Posted on 29 January 2010. Tags: andymiah, citizen journalism, daveo, dickpound, ioc, kk, media, miss604, Olympics, robertscales, TNHM, true north media house, uncleweed, Vancouver, vancouver2010, VANOC
It’s apparent by the way we speak about the Games that we are passionate about the Olympics. We love to create fan stories and talk about the culture behind these amazing international events..
As individuals we have had the honour to attend, cover and enjoy several Olympic games.
In 2006, Kris and I where part of a delegation of Vancouver companies that attended the games in Torino, Italy. Accredited by the Piedmonte Media Centre, we generated fan stories, using YouTube and other web tools to share our experiences. We tested a new video streaming device built by iMate (JazJar), running on a software created by ComVue. We also held a symposium on Social Media and the Olympics at the BC Canada House.
This first hand experience helped us create our strategy for 2008 where we attended the games in Beijing, China. Again, we covered fan and cultural stories and took part in an academic symposium on Olympic research. Some of our social media coverage gain popularity and was distributed by the BBC, the LA Time and various other media outlets.
Before our adventures in Torino and Beijing, our multi-talented friend Dave Olson attended the games in Salt Lake City and was living in Nagano before the 1998 Winter Olympics.
Over the past few years, as a group, we have spoken at various conferences and events about the impact of citizen journalism, social media and the internet on the various Olympics, IOC and “ANY”OC brands. We sent VANOC several letters over the past 18 months requesting to meet with them, and have a discussion about this change in culture… Without any replies.
Andrew Lavigne, a filmaker has been working on a project called “With Glowing Hearts” a documentary film about the use of social media and the upcoming 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver..
In this webisode, Kris, Dave and Rebecca speak about an ad-hoc project we have been tinkering with since November 2008, it’s called the True North Media House.
“The True North Media House project aims to inspire social media creation and educate about best practices for sharing content with audience. We’ll do this through a variety of meet-ups, photo walks, field trips, and outings with international media makers and aggregating Olympic culture-related content licensed with a Creative Commons license.”
If you would like to register with the True North project, it’s simple.. just fill up our online application.
To find out more about Andre and his project, follow him on Twitter…
Posted in Culture, Fans, Featured, Vancouver 2010, Videos
Posted on 16 February 2006. Tags: athletes, blogs, ioc, Kari Traa, social media, Tech Talk, Torino 2006
So, as Boris pointed out, the IOC has told athletes not to particpate in journalistic activities, which to them, means blogging. This is good and bad. Bad cause i want to read the personal notes of the athletes rather than the contrived emotion and occasionally inane interviews. In some ways this ban is GOOD because it shows that the whole citizen as journalist/artist/communicator trip is on the radar of the “grey suits” who run the IOC (and of course control the world 
).
This is lame because many athletes use blogging as a means to stay in touch with family, friends and supporters.
A few examples of web stuff i’ve come across:
Kari Traa - the (uhh sorta hot) Norwegian mogul skiier keeps a “gossip” section on her site which she blogs about “controversial” content like where she is sleeping at the village (big screenshot on Flickr). However, the IOC has decided that her actions are verbotten (big screenshot on Flickr).
Why is this? In thinking it over, the IOC feels that athletes blogging either a) infringes on someone’s rights; or, b) has potential to be imflammatory or otherwise contrary to the Olympic ideals, or c), am i missing something.
Torino Conversations – With athlete’s blogging is not allowed, corporate sponsor (err sorry, … Olympic “family”) blogging is allowed as demonstrated by a certain sugar-laden, artificially-colored beverage company’s attempt at promoting citizen journalism. It comes across as amateurish, not amateurish like, “ahh these kids are making it themselves” but amateurish like an ad exec said, “hey billy, you like that Internet, go make find kids and do some of that bloggin stuff my kids talk about” While the kids who are getting the trips are stoked, and the result is just lacking in any sort of insight or cutting-edgeiness.
Off the Podium is IOC’s official site seems to be geared towards USA disenchanted youth apparently. They spent a lot of money on this Flash-o-mania site with moving shit and popping up console windows. Mostly bios on athletes and explaining why said athletes are “cool.” Seems like there is some good content here, just so buried in the endless container (egads, frames) that it isn’t worth the brain-strain.
TV coverage is starting back up so this is all you get for now. Enjoy!
More later on Begg-Smith spam-antic, more websites, and hockey blather, and oh yea, i haven’t forgot about the SLC Flashback series but i am still putzing away at it – thanks for caring.
Posted in Torino 2006
