London Games to be first social media Olympics

AP ^ | June 19, 2012 | n/a

[Ron C.]

LONDON –  Tweet this: The London Games will be the first Olympics told in 140 characters or less.

The London Games will be the most tweeted, liked and tagged in history, with fans offered a never before seen insider's view of what many are calling the social media Olympics, or the "socialympics."

Hash tags, (at) signs and "like" symbols will be as prevalent as national flags, Olympic pins and medal ceremonies. Some athletes may spend more time on Twitter and Facebook than the playing field.

Mobile phones have become smarter, laptops lighter and tablet devices a must-have for technology lovers -- meaning social-savvy fans, whether watching on television or inside the Olympic stadium itself, will be almost constantly online.

[Ron C.]

For perhaps the first time in history, tweeting will grind to a halt - Facebook will barely move.

[massgopguy]

This is only because those that tried to do it at the Bejiing Olympics were executed.

[DoughtyOne]

Wow, I sure hate to miss out on firsts. Oh well, I’ll make an exception.

The coverage to this point is already grating on my nerves.

[KarlInOhio]

How many times can I tell Bob Costas to shut up in 140 characters? Is there a common abbreviation so I can say it even more times?

[a fool in paradise]

Only 76 years after the first televised Olympics.

[x]

London has always been a "social medium."

[Woodsman27]

And the dumbing down of dialogue will continue.

[randog]

"Letting people know what I'm eating, how I'm sleeping, what the venues are like -- people want to know what we're going through," U.S. gymnast Jonathan Horton said. "They want to know what it's like going through the experience and what we're up to."

Or not.

[RetiredTexasVet]

Who cares? The Olympics has digressed into a litany of pseudo-sports allowing the progressive “everyone gets a participation medal” way of doing competition. In addition, the host country (taxpayers) will take it in the shorts for an extravaganza that will not pay for itself.

[Ron C.]

I could NOT miss many Olympics because the facility were I work was the main conduit to get them to the networks. I had to watch all of:

1988 from Seoul, Korea
1998 from Nagano, Japan
2000 from Sydney, Australia
2002 from Salt Lake City, Utah
2008 from Beijing, China

But I have not watched any others - they're just not my 'cup of tea' - so to speak. Can't stand the hype, and don't have much love for 'sports' any more.

Well, one slight correction - I didn't have to watch the last 2 days (as closely) of the Beijing thing. China finally found one clean fiber in one of their two brand new fiber cables coming to the US - so they could finally charge the network their VERY outrageously high prices for getting the show to the US.

[Moltke]

The London Games will be the first Olympics told in 140 characters or less.

Or rather, the first Olympic games with 140 viewers or less.

[Ron C.]

A P.S. re "already grating on my nerves."

I think you're experiencing exactly what turns me off.

[Ron C.]

Yeah, “100,000,000 times STFU!” 8^)

[Ron C.]

"Only 76 years after the first televised Olympics."

Yeah - I saw early TV's - but few of us 'common folk' could afford to buy one - and they had terrible little round screens and VERY fuzzy pictures. LOL

[Ron C.]

"first Olympic games with 140 viewers or less."

If they don't put a muzzle on all those useless talking heads, that is certainly a possibility!

[canuck_conservative]

The London Games will be the first Olympics told in 140 characters or less.

No - that would be the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. Media guys were bragging that that was also the first Olympics where you could watch the coverage 3 ways - on TV, on the computer, and on your phone.

But these will be the first SUMMER Games with Twitter.

[DoughtyOne]

I have always enjoyed sports and competition in general. I don’t have as much drive, since I’m older now, but I would enjoy the Olympics if they stuck to the events.

Instead they get sidetracked into the past of the Olympians telling more of a sob story with each new player. Gag me, I hate that stuff.

The advertising this year has been geared to talking about one guy that escaped his home nation as a child. He supposedly started running and didn’t stop for days or some such.

No thanks...

If I want a sex change I’ll contact a doctor.

[Ron C.]

"Instead they get sidetracked into the past of the Olympians telling more of a sob story with each new player. Gag me, I hate that stuff."

ME TOO!! It's soap-opera time, too near full-time.

But, what else can we expect from 100-percent-liberal media.

The thought comes to mind - 'feeding the public bread and circuses' like the Romans did.

[buffaloguy]

Yeah. As long as you,ve paid your 2,000 dollar license fee to use the word Olympic.

[ctdonath2]

Any source of serious Olympic coverage that will not involve subscribing [shudder] to cable tv? And I’m expecting OTA reception will suck when I try it next week.