U.S. Olympic Committee Unveils New Generation of Media-Specific Websites with Re-designed Pressbox Site

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Jan. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- With 16 days remaining to the start of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) today unveiled a powerful new tool in its efforts to provide the very best technology to the National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and to the world's media covering the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Teams in Vancouver and beyond.

Using the latest versions of Microsoft's SharePoint and Silverlight software, Microsoft and Slalom Consulting have created the USOC's Virtual Press Room as a world-class online media outlet for the journalists who will be covering America's best winter athletes in Vancouver this February. Microsoft SharePoint is the business collaboration platform for the Enterprise and the Web. Silverlight is a web browser plug-in that works with Windows and Mac operating systems, as well as all major browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer.

Along with improving the quality and breadth of Team USA coverage, the USOC's Virtual Press Room will also improve USOC communication capabilities by providing journalists with easy access to a wealth of athlete information. Featured news sections, detailed article lists and live Twitter feeds from the USOC and Team USA athletes give the media a real time view into every event and breaking story.

To explore the new site and to check out the latest features designed to enrich the media experience, click HERE or visit http://pressbox.teamusa.org/.

"The new generation of Pressbox is one element of the USOC's digital media strategy designed to motivate Olympic fans to engage in the Olympic Movement online," said Trevor Miller, USOC Managing Director of Information Technology. "Using Microsoft technology, this re-designed site showcases our commitment to innovation and captures the power of new media technologies and audiences to enable journalists to bring the best stories of Team USA to Americans."

"Microsoft SharePoint 2010 is providing the USOC the power to create a dynamic, easy-to-use Web site for press covering one of the biggest sporting events in the world," said Janice V. Kapner, Senior Director of Communications, Information Worker Product Management Group. "The Pressbox.org site demonstrates why more customers are choosing SharePoint's enhanced capabilities for Internet sites including the ability for customers to build solutions that support rich media capabilities such as video, audio, and Silverlight."

"The USOC's Virtual Press Room is a terrific example of how Microsoft platforms can integrate social with traditional content for a new kind of media experience," said Jerry Kaczmarowski, general manager for Slalom Consulting. "At Slalom, our expertise with Microsoft technologies runs wide and deep, and it's rewarding to couple that proficiency with our social media and web site development knowledge to produce an easy-to-use resource for the National Governing Bodies uploading content to the site, and for media covering the Olympics."

Slalom Consulting is a business and technology consulting firm headquartered in Seattle, with offices across the United States to support its unique client service model: local expertise with national reach.

SOURCE U.S. Olympic Committee