During the Games, 5,000 Internet users applied to be a "Cell Phone Observer for the Olympic Games", an activity organized by CCTV.com. They contributed over 4,000 photos, recording a wonderful Olympic Games as they experienced it. Greg is a Canadian. Wearing the special observer uniform carrying a special ID card, and driving his beloved modified jeep, Greg had a wonderful day as an observer on Aug. 8.

Smiles say it all, and CCTV.com sponsored an "Olympic Smile Competition". We invited Ms. Sang Lan, a former gymnast who was paralyzed in training, and Ms. Jin Jing, a disabled athlete, to be our smile ambassadors. Our competition was a hit with our users, who uploaded 1,700 pictures of their smiles.

"My Family's Olympics", another competition initiated by CCTV.com, collected heart-warming stories from around the country. A group of children living in a mountainous area organized their own torch relay by holding up sticks of corn as torches. Their relay was filmed by an Internet user and broadcast on CCTV.com.

The Internet helped citizens influence government policy

The Internet played a key role in encouraging people-centered government policies related to the Beijing Olympic Games. In the run up to the Games, the odd/even registration plate system to restrict traffic became a hot topic in online forums. About 94.8 percent of the respondents were for the measure but they asked the government to take citizens welfare into account when implementing it. As a result the municipal government modified the measure to permit all vehicles on the roads between midnight and 3:00 am.

Since the close of the Games another massive online debate has arisen over whether the odd/even system should be extended. Surveys showed 69 percent of the respondents supported keeping the traffic restrictions. The municipal government took the respondents' opinions into account and on Oct. 13 it decided to keep each car off the roads for one day per week.

A model of authorized broadcasting

Before the opening of the Olympic Games, overseas Chinese were looking forward to watching the Games online on Chinese websites. On Jul. 28, we got an e-mail from an overseas Chinese called Wang Haijun. He wrote: "I live in the United States. We can't access your Olympic broadcasts on CCTV.com. Please help resolve the problem." We immediately declared on CCTV.com that it's a shame but nothing can be done because we have to strictly observe copyright agreements. Some disappointed overseas Chinese even complained to Chinese embassies and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Monitoring by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) showed that 90 percent of the 4,066 detected pirate webcast hyperlinks were from overseas, diametrically contradicting the prediction that massive piracy of Olympics broadcasts would happen on the Chinese mainland. The reasons for this were firstly, the largest-scale joint broadcasting project ever undertaken made it easy for Internet users to watch the Games without resorting to pirate channels; secondly, the set-up of the IP database and the system of Digital Rights Management (DRM) was effective in preventing piracy; thirdly, government supervision combined with self-discipline in the industry played a key role in discouraging piracy. CCTV.com provided a model of legitimate and orderly broadcasting during the Olympic Games.

Different types of media have their own strengths in presenting the Olympic experience: television highlights the feeling of being present at the scene; newspapers and magazines provide in-depth coverage that lasts over time; the Internet delivers instant information and interactivity; mobile TV is portable and is regarded by users as a kind of companion. People select different combinations of media according to their preferences and changing demands.

The Internet and the cell phone changed the structure of Olympics broadcasting in China. Chinese people are accustomed to getting information and sharing their sentiments through new media such as surfing the Internet with a PC or mobile phone, and more and more advertisers are opting to place ads in new media.

The adoption of new media made the Beijing Olympic Games even more spectacular. People's conventional concepts of communication were modified by sophisticated media technology; by providing a people-centered service, we gave our users an enhanced experience of the Games. The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will have a far-reaching effect in enhancing the growth and power of the Internet. We can all look forward with confidence to a bright future for the Internet in China.

(China.org.cn November 7, 2008 )