Olympics volunteers urged not to blab online Volunteers at this year's Olympics should not "get involved in detailed discussion about the games online", according to guildelines issued by organisers, a report says. A spokesman for the London Organising Committee (LOCOG) told Out-Law.com that the volunteers, known as 'Games Makers', would be advised to go through official …
Having been for an interview at the beginning of December as part of the "technology team", I was told a role would be offered to me in the next week. Six weeks later, and only one message from LOCOG - a "Happy New Year, sorry we can't sort it out yet." At his rate, there won't be any time to fit the training in before I have to run the scoreboard in the 100m final...
I worked for the press association during that period. I had to write a custom XML Parser to convert the feed from the CG to the format used by the PA because the XML data being sent from the CG was not valid or correct.
Nor did it match the spec I had been given.
I spent several late nights tweaking the script I had written as the CG feed constantly changed.
A spokesman for the Five Ring Circus said,
"We do not want anyone upsetting our corporate sponsors, the broadcasters, the athletes, or their agents. We don't believe that the volunteers, sorry 'Games Makers', will keep their mouths shut if they see something we don't like.
Anyone who tweets anything other than the official line will be accused of breaching 'security' and treated as a terrorist."
...more about erecting vast edifices to ego.
We should never have bid for it, we will now be saddled with various buildings that we have no use for. The friends of our imperious masters are happy - they managed to grab property at heavily discounted prices (property us taxpayers paid for).
If it was actually about sport and leaving a lasting legacy, sponsorship by junk food and sugary drink pedlars would not be allowed; public amenities would not be getting closed to fund the games; we would not be destroying our sports fields and other open spaces.
Instead it is about gouging the taxpayer for as much as possible.
And let's not forget that the UK has a double whammy - 2012 and 2014. Austerity? Only if you have to actually work for a living.
...we didn't get "saddled with the 2018 World Cup" - we would have done it well, and probably made a decent profit out of it, without having to build very much in the way of infrastructure.
The Olympics? Meh. I've already booked two weeks holiday abroad.
They do come across as a bit draconian. I'd have to go home and look them up again. Basically it is all about being careful about what you say and where.
The main problem I see with them is it stops "Games Makers" being enthusiastic about the Olympics to everyone. For instance I could happily go and talk about my experiences with the interviews, Test Event etc to various groups (like schools and Scouts), but the rules rather put me off trying. Games Makers are the people who are likely to be most enthusiastic about the Olympics, so stopping them talking seems a bit foolish.
I fully expect the "unauthorised" posts, tweets, articles and leaks to be the only interesting part of the whole thing - with the possible exception being the inevitable witch-hunts afterwards to find and then prosecute to the fullest extent (and then some) possible anyone who might have been in the slightest bit involved.
So far as "not to disclose their location; ... not to get involved in detailed discussion about the Games online," The Olympic Thought Police may as well issue guidelines asking the tide not to come in for the duration of the games.
God, the cynicism on display here is breathtaking. Granted, the games have cost a shed load more than was first intended, (and as Londoner I have seen my council tax increase in order to partly fund it ) but is it any wonder that the rest of the world increasing see Britain as a nation of whiners and moaners given the attitudes on here and other places? Let's at least try to take some pride in what should be a cause for celebration!
The country is in over it's head with debt and we're all being forced to cough up more money to pay for this. Sorry but in reality we simply can't afford this, we will be saddled with a lot of kit after the event that most likely only be used by the few people who actively take part in sport on a regular basis, no doubt schools and colleges will get discounted usage which would be good. The huge stadiums and venues will slowly decay as no sod will have the money to pay for the upkeep after Coke and MaccyD bugger off taking their limited event-only funding with them.
You thought the Millienium Dome fiasco was bad, now times it by 10 and let's see of O2 want to buy all those buildings up and turn them into concert venues too!
And I bet you'll be overjoyed to pay for a new yacht for El Madge?
We are in massive debt, companies are being allowed to avoid tax by HRMC, laws passed to keep the City happy, banks bailed out and then sold at a massive cost to the taxpayer, and we are paying through the nose for this jumped-up sports day.
I would be quite happy to celebrate the games after we have our finances sorted and a few bankers, senior tax officials, lords and MPs in jail for fraud, wilful negligence and conspiracy.
The UK is a basket case just now, the games are just a distraction.
It'll be free bread next.
Why should this be a cause of celebration?
We've spent £9bn+ on a massive sporting event, showing sports that are rarely patronised by people in the UK, which will grind London to a standstill, create a security threat and leave behind a load of buildings that will either rot, or require a huge amount of money to maintain.
It won't create a tourism boost, it won't get kids into sport, and while it will create jobs, so will building schools, hospitals or digging ditches and filling them in again.
Personally, I'd rather have had my £100 that was spent on this and put it towards a better holiday.
What the hell? Has the budget gone up yet again since I left the UK? Jesus Horatio Fogharty Christ, for _less_ than that, the Swiss are building this:
http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/gotthard-base-tunnel/
How in the name of St. Bollocks McFuckbuggery is a bunch of new sports buildings—some of which are temporary and won't even have a bloody roof—and some landscaping costing as much as a _brand new high speed railway tunnel built under a major mountain range?_
Seriously, _how?_ How does that figure even _begin_ to make any sense?
And why aren't the people responsible for this blatant robbery in prison?
Simple - it's all done on PFI and similar deals. This ensures that the contractors trouser lots of taxpayer cash and let the taxpayer carry the risk. It also guarantees MPs and other type fat directorships and consultant positions.
£9bill is the budget admitted to, allowing for future interest payments etc. it would be a good idea to treble that figure.
The Swiss are probably able to build their tunnel because they are not all a bunch of corrupt, self-serving bastards. It must be remembered that in the UK we rewarded the people who destroyed the banking sector, like to let companies off from having to pay their rightful taxes and do not prosecute public officials who have been found to commit fraud (expenses).
Gotta keep the free luncheons, dinners and trips to paradise rolling in. The public? Oh I am sure MPs have heard some rumour about "the public", but it's not as if they care (bar the 2 months before an election).
Hell, we have Labour blaming the Tories for the rise in rail fairs, yet it was the previous Labour government that royally screwed things up (and it was the Tory government before that who started the rot).
So, you want to get hold of some reliable "volunteers" who get paid nothing, yet are supposed to work competently for the organisation. Can these nincompoops not see anything wrong with this idea?
The only two groups of apparently reliable volunteers who have time on their hands, yet don't smell of piss and meths are going to be journalists looking for an inside story and minions of organised crime similarly looking for exploitable information. As per the old saying, you get what you pay for.
Let me guess Dr Dan, you work hard, you pay your taxes and think everyone else should just do the same, that way Society can pay employees to run everything?
When you get down from your Ivory tower, you'll find that things don't tend to work that way - there are the givers and the takers; I imagine that as close as it matters to 100% of the "GamesMakers" fall into the former catergory - what about you????
So they say they want people to be careful when talking to media etc and they don't want to post any details online BUT they have said '...they would not be forced to do so'. Surely this is a oxymoron?
If someone does blab then the uk gov might go after them, but if they have been advised they CAN blab then how can anything happen later on to that person?
Just make them sign a security clearance form and be done with it. Although this might be at cost, it can be reduced by having someone on-site who can process the forms.
As for cost and cynicalism, I think people have a right to this view. We are going to have to go through mega amounts of adverts mentioning the Olympics 24/7 and we are going to get sick of it, not to mention the retarded mascots which will be everywhere, and that's before the opening ceremony where borris falls over setting fire to his hair....
It's going to be embarrassing and enormously costly to the tax payer and very profitable for the few. It's the contradiction that every government states the Olympics none-profitable and makes a massive loss and yet someone has made a massive amount of money thanks to VISA and other firms who have monopolistic opportunity during the Olympics....
I don't want it but I had no vote. I have a right to moan due to this fact alone!
Examples of what you can do:
When it comes to social media whatever you post essentially becomes public. We are happy for you to mention that you are working for London 2012 in the general terms described previously. However, we ask that you please avoid mentioning any more specific details of your role and the operations within your venue. And don’t forget all Games Makers agree to protect our information when they join London 2012.
Examples of what not to do:
× Share specific information about an internal activity or operation.
× Disclose your current location (in a status update or with a check-in).
× Post a picture or video of a LOCOG back of house area, or any area that is closed to the public. By posting a picture of these areas you may inadvertently reveal confidential information (e.g. preparations for a forthcoming event).
Leaking sensitive information
Some workforce members may be privileged in their roles to have access to highly confidential and sensitive information, on a daily basis. Sometimes we are so exposed to it that we forget how valuable a small nugget of this information can be to those outside the organisation. We trust you not to share this information. Please also respect the privacy of people from outside LOCOG who may become involved in some way e.g. visiting VIPs, stakeholders, partners.
Examples of what you can do to help:
– Help to celebrate a public launch or campaign - re-tweet / share official London 2012 feeds and help to spread the official info.
Enjoy the fact that as a workforce member you enjoy the daily privilege of being ‘in the know’, but always give it the respect it deserves by keeping our information to yourself and only using it as it should be used.
Examples of what not to do:
× Post any information at all that is not in the public domain such as breaking news about an athlete or an operational process within your venue. This includes posting text, or visual information in photos, videos etc.
× Tell your social network about a visiting VIP, e.g. an athlete, celebrity or dignitary.
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