone is arguably more personal than posting on a "wall", the message definitely lacks some va-va-voom! This type of interpersonal communication is viewed as booooooring to a generation that was raised on smart phones and laptops. Wouldn't it be more fun to post pictures, videos, comments, and polls for our friends to respond to? Wouldn't it be great to post a daily log of your days spent at the Olympic Games complete with pictures and video? One such entertaining Blog caught my eye during the Games this year. I welcome you to check out Erin Elton's Blog, which illustrates one Olympic-themed wardrobe malfunction and great photos of the Blogger at the events. Social Media allows users to fully engage readers in their experiences, while allowing readers to share these posts with their communities.


Photo courtesy of Erin Elton

This use of multimedia communication was also widely used by athletes and sponsors of the 2010 Winter Olympics to keep viewers intrigued. Thousands of Facebook profiles appeared for numerous athletes and sponsors, urging Facebook users to join the various fan bases.

While Social Media was a widely used tool in the Olympic experience this year, was it used to it's full potential? According to Mashable, it was not. Mashable suggests that Olympic organizations lacked in the Community Building arena. They failed to engage the followers they did have and the major organizations of the Olympics failed to create a central site that fans could visit to share information and experiences.

The use of Social Media during the 2010 Winter Olympics is a great example of the incredible changes in technology in recent years. So, if you are a Facebook addict (and I know you are), a constant Tweeter or a Blogaholic, you are in luck! Social Media welcomes you, your endless updates and your business!