College Football via Twitter

Starting this weekend, students and alums of colleges all over the nation will unite to cheer on their favorite NCAA football teams as a new season kicks off. And once again, this season features a number of interesting storylines to follow. Perennial powerhouse Oklahoma University is once again the unanimous team to beat, as they sit atop both the Associated Press and USA Today Top 25 polls. However, the Sooners will have a number of talented teams nipping at their heels, including the Alabama Crimson Tide, Louisiana State University Tigers, and last season’s national runner-up Oregon Ducks. But whether your alma mater is in the Top 25 or not, each new college football season provides fans with much to look forward to. From the game day atmosphere on campus, to the pregame tailgates, to the zealous marching bands and fans cheering on each intense rivalry, it’s tough to match the excitement of college football. And with people all over the world relying more heavily on Twitter, Facebook, and blogging, social media provides fans with more ways than ever before to follow all of the excitement.

One such social media outlet includes the NCAA Football Twitter page at http://twitter.com/#!/ncaafootball, which enables fans to stay up to date with the latest news from all three NCAA divisions. This page includes up to the minute scores from games all over the nations, news links and video highlights pertaining to your favorite teams, and poll questions in which fans can participate. Additionally, most NCAA programs have their own Twitter and Facebook pages for fans to follow. Such pages often include news, picture images, video highlights, and even messages from the players and coach of your favorite team. Are you interested in following your favorite college football teams through Twitter and Facebook? Let Social Mavens help you expand your social media horizons today.

http://ncaafootball.com/Home.aspx

Social Media & Sports

With companies in a broad range of markets joining social networking sites, it has become clear that this instrument of information dissemination is the future of the advertising industry. As a result, leading cultural commentators and experts on social media are developing strategies to leverage social media networking as an effective marketing tool.

The sports industry is an example of a field that has and will continue to benefit from utilizing social media networking as a means for marketing. Athletic institutions must accommodate the increasing online presence of sports fans of all ages. An increasing number of admired athletes are participating actively on the social networking site Twitter, including Lance Armstrong and Shaquille O’Neal. Employing social media to the fullest extent will sustain active and vibrant sports cultures.

Social media marketing, a constantly evolving sphere of human interaction and activity, has the potential to not only expand a fan base but also to maintain and manage it in a responsive manner. What distinguishes social media marketing from other more traditional forms of marketing techniques is that it enables a constant dialogue between consumers and producers to take place. The open communication ensures a more satisfied and active user.

One aim of current social media users is to establish an integrated social networking system, like KnicksNet.com, that connects sports fans to their favorite teams and players on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. With the continued growth of this type of integration, soon all social networking sites, applications, and notifications will be accessible on portable devices, such as smartphones.

Summer Softball

If you ask any guy what he’s up to for the summer, his plans will often include taking in some baseball, cracking open a few beers, and relaxing. Ably combining all three, it’s no wonder that summer softball leagues have become so popular, particularly among middle aged men. Whether you’re getting some of the guys from work together after quitting time or meeting with some old friends, summer softball leagues are fun and relaxing for anyone looking to play ball. Do you have a summer softball league? Using social media enables you to post videos and photos of you and your friends in action on the diamond; now you can show others how much fun you’re having, and advertise to others who might be looking to join a league. Let social mavens help you share your summer softball league experiences through social media.

Cape Cod Baseball & Social Media

Every summer, the best college baseball players from around the nation play in the Cape Cod Baseball League, a league composed of ten teams with home fields in ten different towns located throughout the beautiful region of Cape Cod. The collegiate baseball players who choose to participate in the league are distributed amongst these ten teams through a draft, and then enjoy the unforgettable experience of living with a host family in Cape Cod by day, and competing against the nation’s best collegiate talent at night. For many players in the league, summer baseball in Cape Cod marks the first stop on the road to the Major Leagues; 2010 MLB All Stars Michael Bourn, Ryan Braun, Evan Longoria, Chase Utley and Chris Young are all alums of the CCBL.

Rapidly growing in popularity, the CCBL’s 2009 All Star Game was held at Fenway Park last summer, and will be held again at the historic park on July 28th this summer. Additionally, the CCBL has garnered past attention in the media, as the league served as the subject in both the 2001 Hollywood film Summer Catch and the 2003 documentary Touching the Game. However, the further west you travel away from Cape Cod, the less aware baseball fans are of the Cape Cod Baseball League. If you are a team representative of one of the ten teams in the league, let Social Mavens help you utilize social media in order to advertise this one-of-a-kind summer baseball showcase featuring the best young players in college baseball to fans nationwide. Visit us at www.socialmavens.com

NCAA Recruiting & Social Media

The NCAA has recently stated that… “The NCAA has developed rules regarding social media sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, while fully recognizing the social media world is constantly changing and developing. Divisions I and II look at social networking less in terms of the technology being used and more in terms of its recruiting impact. NCAA rules do not allow comments about possible recruits on an institution’s social media page or a page belonging to someone affiliated with the institution. In addition, these pages cannot feature photos of prospects and messages cannot be sent to recruits using these social media technologies other than through their e-mail function.” Read more at http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/NCAA

There are very strict and certain guidelines that the institution should follow as well as all staff, trustees and student athletes. Institutions should take the time to understand how “social media” can impact recruiting, operations, and student athletes social life. At the same time, social media sites can be such a valuable tool to a sports team and its fans. Social media can allow for an institution to gain more fans / followers, share photos and videos as well as disseminating current messages from the coaching staff. Let Social Mavens (www.socialmavens.com) help interpret the rules and write the guidelines for you.

Social Media ABC’s & Philanthropy

When you look for a social media agency to help your business, keep in mind the basics. The first step is to accumulate followers. There are many ways to do this, Facebook being a very popular method. Along the way, make sure that you capture their email addresses. After that, please start writing a blog. In addition to a blog, you should have a microblog such as Twitter. Please, only relevant information in your blogs. Now you have a substantial base of followers who are receiving quality information from you. A strategy that incorporates photos and videos is a recommended complement. Finally, wouldn’t it be nice if the agency you selected to help you do this was philanthropic? At Social Mavens, we donate all of our net profit to charity. Please contact us to learn more. . www.socialmavens.com