The 2012 London Olympics is being lauded as the first "Social Olympic Games," and early indications show how much social media and major social networks have impacted entertainment worldwide and the way people interact.

Twitter shines in the Olympics

When you go to the Twitter login screen, Olympic cyclists pedaling for the gold appear alongside the login screen with the message "Dedication. Sacrifice. Guts. Glory. Get closer to the #Olympics on Twitter." And this message has been ringing true. Americans posted 4.5 million Olympics-related Facebook and Twitter messages on Saturday and 5 million on Sunday, according to Bluefin Labs, a Cambridge-based company that tracks social media usage. The Queen (who appeared in a James Bond style film short) was tweeted about 11 million times during the opening ceremony, eclipsed only by Mr. Bean's performance. Twitter was so popular during these Olympics, that the sheer volume of smartphones at the cycling races interfered with the TV coverage.

The point is, your customers are likely on Twitter, so you should be, too. Whether B2B or B2C, all generations, demographics and locales are on Twitter, and every business owes it to themselves to have a presence.

Technology takes lead role in Opening Ceremonies

"Frankie and June say thanks to Tim" stood as a cornerstone in the opening ceremonies, as a tribute to the British inventor of the World Wide Web. Throughout the performance, "virtual tweets" and posts surrounded the characters as they went out on the town, and the permeation of technology and social/mobile became the theme of this modern-day love story. Samsung pushed their mobile phone technology and new 3D phones.

As coverage continued through the Olympics, NBC regularly displayed a "social Media Corner" where fans and followers of various athletes were discussed, and comparisons between countries were showcased. Emily Seebohm, an Australian swimmer that set an Olympic record in qualifying for the 100m backstroke final but  missed out on the gold medal, even admitted that spending too much time on Twitter and Facebook may have affected her performance.

What does all this mean?

On a grand, worldwide scale, social media is taking center stage as much as any given athlete. Whether presence on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn is most advantageous for you, every business needs to get involved. And post about the Olympics in the meantime! No better way to engage with your fanbase than to share what is important to your company and topical to the entire world! Go for the gold!