ZURICH, Switzerland, June 5 /PRNewswire/ --
OleOle is adding real-time, interactive live blogging to enable football fans to pick sides as they interact around match reports - from their computer and from the stadium
OleOle, the worldwide leading social media site for football fans, today announced that it has added an interactive MatchCentre to its global football platform in time for EURO 2008 in Austria and Switzerland. Football fans can visit the OleOle MatchCentre before matches to get pre-game commentary and squad details, and during matches for real-time play by play and stats, live blogging, match photos and videos, and "smack talk" discussions with fans of rival teams. After the game they can access post-match commentary, pictures and videos taken at the match by fans, and a "Eurocast" podcast that includes fan critique and commentary called-in right from the stadium.
Football is a global sport but the most visited website generally publishes "unbiased" information based on official news and written by reporters trying to remain neutral. Fans don't want neutrality; they want the real, unfiltered news about their teams and the bias that goes along with it. OleOle's MatchCentre uses the same interactive approach found on the rest of the site and makes static live match reports and football scores obsolete. It provides a unique online experience in 10 languages for fans and the same kind of banter and insight found at the stadium or pub.
MatchCentre highlights OleOle's new Live Blog function which enables minute by minute match commentary, insight and documentation of plays from a blogger's perspective. Live Blogging has an interface tailored to entering in match plays quickly and efficiently, in a time-based match structure that includes penalties, goals, and substitutions. Bloggers type in a comment, submit, and their screen refreshes via AJAX technology, and the match blog is immediately refreshed for viewers. Fans can quickly flip back and forth between multiple live blogs to read opposing views and different opinions on the same play.
The Arseblogger, creator of Arseblog, OleOle's recently acquired award-winning weblog on Arsenal FC, will also produce an exclusive, fan-driven EURO 2008 report as a podcast -- the Eurocast -- at the end of each game day. Fans can call in live from the stadium while watching a match and comment on anything -- the crowd, team line-ups, and questionable reffing decisions. The Eurocast will feature selected fan messages along with insightful match commentary and will be available to download from OleOle's MatchCentre and from Apple iTunes. Local call-in phone numbers are available on the MatchCentre for the UK and Switzerland.
"Football news sites just don't give passionate football fans what they're looking for -- the ability to drive the conversation about their team. MatchCentre is another innovative way OleOle is putting football into the hands of the fans through social media," said Doug Knittle, CEO of OleOle. "We see football supporters across geographies and languages looking for ways to interact around live matches other than just following the score. OleOle's MatchCentre gives every fan the opportunity to become a global reporter or commentator."
About OleOle
OleOle is the worldwide leading social media site for football fans. Fans around the world need a site that publishes news and information independent from the traditional media, leagues, clubs or organizations who deliver their own content. OleOle's multi-lingual site enables football fans to connect with each other in an environment that has 100% fan-driven content -- blogs, fan clubs, articles, news, podcasts, photos, videos, football scores, stats, and history. Using social media technologies, football supporters can write, contribute, share, rate and vote on multimedia content in 10 languages. Founded in 2006, OleOle is a privately-held international company with headquarters in Beverly Hills, California and offices in New Zealand as well as across Europe and South America. For more information visit: http://www.oleole.com
Web site: http://www.oleole.com
Nina Grenningloh of OleOle, +1-310-275-5300, nina.grenningloh@oleole.com
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