The Olympics and Social Media

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) ‘encourages’ the use of social media  - Blogs, Facebook and Twitter ( and presumably the new up and coming Pinterest) by athletes and accredited persons like myself (aka Games Makers) but has laid down some definite can and cannots in its guidelines.

Failure to follow the guidelines and one’s  accreditation is removed , which in effect expels you from the Games, followed by the possibility of a TakeDown Notice, legal action for damages, and imposition of other sanctions so, one needs to be aware

This is what the IOC rules say what can and cannot be done in social media:

The Cannots

• the posts cannot be for commercial or advertising purpose 
• you cannot use the Olympic's five rings
• cannot post any video and/or audio of any events, competitions or any other activities in any venue
• you cannot discuss any aspect of security and access
• you cannot write a journalist giving comments and opinions

For those of us with the special privilege of working the Athletes’ Village there are, understandably (opinion!?), specific remarks:

Because of the protected environment, there are more restrictive guidelines for theresidential area of the Olympic Village: any posting, blog or tweet must be in a first-person, diary-type format only; photos of the athletes themselves or other accredited persons in the Olympic Village can be posted, but if any other persons appear in the photo, their prior permission must be obtained by the person posting such photo. Video taken from within the residential area can only be for personal use and must not be broadcast, including uploaded to any websites or social media platforms.

The Cans

• One can take and post photographs keeping all of  the above in mind
• One can use social media if you follow these  rules

And  as for the spirit of  the social media postings the IOC says:

Postings, blogs and tweets should at all times conform to the Olympic spirit andfundamental principles of Olympism as contained in the Olympic Charter, be dignified and in good taste, and not contain vulgar or obscene words or images. 

Conclusion

I think (opinion!?) the IOC has achieved the right balance in not banning social media but proposing the sensible personal use of the media to track one's  own  personal  journey at 2012 within the spirit of the Games.

So, in summary no journalism, no Olympic rings but  lots of personal first person writing supported by photographs, with permission where applicable and absolutely no video.