Toluu

Will Pate's Blog

Tales from a Gen Y internet guy

Social Media’s Place in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic GamesNovember 26

The buzz in Vancouver is that the local social media representatives eager to help cover the 2010 Vancouver Olympic games have been left out in the cold. While I understand that VANOC Media and Press Operations  may have some initial trepidation working with a crew of folks that don’t look like traditional media, allow me to offer my endorsement for them and their work.

Several of the folks in question are colleagues of mine, and represent Raincity Studios, the web studio I’m proud to say I co-founded. Kris Krug, Robert Scales and Dave Olson are tireless social media practitioners, trainers, authors and conference organizers. They represent the best of what Canada does when it comes to the ongoing evolution of journalism through technology. They are treated with the respect due to recognized experts outside Canada, it would be a loss for the Vancouver games to overlook great talent in their own backyard. It would be a win to build on what they learned using social media to cover the Beijing 2008 Summer Olypmic Games.

Nor should social media as a force for good and bad PR be overlooked. The news has been filled in the last few years with stories of journalists, politicians and businesses tanked by bloggers and cameraphones. But my colleages

commandN 145August 22

Summer travel is over and I’m back on the airwaves with Amber.

LinkedIn’s Investor Testimonial VideoJune 17

US State Department Using Digital DiplomacyMay 29

The US State Department has set up a Digital Outreach Team. They engage with people online, answer questions and set the record straight - while always being honest about who they are. So far they seem to be a small team that focuses on Arabic, Persian and Urdu websites.

It’s a small but important step forward in governments learning how to be transparent and human online. Imagine if this program grew to have teams for every country and language. Imagine if every country had digital diplomats.

If the team reads this, kudos to you. I’ve been engaging people online in the technology industry for a few years now, it’s not an easy job. But you can change hearts and minds. I’d love to hear more about your experiences.

commandN 133May 23