So, I know I recently wrote a post about the Olympics and social media, primarily Facebook, but after reading a recent Mashable article about 10 Pinterest Accounts That Celebrate the Olympic Sprit I couldn’t resist diving back in (like Cassidy Krug on the 3-meter). Especially, since two of my favorite things – Pinterest and the Olympics – are so perfect for one another.
Pinterest is all about engaging users through the use of compelling images, and the Olympics generates tons of visually compelling moments – photo finishes, emotional athletes, the beautiful scenery and architecture of London. So, it is no wonder that most of the accounts mentioned in the Mashable article are spearheaded by NBC. Such accounts include “NBC Olympics,” “TODAY Olympics” and “Shop NBC Olympics,” and are a perfect example of a business effectively utilizing Pinterest.
It is important for businesses to understand that their presence on Pinterest can’t be limited to shoving their brand onto people’s boards, it just isn’t the avenue for that. It’s for sharing visually engaging images that spark conversation and engagement. Brands on Pinterest need to humanize themselves by following other relevant users, repinning their content and commenting when it makes sense.
As for NBC and their Olympic involvement on Pinterest, this type of interaction on the social site will feel like part of their conversation, which will lead to increased brand loyalty. Ultimately, it will leave Pinners interested in seeing more of London, more of the games and more of the action by tuning in to NBC for the event.
Here’s th
e full list of Olympic Pinterest accounts from Stephanie Buck’s Mashable article – check them out!
1. NBC Olympic Coverage
2. TODAY
3. 2012 Olympic Games
4. Shop NBC Olympics
5. General Interest
6. Olympic Spirit
7. Olympic Design
8. Action Shots
9. Paralympics
10. Olympic History
Posted by
Mary Evans on Wed, Jul 25, 2012 @ 08:31 AM
Move over mood rings, a Ferris wheel is going to judge the attitude at the London Olympics.
The London Eye, which is a tourist-favorite Ferris wheel that apparently has drawn over 39 million visitors since its debut in 2000, will broadcast to the world Twitter sentiment about the summer games. A team of analysts have been brought on board to study Tweets that mention phrases and hashtags related to the Olympics, such as “Olympics,” “Torch Relay,” “London 2012” and “#energy2012″ (EDF Energy is the official electricity supplier of the Olympics, and the name behind the London Eye) and translate those messages into colors to reflect both positive and negative emotions. During a nightly light show at the Olympics, the Ferris wheel will light up yellow (positive), green (neutral) and purple (negative) to reflect what people around the word are talking about on Twitter and their attitude towards the day’s events.
I think the idea itself is pretty interesting, and integrates social media well for those who will be following along via Twitter, and yet simultaneously won’t be so in-your-face to those who won’t. I guess I just can’t help but wonder if light show watchers will understand the meaning behind the colors, or will they just simply “ooh” and “ahh” at them? I can only assume that somehow the sentiments will be spelled out, or at least explained so that attendees and/or viewers at home can connect the dots and be encouraged to participate and contribute messages. Nonetheless, it’ll be interesting to follow along.
So if you’re chatting about the Olympics, don’t forget to incorporate some of the keywords mentioned above so that you can contribute to the light shows. Here’s to hoping we see a lot of yellow!
- Mary Evans
The summer Olympics only come around every four years, but this year during the London Games, people will be more connected than ever before through social media. More than 100 events and 10,000 athletes will comprise the event, beginning in less than a month, making it hard to keep track of what’s going on throughout the competition. But Facebook plans to change all of that with the introduction of Explore London 2012. 
The new Facebook page has been set up to let athletes report the games first-hand with photos, medal updates and their own personal thoughts about the games’ happenings. Presumably it will be the ultimate connection between fans and athletes.
According to TechCrunch, the page currently only features 250 of the event's thousands of athletes, but the numbers are expected to rise considerably as the games near. The article also reports that the International Olympics Committee told the publication they started working with Facebook on this effort about a year and a half ago.
I took some time to check out the page and, as a sports fan, I have to say it’s really cool. U.S. athletes such as Michael Phelps (swimming), Misty May-Treanor (beach volleyball), and Hope Solo (soccer) are already on board. The page includes three main sections: Athletes, Teams, and Sports, making it easy for fans to tailor their involvement to what piques their interest. Be sure not to miss the games, which begin July 27th, but if you can’t tune in live, don’t fret – Facebook’s got your back…
With less than 100 days remaining until opening ceremonies, the London 2012 Olympic games are already being branded the “first social Olympics,” as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) prepares for fans to interact with the event and competitors like never before.
Last week, the IOC launched a social media hub where fans will be able to connect with their favorite competitors, and athletes will be able to connect with one another. The Olympic Athletes’ Hub will aggregate the verified social media feeds (Facebook and Twitter) of more than 1,000 current and former Olympians. Users will be able to access exclusive training-tips videos and gain virtual and real-world prizes based on how many athletes they like and follow online. The hub will also host chat sessions with athletes during the games and updates on competition results.
While this is the first year social media will play a major role in the Olympics, the IOC is still working out a few kinks regarding how to regulate it. As it stands now, Olympic athletes are not able to post photos of themselves with products that are not those of official London 2012 sponsors, and they are not allowed to post any pictures of inside the Olympic village. As with any new endeavor there is bound to be some trial and error to set up a format that works – but even with restrictions, social media use has exponentially increased since the last Olympic games and will without a doubt have a significant impact on how people choose to monitor and engage with the event from here on out.
Curious about other major Olympic media milestones? Check out this great infographic on Mashable to see the evolution of coverage of the Olympic games.