The Royal Wedding – A Social Media Event

Things sure have changed since July 29, 1981 when Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer wed. A worldwide TV audience of more than 750 million watched their wedding. Obviously, Will and Kate’s nuptials will be the biggest since the marriage of his parents, and it’s undoubtedly causing massive global interest. The Prince and Kate’s wedding, like his parents, will also be accessible to the public, and is expected to be watched by up to two billion people worldwide.

Back in 1981, we didn’t have the Internet; there was no Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr or blogging. You either watched it on TV or were one of the tens of thousands that camped out overnight on the streets of London to catch of glimpse of the future King of England and his bride. We are now in the 21^st century and living in the world of Social Media. So what does this mean for the royal wedding? It means a social media event the world will soon not forget.

So you ask, what are some of the ways social media will play a role in one of the biggest events in 30 years? Google is hosting a blog synchronized with live footage. It will be streamed live on the Internet via an official royal channel, www.youtube.com/theroyalchannel. This will be a first for YouTube, as there has never been a live blog running alongside a live video stream. And that’s not all, there will also be a video “Wedding Book” where you can submit your own video of congratulations.

Photos will be released via Flikr and announcements will be published on the official wedding site www.officialroyalwedding2011.org.

If you want to tweet a message of congratulations, you can do so by using the hashtag #rw2011. And a @ClarenceHouse account on Twitter will provide live updates on the day, and will also be integrated into the live blog.

And last, but not least, there is even a Facebook page, www.facebook.com/TheBritishMonarchy, where users can click the ‘I’m attending’ button on ‘The Royal Wedding’ event. I’m attending, are you??? There’s also links to all of the above via this page, along with a link to the governments’ website and a page where you can make a charitable donation to one or all 5 causes the couple has chosen to support.