The Mid Eastern Athletic Conference Gives You Their Victims

Victories... Individually, they can get lost. But put them together in one spot and you can make a statement. When you are in a low-to-mid major conference, they become a critical piece to your positioning.

Mid Eastern Athletic Conference Week Starts Now!

Hit the MEAC Basketball page and take close notice to the right hand side of the page: "2010-11 Non-Conference Division 1 Wins." Let's dive in...

Clicking in takes you here, shown below. We have a cumulative list of victories, or as I prefer to put it victims of the MEAC. Take a peak...

Here's what I love about this execution:

1. It positions the conference around success (check out all our wins!)
2. It brings the conference together around success (it's not about one team's wins. It's about ALL our wins!)
3. It is simple and intuitive to follow... and easy to add onto!

How could this be better? EMOTION. That's the opportunity here. It starts with calling victories "victims." There's a feeling of connection and domination in that verbiage that I'd love to see. I'd also love to see the story behind the story -- as simple as associating the victory with a single photo. The power of adding imagery to the log of victories is pretty monstrous! And, finally, a single quote - from a coach/player/fan/conference rep. Put it together and you have a united look at how the MEAC wins.

Bottom line is that this is a great idea that I'd love to see developed further.

Come back tomorrow as we continue rolling through a week of best practices in the MEAC.

Don't forget, you can follow along on Facebook (here) or on Twitter: I'm@pawlow34.

Andy

MAAC Best Practices: Siena Elevates their Assistant Coaches

The head coach is all that matters, right? They're the face of your program. They are the one who (often times) gets his or her own website. Or (if you're a more digitally savvy program), you promote their Twitter feed. That's all good stuff.

But don't forget that it's often the Assistant Coaches who make the difference in what recruits your school gets (or doesn't get).

Siena Doesn't forget this.

Hit the Siena Saints Basketball page and scroll down the page...

In the bottom right-hand side of the page you'll see this callout to Assistant Coach Craig Carter's Blog.

Of course I dove in, which takes you here. Let's check it out.


What you'll note is a partnership with College Chalk Talk for Coach Carter.

I love this from the jump.

"First off let me say what an honor it is to be one of the coaches asked to write for College Chalktalk's National Coaches Diary Series. I have been extremely blessed to work as an assistant men's basketball coach in college. And to think that someone somewhere might actually care about what I have to say is truly an honor."

What a setup. Humble and honest. And easy to read. So... is it good stuff? Let's read more:

"So what do coaches need to do in order for their particular style to work? One - you need to recruit to your strengths. Not all talented ball players can play in any format. So first and foremost identify those talented athletes whose skill set match your style. Two - hone your communication skills so that you can be heard by many and understood by all."

Fantastic.

What you are seeing here is a glimpse into not just his style as a coach but of the philosophy he's going to bring every day as a coach at Siena.

Imagine the collective power the Siena staff has, and that digital now delivers a way to get that message out there. This doesn't take anything away from the head coaches. It just creates an opportunity to show more about what makes your program special.

A smart move Siena. Well played.

That's it for MAAC week. Next week, another conference!

Don't forget, you can follow along on Facebook (here) or on Twitter: I'm@pawlow34.

Andy

MAAC Best Practices: Iona's Social Media Standings?

Would you ever keep score of your Social Media presence? Declare a leader?

There's an inherent risk in doing just that, isn't there? Because to do that would also declare those who aren't the leader too. That's what I feel many of us think and so we steer clear of doing this.

Iona proves the doubters wrong. Let's dive in.

Hit the Iona Gaels Athletics Page and feast your eyes on the bottom right hand corner of the page: Social Media HQ. Let's move in.

Clicking into the Social Media HQ, takes you here (shown below).

What you'll note is not just a list of who has Facebook pages but, from that very list you get two things:

1. How many people "Like" that page
2. The ability to Click "Like" and add to that total

Think about that. Immediately you get a sense for how big the support is for each program or page. And you get the chance to add yourself to the mix (or as many mixes as you want) without going anywhere.

I love this on many levels. It adds life. It adds a level of realness to their social presence. And it's really intuitive. And the funny thing is, while I was drawn to see what page had the most Likes (Iona Athletics), I didn't have any negative thoughts about any of the other pages. So you can have a leader without putting the runners up in a negative light!

We can all learn from this example -- Well done.

Come back tomorrow as we keep moving through MAAC Week -- we'll check out 1 more best practice from the 10 programs that make up the MAAC.

Don't forget, you can follow along on Facebook (here) or on Twitter: I'm@pawlow34.

Andy

MAAC Best Practices: Loyola's Outlook Calendars, by Sport!

Calendars are a topic we've covered a little bit before. But I've always covered the topic and felt it could get more personal, and more precise.

Loyola has a nice twist here.

Hit the Loyola Athletics home page and hover on the Multimedia Menu (I'll do that for you below, of course...)

As promised...


The bottom item on the menu, "Athletics Schedules on Outlook," is our destination. Click in and you'll find yourself here - shown below...

From this page, you are able to download with a simple click of the mouse the 2010-11 schedule for your team of choice (assuming it is a soccer, basketball, or volleyball team of course).

Why is this great?

The calendar is a destination you should strive to be on. It is the place that people put all the things they can't miss onto: appointments, kids' games or outings, meetings, that critical conference call, and travel.... and now the games!

But it isn't just about being on that list for association sake. It's about being on that list so that you will get noticed, multiple times a day. It's about being on that list so you are in the mix for people planning what they are going to do the next day.

It's really a great thing here that we can all ponder on. If people know and plan for your games, are they more likely to attend? I think the answer is yes, and I was pumped to see this here -- not just as a full calendar but separated by sport.

How could this be better? Add exclusives. What if they added things to the calendar only available to those who downloaded this? Like meet and greets before games, Tailgates, access to a press conference, free posters, who knows! If you can deliver exclusivity on top of convenience, you have a 1-2 punch that's going to prove tough to stop...

Come back tomorrow as we keep moving through MAAC Week -- we'll check out 2 more best practices from the 10 programs that make up the MAAC.

Don't forget, you can follow along on Facebook (here) or on Twitter: I'm@pawlow34.

Andy

The Metro Atlantic Conference Builds Video Blog for Member Schools

Blogs are definitely emerging. Once simply streams of consciousness from people like me, they now get to be authentic sources of information. And, with Video becoming easier to do well, we have Video Blogs stepping up. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference gives us a good one.

Hit the MAAC Sports Home Page and you'll see a prominent call out for the MAAC in Motion Video Blog...



Clicking in takes us here, to the MAAC in Motion video blog. What you'll find is a collection of highlights, interviews, and access given to you by the members that make up the MAAC.

I love this idea -- create a framework and allow member schools to upload content. Or, as it is done here,

have member schools load the videos to YouTube and then embed this video into your site.

This is great because it asks schools to do what they will do any way (post to YouTube) and then it allows you

to take that and get it more exposure. The result is a diverse collection of the latest activity across the members

that make up the conference (all programs).

The only downside is that this appears pretty random. It is the latest happenings, but there isn't an editorial view

or feel that the MAAC could deliver. That could come in the form of structure, video content, or scheduling -- the

key is simply to let fans know and come to look forward to what's up next!

How could this be better? Let us know the story behind this blog. The title of the blog is "Featuring

video updates on the latest happenings in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference." While maybe true,

it really leaves a lot of emotion on the table. If you look closely, those videos were actually YouTube posts

from two different schools (Sienna & Canisius). So is this a blog built to become a platform for the members?

I'd love to know the story here. It feels like a great stage built for exposure of member programs by a

conference. Really good stuff.

The other opportunity is to put some structure into it. Is it highlights, interviews, or reactions? I'd love to be

able to sign up for updates that are relevant to what I care about... or just have an expectation of what is

coming, when.

That's it.

Come back tomorrow as we keep moving through MAAC Week -- we'll check out 3 best practices from the 10 programs that make up the MAAC.

Don't forget, you can follow along on Facebook (here) or on Twitter: I'm@pawlow34.

Andy

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Unlocks the Power of Championship Photography

Championships.

They are the single most consistent thing across college athletics. No matter your school or your sport, it's the reason you lace up the shoes. Yet it is somehow overlooked by many at the conference (or school) levels.

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is onto something... MAAC Week Starts Now.

Hit the MAAC Sports home page (shown below)...

and scrolling down, which will reveal the image below:

There, at the bottom of the page, is the goodness: Championship Central.

Here you'll find a window of dates by sport for their season-ending tourney. But it is smartly paired with a snapshot of last year's title winner -- giving us a view of the emotions and a diverse view of success at multiple universities. It's pretty powerful stuff. Seldom do you come across a league that gives easy access to that moment of celebration, across every sport. And visibility to multiple sports seems to help everyone out!

Clicking into basketball takes us here, to the home of the MAAC Basketball Tourney, shown below.

How could this be better? The Journey to the Title should be a lot more prominent on this site. I love the portrayal of this moment in pictures -- I'd just love to see this above the fold and celebrated on the site. It's almost to the point that this journey has more power than the standings offer. And that makes me think: what if the standings became less factual and more emotional. Less where you are and more how close are you to the ultimate goal? Feels like we have potential for greatness here!

Come back tomorrow as we keep moving through MAAC Week.

Don't forget, you can follow along on Facebook (here) or on Twitter: I'm@pawlow34.

Andy

Conference USA Best Practices: Memphis Gets You Ready

Want to get to the next level? How are you going to get there? And can you prove it?

Memphis does just this.

(Wait a minute? Three straight days of chatter about Memphis?)

Yes. I think this learning will prove its worth and then some!!!

Hit the Memphis University basketball page and enter the Tiger Hoops Experience (from the right-hand side of the page).

That takes us here, to "This is Tiger Hoops", shown below.

Drill through this guide and you'll hit the Strength & Conditioning segment.

Player Development.

I love this quote as a setup about Richard Hogans, Memphis Basketball's Director of Performance Enhancement (bad title)...

"He shows them the "Before" and "After" photos of the Physical Development of previous Tigers. No longer is college basketball about developing better jump shots and improving ball handling skills. To play at the elite level where Memphis is, the strength and conditioning program is a vital cog in the Tigers' deep postseason runs in March."

That quote is great for a plethora of reasons. It talks about the game evolving. It positions Memphis as elite. And it connects this part of the program to March. Love it. Oh and the pictures... Scroll below.

Wow. You can see how this could make an impact on a high schooler!

How could this be better? What's the story here? I'd love to hear from CDR on how Memphis helped him, pushed him, maximized him. I'd love to hear from the Coaches about how they worked with him, analyzed where he was, and what potential they saw. And I'd LOVE to see this story more deeply connected to March. How are they developing for March? I get it that strength helps and I get the visuals here. But there's a story, an insight, a truth that could position Memphis as the key to getting you there!

That's it for Conference USA. Come back next week as we dive into another league!

And, don't forget, you can follow along on Facebook (here) or on Twitter: I'm@pawlow34.

Andy

Conference USA Best Practices: Memphis Travels in Style

Travel is a certainty.

When you are a D-1 athlete, you know you'll play a lot of games on the road. And I'm a believer that many teams don't take advantage of this in their recruiting. Where do you go? What do you do when you go? Where do you stay? Traveling with your friends, your teammates, can have a huge impact on the type of enjoyment you get out of your college experience.

Memphis takes a great step in this direction.

Hit the Memphis University basketball page and enter the Tiger Hoops Experience (from the right-hand side of the page).

That takes us here, to "This is Tiger Hoops", shown below.

When you drill through the site, you'll see Traveling in Style, a look at the Tigers on the Road. You'll see that the Tigers are one of the only teams to Charter flights to all their games. You'll see a glimpse into the inside of said plane. (nice)

And, as you'll note below, you'll see the places the team stays are pretty nice -- the Intercontinental in NY, the Hilton in Houston. Are those great hotels? I don't know. But I do love the positioning that they are.

How could this be better? We have facts. What I'd love are emotions. How can we get there? Photos of the team on the road. What did you do? Where did you eat? What was the funniest thing (or the scariest) that happened when you traveled? I'd love to see the personality come out from the platform that's been created. (Oh, and like we mentioned yesterday, make this easier to get to and share!)

That's it. Come back tomorrow for a final look into the best practices across Conference USA Digital.

Don't forget, you can follow along on Facebook (here) or on Twitter: I'm@pawlow34.

Andy

Conference USA Best Practices: Memphis Maximizes the Player Introduction Videos

That opening video.

Across all sports it's the thing that fires everyone up, fans and players alike. And I'm guessing it's one of the things that makes for a lasting impression for a potential student athlete.

I love these because they set the tone. They get the team hyped. They get the fans hyped (which gets the team hyped and the band hyped and the cheerleaders hyped). Essentially, do them well and they can aid in the creation of the home court advantage you seek. And which draws recruits to you... And then (normally) they get thrown away after just one year of using the video?

Memphis has an answer to this.

Hit the Memphis University basketball page and enter the Tiger Hoops Experience (from the right-hand side of the page).

That takes us here, to "This is Tiger Hoops," shown below. I'm normally not a fan of the digital yearbook. (And I'm still not a fan, as it takes the good pieces and puts them all together in a slow-to-load online catalog). But the content is great. And there are learnings here.

First, the video. Known in Memphis as the Ontro Video, the Tigers include videos all the way back to 2002-2003. Think a hot video of the past can't make an impact today? Guess again. I love this for many reasons. They're great videos. They raise the bar (you don't want to allow this year's video to be less exciting than last year's!) And they add up to a statement for what the team is about.




This year, Memphis took it to a new level. They created two videos, airing one on the home opener and the other before the second game. The top vote getter wins... So they involved the fans into the process to hype the team? Love it!

How could this be better? The energy is too bottled up for me. I couldn't easily share these videos with you as they are not set up for easy sharing. I'd love to see Memphis take the excitement they have developed and architect it in a way that makes it easy to take with you. To watch via mobile, wherever and whenever you want.

The risk? That the videos and content lose context and don't appear in the setting of a Guide to Memphis hoops. The upside? That they get seen exponentially more. This is a great case to put the energy in the fans who want it most!

That's it. Come back tomorrow as we continue our look through Conference USA Best Practices.

And, don't forget, you can follow along on Facebook (here) or on Twitter: I'm@pawlow34.

Andy

Conference USA Heroes their Facebook Fans

Hero your fans. Make them feel special and they'll connect more deeply with you.

After just being personal, it's the best advice I have for someone in Facebook. And Conference USA started to do just this... but stopped. Let's check it out.

Hit the C-USA Facebook page (here) and then you'll need to click into Notes.

That takes you here.

Let's look closer into the description for the Facebook Fan of the Month...

"Conference USA wants to recognize and honor fans that are actively involved with the C-USA fan page and plan to do so with the Facebook Fan of the Month Award.

To get your name etched in stone amongst the greatest fans ever to grace the coeted seats at arenas and stadiums throughout the land..."

They list past winners from November and December 2009 and then stop. (Doh!)

What do we have here? We have a connection between the conference and the fans of the league. The C-USA heroed two fans, elevating them to a pretty high place. But it must not have worked well, as it was suspended...

So, How could this be better? First, I'd love to see them find fans at games and then recognize them in Facebook. Arenas always have fans of the game. Take a photo of the raucous fans and then hero them. Second, tag the fans in your note. This will allow them to easily find it... and for your award to get into their News Feed! And third, be consistent. Come up with criteria and then stick with it. Sometimes it takes time but this is a great initiative that builds connections and also positions the league as very personal!

Tune in tomorrow as we take another peak into the best practices of Conference USA.

And, don't forget, you can follow along on Facebook (here) or on Twitter: I'm@pawlow34.

Andy

Conference USA Pumps In (and Up) the Campus Energy

Conference USA Week Starts Now.

One way I view conferences is that they are the happy parents with their numerous children (up to 16 in some cases) to celebrate. But many conferences don't take the time to really pump their teams up.

Hit the Conference USA Home Page and look towards the bottom left-hand side of the page for the peak into school logos...

I'll zoom in here, because I really want to dial into this.

"On Campus"

I love seeing the logos paired with stories. In a single glance, we get everything - what the hottest read is in each school. And, from here, you can click in to go deep on that school. As an added bonus, the site becomes alive and the conference shows love to their schools.

Sweet.

How can this be better? What if this wasn't simply a list of 12 articles but rather a pull of 12 Twitter feeds? Those feeds could either be the school's athletics feed OR it could be a separate account, set up by the conference to pull in the right updates. (All they have to do is set up an account, lets say "@SMUCUSA and then set this site to pull in everything that account Re-Tweets. Then they go out to all SMU accounts (Or relevant bloggers) and find those posts that give you the feel of each campus!

Tune in tomorrow as we take another peak into the best practices of Conference USA.

And, don't forget, you can follow along on Facebook (here) or on Twitter: I'm@pawlow34.

Andy

Big West Conference Best Practices: Cal Poly Elevates the Scenery

Sell what you have. It's that simple.

Hit the Cal Poly website and you'll note it immediately: there in the middle of the page, calling to you: "The Central Coast"



Click in. Doing so gets you here, to what is essentially a page of all the reasons you should strive to live in beautiful San Luis Obispo, California. What I love about this is that Cal Poly did not overthink it. No doubt when they talk to recruits across the country one of the key pillars they are selling is the lifestyle. The scenery. The majesty.




And, as you'll note quickly, the site gives you that info, along with handy articles to show that it isn't just their opinion (US News & World Report ranks the area in the top 10 places to live). I love that this is told, and that it is built into the center of the main navigation.




How could this be better? Tie it to basketball. (Or athletics) Have pictures that show the teams out enjoying the area. Have quotes on what it's like to live in such a pretty area. Ask what they do with their families when they visit. To me, the fact is great. But it becomes a game changer when you add in the storytelling.

That's it.

Come back next week as we hit up another conference!

And, don't forget, you can follow along on Facebook (here) or on Twitter: I'm@pawlow34.

Andy

Big West Conference Best Practices: Long Beach Gives Us In Game Blogging

What does Long Beach State's Women's Basketball team have to do with the Green Bay Packers?

They both changed the notion of the phrase "Watch the Game with Us."

It's something I love doing in the NFL season (I'm a big Packers fan and love getting the experts' view by following along live via a blog while watching the game on TV). And I think the reason I love it is it feels like I'm sitting next to the most passionate and knowledgeable fans (the beat writers for the team). It arms me with info that goes beyond what I can see. And, unlike the national broadcasters, they feel the same emotion I do.

Hit the Long Beach Athletics page and mouse over the Multimedia menu.




You'll see a callout for the LBS Blog, which we'll now direct our attention. (In case things have changed on the site before you read this, I'll be breaking down this post -- linked here). Side note - love the graphics style!

As you'll note below, they did a live blog during the Women's matchup versus USD. If you read along, you'll see there is a nice mix of observation ("Trapping Defense giving USD trouble" with timelines ("16:09 left in first half).

And, as you'll note below, they break this apart by half...

This mix of observation and timeline is pretty solid. It gives us the emotion behind the play-by-play, and it does so in real time. Plus doing it like this adds value to come back later and see how the game developed. This is precisely what is done at the NFL level, albeit (naturally) on a larger stage.

How could this be better? The blog offers access to Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube (see image below) but does not integrate those into it. I'd love to see these live games post to Facebook and Twitter, pull in from Twitter Hashtagging, and pull in video clips from YouTube. To create such a system with social media and a blog would literally be world class!

And, don't forget, you can follow along on Facebook (here) or on Twitter: I'm@pawlow34.

Andy

Big West Conference Best Practices: Cal State Fullerton Celebrates their Athletes

Every collegiate athlete has their own story. But it's seldom that we actually get a chance to see or hear that story, especially online. Cal State Fullerton recognizes that, when you can show the true stories of multiple athletes across a variety of sports, you really put a human touch onto the program.

Hit the Fullerton Athletics page and note the Fan Zone menu on the far right-hand side of the page.

Zooming in, you'll see the callout for Everyday Champions. It's here that we'll turn our attention.

Clicking in and you come to the video gallery on Vimeo. The description of this gallery says it all:

"Intercollegiate athletics is about much more than wins and losses. The physical and mental training augment the classroom experience and teach life's lessons. Intercollegiate athletic scholarships provide an opportunity for students who otherwise might not seek higher education.... these students are more likely to become community, educational, and business leaders. These are the Titan athletics success stories."

Well said. So, essentially, this gallery goes out and talks with outgoing seniors about their story. Their journey. Why they did it, and what kind of an impact athletics had on their future. You see athletes across sports, and you have a franchise here that could be built upon over time to influence future generations of recruits.

I'm digging the description above -- "Senior Aaron Thompson is very thankful for the opportunities basketball has given him to be a success in life." This video series strives to go beyond athletics, beyond Fullerton, and by doing this makes quite a statement.

Watch one example for yourself below...



How could this be better? These are a bit hard to find. Putting them underneath "Fan Zone" may make sense (as fans would like the content) but limits the reach. I'd love to see these videos packaged as a central part of a recruiting section -- under the header of "Why be a Titan?" Then ask consistent questions and themes and build upon it over time.

That's it. Come back tomorrow for more inspiration from the Big West Conference.

And, don't forget, you can follow along on Facebook (here) or on Twitter: I'm@pawlow34.

Andy

The Big West Conference Gives You RealTime Value on Twitter

What are you supposed to do with Twitter? That's a question I hear asked a lot. And there's not really one great answer. My answer is it normally comes down to value you can offer those who follow you. Meaning, can you come up with a style, or with information that you just can't easily find elsewhere and then deliver it with emotion?

The Big West Conference takes a giant step in this direction. Keep reading to see how...

Hit the Big West Conference's Twitter Page (@BigWestSports) and take one long look at this opening post: California Riverside (#UCR) is playing a men's basketball game. And what does the Big West deliver? They give us a timely post (the game is Now!) But they do more than this. They give us links to go to watch it live, listen to it live, and get real time stats. That's handy.

Now if you take a peak at the image below (from further down their Twitter feed) you'll see a little bit of emotion and style packed into their delivery of facts. They give us teams and performers of the night right inside their Twitter feed. In real time. With emotion. Nice!

Thus, if you are a fan of the Big West, you definitely are getting value. You get easy access to hard-to-find information and you get it immediately. Well done!

How could this be better? I'd love to see the Conference take this style and infuse it into their website. Get more mileage out of the goodness that has been started! Then, take the style and ask each program in the conference to extend it (give us players of the games at each school in their Twitter feeds!) If all of this is done leveraging the same #hashtag, we would be able to see the realtime value provided by the conference multiplied exponentially.

That's it. Come back tomorrow as we continue our look into the Big West, with the first of three inspiring things from inside the programs that compete in the conference.

And, don't forget, you can follow along on Facebook (here) or on Twitter: I'm@pawlow34.

Andy

How the Big West Conference puts your focus on their best athletes

Big West Week Starts Now.

Focus. Where do you want to turn the attention of the fan (and recruit) who hits your website? One strategy, employed by the Big West Conference, is to put this focus onto Success. They do this by driving you straight into their top performers.

Hit the Big West home page and note the navigation on the left-hand side of the page. It's a little tough to see here and (in case you didn't want to hit that site right now) I'll zoom on in...

As you can note in the image below, the main navigation is designed to make you focus simply on the Athlete of the Week. I really dig this -- as it elevates the top performer (across all sports as it's set up here) right into the home page at a level set apart from the rest of the content on the site.

Clicking in takes us here, to the weekly look at the best in the conference (broken out by sport). The content is nothing out of the norm -- an image and a description of why, but it is definitely something you're going to check out.

So how could this be better? Go deeper with original content. Now that you turned our attention here, you should put the resources you have into making the content the best around. That doesn't always mean high-end. I'd love to see some personal views on how this student athlete has made an impact on his teammates, the league, and the community. You have the site visitor where you want them -- now just go deep to set the tone for the whole league by the depth you offer here.

Come back tomorrow as we continue our look into the Big West!

And, don't forget, you can follow along on Facebook (here) or on Twitter: I'm@pawlow34.

Andy

Could Facebook Places Change the Game for Team Marketers?

Facebook passed Google in 2010 as the top US website in terms of both visits and time spent (read it here).

That fact, in itself, should make us take a closer look at all major pushes announced by the team at Facebook because it means that, in the flip of a virtual switch, the new pushes they are offering will be in front of more people than any other site could deliver.

Which brings us to the announcement that Facebook now has enabled "Places", or a way for any of Facebook's 500 Million members to check in to whatever location they are at. Read about Facebook Places here or check out the handy video tour below...

So the big question is, why should we care? Or, better yet, why should we care, now?

I came across this article about Avis Car Rental and how they are letting GPS-based checkins translate to discounts on car rentals. So Avis is now looking at how often people are checking into their location, rewarding the most frequent visitors with a deal. This is effective, as long as the rewards are good. But I don't see Facebook Places as a long-term discount giver.

The potential comes in when you look at Facebook itself. Facebook has grown to that top spot not through discounts or deals but through the ability to connect with those you care the most about. And connecting is done through pictures, videos, and short updates. Then that connection evolves by those you care about interacting with those messages through liking, commenting, and sharing.

So how might this impact places, and why should we take notice? If you take what Facebook is great at (connecting) and then apply it to a place, you create a social graph of activity in a physical location. In other words, we can associate comments, pictures, videos, and likes with a physical place at a specific time. And others can see that.

Why should sports programs care? Because this is a chance to build an emotional connection. If you set up your stadiums and arenas as places, you create the potential for fans to "Check In". And then, as Places evolves, you create the opportunity to have a social timeline of what happens. Who was there when the big upset happened? And what was that reaction in real time? What did a season of activity look like? Or, a dynasty of activity? Could you give virtual badges to fans who witnessed something special? Or a social graph of the activity in each game they attended? It's tough to say how exactly this will evolve but I feel like we are at the start of something special... and that's a good place to get involved.

Facebook is evolving to allow us to create places for memories to be made and shared, and this will create a completely different way for teams to connect -- by enabling and celebrating those connections made by those who love them the most.

It'll be fun to follow!

Andy

Big South Best Practices: Liberty's Social Media Window

Can you bring social media together in one place?

That's a great question... And, to be honest, I haven't seen a lot of places where this is done well. Many of us take the time to sync up Facebook and Twitter, but that's really more of a convenience thing than anything -- let us share with 2 networks at once. But can they really work together?

Hit the Liberty Athletics page, here and note the social media box in the bottom center of the image below.

Zooming in, you'll see that the default is set to "ALL," while there is individual access to both Facebook and Twitter. I'll take them on in a second, but first let's check out the ALL stream. I dig this because it is a simple feed of both sources, right here in the site. Each post gives easy access to the Liberty Athletics Twitter or Facebook page, but it's all brought here, together.

What we've called out before is that, by pumping these into the site, it makes you look at them differently -- Twitter and Facebook become more than a way to share what's new on the site (or they'd better!) But now, with both Twitter and Facebook brought together, they each need to form their own identity.


While the feed above shows only Twitter updates, in the image below you can see the style of Facebook updates. It's great to see the energy and personal communication style of Facebook pulled in, below...

Meanwhile, you have the quick, breaking news style of Twitter, shown here:

The result is a perfect marriage of personality and immediacy. Of elaboration and succinctness. And of two mechanisms of communication joined together. Really strong work here.

How could this be better? I'd like to see this style expanded to each sport. A filter and hashtagging system could allow the Flames to do just this -- thus allowing their style of two vehicles to connect individually with their key sports. The result? A crazy level of authentic communication tailored exactly to their audience...

With that is a wrap of the Big South Conference. Tune in next week as we shift gears to the next conference!

And, don't forget, you can follow along on Facebook (here) or on Twitter: I'm @pawlow34.

Andy