Mariel Zagunis carries the flag for USA at 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony (photo via http://www.olympics.org)
The world is watching the 2012 London Olympics as they never have before, in real time. Online news of the Olympics is even traveling faster than live television broadcasts (*ahem NBC). And the greatest benefit of following the 2012 Olympic news online through social media is the ability to get real time, close up, behind the scenes knowledge of what’s going on at the games, something even a first class ticket to London can’t buy you. Below are some steps you can take that will make you feel like a social media Olympian.
1. Download an app. There are dozens of apps that claim to be the best for keeping you up to date on how many medals each country has won.
Android users: London 2012 Olympic Games – Official Apps
Iphone users: London 2012: Official Join In App for the Olympic and Paralympic Games
2. Follow the Olympians. After all, today’s Olympians are part of Generation Y. Most of them habitually share their lives and experiences online. Following an Olympian on Twitter gives you that behind the scenes view of the Olympic games.
To make it easy, I have created an Olympics 2012 Twitter list*. Simply subscribe to my list or pick and choose your favorites.
*This is just a short list of all the Olympians. If there is anyone you’d like to recommend, please list their Twitter handle in the comments below.
3. Follow the #. Hashtags are great for following news about a particular topic, event or person. Below is a list of the popular hashtags for the 2012 London Olympic games.
#Olympics
#London2012
#Olympics2012
#TeamUSA
#2012Olympics
…And sad for them, #nbcfail
If you follow these three simple steps, you will become a Social Media Olympian, fulfilling the Olympic motto of reaching “Faster, Higher, Stronger.”
Enjoy the games! Go TEAM USA!
