sportphysio2010

Get Involved!
This blog is for you: physiotherapists who are in one way or another  are volunteering for Vancouver 2010. In addition to the many PABC member physios, there are sport physios from across the country who will be working the games and helping athletes and other participants over the coming weeks.  Welcome to our beautiful (albeit mild & green) city and province. PABC offer you this online space to share stories and connect with other involved physios. The blog is open to all members  to share stories and thoughts on the games.  You can contribute in the following ways:

Guest Contributor
Post a story directly to the blog as a Guest Contributor. Follow these simple steps to enter your post. Your post will be held until it is verified by me (Admin Lady Suzanne), then will be posted (and Tweeted ) for all to enjoy! This is the best way to contribute if you are conformable to use our WordPress blogging platform. To start blogging you need to get a login name and a password to access the editor website. Please email us to get yours today, at blogtothis@bcphysio.org. Click on the icon below to download a file containing step-by-step instructions on how to login to the site and enter your story.

Step-by-step login and posting instructions

Regular Contributor
Want to be a regular or feature blogger on sportphysio.ca? We’d love to have you  have you write for the period of the games!  Please contact me (Suzanne at PABC) to set up your personal login account and to talk about possible blogging topics and assignments.  Plus there is even a contest in the works for our top bloggers!

Contribute via email
Send me your stories via email to blogtothis@bcphysio.org. I’ll need a catchy title, an edited final version of your post, a picture if possible, your name, location, and email. I’ll post it to blog and send you a note when it is posted!

Contribute via Twitter
If you use Twitter,  be sure to follow us at @sportphysio2010. Use the hashtag #sportphysio2010 in your tweets to be fed into the blog. ReTweet our posts (using the retweet buttons) to your followers.  If you aren’t using Twitter, sign-up, start following us (and  other physios using Twitter) and join the conversion. It’s a great time to learn!

Learn more about Twitter
YouTube: Twitter in Plain English
An awesome guide to Twitter at Mashable.com

Join the Sportphysio2010 Facebook group (and become a fan of PABC)
Due to the amount of time it takes to manage our social media networks, our Facebook presence will not be heavily promoted at this time. PABC will be taking a more proactive role in building content in the future. Become a Fan now and get the privilege of being an early adopter : )

Other ways
let me know if you have your own Olympic related blog, online photo album (Flickr, Picasa, etc) we can link to it!

Writing Guidelines
This blog is here for sportphysio volunteers to share their stories of the Vancouver2010 games.  While we encourage you to post your thoughts and stories of your experience at the games, VANOC has certain restrictions on the use of social media and blogging during the games. Please keep this (VANOC) in mind while writing your posts:

The No-Nos…

• Do not mention specific athletes (names) in the context of treatment. Maintain patient confidentiality.
• As a volunteer  you are not allowed to discuss the operations of the Games (VANOC rules).
• Still photos or video from within accredited zones that contain sporting action, or the Opening, Closing or Victory Ceremonies of the Games are not permitted.
• Workforce members must not post to blogs, forums, social networking sites or newsgroups using VANOC e-mail accounts or contact information unless done so in the course of conducting VANOC business and then only with management permission.

Yes, You Can…

• Talk about who you are, where you’re from, your motivations for volunteering,  and generally your role at the events.
• Be creative with your posts, and write about what matters to you.  It can be a story about how you got to the games, or generally  about your role with the team ,  types or injuries you may or have treated, or challenges of working with elite athletes at this level or competitions. As the audience will likely be other physios, you may choose to talk about specific treatments (without mentioning athletes’ by name).  Write from your perspective.
• Try to include a photo with your post. Still photos of you and other people who have consented to be in the photo are allowed.
• Have fun with it, and become a regular contributor!

Tips on Writing Good Blog Posts

• Write about what matters to you and remember the VANOC guidelines.
• Create catchy, descriptive headlines that let readers know what to expect from your posts. A catchy title will also make it more “Tweetable”.
• Write in conversational or casual style that reflects your voice. However be authentic, if you are a formal guy or gal, write that way!
• Be concise and try not write more than necessary. Write with purpose and stick to your point.
• Use lists if your content can be presented that way. Most blog readers skim content.
• Edit before posting & try to avoid using grammatical clichés.
• Use a photo, but remember VANOC’s restrictions.
• Encourage comments from readers. The fun part of sharing your story is getting feedback.
• Use tags. These are keywords of your choice that describe the main content of your story. For example, if you are volunteering at the snowboarding venue, you could use: snowboarding, Cypress, bronze medal (for more information on tagging see ‘instructions on how to post’).

More Resources
5 Tips to Write Blog Posts
10 Top Blog Writing Tips
Lots of writing tips at Copyblogger.com