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.
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
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1 comments:
Great article Andy. One of the hurdles (some) teams will face is their relationship with the building they're in - not all teams own the building they're in. Most arenas like to take charge of their own "locations" with these geo targeted sites for their other entertainment shows. I know that I have had some trouble managing the Timberwolves Foursquare account in this respect due to not "owning" the Target Center.
With that said, it shouldn't be a big deal if the team has a good relationship with the building - as we do. It's mostly an adjustment to the way in which they communicate with one another.
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