Social Media Champions of the London 2012 Olympic Games

All the world’s a stage.  ~ William Shakespeare

London 2012 Olympic GamesThree cheers for the games of the 30th Olympiad!  From start to finish, the Olympics captured our hearts and social media gave us a front row seat to the action as it unfolded.  In the realm of Twitter, the opening and closing ceremonies reigned supreme.  Who could forget the entrance of Queen Elizabeth with James Bond to kick off London 2012?  Overall, the Spice Girls closing ceremonies performance took top honors with 116,000 TPM (Tweets per minute).

We witnessed many memorable and history making moments throughout the Games; Michael Phelps becoming the most decorated Olympian and Gabby Douglas winning the gymnastics individual all-around, to name but a few.  Michael and Gabby showed us that Olympic success can carry over to social media wins.  Gaining an additional one million Twitter followers, Michael entered the pantheon of greats, based on Reuters reporting of data provided by social media monitor Starcount.  Not to be outdone, Gabby has been designated the leading up and comer by marketing firm Wildfire, based on the most fans by percentage growth on Facebook since July 27.

The Olympics is a global stage affording each athlete and event its own moment to shine.  CNN deemed Usain Bolt as the Social Media Olympic gold medalist of 2012.  Usain achieved this feat by being the most talked about athlete on Facebook and Twitter.  No doubt having a prominent Facebook and Twitter presence can translate into a branding bonanza notes Nick Thain, CEO of Sports New Media, with fan engagement being a key distinguishing factor.  Reflecting the global audience of the Games, soccer scored as the most talked about sport with over 5 million Tweets.

So, how did you watch the 30th Olympiad?  Who was your favorite Olympic athlete?  Share your thoughts on the most engaging moments of London 2012.

Vanaja R.

Copyright © 2012 My Marketing Nirvana.  All rights reserved in all media.

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A Rose by Any Other Name – Neutrality of ICANN’s Top-level Domain Increase?

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. ~ William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

If names are not correct, language will not be in accordance with the truth of things.  ~ Confucius

Anyone who has ever selected his own domain name can appreciate the complexities involved.   Which domain name should I choose?  How will my selection best communicate my mission?  How will my choice distinguish my brand?  ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) has added a new factor to this decision making process, by expanding the options for domain names to the right of the dot.

PBS Newshour’s Ray Suarez recently moderated a discussion of the potential pluses and minuses as seen by opposing stakeholders ICANN and the Association of National Advertisers.  The upside being more domain names, greater access for Internet users worldwide, and increased branding potential.   Who wouldn’t want the dot-me option?  The downside being the loss of the status quo, the growth of domain names at a breakneck pace, and the increased potential for Internet misuse.  Should established brands pay a “$185,000 price tag” to safeguard their trademarks?

So, as William Shakespeare expressed it best, “What’s in a name?” portend ICANN’s changes as neutral?  Or as Confucius would suggest increasing top-level domains is tantamount to unbalancing the Internet, and thereby upsetting the apple cart.  Share your thoughts on where you stand and whether this change will affect you.

Vanaja R.

Newshour – Domain Names:  Debating the Effects of a Dot-Anything World 

 

Copyright © 2012 My Marketing Nirvana.  All rights reserved in all media.