What is now being called the “Twitter Olympics”, is not going ahead without a few hiccups. NBC & other corporations are struggling to push their way around despite the concerns raised by social media; specifically Twitter.

Headline like this are being generated from the London Olympics:

One thing for sure is this; Twitter is here to stay. I wrote a post a few days earlier on how social media will help fan engagement at the Olympics. For some though, Twitter can be a spoiler when events are broadcast several hours later. Thank God there are no phones invented yet – note of sarcasm. Heaven forbid that someone would call someone and that person tell someone else. It still boggles my mind.

This is not Kansas anymore Dorthy. We live in a digital age. And that age brings the good, the bad and the ugly with it. Nevertheless, social media brings rapid communication with it. NBC and others should know that and work with it. Instead on trying to downplay it, they should be milking it for all it’s worth. They might even try to expand their influence by reaching outward globally. Now that would be a great idea.

Trying to stop social media like trying to grab water. It cannot be done. Trying to stop those using it is also fruitless as well. Many large dinosaur corporations and businesses need to get with the program. They need to figure ways to incorporate social media to a greater degree and offer their viewers a more heightened experience. Social media is the new reality! It’s not the only reality; but it is one for sure.

So there will be spoilers for event results. That has happened before in other arenas. But imagine the conversations that could have been held around the broadcasts using social media. People understand the time delay. Now I know not everyone will join in once they know the end. But why not make the best of it. Advertisers are going to have to see the futility of trying to grasp at water. They need to work with the new reality.

It surprises me that the old “Guard” is trying to stop the next way. They do not understand it; even after all the efforts to help them “Get it”. They had better wake up or be left behind as useless.

So what can we learn? Social media is here to stay. It needs to be embraced. It can still be used by big business and business as a whole. But he old ways have to change. It’s time to work smarter, not harder. There is still time to take advantage of it.  I bet Guy Adams has a few ideas on how to make things better. Instead of banning him, people should have worked with him. #justsaying

It’s time to do damage control and get with it. There can still be room for NBC and the others to be successful and turn things around. But they had better act quickly. Here’s hoping they do.