And Stephen Wildstrom gives NBC the gold medal…in cluelessness…over on BusinessWeek’s The Tech Beat.

In a world of blogging, microblogging and instantaneous everything on the Internet, it seems NBC Universal really dropped the ball this August when it came to Olympic coverage of events halfway around the world.

In regards to Usain Bolt’s unbelievable feats on the track, Stephen points out, “But the best you can get on nbcolympics.com is a still photo. And don’t think about YouTube either – Bolt videos are being taken down, apparently at the demand of NBC Universal, as fast as they go up.”

What do you think?? Did NBC miss the boat on this, one of the most widely-anticipated Olympic games, possibly ever?? During an era when technology is at our fingertips??

While Beijing has been the world focus for the Olympics, China also has been one of the fastest growing PR markets. High tech companies are eager to enter the Chinese market for its endless opportunities, and successful PR will help them to engage the local markets.

Coming from a PR agency in Asia, I can say that PR there is more event-oriented from my perspective. I used to support many in-person product launch events and press conferences, handling materials, providing hospitality, talking about the news to generate coverage. PR agencies were in charge of every event detail from the beginning to the end. On top of it we had daily PR tasks such as drafting press releases, pitching as well as media monitoring.

On the other hand, in the U.S we do a lot of individual phone briefings and meetings at tradeshows for press outreach. PR professionals must be creative to rise above the noise to provide fresh ideas and grab attention from the press. PR in the U.S. involves more strategic thinking which is one aspect that I really enjoy working here. We work with our clients to come up with the best message and strategy to go to the market.

It is interesting how PR is different from the east and west, and PR professionals should always keep in mind that the cultural differences play a significant role in global PR. Here at Vantage, we know those differences first hand, and partner with our clients to make sure we are properly their message in each country.

For the Olympics, that is.

EE Times has had some great articles over the last few weeks, leading up to this monumental Olympics. Laurie Sullivan, a freelance writer, contributed a great article a few days ago entitled, “RFID’s the ticket for secure Games.”

In the article, she points out some amazing stats to make the case for RFID – “It is estimated that 3 million athletes, journalists and spectators will gather in Beijing for the Games. Millions more around the world will watch on television. As China savors the attention, AIM Global president Dan Mullen believes the interest in RFID reinforces the idea that the technology has matured enough to support major large-scale events.”

This is great news for the RFID industry. And shows the momentum this industry is gaining in the mainstream, despite rumors of privacy invasion and other false reports.

Laurie states, “The XXIX Olympiad incorporates the ‘latest domestic and international scientific and technological achievements’ and serves as a window to showcase the city’s own ‘achievements and innovative strength’ as millions descend on China, according to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games.”

From this we can deduce that RFID is a “technological achievement” and, much like the Olympian athletes that will be competing this week, RFID is ready for the world.

In 2004, the Athens Olympic Games broke global viewing records. According to an article posted on the Beijing 2008 website, the 2004 games were broadcasted on over “300 channels to 220 countries and territories…an increased number of 3.9 billion people accessing the images of the Games.” It was the strongest Olympic broadcast ever.

And this August – four years later – viewers all over the world will again tune in to watch the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games. But, where else will viewers be tuning in to watch the games?

Take four years of growth and development in technology, and one can only begin to imagine the impact technology will have on this year’s Olympic Games.

Created in 2005, YouTube was not around during the Athens Olympic Games. But this time around, it’s already making an impact during the preliminary games. More people have access to the events through YouTube, as well as several other video sharing websites, and can watch their favorite events from anywhere, at their convenience. Chris Pirillo, recently posted an entry asking readers to view a video and see how one Olympic qualifier was “robbed” in her qualifying event, and asked fellow readers/viewers to take action. This is just one example of the impact these websites may have on the Olympics.

Another positive impact technology will have on the Games?

Just this week, Verizon and NBC Universal announced their agreement to deliver NBC Universal’s coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games across all three of three Verizon platforms – TV, broadband and wireless. Verizon will offer video-on-demand programming via its FIOS TV service and live web streaming of more than 20 different sports. Verizon’s Wireless VCast mobile video services will offer daily Olympics highlights, breaking news, results and medal standings and related content.

And AT&T also announced several music acts, including Sheryl Crow and Nelly, who are recording exclusive tracks for the Games. AT&T will offer these songs for download only during the Olympics, and all proceeds will benefit Team USA.

The opportunities are endless. Technology is sure to make an impact on this year’s Olympic Games. So no matter where you are, you can join in the fun and get pumped up for the competition! Now… where will you be keeping in tune with this year’s Olympics?!