Eurovision and the Web 2.0 Digital Water Cooler

Over in the Technology section of BBC News is my article on how the internet is being used to create communities and social interaction around big events such as Eurovision:

More than 100 million people are expected to watch it across Europe; many of whom will also be hooked up to the net, discussing the staging, songs, hosts, and everything else that people chat about during Eurovision. And using the latest applications to achieve this, they will be continuing one of the original goals of the Eurovision Song Contest…

More in the full article, which is here. At the same time, Adam Tinworth has highlighted my online coverage of the Song Contest on his blog and how coverage like this is starting change events.

What I find really interesting about watching Ewan’s stuff is the completely different level of involvement you get from watching a genuine enthusiast cover an event they are passionate and knowledgeable about, as opposed to the "skating the surface" mainstream coverage. Around an event like the Eurovision, the main broadcast is in real danger of becoming just a social object that people interact about elsewhere.

More on that at One Man and his Blog.