Vancity is buzzing with activities in preparation and anticipation for the coming Winter Games.

In 22 days, Vancouver will host the world with Glowing hearts!

Flags and banners are starting to appear in all corners of the city.

VANOC venue access tents (aka security check points) are being erected, these can be found just on the west side of BC Place, one of the main entrance for the 2010 Opening and Closing Ceremonies as well as for the Nightly Victory Ceremonies.

Deliveries are arriving, as seen here on Pacific Avenue, across from BC Place.

Fan gathering places are starting to pop up all over the city. Two examples seen here at Library Square on Georgia and Homer as well as at the Vancouver Art Gallery on Robson and Hornby.

Roads are being closed all over the city, these photos taken around GM Place.

Games sponsors are making themselves known as they manifest themselves on the sides of entire buildings and on various billboards. This one partially completed can be seen from the corner of Hornby and Georgia.

Fences are going up and security is starting to tighten, as you can see here at GM Place, just outside the Costco entrance.

GM’s fleet of sponsored vehicles is ready to crawl the city.

Stages are being built for upcoming entertainment acts. This one is found beside the skating rink at Robson Square.

And of course we have the Vancouver Police Department roaming the streets on horseback!

With three weeks remaining before the world visits our beautiful city, I’m sure we will continue to see the city transform for this exciting world event!

Make sure you start planning, this is the perfect time to get your game plan sorted before the storm hits Vancouver… Plan your movement and your schedule wisely, it will be wild…

The 2010 Winter Games will welcome media from around the world to a state-of-the-artunaccredited British Columbia International Media Centre (BCMC) at the heart of downtown Vancouver in Robson Square Plaza. The BCMC will be open to serve media from February 1 to February 28, 2010.

The BCMC is a full service broadcasting facility, which includes comfortable, secure, and fully wired networking and operating space. The Centre will provide access to athletes, dignitaries and government leaders, as well as contacts to stories happening outside official Olympic venues. Programming will also occur at the Centre and throughout Robson Square Plaza to showcase B.C. through special events, displays and celebrations.

A prime hub for members of the working press, the BCMC will promote British Columbia, its businesses, communities and tourism opportunities to the world. It will also be a key provider of support services tailored specifically to meet media’s needs.

Accreditation for the BCMC is now closed. For accreditation enquiries please click here.

Accreditation Badge Pickup

Members of the working media who have been approved for accreditation to the BC International Media Centre can collect their accreditation badge before Games-time by visiting Robson Square from January 25 to 29 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. (PST). Media badges will be available in room C245 on BCMC Level C. Please follow signs from the UBC Lobby.

Robson Square is located at 800 Robson Street (between Hornby and Howe). The UBC Lobby entrance is located on the west side of the GE Ice Plaza.

(Media badges will be available again beginning February 1, 2010 at BCMC registration).

Note: You must pickup your own badge and you must present valid picture ID to receive your badge.

Badges must be worn and clearly displayed at all times while at the BCMC.

BCMC Accreditation Policy:

The British Columbia International Media Centre (BCMC) at Robson Square Plaza in Vancouver will be open February 1, 2010 to February 28, 2010 to all journalists representing news organizations covering the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The Centre will provide working space for media who do not have an Olympic accreditation card from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) – referred to as unaccredited media.

Unaccredited journalists include media professionals with journalistic status, including radio, television, print and online reporters, photographers and videographers wishing to cover events in Vancouver, Whistler, and British Columbia during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Obtaining an accreditation card to the BCMC will allow media to cover all events at the Robson Square Plaza, including press briefings, and will provide access to work spaces and the many services provided at the Centre. Accreditation will not allow media access to events at any official Olympic venue.

BCMC Application Procedure:

BCMC staff, or designated service suppliers, will assess accreditation applications for media wishing to gain access to the BCMC based on the criteria listed below. Media will not be permitted on-site without prior notice and acceptance by BCMC staff. To obtain credentials, media must prove employment and assignment by a recognized media outlet based on:

• A byline, in print or online, from a recognized media source (recognition will be authorized by the BCMC)
• Letter from assignment editor of a recognized media source (recognition will be authorized by the BCMC)
• Photo identification proving employment with a recognized media source (recognition will be authorized by the BCMC)
• Proof of employment (screen capture with byline) from a website in existence and defined as “covering related news” (recognition will be authorized by the BCMC)

Due to limited capacity, the BCMC will offer no more than 30 accreditation cards for online media. Online journalists wishing to obtain accreditation for the BCMC must submit detailed information about the website they provide content for, including, but not limited to, number of unique visitors and recent major events covered by the website. Applications for accreditation will be assessed by the BCMC on their individual merits.

Journalists meeting the required conditions will receive an electronic confirmation letter which must be presented to BCMC accreditation staff to obtain photo identification credentials. Accredited media will be able to claim their credentials beginning on January 25, 2010 at the Centre’s Robson Square location.

The B.C. International Media Centre will be a prime gateway for timely information and services, including transportation, technical assistance, Internet, and some catering and entertainment. We are unable to offer any expense assistance for visiting media.

Media not able to obtain accreditation at the BCMC will still have the opportunity to access a range of services provided at Games time. If media wish to cover Games-related activities remotely, they can do so by accessing the BCMC website, where up-to-the-minute information will be available around the clock in the form of live and archived news conferences, high-resolution photos, and news releases.

Contact Information For The British Columbia International Media Centre:

Lara Gerrits
Phone: 604.252.3613
Email: Lara.Gerrits@LBMG.ca

Notes on Accreditation:

• During the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, journalists who wish to use the BCMC should register according to the rules and regulations posted by the BCMC.
• Provide valid identification documents upon first entry to the BCMC and go through the security check.
• After completing the registration procedures and receiving a BCMC accreditation card and a journalist’s kit, you will be an accredited BCMC journalist and will be eligible for all BCMC services and events.
• If the photo provided through online registration does not meet BCMC requirements, you will be required to have another photo taken in the accreditation hall.
• We recommend that journalists wear the accreditation card whenever covering or reporting on events in Vancouver as well as in the BCMC.
• Accreditation for the BCMC closes November 30, 2009.

Notes on the BCMC website:

• Media unable to visit Vancouver during the 2010 Games, but still wishing to cover Games-related activities, will have the opportunity to do so remotely via the BCMC website: www.BCMediaCentre.ca.
• All news conferences and other events, including athlete appearances, taking place within the BCMC press theatre will be available in real time, live streaming video on the BCMC website.
• All partner news releases and advisories available to media within the BCMC will be posted in a timely fashion on the BCMC website.
• During the Games, the BCMC website will act as the prime source of information for media wishing to cover stories related to the Games as well as the Province of BC.
• Media using the BC International Media Centre are encouraged to monitor Twitter for up-to-the-minute information on events, athlete interview opportunities and other happenings at the BCMC.

Coverage of the Olympic Games is dominated by the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) contracted rights-holder and accredited major media conglomerates. However some feel there is a role for crowdsourced documentation of both sporting events and the cultural context in which it happens.

This expert panel discusses changes, challenges, and opportunities facing grassroots media makers around the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games.

From Northern Voice 2009.

Speaking about Citizen Journalism and Gonzo Olympic coverage at Media Democracy Day Vancouver 2008: Panel 3, The Battle for New Media and Open Communication from www.workingtv.com/mdd2008.html .

More information at www.mediademocracyday.org/vanc ouver.

Continuing the dialog about China, The Olympics, Social Media and Everything … here’s a response to one of Dr. Andy Miah‘s questions for the 9th International Symposium on Olympic Studies:

"In what way are new media platforms enabling new forms of journalism to surround the Beijing Olympics?"

To craft well-rounded answers, Symposium participant Kris Krug (Robert Scales is also on board) sat round the table with Richard Eriksson (recently returned from Shanghai and currently stay-cationing), and myself, to tease out the issues which influence the answers.

In our chat, we reviewed each of Dr. Miah’s questions and tried to "twist the kaleidescope" a bit to reflect a broader world view in the conversational answers.

Here’s what we came up with in response to: "In what way are new media platforms enabling new forms of journalism to surround the Beijing Olympics?"

The biggest platform for enable new journalism is the ubiquitous camera phone. Everyone in the cities seems to have one. With this many people with cameraphones taking photos, text messaging and shooting videos, if something goes down, the world will certainly see it somehow.

While the public focus will be on the MSM journalists, the neat and surprising coverage stuff will come from camera phones and "regular people". Certainly there is a precedent of citizens breaking stories in emergencies and natural disasters.

Despite the government’s attempts to control Internet access, "unauthorized" pictures will get out somewhere, somehow (coded and filtered through networks as needed). And once the horse is out of the barn, it’s not going back in. And the more controversial the piece is, the more readily it’ll be replicated and disseminated. Imagine all the coverage of the noted Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 with today’s digital technology!

The tools and desire for truth will result in a huge amount counting just the social media generated on Chinese social media sites and BBS. Add in the international sites filled with content from journalism-minded amateurs and spectators making media for their own use and we’ll see a massive amount of content adding up to more quantity and possibly quality, than the MSM will produce.

Additionally, using social media to organize groups as well as covering stories will be a force. Using mobile phones, protesters can be nimble and strategic in planning non-permitted events. This will disrupt the government’s ability to control public assemblies and their reaction will be interesting.

Will the police use more soft-handed tactic instead of actively repressing events then rounding-up and detaining the perpetrators? Remember, the Free Hugs guy was detained (video) for unauthorized social gathering which he organized by using social media tools.

Next up in the China, The Olympics, Social Media, Symposiums, etc. series …more discussion about the convergence between "old" and "new" media, political motivations for social media; how social media production and distribution is distinct in China; and the IOC’s attitude towards, and regulations for, blogging by accredited and non-accredited journalists, and the public’s expectations of the mainstream media host broadcasters. What stories will we hear? And how are the stories told?

Foreign Newsprint and Blogging on Mainland China

Last week, The Vancouver Sun published an article featuring a Richmond-based Digital Newspaper company, NewspaperDirect Inc., which has just signed the first deal for foreign newsprint to be printed on Mainland China. Founder Easiprint Co. Ltd. in Beijing will print foreign newspapers for same-day delivery – a historical first for China.

Wency Leung, the writer of this piece, interviewed Robert Scales and Kris Krug, from Bryght, back in May, prior to their first trip to China. Having had met with political and prominent business figures in China, Rob spoke with Wency again last week, to give her a sense of what the blogosphere does in fact look like on the ground, and what his feelings are of the Chinese approach to the media in China.

Here is an excerpt from her article:

Robert Scales, president and CEO of Vancouver-based web development firm Raincity Studios, said he hasn’t seen any indication that foreign bloggers and online journalists will be restricted during the Beijing Olympics. The company is aiming to work with Chinese web hosts and other companies in preparation for the 2008 Games. On a trip to China in May, Scales said he posted blogs on his site from Beijing without any difficulty.

You can read the full Vancouver Sun article online.

Rob and Kris are heading back to China in September to further their research and establish more business relationships in conjunction with the China Access 2008 project.

Robert Scales from Raincity Studios and Kris Krug from Bryght are featured in today’s Vancouver Sun article, “Canadians Trying To Land Beijing Contracts”. Vancouver Sun reporter Wency Leung came into our offices a few days ago to interview Robert and Kris and spoke with them about their upcoming trip to China, getting a scope and understanding on how Raincity and Bryght is looking to effect and learn from the tech and new media industry in Beijing, in conjunction with preparing for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Vancouver Sun Article Excerpt:

Vancouver-based new media partners Bryght and Raincity Studios, which are working with China Access 2008, also see opportunities at the Beijing Olympics for B.C.’s technology companies.
“We think there’s a huge market opportunity for us to do work with Chinese Internet service providers, and Chinese hosts and Chinese web development shops,” said Kris Krug of Bryght.
He added that a presence at the Beijing Games will also help Bryght and Raincity Studios prepare for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler.
“We have an interest in learning as much as we can [at the Beijing Games] so that we can find out what companies and teams and countries are looking to do online around the 2010 Olympics,” Krug said.

Kris and Rob head over to China on Thursday for 2 weeks, getting on the ground and exploring first-hand the opportunities that potentially lie ahead.

Tomorrow they will be attending the China Access Forum, meeting people from other local BC companies who have already successfully initiated business in China.

You can register for the event on the China Access website and mark it on your upcoming.org account as well.

Listen Live to a reading of the article.

Wency Leung will be tracking Rob and Kris in China and will be following up with their progress upon their return.

Press Release posted on New Media BC Website

February 2, 2006

Vancouver, BC – New Media BC announced today that there will be a BC led new media symposium in Torino, Italy, during next week’s Winter Olympics.

The event, billed as “Olympics and Web 2.0″, and slated for February 17th, will showcase a pioneering cluster of British Columbia companies leading a shift towards Web 2.0 – what is being called the evolution of the Internet.

Vancouver-based Web 2.0 companies, Bryght and Raincity Studios, will lead sessions examining the emergence of citizen journalism and its anticipated impact on Olympic coverage and how podcasting is bringing a whole new sound to sport. Urban Vancouver bloggers will participate from Vancouver via a live connection. Snowboarding Olympic gold medalist, Ross Rebagliati, will take part in the Vancouver activity being held at the Take 5 Café at 7 am (4 pm Torino time).

According to symposium organizer Kris Krug of Bryght, the time is right and Torino is an ideal place to spread the word about this new movement in Internet usability: “Having an international audience on hand coupled with the energy of the Olympics only serves to further the momentum of the Web 2.0 revolution.”

“Vancouver has emerged as a real leader in Web 2.0 activity,” says Duff R. Gardner, VP, New Media BC. “The Olympics offer a great opportunity to profile just how much of an impact it is having on the way athletes, spectators and citizens interact with the Web during major sporting events.”

The Olympics and Web 2.0 Symposium will be held from 1 to 5 pm on February 17th at BC Canada Place at the 2006 Torino Winter Games.

About Bryght:

Founded in the summer of 2004, Bryght is an open source company with offices in Vancouver, BC. Bryght’s mission is to provide the best community content hosting and tools available, giving people and organizations the ability to maintain dynamic and leading-edge websites and web presences. We believe in open formats and standards, and our team is actively involved in the international open source community. Through our development efforts and partnership agreements, Bryght’s goal is to continue to provide innovative solutions for management of content, communities, and communication.
www.bryght.com

About Raincity Studios:

Founded in 2003, Raincity Studios is a Vancouver-based award-winning, full service, new media firm focused on web marketing, web 2.0 development and web design. Raincity also develop web-based communication applications for educational institutions such as BCIT, and is a reseller of weblog services for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
www.raincitystudios.com

About Urban Vancouver:

Urban Vancouver is Vancouver’s blog. It is the online community for “the rest of us”. Membership is free to anybody with a Vancouver connection. Members can post to their own blog, submit their event listings and add photos, audio and video. Since its inception in April 2004, Urban Vancouver has become the premier place for Vancouver related expression on the web ranging from personal reflections, diaries and journals to citizen journalism.
www.urbanvancouver.com

About New Media BC:

New Media BC is a not-for profit industry association whose mission is to advance Vancouver and BC as the World Centre of New Media and Digital Entertainment. Through networking events, peer-to-peer mentoring programs, advocacy work and marketing, New Media BC is building the new media community locally and promoting it abroad. The region’s new media industry is made up of close to 800 companies with combined annual revenues in excess of $1 billion. New Media BC hosts the annual Vancouver International Digital Festival (VIDFEST), currently Canada’s biggest digital content event.
www.newmediabc.com / www.vidfest.com

For additional information:

Kirstin Richter
Manager, Marketing and Communications
New Media BC
604-739-9878
kirstin@newmediabc.com

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