Interesting article in the Vancouver paper, The Westender, on how the 2010 Olympics will be shaped by social media.

(…) there will be almost the same number of non-accredited journalists at the Games as those with official media accreditation, resulting in a potentially dramatic increase in the range of stories told about the event, and about the city. « The mass media – or accredited media – are so focused on celebrating the sports that their agendas don’t permit much deviation from the narrative, » he (Andy Miah, chair in Ethics and Emerging Technologies in the School of Media, Language, and Music at the University of the West of Scotland)  says. « This is why social media is so critical. When we look back in history, we will want to know what took place throughout Vancouver, not just what happened in the stadia. »

Very interesting discussion about how Web 2.0 will impact the IOC, with its strict rules and regulations:

An increasingly blurred division between official and unofficial media — particularly with regard to how it will play out in Vancouver next month — may challenge the IOC to change its approach in how it handles media during Games time. “What we have here is a major sporting event taking place in a western liberal democracy, in a country that is highly wired, and in a city that has a very active social-media scene,” Hermida says. “In many ways, this is a tremendous opportunity to really expand the appeal of the Olympics, and to involve not just established media, but involve emerging media, and involve the public in general into celebrating this through the media.

Available online here.

(Thanks to my brother-in-law, Bob, for the heads up. Great when your whole circle supports your obsession 😉