The organizers of the London Olympics have already stated that this year’s world games would be the most social in history. Several athletes and teams have already started building a following on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Today, Facebook announced “ Explore London 2012 ,” a page dedicated to all of the athletes, sports, countries and teams that will be part of the 2012 Olympic games in London.
The International Olympics Committee has already dubbed this year’s games the “Social Olympics” and “Explore London 2012” will help the 2012 London Olympics live up to that moniker.
Joanna Shields, who spoke for Facebook during the launch event in London, said:
“We will follow the athletes’ stories for the next 17 days… It’s that discovery through friends that makes things interesting and makes you want to click on media. We want to bring discovery to the Olympics.”
Techcrunch reports that “Explore London 2012” will be a pure hub for the London Olympics and will not contain any ads.
Web Pro News reports that Facebook users can like athletes, teams, or countries to receive up to the minute updates. The IOC has a fairly strict social media policy ( they’ve already banned two Australian swimmers from using Twitter during the Olympics ) but they will allow athletes to post messages and photos from the events this year.
Fox News reports that Facebook’s Olympic hub will contain plenty of information about the London Olympic games this year, but it won’t include all participating countries. For instance, China’s team is noticeably absent since Facebook is banned in China.
What do you think about the “Explore London 2012” webpage? Will you interact with your favorite Olympians this year?
