Comments on: Why the Olympics should be the perfect social media event http://www.freshnetworks.com/blog/2008/08/why-the-olympics-should-be-the-perfect-social-media-event/ Social media, Web 2.0 and online communities Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:57:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: FreshNetworks Blog » Blog Archive » FreshNetworks social media diary 16/1/2009 - London 2012 http://www.freshnetworks.com/blog/2008/08/why-the-olympics-should-be-the-perfect-social-media-event/comment-page-1/#comment-2351 FreshNetworks Blog » Blog Archive » FreshNetworks social media diary 16/1/2009 - London 2012 Sat, 17 Jan 2009 00:06:01 +0000 http://www.freshnetworks.com/blog/?p=266#comment-2351 [...] in this way, I hope they will try to engage the rest of us too! As we wrote earlier this year, the Olympics should be the perfect social media event. As we wrote at the time: …if there were ever a perfect candidate for coverage in social [...] [...] in this way, I hope they will try to engage the rest of us too! As we wrote earlier this year, the Olympics should be the perfect social media event. As we wrote at the time: …if there were ever a perfect candidate for coverage in social [...]

]]> By: Matt Rhodes http://www.freshnetworks.com/blog/2008/08/why-the-olympics-should-be-the-perfect-social-media-event/comment-page-1/#comment-815 Matt Rhodes Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:00:30 +0000 http://www.freshnetworks.com/blog/?p=266#comment-815 Matt, Thanks for the comment and I do think you're right, although I might look at it from a different way. Something like Twitter only works where you have a genuine interest in the things people might be saying or are using it to find out what others think or are doing. You create your own community around you about whatever you decide. You might just follow your friends (and so your community is your friendship group), you might follow people in the same industry as you (and so your community is whatever area you work in), or you might create a community about a shared event or experience (such as the Olympics). I have no doubt that many people are following each other only because they want to find out what they think about the Olympics (or indeed reactions to events in Georgia as I've been watching over the last few days). I also have no doubt that many of these people will prove less interesting to follow when you don't have this shared interest... Maybe I should resolve not to mention the Olympics in my Twitter updates so I don't pick up an transient followers... ;-) Matt Matt,

Thanks for the comment and I do think you’re right, although I might look at it from a different way. Something like Twitter only works where you have a genuine interest in the things people might be saying or are using it to find out what others think or are doing. You create your own community around you about whatever you decide. You might just follow your friends (and so your community is your friendship group), you might follow people in the same industry as you (and so your community is whatever area you work in), or you might create a community about a shared event or experience (such as the Olympics).

I have no doubt that many people are following each other only because they want to find out what they think about the Olympics (or indeed reactions to events in Georgia as I’ve been watching over the last few days). I also have no doubt that many of these people will prove less interesting to follow when you don’t have this shared interest…

Maybe I should resolve not to mention the Olympics in my Twitter updates so I don’t pick up an transient followers… ;-)

Matt

]]> By: FreshNetworks Blog » Blog Archive » Social media and the Olympics - what brands are doing http://www.freshnetworks.com/blog/2008/08/why-the-olympics-should-be-the-perfect-social-media-event/comment-page-1/#comment-814 FreshNetworks Blog » Blog Archive » Social media and the Olympics - what brands are doing Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:50:26 +0000 http://www.freshnetworks.com/blog/?p=266#comment-814 [...] the 2008 Beijing Olympics should be the perfect area for social media coverage of the event itself (see post here). Social media is also being used by many big brands to capitalise upon the [...] [...] the 2008 Beijing Olympics should be the perfect area for social media coverage of the event itself (see post here). Social media is also being used by many big brands to capitalise upon the [...]

]]> By: Matt http://www.freshnetworks.com/blog/2008/08/why-the-olympics-should-be-the-perfect-social-media-event/comment-page-1/#comment-812 Matt Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:01:29 +0000 http://www.freshnetworks.com/blog/?p=266#comment-812 The Olympics came at the perfect time, didn't they? I think this 'social event' lets people use the tools, a thing many of them are running out of reasons to find. You talked of Twitter as a good place to talk about the Olympics. I agree because it's hard to think about what to talk about. The Olympics offer the promise of easy content. Don't get me wrong, some people don't need the Olympics to be worth following: but many do. As the new tool smell wears off some of these tools, we'll need social events like this to keep talking. In my opinion. The Olympics came at the perfect time, didn’t they? I think this ’social event’ lets people use the tools, a thing many of them are running out of reasons to find. You talked of Twitter as a good place to talk about the Olympics. I agree because it’s hard to think about what to talk about. The Olympics offer the promise of easy content. Don’t get me wrong, some people don’t need the Olympics to be worth following: but many do. As the new tool smell wears off some of these tools, we’ll need social events like this to keep talking. In my opinion.

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