In last week’s post we discussed how social media is finding its way into every part of our lives. Facebook is predicted to reach 1 billion users by August of this year while Twitter and Google+ are gaining in popularity around the world.

Despite its global acclimation, the London Organizing Committee recently announced a limited social media ban for its 2012 Olympic Games. London volunteers from its 70,000 person volunteer crew, Games Makers, will be prohibited from posting roles, locations or details about the athletes and other events online during the Games’ July 27-August 12 run.

“We understand that many of our Games Makers will want to use social media to share their exciting experiences at London 2012 with their friends and family,” a spokesman told Reuters. “As is standard in most organizations, we have provided some practical guidelines to give basic advice on interacting in a social media environment with the aim of protecting the interests of our workforce and operation.”

Athletes will still be permitted to tweet or post Facebook updates. 

In this day and age, snapping a quick photo and uploading it to Facebook is common practice. Now, volunteers will have to exercise social media restraint. Many people are criticizing the committee for the decision, stating that volunteers could provide one-of-a-kind accounts of the famed event.

Will this restriction set the precedent? Flash back to the 2008 Beijing Games. While social media was certainly on the rise, no policy was put into place as Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites are banned in China.

Do you think the social media ban will limit the public’s discussion of the 2012 London Olympics? Did the London Olympic Committee make the right decision? Leave your comments below.