The 2012 Olympics Social Media Guide – Mashable
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Today’s social community isn’t what it was during the Beijing Olympics. This year’s summer Olympics will be what some are calling the first “Socialympics.”
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has revamped its social media policies. And those strict rules also apply to Facebook and Twitter. If you’re a marketer or social media manager, here’s what you need to know before sharing:
- Brands cannot associate themselves with the Olympics.
- You must comply with the Olympic Association Right (OAR) and London Olympic Association Right (LOAR)
- Provide the facts and take a journalistic approach to avoid violating restrictions.
- Avoid marketing campaigns framed around the Olympics.
With so many restrictions, what are marketers to do? Taking a journalistic approach to sharing content about the Olympics seems to be the safest way marketers can still participate in the conversation, according to Rachel Boothroyd, general counsel of eModeration.com. Retweet, post, “like,” etc. the information that news outlets and other users are already sharing.
With so many social channels in use, there will be plenty of opportunities to participate. Here are seven of the most popular social channels you can use to keep up with news and join in on the conversations for your own journalistic efforts.
1. Online Olympic Communities
Several websites are available to help keep you up-to-date on the Olympic activities before, during and after the events. These are the official websites:
- http://www.london2012.com/
- http://www.olympic.org
- http://hub.olympic.org
- http://www.nbcolympics.com/
- http://www.teamusa.org/
With more than 1,000 athletes participating online, the Olympic Athletes’ Hub is the online community sports enthusiasts really should know about. Connect with athletes in real-time chats, get updates about your favorite names and participate in the Hub community to earn points and badges.
Many of the sites do a great job of integrating Facebook and Twitter open graph. When signing up for the Olympic Hub site for example, users can sign in using Facebook or Twitter.
2. Facebook
Several pages are available online to stay in touch with your favorite athletes or see the most updated results for your favorite event. The Official Olympics page at more than 2.8 million strong, NBC Olympics page andCountdown App are regularly updated accounts that are worth a “like.” Additionally, the officialLondon.uk.com Olympics and Paralympics page is a great subscription.
3. Twitter
While some are touting the Socialympics to be more of a “Facebook Olympics,” there are several official IOC accounts on Twitter.
For the latest news, follow @Olympics, @USOlympicTeam, @IOCMedia (Official Olympic News) andLondon 2012. You can also check out IOC’s Twitter Lists, including Olympians Twitter list and automated results for all sports at the Olympics, just to name a few.
4. Google+
The Olympics use of Google+ has proved meaningful for engagement and activity. More than 300,000 users have the London 2012 Google+ page in their circles, with many posts receiving more than 50 comments and +1s.
5. YouTube
In a recent Mashable article, a USOC (United States Olympic Committee) representative shared that their choice to use YouTube as a channel was in large part due to the platform’s reach. They plan to push five to 10 videos per day during the Olympics, in an effort to grow and effectively use the Team USA YouTube channel.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LndfqN8Odes?wmode=opaque]
In addition, check out Official Olympic Channel by the IOC and video galleries on the Olympics website, where you can search and view on demand.
6. Photos/Pinterest
Photo galleries on the Olympics website are available for search and share on Twitter, Facebook, even Google+, but an official Pinterest page doesn’t yet exist. The IOC does, however, have a Flickr account that you can follow for updated photos at London 2012 Flickr group.
7. Shazaam
A recent partnership between Shazaam and Comcast’s NBCUniversal will allow Shazaam users to access additional content when using the app during broadcasts on five NBC networks. The recent integration of Shazaam with the Grammys proved successful, so it could also perform well at the Olympics.