Social Media Takes Gold at London 2012 Olympics
Social media has been slowing working it’s way onto TV programmes around the world, with the simple Hashtag being the most common and easy it use (click here to read my article on Hashtag TV). So it’s no surprise that the Olympics is all over social media with athletes embracing online interaction with fans around the world.
Social media isn’t a new form of communication and was widely used back when the 2008 Bejing Olympics were broadcast. So why wasn’t social media used back then? Well, Twitter was banned by China and there was no Official Facebook Fan Page.
For the London 2012 Olympics, the IOC created a website to become the hub of all digital media. Named appropriately, the website is HUB.OLYMPIC.ORG. It automatically pulls in Olympic Twitter posts and allows you to connect with Facebook. It also shows interesting facts such as the “Top Followed Athletes”, led by LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
Social media has been a great success so far as viewers, athletes, and countries fully engage with each other throughout the games. You have the opportunity to follow most of the popular athletes or a particular event of your interest. The primary Twitter account is @London2012 but you can also follow every event.
Each event has it’s own Twitter account:
@L2012Archery, @L2012Athletics, @L2012Badminton, @L2012Basketball, @L2012BeachVball, @L2012Boxing, @L2012CanoeSLA, @L2012CanoeSPR, @L2012BMX, @L2012MTB, @L2012RdCycling, @L2012TrkCycling, @L2012Diving, @L2012Equestrian, @L2012Fencing, @L2012Football, @L2012ArtGym, @L2012RhyGym, @L2012Trampoline, @L2012Handball, @L2012Hockey, @L2012Judo, @L2012ModPent, @L2012Rowing, @L2012Sailing, @L2012Shooting, @L2012Swimming, @L2012Synchro, @L2012TT, @L2012Taekwondo, @L2012Tennis, @L2012Triathlon, @L2012Volleyball, @L2012WaterPolo, @L2012Weightlift, @L2012Wrestling
Below is a great infographic that demonstrates some impressive figures in social media about the Olympics.
Have you been joining the conversation about your favourite sport? Let us know in the comments 
Credit to PuzzleMarketer for the infographic.
