Bethpage Black, or how to take advantage of new media and technology for a tournament.

US open Golf Tournament has just seen the victory of American Lucas Glover. It his first victory in a major golf championship. It is not the only 'first time' in this tournament. Indeed, the 109th US Open has seen the introduction of technology, not to improve the irons or putters used by Woods and co. but to improve the communication with the audience and accentuate the buzz around the tournament.

First, the United States Golf Association, in association with IBM, has created an iPhone application. People can easily follow what's going on with the latest news updates, and watch live video of the tournament. The fans can also follow the real-time scoring updates of the golfers and the tee times, useful to know who will make the cut or when your favorite player will start his round. You can also have a course overview, to know why the 15th is such a difficult whole on Bethpage Black, or read a quick biography of the 100+ players.

The initiative doesn't stop here. Indeed, the organisators have created a twitter page in addition of the official website. By following, @usopengolf you have the weather broadcast expected on the course, or any last minute change for the tee times. It has been very helpful this weekend, because of the heavy rains that felt on Long Island. The Twitterer posted pictures, of Tiger putting for a birdie, or the crowd following Phil on the 9th. A true insight of the tournament.

It is not the only insight you could have. Ian Poulter, an English golfer, has also created a Twitter, and informs people of his feelings regarding the tournament (hopefully, not while he's playing!!). Golf is surfing on the new media and technology, and taking advantage of them. And it's working, @usopengolf had almost 4,000 followers for the 4-day event, Poulter has more than 86,000.

So to quote @usopengolf: "Congratulations to Lucas Glover, and thanks for following us for the 109th U.S. Open!"

#Iranelection #Tehran

Jack Dorsey (co-founder of Twitter) was recently explaining (read my article) that Twitter could be a powerful tool for Democracy, helping rebuilding Iraq. His enthusiasm to use social networks to gather a People, is being picked up in a neighbour country, Iran.

Since Friday, and the controversial presidential elections held in Iran, opponents to re-elected President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have prostated in the streets of Tehran. Among those protestors undoubtedly stand some twitteres. Twitter is becoming inevitable to get information of what's going in Iran. The Iranian government filters websites, jams BBC satellite that broadcasts Persian TV and so on. As a consequence, journalists, and correspondents in Iran can't work, and transmit information (mainly to the western countries), fostering a flow of tweets coming from Iran. Journalists use those tweets, after confirmation they really come from Iran (with geolocalisation) to provide news in their countries. You can also find pictures from the events in Tehran on Flickr.

#Iranelection and #Tehran are among the most popular research and topics on Twitter. That also lead Twitter to postpone a maintenance operation scheduled June 15 at 9:45pm Pacific time, which would be the following day, 9:15am in Iran. Twitter in its Press Release, claimed the fact Twitter was used as an' important communication tool in Iran'.

Are those events the sneak peeks of what the web 3.0 could be? The integration of social networks in the political world? Or is just Twitter accentuating the buzz around its growing success and making a marketing 'coup'?