Olympic Fan/Athlete Interaction

The olympics are more interactive now than they ever have been. In the past the only way fans could interact was through viewing it on TV or sending fan letters. Of course if you were lucky enough to go and view it in person then there were a plethora of other options. With the advances in digital media, and most importantly social media, fans are able to interact with their favorite athletes from anywhere in the world. Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook allow all fans the opportunity to message their favorite athletes and with them luck in their events, congratulate them on a win, or just show their overall country pride. 

I myself can say that I try and keep up with how the USA is doing in medal count each day and watch the highlights of as many events as I can. Twitter has made it easier for me to keep up with these highlights now that I can wake up and see what happened the night before. I wake up each day and check the USA medal count (which is slightly lacking at the moment) and then try and figure out which of our athletes won gold medals the night before. Even on days when I don't have time to watch any events on TV I can always keep up with the twitter updates on my phone and stay current on the latest news.

One of the coolest new things I have seen through twitter is the Olympics Athletes' Hub. It basically compiles all Olympic news and allows you to select the different athletes, teams, and sports you want to follow. It tells you what is trending and gives you the leader boards each day. It basically is the place I now go to get all of my Olympic news on the days events. In fact I am on it currently and just saw a spoiler for an event that will be on TV tonight. I won't give it away, but USA wins :) GO USA!

Here's a link to the Olympic Athletes' Hub

http://hub.olympic.org/desktop