GO CANADA GO!

Well, we are nearing the end of the Olympics in Vancouver and I was reflecting today on how much I really watched the Olympics this year. In the past, I've kept myself updated on Canada's medal standings and will occassionally flick on the television to watch whatever event is on. However,this year I find myself completely immersed in everything Olympic! I feel one of the major reasons for my intense viewership of the Olympics, has to do with social media and the way they have taken on the Olympics this year.

With the rise of social and interactive media, there has been an explosion of people able to participate in the Olympics, no matter where they are in the world. By using Facebook, users can now be a ‘fan’ of the Olympics and can explore and upload pictures of their experiences to the Facebook fan page. Also, athletes are using their Twitter and Facebook accounts to interact with their fans about their wins, losses and their experiences at the winter games. Another way interactive media has been explosive in the 2010 games is the way smart phones and iPhones have created applications like the cowbell application or the mobile application which allows anyone to see results of events. The mobile application is unique in the way that it uses GPS systems to find out where you are to notify you what sports events, concerts or cultural events you are close to if you are in Vancouver.

Another way people can interact with the Olympics is through Google Earth. Just for the Olympics people can actually see the half pipe, or even see the streets of the Olympic village, which people at home can feel like they are actually there. And lastly another way people can get involved in the Olympics this year is simply by watching videos live and online. There is so much coverage online, that even if you can’t watch the events live, you can catch the highlights afterwards on numerous websites!
I am absolutely amazed at how many possible ways there are to interact with the Olympics than ever before. Without even leaving your house people are able to read up on what the athletes are doing, when they are competing and even their thoughts after they compete. People can also have pictures of the Olympics without actually being there. To be able to see the streets and mountains is an experience viewers from home have never been allowed to partake in. For myself, all the ways that social media have embraced the Olympics this year has allowed me to be much more involved in all the events. Since the opening ceremonies I have used most of these social mediums to stay informed about Canadian athletes. Even though I was not lucky enough to be in Vancouver for the Olympics, I feel that my Olympic experience has improved because of all the access we have to these interactive websites and applications.

But I’m interested in seeing how many other people have had the same experience as me. Has the increase in Olympic coverage on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter as well as Olympic applications for smart phones, increased your interaction with the Olympics this year?