[typography font="Lobster" size="26"][dropcap]T[/dropcap][/typography]    he time has finally come. In four days, the torch will be lit in London and the 2012 Olympic games will begin. The years of preparation, practice, and promotion will finally come together for two weeks of fierce competition. Despite the usual excitement surrounding the Olympics, this year's events have more anticipation around them than ever before. The anticipation is from the social media buzz that has taken over the world, and continues to increase with each day. From social media contests to exclusive video content, there has been no shortage of Olympic subject matter to go around. At the root of it all is the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and their moves to make these games the most social event in history. The IOC The IOC has launched an Olympic Athletes' Hub. This hub is a search engine that connects fans to the Facebook and Twitter feeds of the athletes. In addition to following athletes in an organized stream, there will also be opportunities for fans to ask questions during live sessions. Another element of the Hub is the Olympic Challenge, a game that awards points to Facebook users who correctly predict the winners of various events.

Though Instagram, Google+, and Foursquare are not linked up to the Athletes' Hub, the social websites have not been ignored. The IOC created an @Olympics account on Instagram to allow users to follow the discussion from their phones. They made a Google+ page and plan to release several Olympic Tumblr blogs and images on the page. The IOC is also including Foursquare as they allow users to check into different venues and get special Olympic Ticket badges with free ticket giveaways at stake. The Brands The anticipation behind this year's games begins with the sponsors and how they advertise both their product with relation to the Olympic games. This year many brands have taken their promotions a step further with the addition of social media advertising. BP launched a Facebook page solely for the Olympics. Visa has a tab on their Facebook page where fans submit videos cheering on their favorite athletes. Panasonic UK created the Facebook app "paints your face" where fans upload a picture of their face and can apply virtual face paint to help 'share their passion'.

Before the games, Samsung launched "The Everyone's Olympic Games" app, a social media hub for Samsung's Olympics content. The app allows fans to follow their favorite Olympic athletes sponsored by Samsung while also gave them the opportunity to apply to be a Samsung Global Blogger for the games and a chance to win tickets to various events. EDF, the Official Energy Utility Services Sponsor of London 2012, will be supplying electricity to the athletic venues and the Olympic Village, but they aren't stopping there. In a revolutionary social media activation, EDF will light up the London Eye each night to show global Twitter sentiment towards the games. The more enthusiastic your tweet, the brighter the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe will become.

The image above shows the global sentiment towards the Olympics would be 75% positive, lighting up 75% of the 450-foot tall Ferris wheel. To take part in this, fans have to use the hashtag #Energy2012. Then every night the show will be a 24 minute presentation with each minute representing an hour of Twitter activity. The official sponsors of the games, however, are not the only ones using the Olympics and social media to their advantage. Nike, is going to put real time information of the events on their promoted Tweets as a way to break down the Olympic events, while simultaneously promoting their products. NBC It isn't Olympic season without the NBC logo and analysis from Bob Costas. Well, this year, it isn't Olympic season without Facebook. To start, there will be a "Facebook Talk Meter" posted during NBC coverage to see what is being said online. The meter will be posted during premier events and primetime analysis. There is also an NBC Olympics page, where exclusive content and videos will be released encouraging fans to "like" the page and engage with others. In addition, the relationship extends to NBCOlympics.com, which now features a Facebook Timeline application for more exclusive content and images. NBC Olympics president Gary Zenkel said:

Social media is an important part of how fans consume and interact during the Olympics. We are thrilled to be collaborating with Facebook to serve fans as they watch and celebrate the London Olympic Games.

According to TechBargain's 2012 Olympic infographic, 77% of users said they will be posting about the Olympics on Facebook while only 31% said they will be posting on Twitter. In addition, 1 in 5 people said they will be watching at work, illustrating the online popularity of NBC's streaming of the events on their website.

Soon athletes will be putting on their goggles, tightening their running shoes, and mounting the balance beam as they compete in the most social games in history. So let the #games begin!

[typography font="Lobster" size="26"][dropcap]M[/dropcap][/typography] eet Siri, your $200+ best friend. Here's how she works: "Call Sarah Lee" A few moments of silence, weird beeping, and... "Calling David Smith" No Siri! So maybe this is a slight exaggeration, but not that big of a stretch. Last October, Apple introduced this robotic woman to the world of technology and she has taken iPhone 4s users by a storm. Whether it be for her inability to follow simple commands or her uncanny skill to present a person with locations to bury a body, Siri is a constant topic of conversation. But the question remains: is she useful? Several sources including The Wall Street Journal and ABC News compiled the following results: 87% of iPhone 4s owners use her once a month and of those people 36% say they are between happy and unhappy with her abilities. In addition, 30% of users say they would never use her to schedule a meeting or send an email. Despite the kinks, the fact remains that Siri is the future. 51% of users say it's "extremely important" for their next phone to have a similar program. So Siri is the future. Or maybe it will be Siri's long lost daughter, but either way users should learn to take advantage of this unique program especially in the world of social media. She can help with status updates for Facebook and tweets for Twitter. She can help take photos for Instagram and check in for Foursquare. We just have figure out how to utilize her. The opportunities are endless for Siri and, who knows, maybe one day we'll be able to convince Siri to take the SAT's for us... The following infographic shows how iPhone 4s owners use and don't use Siri. Here are some highlights:

• 26% of owners use Siri to send emails everyday
• 55% of users are satisfied with Siri
• Siri uses Wolfram Alpha to help with inquiries. This accounts for 25% of Wolfram Alpha's search traffic.
• Using Siri for basic tasks such as setting an alarm uses about 40KB of data.

 

[typography font="Lobster" size="26"][dropcap]A[/dropcap][/typography]s the world becomes more connected via Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking platforms, the biggest names, teams, and events in sports become increasingly accessible. Soccer (or football as it is known to the rest of the world) is slowly rising up out of the ashes of insignificance into the American spotlight. With U.S. Men’s National team’s loss in the 2010’s World Cup’s round of 16 and the Women’s team losing in the World Cup finals in 2011, Americans are slowly getting drawn into the worldwide phenomenon. Yet, in developing the popularity of soccer, social media is rapidly propelling the American fan’s attraction to the sport. Here’s an analysis of American soccer’s growth via social media. First, just take a look at how the MLS is using social media to increase viewership, drive ticket sales, create a heavy online following, and ultimately make the United States both a soccer haven for foreign players as well as a breeding ground for American talent. MLS #FirstKick For the start of its new season earlier this month, the MLS kicked its social media strategy into high gear with the #FirstKick contest. Fans who attended any of the opening week matches could participate by tweeting a photo of themselves and their friends from the match to win. By tweeting #FirstKick and @MLS along with a link to the picture, fans were given a chance to win an Adidas PRIME, the new official match ball of the MLS. The contest, which was only between March 10^th and March 12^th, indicates the league’s desire to not only grow the sport of soccer but make the MLS a highly engaging sports topic on social media, much like the NBA or the NFL. MLS MatchDay 2012 App This app is designed for those MLS super fans that are hungry for scores, updates, analysis, and even live matches. The MLS MatchDay 2012 app, available for iPhone and Android users, has a variety of features that make the 2012 season all the more exciting. Along with live game streaming, users can get real-time highlights, statistics, customized home screens, Facebook chats, and a customizable alert system. With the application’s AirPlay feature, users can send all videos to a user's TV or Apple TV. There is no doubt that MLS mobile is changing the game this season by making matches easily accessible for fans (however this may prove detrimental to the MLS’ already staggering viewership ratings). MLS Stadium Foursquare Check-In In preparation for the 2012 season, MLS partnered with Foursquare to provide fans with an engaging approach to the new season. After all, 2012 marks the 10 year anniversary of the near-decimation of Major League Soccer, an anniversary which is better left unspoken… Close calls aside, this season’s Foursquare campaign promises fans an exciting future for soccer fandom. In a move that will further link fans to their favorite teams, Foursquare has developed special badges for each of the 19 MLS teams. Much like last year’s Foursquare campaign, which rewarded fans badges for watching the games at local pubs, fans are able to unlock a club’s badge when they check in to their first game. This is the largest one-time release of badges in Foursquare history, an aggressive move that suggests that MLS is adamant about growing their fan base and rewarding them for following their clubs on Foursquare. ESPNSoccernet App In a move designed to further its dominating hold on the sports world, ESPN’s new Soccernet App is a breath of fresh air for American fans that yearn to get extensive soccer coverage from La Liga, English Premier League, Serie A, and other foreign league action. The app promises to provide mobile users with the same level of news and content that is available on ESPN’s website. More importantly, the app offers a personalized function by allowing users to add their favorite teams, leagues, and tournaments, enabling the app to more closely follow the action on and off the field. In addition to scores from tournaments around the globe, the app will deliver both halftime and full game results to users’ mobile devices. News from a user’s favorite team can also be consolidated, making it available on a single page rather than having to go to different pages for the information. The app is currently only available in English and it is exclusively for Apple iOS powered devices, but ESPN is expecting to make the application available for Android, Windows Phone, and Symbian operating systems. This is not going to provide fans with streaming video, nor will it deliver highlights that can be seen on established sites like Footytube, but it is a step in the right direction. The app will have a range of video and podcasts from international outlets as it attempts to provide American soccer fans with the same coverage that is given to the NFL or the MLB. This might be plausible, given the ESPNSoccernet Press Pass podcast and video content from the ESPN’s Bristol-based studio, but it is a daunting task to bring soccer to the same level as the other national pastimes. Final Thought It would be naïve to say that American soccer fans are like their foreign counterparts; the sports culture is just way crazier in other countries when it comes to their version of football. However, there is an upwards trend of American fandom for soccer: the MLS is experiencing higher game attendance and its social media presence is growing with each new season. Add to that the exciting game play of American players abroad like Clint Dempsey on Fulham, Landon Donovan on Everton, or Jozy Altidore on AZ Alkmaar. These are just a few examples of the ever-increasing presence of American-born players being signed onto teams outside the country. The same can be said for foreign players that play in the MLS like Thierry Henry on the New York Red Bulls or David Beckham for the Los Angeles Galaxy. In fact, in 2010 and 2011 American players played about 55 percent of available minutes, a record low for any two-year period in the league. The MLS’ partnership with Foursquare suggests a move towards creating a more personalized and rewarding experience for the American fan while the ESPN app suggests a move towards catering to the American ‘global-football’ fan’s needs. Yet both signify an important shift in the dynamic relationship between the American fan and the game of soccer. As more people are rewarded for checking into their favorite team’s stadium, more fans can witness the benefits of seeing the increasingly exciting soccer played by an ever-changing league like the MLS. With more big name players from foreign leagues and more homegrown players, American soccer is witnessing a change in the sport that can only be further stimulated by social media. North American Soccer Almanac Infographic: