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?

Continuing on with the coverage of "China, The Olympics, Social Media, Symposiums, etc." mini-series, I’m am co-opting Olympic scholar Dr. Andy Miah’s questions for the panel he is organizing at the 9th International Symposium on Olympic Studies, in Beijing, August 5-7, 2008.

My point in doing this is to stimulate some discussion to push my own perceptions and resolve my own conflicts. You see, I am big fan of amateur sports (personally i prefer winter Olympic events) and an ardent advocate of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, and someone who hopes for a greener planet. In some ways, I see these three as not jiving within the China paradigm. On another hand, i wonder is it really my place to ask an ancient culture why they do things they way they do?

As such, I question my personal (not professional) emotional investment in the athletes’ struggle. Should I watch them strive for greatness on the CBC while the background struggle seems so much weightier? Or are the Olympics a time for healing and celebration where understandings are fostered and differences sorted out? In other words, should i participate in the Olympics from my couch or from the streets!

I invite you to offer your answers to Dr. Miah’s questions. The comments are open for your opinions on China, the Olympics, Social Media, etc. – be frank and polite (and avoid ticket selling and other spam).

Media Access and Control

* Briefly describe whether or not you see the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games as
a focal point for media transition in China.

* Will foreign journalists obtain the level of access they require to
undertake their work?

* Will the temporary legislation designating additional freedoms for foreign
journalists produce different coverage of China than we have seen before?

Politics and Focus

* Is political transition within a country a reasonable expectation to have
of the Olympic Games?

* How will commentators summarize the Beijing Olympic Games in
the closing minutes of television coverage at the end of the Closing
Ceremony?

* Will the Olympic media focus, to the same degree, on sports, compared with
other Games, or will other narratives dominate the coverage?

Social Media

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

* In February 2008, the IOC released blogging guidelines, which indicate
that they do not consider blogging to be a form of journalism. Do you think
there is merit in their assertion?

* What kind of convergence is visible around old and new media in China, in
the context of the Beijing Olympic?

* Is citizen journalism politically prescribed in China?

* Claims have been made about China’s rising Internet population and its
surpassing the United States. In what ways do you perceive the utilization
of new media as distinct within China, compared with other nations?

More Questions

* In this context of social media, freedom of press expression, and background of security and political posturing, what other questions come to mind?

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.

The Olympics and Web 2.0

Friday, February 17th, 2006
BC Canada Place, Torino, Italia

Join Bryght and Raincity Studios in Torino for a half-day symposium in BC Canada Place in Torino exploring the intersection of sports and web 2.0. Chaired by Andy Miah and Kris Krug this event aims to explore how changes in technology and the internet are influencing media and the coverage of the games. Topics to be discussed include citizen journalism, the decentralisation of media power, user generated content, mobile devices and applications and open-source software.

Presenters include Boris Mann, Andy Miah, and Robert Scales.

Sign-up today to attend the event.

Attendees

• The Daily Bit
• Dschola
• KORE Multimedia
• La Stampa Daily Newspaper

Kris Krug from Bryght is spearheading an initiative to have a delegations of companies, including Raincity Studios travel to Torino, Italy for the Olympics next month.

Yesterday, Kris and I met with members of New Media BC to explore ways to join our efforts.

At first glance, it looks like we will be there between the 14th to the 26th of February. During the first few days, we will be hosting a few media events and information sessions on “Web 2.0 and the Olympics” at the BC Canada House, next to the Media Centre. We plan on doing some Olympic blogging, podcasts and vcasts on location and attend a few events.

Here’s a little clip from Boris Mann of Bryght, speaking about Mobile Media and the olympics, posted on Now Public

You can expect us to blog more about this over the next few weeks as our planning effort translate into a more concrete plan of action.

For more information or if you would like to join the delegation, please contact me (robert at raincitystudios dot com) or Kris (kris at bryght dot com)