London 2012 Olympic Games organisers target Twitter and Facebook success 

Monday, June 27 2011 by Catherine Ferguson

Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are proving their value to promoters of the London 2012 Olympic Games, who are using social media to stimulate public interest.

Www.olympic.org underwent a substantial revamp last week to celebrate Olympic Day, which commemorates the birth of the modern Olympics on June 23rd 1894.

Keen to take full advantage of social media, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) encouraged members of the Olympics-loving public to upload videos, photos and messages relating to their own sporting achievements.

Internet consultants have cleverly made a map of Olympic Day activities taking place throughout June the main focus of the website. The addition of an easy-to-use Filter Key enables users to narrow down their search according to three categories: Twitter threads, Events and Editor's Picks.

There are also various calls to action encouraging fans to engage with Olympic preparations and show their support via Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

IOC president Jacques Rogge explained: "This is what the IOC has always strived to achieve: to get people active regardless of their age, gender or athletic ability.

"Thanks to our initiatives in social media, we are reaching out to an even greater number of people around the world and spreading the values of sport."

The IOC has sought to offer the public incentives to engage with the campaign too. Those uploading videos of themseleves doing sport on YouTube are instantly eligible to win a trip to the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria.

Those taking part in contests who share their experiences in Twitter and Facebook are also eligible to enter into a competition to win a trip to London 2012, or tickets to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Currently the IOC has over four million fans on Facebook, adding around 10,000 new followers every week.

The website also registered more than seven million visits last year.

Living Streams "Improving clients' profitability through better use of the internet".

Source: http://www.olympic.org/media?medianewstab=0&articlenewsgroup=-1&articleid=132198&searchpageipp=10&searchpage=1