Assuming you can get over China’s appalling treatment of democracy protesters in Tibet, you’re about to get the chance to win two tickets to the Olympics in Beijing this year just by adding a Facebook application. Yay.
The Samsung Virtual Torch Relay app allows users to pass their own torch to other users, hence creating their own little bit of Olympic history. Samsung are one of three sponsors of the Olympic Torch Relay, and is understood to be the only one using social media to promote itself. Once you sign up you can pass the torch on to your contacts, see your own Olympic torch fly around the world and win points in the competition for the tickets. You can also check up on who’s torch is leading among your friends in the Leaderboard.
The real-world Olympic Torch Relay begins on 25th March 2008, and finishes on 4th August 2008. It consists of International legs and legs in China, with a total of 21,780 Torchbearers. I think Facebook can beat that. Since Facebook wasn’t even around the the last Olympics, it’s going to be an interesting ride.
I hear the app was done by London-based Techlightenment, the same guys who did the Bob Dylan FB app.
Oh, and I called my torch “Tibet”. Pass that around.