Olympic Passion

It's no secret, Raincity staffers have demonstrated their passion for anything Olympics, Open Source and Social Media over the past 5 years...

During that time, as individuals and as a company we have had the honour to attend, cover and enjoy two Olympic games.

Your support is kindly needed

South by Southwest 2010 is just around the corner and once again it is time for the community (YOU) to help select which panels will make the cut! I submitted an idea for a session on "Social Media and the Olympics" and I hope you'll consider voting for it. I think this session will be especially relevant since SXSW will be taking place after the closing of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. We'll be sure to have plenty of stories from trenches!

Please Vote "YES"!

Social Media and the Olympics: A Case Study - Robert Scales + panelists

Coverage of the Olympic Games is dominated by IOC's contracted rights-holder and accredited major media conglomerates however some feel there is a role for grassroots documentation of both sporting events and the cultural context. The related conundrums are discussed by social media makers who covered several Olympics Games.

You can also see "Then and Now.. Citizen media and the Olympics", a video recording of the panel I co-hosted at Northern Voice 2009.

Who Am I?

Robert Scales is one of the Co-founders of Raincity Studios - a pioneering open source and Drupal development agency in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is an advocate of Social Media and is often witnesses espousing on open source business models.

As a gonzo journalist, Scales has covered events including the Olympic Games in Turin and Beijing, the Dali Lama's visit to Vancouver and rock bands and tech luminaries at SXSW. Besides the various social media channels, his reportage appeared in MSM outlets as diverse as the BBC, 21st Century Herald (Shanghai), and Warsaw Daily.

Winner of a 2006 Canadian New Media Award, Robert also teaches at Vancouver Film School and acts as an advisor on various Boards. He participated in the Canada World Youth cultural exchange program as well as various social change workshops and training programs. He frequently presents at (un)conferences around the world about open source tech, business and culture.

How can you connect with me?

• Scales on Facebook
• My You Tube Channel
• Scales' Flickr photostream
• Twitter
• My Olympic coverage via Beijing 2008 Social Media Backpack

Thank you for your Support!

Hi, I'm Jeff. I'm the most recent addition to the Raincity Studios team, taking on the role of Marketing Director, and have just relocated to Vancouver from Montreal. It's only been a couple of weeks and I'm just starting to get acclimated to the city, but my experience thus far has been great. I thought I'd share a few things I've learned about the city so far:

5. Vancouver has a (Beautiful) Reputation

It may not be the best gauge of place, but you can learn a lot about a city by what people tell you when they find out you're moving there. Sure, this kind of assessment is bound to be full of stereotypes; I received several comments about organic food, lulu lemon and general fondness towards the caliber of homegrown decriminalized products. But more than anything, Vancouver seems to be a city that is admired by people everywhere. It falls into the category of "Canadian cities people outside of Canada have heard of" and I often received the same response: "oh, I've always wanted to go there - I've heard it's soooo beautiful!" Well, it's true. Vancouver is beautiful. Even on an gloomy overcast morning, knowing the mountains are just beyond the clouds and ocean's a stone's throw away makes up for it all.

4. Everyone has an opinion on the Olympics

Arriving at the vancouver airport, it's overwhelmingly apparent to any visitor that the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games are coming to Vancouver. From the ubiquitous Inukshuk to the giant sized LED olympic rings that greet you as you're leaving, the airport, like the city, seems painted in olympic colours. And all of this excitement has indeed stirred up a bit of controversy as anticipated costs are beginning to soar and locals residents are voicing their concerns over how the city will be impacted during and after the games.

While the opinions about the games are mixed, everyone I meet at least seems to have one. Some people are very enthusiastic and excited about the attention the games will bring Vancouver while others are more critical of the effect the games will have on the city and local culture. While both sides may never be completely happy with how the games turn out, it's encouraging to at least see so many people engaged and aware of what's happening. Coming off of the last summer olympics in Beijing where media coverage was problematic, I'm excited to see how Vancouver is going to pull this off and hopeful about opportunities for social media creators to record and share their olympic experience. The more people who have an opinion, the more people will be engaged and the more people will participate and help to shape the character of these games and influence how they will be remembered.

Next Steps

With the Olympic Games barely a year a way, it's time to organize the next steps of the campaign for an independent, alternative media centre before, and during, the 2010 Winter Olympics and Para-olympic Games in Vancouver and Whistler, BC. We aim to create an inclusive, apolitical and collaborative space for grassroots media creators to creative and publish content about sport and culture.

If you are ready to become further involved in this effort, we invite you to a follow-up meeting with the aim of forming some task-oriented committees and creating a board to organize this project over the next year.

Details

February 3rd, Tuesday
6:00pm ~ 7:30pm
at Raincity Studios
1 Alexander, Suite 420 (buzz #420 for access)
Gastown, Vancouver, BC

Agenda notes

At this meeting, Robert Scales will discuss his conversations with the BC Independent (unaccredited) media centre and discuss some conversations with curious collaborators and corporate supporters. He will also preview the "Social Media and the Olympics" panel at the upcoming Northern Voice conference in which noted Olympic scholar Dr. Andy Miah from the UK will share his experience and knowledge (see his essays in "Owning the Olympics"). Dave Olson will offer a few remarks about the Vancouver2010.com web focus group meeting including the IOC's "constraints" and VANOC's evolving web strategy.

In addition, the agenda will include ideation time and input from all participants and an opportunity to offer skills (and superpowers). Along with forming a board and committees, we'll plan next steps and meetings, including a possible event to mark the one year countdown to the Games.

'get in where you fit in'

Come with ideas and leave with follow-up items and projects to lead. To get things started, Robert, Kris and I propose to organize three committees for starters and then break out task forces and sub-committees as needed, ergo:

Robert Scales - Partnerships (sponsorships, fundraising, gov relations, corp outreach)

Kris Krug - Operations (programming, volunteer, facilities, finance, logistics)

Dave Olson - Communications (brand, messaging, media relations, web site, blog etc.)

Please use the Wiki to collaborate on organizational structure ideas and suggest topics to add to the agenda.

Sign-on

If you plan to attend, please register at the Google Group.  Sign up for the Group with a Google ID and we'll approve your request as soon as possible. http://groups.google.ca/group/vancouver-2010-alternative-media 

There is also a Google Wiki Site - confusing? Sure. The Group manages the mailing list and has informal group work space. The Site is more of a Olympic Media resource toolbox. Your account needs to be approved but then you can add/edit content and share resources. Everyone can poke around. Twitter @uncleweed to get added to the Site as a collaborator http://sites.google.com/site/vancouver2010alternativemedia/

Thank you for sharing

Very pleased to see so many smart and engaging personalities co-mingling ideas and energy at Raincity Studios last night for our open conversation about the Olympics and "all of us".

The 48 attendees represented many ages, motivations, backgrounds, and media channels from blogs, pods, newspapers, PR peeps, photographers, and so on. By the end, the conversations were bubbling and gifts exchanged and enthusiasm mounting.

My colleagues and I wanted to set the tone for a productive and inclusive project for anyone to participate in - no matter where they come from physically or philosophically. Scales and Krug's remarks pointed out that we are apolitical, eager, and open for collaboration. I also think the passion for making media, changing the landscape, and being truly welcoming to our international peers came through.

What do you think? It's up to all of us to grab ahold and create something noteworthy. Are you in?

Next steps

- Talk about what this centre might be - write on your blog, with your friends, on your podcast, twitter, facebook, whatever ... but i encourage you to speak and brainstorm publicly about where could it be, what kind of programming, who's invited, how do we manage it, how do we pay for it?

- Tell your friends/colleagues/contacts - this project will require diverse resources from legal advisers to catering connections - spread the word and see who's interested in this experiment.

- Join up - there is a Google Group and a Google Site - confusing? Sure. The Group manages the mailing list and has informal group work space. The Site is more of a Olympic Media resource toolbox. Sign-up. Ping me for collaborator permissions for the Site.

Group: http://groups.google.ca/group/vancouver-2010-alternative-media

Site: http://sites.google.com/site/vancouver2010alternativemedia/

UPDATE: Sign up for the Group with a Google ID and I'll approve your request as soon as possible. Twitter @raincitystudios or email dave (at) raincitystudios (dot) com and i'll add you to the Site as a collaborator - be sure to sign up as a Participant to declare yourself involved. - daveo Monday, Dec. 8, 11:07

- Educate yourself - read the Protecting the Brand and relevant Copyright legislation, subscribe to Olympic-studies blogs and become an expert at something to share with the community.

- Create media - there are heaps of Olympic related stories going on now - both sporting events, venue construction/completion, along with budget boondoggles and contract snafus - write/pod/vlog etc.

- Hang out - the Skype channel didn't really get going as planned last night, but since I made a Vancouver Independent Media public chat, i'll keep the lights on for the banter