By now, most athletes who will be competing in the Winter Games have arrived in Vancouver. The Opening Ceremonies are tomorrow, and the first competitions begin Saturday.

Fans of certain athletes may have noticed some confusion about Olympic rules regarding blogging, Tweeting and using Facebook during the Games. A Tweet earlier this week from skier Lindsey Vonn bid her fans farewell for the next 16 days, then a few hours later she Tweeted she was back.

Anticipating the social networking craze may present a problem, the International Olympic Committee published a four-page blogging guideline outlining what athletes may and may not blog about. It stems from a rule in the Olympic charter, which states only journalists can act as journalists at the games, while athletes and coaches cannot.

But an addendum says blogs are permitted, so long as they are diary-like in nature. Athlete entries can’t include live action or ceremonies and don’t give “newsy” updates, such as injury reports or information about rivaling countries.

Athletes are also allowed to update their Twitter accounts.

“The IOC considers blogging, in accordance with these Guidelines, as a legitimate form of personal expression and not as a form of journalism,” the rule states.

Below is Vermont’s Andy Newell giving a video update from Vancouver after getting “processed.”

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