Tocquigny

Prince Charles and Lady Diana. July 29, 1981. A global audience of 750 million, of which I was one.

Fast-forward 30 years to April 29, 2011: The wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton is set to break all records, thanks to the growth of the Internet, and social media in particular. The entire ceremony will be broadcast on YouTube, and viewership estimates are at one billion and counting. According to Greenlight, a London-based independent search marketing specialist and technology firm, discussions about the royal wedding have taken over social media, with one new mention every 10 seconds.

To me, the interest in this wedding is not just about the spectacle or the sheer opulence. In a time where things move so quickly that people don’t even talk face to face, this wedding symbolizes stability, tradition and hope. If you grew up in the Princess Diana era, you probably also feel a special bond to Prince William and this union. Tomorrow will be emotional and joyful for many people, and social media is allowing them to connect like never before.

Here are five ways you can share in the Royal Wedding frenzy using social media:

1. Join The British Monarchy Facebook Page, which has over 360,000 fans and growing, or add your name to the The Wedding Book Facebook app to wish them a happy marriage.

2. Follow @clarencehouse, @BBCroyalwedding and @ITNroyalwedding on Twitter to keep up with updates on the wedding route from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey.

3. Track the #royalwedding and #rw2011 hashtags on Twitter to engage in conversations about the Royal Wedding.

4. Watch the Royal Channel Live Stream, the official YouTube account of the monarchy. The broadcast will begin at 10 a.m. London time (5 a.m. ET) and will be accompanied by a live multimedia blog compiled by St. James’s Palace.

5. View the royal wedding photos on The British Monarchy Flickr Page tagged rw2011.

There are other cool ways that technology will play a great role at the Royal Wedding. For example, you may watch the Royal Wedding route in 3D via Google Earth, or you can watch the Royal Wedding Procession in 3D on YouTube.

If you’re on the go at 5am CST (6am EST/3am PST) download the iPhone and Android apps that are dedicated to the Royal Wedding.

Now that you are armed with all this information and technology, prepare to watch and celebrate with the rest of the world and be a part of history.