UEFA have announced wide-ranging plans to engage with fans through Facebook when the Europa League knockout stages begin in February.

The competition already has a presence on the social networking site with over 150,000 fans (http://www.facebook.com/#!/uefaeuropaleague) and Europe’s governing body will be hoping to attract far more with the launch of a series of initiatives between now and the final in May.

Ahead of the round of 32 a fans’ social mosaic will be launched which will create a picture of the Europa League trophy using users’ profile pictures.

In the next round of games fans will be encouraged to share their location and state which game they are watching as UEFA look to “light-up Europe”.

At the quarter-final stage supporters will be asked to upload pictures of their favourite Europa League memories which will then be voted on by other fans.

The completed social mosaic will return ahead of the semi-finals and users will be able to win prizes by finding special tiles among the profile pictures.

For the final, which is being played in Bucharest on May 9, fans will be asked for vote for their favourite Europa League player from a pre-selected list with the winners receiving a match ball.

Manchester United, Manchester City and Stoke are England’s three remaining teams in the competition which returns on the week beginning February 13.

(Ed: we did have pic of how the app may look but had to take it down. sorry)

We see in many posts how clubs should be utilising social media for fans who come along to the games. The likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona have upped the game by making wifi powerful enough to actually be able to use your smart phone when there are 30,000+ other people in the area trying to do the same thing.

The owner of NBA team Dallas Mavericks Mark Cuban wrote an article on his blog recently to say that he doesn’t believe in any of this in-game digital entertainment with his post ‘The Fan Experience at Sporting Events – We don’t need no stinking smartphones!‘.

I can’t say that I agree with everything that he says but some of it does make sense. When people go to a game it is about the experience, otherwise they would just stay at home and watch it on TV right? (its cheaper and more comfortable for starters). The first aim for any club is to make the event day the most memorable, fun experience possible both on and off the pitch, or at least try to.

So when we start talking about in-game apps, talking to fans at the game on Twitter, etc should we be getting them staring at their smartphones and away from the match day experience they should be enjoying?

For one it depends on the sport. If you go to football, basketball or another fast-action sport then you will be too ‘in the game’ to give a damn about looking at your phone checking up on the latest stats of the players. But for a more drawn out event such as cricket, long distance running or motor racing then there will be things you can do that can actually add to the experience of the day, when they won’t actually be seeing that much action.

This is not to say there is not a role for using social media with fans coming to a game of football or basketabll. But I would recommend sticking to this mantra…. ‘be useful’! What do I mean by this? I mean that when you are looking at doing something for the fans, put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself ‘Would I find this useful? Does it add to my experience? Would I use it?’ and ask the others you work with or friends who are fans the same thing. If not, then stop!

Take time out and think about what content is right for the fans on your different pages and apps. Are they are going to be either at the game or watching it on TV? Are you adding that much by giving out score and action updates? (If they’re watching it you would presume they already know).

An alternative would be to set up an @XXXXlive account so people who want live updates, when they are out shopping or on holiday, can opt-in by following the account and follow the game. Thats a useful benefit without creating lots of spam.

Likewise, how about offering fans some useful match day info when they are on their way to the game. Give out traffic news from the area, updates on what the car parking situation is like, let fans know if tickets are still on sale, etc.

This is all information which is useful to those coming in and at a time when they are more likely to be on their phones. Answer peoples questions and add to making the day the best possible experience for everyone coming along.

Before they set off for the game, Facebook and YouTube could be used to show the players getting ready for a match and offering behind the scenes clips that add to the pre-match buzz. Inform them of where they can get match updates or which channel the game is being shown on or when highlights will be on. Remember….think about which fans you are targeting with which platform.

There are so many platforms out there now, and not forgetting club websites, that it can be tempting to treat them all the same and farm out links and replicate content. If you can put together a strategy that gives each a purpose and is targeted so you know which audience you are speaking to then you really are being ‘useful’.

Guest Post: Iain Taker is an associate at Kemp Little LLP, specialising in commercial and sports law, and a registered lawyer under the FA Football Agency Regulations.  You can follow him on twitter @iaintaker or on LinkedIn

Is Social Media an opportunity or potential threat?

Messages can now instantaneously be sent across international borders to millions of people at little or no cost.  Although this reality brings with it significant public relations and marketing opportunities, there is also the possibility of serious damage resulting from ill-considered comments.

This article looks at the positives and negatives of using social media (in particular Twitter) from the perspective of a professional sports body and suggests some safeguards that should be implemented to reduce the risks.

Is social media really that important for sports clubs and players?

Social media is already a very large industry – Facebook alone has in excess of 800 million users and over a billion tweets are posted on Twitter every week.  Players and clubs have shown an increasing drive to tweet and be actively involved in social and digital media in order to interact with their fans.  It has now reached a situation where fans expect to be able to interact with players and clubs through social media platforms.

The most popular teams and players on Twitter (as at 17 January 2012):

Top 5 followed Sports Teams

• Real Madrid (@realmadrid) – 3.171m (20,015 tweets);
• FC Barcelona (in English) (@FCBarcelona) – 2.770m (8,155 tweets);
• LA Lakers (@Lakers) – 2.292m (9,360 tweets);
• FC Barcelona (in Spanish) (@FCBarcelona_es) – 1.624m (16,657 tweets); and
• Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) – 1.154m (7,026 tweets)

Top 5 followed Sports Professionals

• Kaka (@Kaka) – 8.040m (2,239 tweets);
• Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) – 6.418m (750 tweets);
• Shaquille O’Neal (@Shaq) – 4.870m (4,130 tweets);
• LeBron James (@KingJames) – 3.268m (2,300 tweets); and
• Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong) – 3.220m (8,237 tweets)

Top 5 followed UK Sports Professionals

• #13 Wayne Rooney (@WayneRooney) – 2.591m (679 tweets);
• #25 Rio Ferdinand (@RioFerdy5) – 1.882 m (8,239 tweets);
• #35 Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) – 1.237m (7,793 tweets);
• #47 Rory Mcllroy (@McllroyRory) – 792k (1,999 tweets); and
• #51 Jenson Button (@JensonButton) – 741k (1,301 tweets).

The importance of interacting with fans through social media should not be underestimated. A player’s or club’s potential reach in terms of the active number of followers they have gives them a particular influence in terms of both framing or adding to the debate of the day and (potential) in terms of revenue generation.  Social media enables players to develop a personal profile that is not only based or dependent upon their on-field performances.

It is my belief that Twitter has so far been under-utilised from a revenue generation perspective, and that in the near future clubs and players will be able to advertise significantly more on their page and through their tweets.  While advertising on platforms such as Twitter can lead to legal issues such as requirements to comply with consumer protection legislation in relation to endorsements of products these can easily be overcome with specialist advice.  The potential power placed into the hands of the clubs and players, through social media platform, can help to create significant additional income streams.  Such opportunities are however not fully understood or appreciated by many and yet specialist sports social media organisations, such as the industry specialists recently employed by Wayne Rooney, are available to assist in this area.   This may result in, the next few years, an extension of the traditional sponsorship model.

Benefits of using Twitter

Twitter was launched in 2006.  One of the great appeals of Twitter for both the sender and the follower is its simplicity; messages are capped at a 140 characters so tweets are short and to the point. Followers find this approach more personable than email and perceive that they are not being overly bombarded by sales materials (even though tweets can contain sales messages or links to marketing materials) or excessive content.

Speed and cost

A significant benefit of Twitter is the ability to be able to speak to millions of fans spread across the world in an instant for free.  While sports teams (and players through personal websites) will have significant mailing lists, the likelihood is that Twitter may offer the opportunity to access a significantly larger and geographically more spread fan base than was previously possible (and possibly attract followers that would not otherwise consider themselves fans).  The tweets themselves can contain a simple link which will take the receiver to a specified site enabling existing marketing promotions/information to be displayed to any and all users who click on the link.

Multi-platform access means that the average Twitter user spends significantly longer on the site than they do reading their email account.  The increasing use of tablet and mobile devices mean that people look at tweets on the way to, during and after work. This ‘hit rate’ is also increased through the use of push notifications which alert the reader when their favourite team or player posts a tweet.

Self-promotion

The player or club can send tweets which contain a link to news concerning themselves which in turn creates greater exposure for their activities and (potentially) their sponsors.  This may, for example, be a link to awards they have been given (e.g. Mark Cavendish on his victory in BBC Sports Personality of the Year) or activities that they are involved within (e.g. Phil Neville’s charity work including Cornerstones in Manchester).  It has increasingly been used to link into business activities that the professional is involved in whether it be a restaurant they own (e.g. Rio Ferdinand and Rosso Restaurant), computer game they are involved with (e.g. Tim Cahill and FIFA 12) or a connection with a sponsor (e.g. Lance Armstrong and Nike).

Social media platforms are the modern equivalent of ‘word of mouth’ advertising but their functionality and reach is such that campaigns can ‘snowball’ quickly.  A good example of this is the American football player Chad Ochocinco who launched a mobile app called Mad Chad solely through advertising and word of mouth on Facebook and Twitter.  This app became one of the five most downloaded apps on Apple iTunes Store on the day it was released.  A similar ‘traditional’ campaign (namely one which would have reached a similar number of potential customers) would have involved significant expense and advertisement.

Public image

In addition to revenue raising aspects, Twitter has also played a significant role in the public perception of players and clubs.  The platform offers fans a way of ‘getting to know’ what the player is really like by being able to seemingly interact with them on a level that previously was impossible for most.  It has also helped players re-establish a positive reputation after negative portrayals such as the American football player Reggie Bush in the US who successful dealt with public criticism over allegations relating to his time at USC.

This type of openness and interaction helps to remove the dis-enfranchisement that many fans feel about today’s sports industry. The possibility to enter into discussions (or competitions set by) with high profile sports stars reduces the ‘disconnect’ and makes them more human.  For many youngsters receiving a retweet (or reply) from their hero is the modern day equivalent of getting their autograph or photo.

Examples of where Social Media has caused issues

Although there is much good about social media, the bad and the downright ugly are often not far behind.  Even though there is the possibility to remove posts and comments, the nature of the internet is such that once something has been posted it is very difficult (if not impossible) to prevent the contents from being accessible in one form or another.  Although in some instances too much information is revealed or unwise comments are made deliberately this can also happen quite innocently and unintentionally.  A few examples of negative consequences of using social media are set out below.

The footballer, Paul Konchesky, was on the wrong end of an unfortunate social media incident that was not of his own making.  During an unsuccessful time at Liverpool FC Konchesky’s mother Carol apparently updated her Facebook status to label the club’s fans in a derogatory fashion (see screen shot below).  Unfortunately, her comments were visible to all Facebook users as her privacy settings were not sufficiently strong enough to limit the comment to her ‘Facebook friends’.  Despite the removal of the post, it spread through local and national press and did little to help her son’s popularity in and around the club.

A second example is the NBA player, Michael Beasley.  In August 2010 Beasley found himself in hot water after posting a photo of his new tattoo on Twitter.  The problem was nothing to do with the tattoo itself rather two plastic bags that purportedly containing marijuana.  The apparent presence of the drugs in the picture was widely reported on local and global sports blogs and resulted in the player entering into a rehabilitation hospital a few days later.

A third example is the football player Ryan Babel. Babel has the dubious honour of being the first Premier League footballer to be charged by the Football Association due to a posting on a social media site.  Following a contentious FA cup match between Manchester United and Liverpool, Babel retweeted (forwarding another person’s tweet) a picture (see below) of the match referee, Howard Webb, which contained the comment “[a]nd they call him one of the best referees? That’s a joke” the picture has been manipulated such that Webb appeared to be wearing a Manchester United shirt.  Babel subsequently apologised for the retweet and was fined £10,000.  In this situation it is important to note that Babel did not create the image itself but merely passed on a link that another user had created.

Measures to restrict potential problems

There are a number of potential measures that can be implemented by professional sports clubs in order to help prevent issues from arising or to protect themselves in the event that a situation arises.

1.       Comprehensive social media policy

Surprisingly, a number of professional sports clubs do not have an estbalished social media policy either included in the playing contract or given to and agreed by the player.  Such a policy should set out clear instructions over what is, and what is not, permitted.  Best practice would be for it to include a quick reference guide for the player and list contacts of the club who are nominated to handle social media queries who can be contacted as and when necessary.  The policy should also set out the internal punishments that may result from an infringement.

2.       Set parameters as to what players are allowed to tweet about

A number of football clubs set strict guidelines over what their players are allowed to comment on.  For example, matters relating to the club (ranging from team selection, thoughts about fellow players or officials to transfer speculation) are usually off limits.  While these guidelines would appear to be no more than common sense it is clear that they are not always followed or effectively enforced, (see for example Joey Barton’s tweets (@Joey7Barton) for a number of examples of disputes with fellow players).

Neil Warnock (former Queens Park Rangers Manager) has gone on record as saying that his squad are allowed to use Twitter only on the proviso that it has nothing to do with the club.  While the photo may actually turn out to be innocent it is the public perception of them that can be very harmful, see for example the criticism given to Steven Ireland’s (Aston Villa football player) as a result of a photo showing him smoking a shisha pipe with an unidentifiable drink in his hand. In addition, players should be warned against putting up pictures that may portray them in a bad light such as images that show them smoking, drinking, late night partying and/or gambling.

3.       Players (and connected persons) should use privacy settings

The use of strict privacy settings should help to prevent situations of unauthorised tweets/comments being made from player accounts.  Any such guidelines or advice should apply equally to persons connected to the player as it is often the case that comments of the player are displayed on their friends’ and family’s pages see the Paul Konchesky case above.  Both Twitter’s and Facebook’s default privacy settings are such that tweets and comments are publicly available.  Clubs should be able to provide the necessary advice as to how to ensure the settings can be adjusted to avoid personal information being unintentionally sharing of personal information.

4.       Blackout periods

Players should not be allowed to use social media for a few hours prior, during and for a few hours after the game.  The NFL enforces a social media blackout for the period commencing 90 minutes prior to the match and ending after the post-game media interviews.  The NBA has enforced a similar rule starting 45 minutes prior to the match until after the post-match obligations.  Chad Ochocinco (Cincinnati Bengals player) was fined $25,000 for posting two messages during a pre-season game in August 2010.

As emotions run high, the danger of reacting to a situation in the immediate aftermath is significant and can have far reaching implications.  As shown by the £10,000 fine given to Ryan Babel (discussed above), the Football Association will punish players for indiscretions.  It is not inconceivable that severe indiscretions will in the future be met with a suspension and little is likely to upset a player’s employer more than having their star player banned for heat of the moment comments.

5.       Pre-approval of content

While this may on the face of it seem an arduous step for players, the reality is that often ‘communications’ through player’s websites/blogs are not actually written by the player themselves.  An increasing number of celebrities (for example the actor Ashton Kutcher) do not post to Twitter directly but rather through an intermediary.  In a world that takes an instant to read but a significant time to forget a post such a pre-caution would be wise.   The consequence of having a dedicated individual at the club who handles social media issues for players is that the club will have a greater awareness over any potential conflict and can implement damage limitations procedures quickly. For example the Manchester United players have access to a member of the club’s staff to clear any tweets which relate to the club.

6.       Educate the players themselves

An important step to minimise issues is to educate the players over the potential pitfalls of inappropriate use of social media.  The potential implications can include a ban from playing, fine from governing body, fine from club, loss of sponsors and loss of fans.  Such an education should include the potential consequences of re-tweeting without fully understanding (or examining) the content of the tweet which may include an unsuitable link.  The advice to the players should be:

• do not share too much;
• know who they are sharing it with;
• double check that they are happy to be associated with everything they are sharing; and
• if in doubt check with a club official.

The education should include details of the legal consequences that may arise from the use of Twitter such as potential claims for defamation or breach of contract (e.g. where a contract has a morality provision and the player is shown drunk/using drugs etc.).  What may seem a harmless comment or bit of fun can soon turn out to be a very damaging and expensive decision.

7.       Have a damage limitation plan

Where a situation comes to light that a tweet which contains unsuitable comments/links or photos has been posted, the player or club should have a clear and detailed damage limitation plan that should be implemented as soon as possible. While the damage may not be fully contained as it is likely to have been captured or retweeted, it is important to minimise the damage/publicity as far as possible. In addition, it may be beneficial to clarify a statement which has been taken out of context.  An apology should also be issued if any offence (or potential offence) has been caused as in the case of Ryan Babel (as shown below). This may help reduce the knock on effects (as often it is how situations are handled that is remembered) and any subsequent punishment handed out.

8.       Seek specialist advice for monetising the potential

Further to having a social media policy in place in order to fully exploit the potential, in particular in relation to revenue making opportunities that social media can offer it is essential to deal with experts within the field.  Such specialists can implement solutions that would ensure potential public relations issues can be avoided such as a player advertising a product that is a direct competitor to a principal sponsor of the club.

Conclusion

Twitter is a platform that offers clubs and professionals significant opportunities to increase awareness, business opportunities and their public perception.  The important part is to recognise (and limit) the potential pitfalls that such an opportunity can present.  Both clubs and players would be well advised to use a specialist to handle this aspect of their marketing.  The financial benefits of social media have yet to be fully developed and exploited, a situation that will undoubtedly change as the trend away from traditional to digital media forms continues.  The implementation (and enforcement) of a clear but complete social media policy is fundamental as clubs will no doubt wish to retain some control over their players’ ability to make public comments. Given the potential benefits and costs associated with social media, it is highly advisable to implement and enforce a very thorough social media policy as well as a comprehensive education programme. In my opinion the potential and opportunities of social media have yet to be fully realised by most and clubs and players who focus upon this area will be well rewarded.

Note – You can check out other articles on Twitter and athletes below:

‘Twitter Ye Not’  – a BBC article

Are the media obsessed with banning players from Twitter?

Football clubs must take responsibility for their players twitter mishaps!

How would I advise sports stars on using Twitter and avoiding the pitfalls

This is a new app that I was made aware of and thought would be good to get your thoughts on too.  It is made by the guys at Slipstream who work with the likes of Volvo Sailing and British Triathlon.

Sportsday.co is an idea to bring tweets into one place where you can watch all the information about your team; follow games, transfer news, team updates, etc in an easy to view and aesthetic manner.  Something not really possible via Twitter lists.

The dashboard means you can follow all teams tweets (from anyone mentioning the official team account) or just the one that you are interested in.  The idea is to make more available through the site as time goes by so that it includes more content.

As Dan Griffey, Director at Slipstream, told me;

“We made it… as a proof of concept and intend to develop the app further to include more sports (and a dashboard to show sports / leagues / clubs) and eventually a mobile app.

We have added some features, including permalinks (http://sportsday.co/#!/mcfc) and stats, and will evolve the stats so that match day trends can really show through. We also plan to hook into Foursquare events for each of the main stadia.”

It sounds exciting and even now it is easy and enjoyable way to follow what is happening in the football world.  Its an idea that could evolve into following individuals within teams and even reporters/PR staff from them too. That would mean you would get all the breaking news from one place.

Unfortunately for me my team, Manchester United, dont have an official Twitter account (aside from the little used PR one).  Thus I have to stick to Twitter and Tweetdeck for my news for now.

Its a great idea and looks to work well.  What do you think of it?  Here are some screenshots of the site…

Thank you to everyone who read and shared the first part of our 2012 series, looking at what the year ahead could offer from those who work in the industry in Spain and the US.

It was really pleasing to see your own comments on what will be big this year and that the article was published on the website ‘Social Media Today’ where it was shared hundreds of times.

This week we’ve brought together some more great social media and sport people, this time from the UK, to share some of their thoughts on what opportunities they expect the next few months to hold.  They come from a variety of people who cover sports as diverse as Cricket, Football, Rowing and Rugby.

I’d like to thank Mark Segal (ITV), Steven Dent (ECB), Tom Hines (RFU), Chris Hughes (Sine Qua Non International) and Mike Dunphy (MD Media Consultancy) for contributing.  They’re a brilliant group of people who we can all learn a few things from.

Tom Hines (@Hiiino) is Digital Editor at the Rugby Football Union, working on digital and content strategy for the RFU’s online communications. Established and developed the RFU’s presence in social media.

“Let’s start with a safe bet, while the planet’s finest are setting records in east London this summer, the social sphere will generate a record amount of noise around a single sporting event. Sports fans will get unprecedented Olympic access from athletes, journalists and volunteers alike (sorry BOA, but you can’t control 70k of them!).  It will be one of those events that throws so much into the social sphere that what works will quickly find its way into other sports.

More broadly, there are a handful of significant trends set to hit in 2012, but the two that will have most visible impact for fans are Social TV and online Stadium-Based Services.

New devices and software will start to put social media at the heart of the home-viewing experience. I think we can expect broadcasters to roll match specific hash tags at the start of all games and events, instantly creating a way for brands to engage with very focussed groups of sports fans for the duration of an event.

As wifi and 3G coverage improves in stadiums, the sharing of live match experiences through social media will become easier and sponsors and organisers will focus more on harnessing these opportunities. The eager ones will troop off to live events with tablets and promo staff to capture data and social sign-ups. The integration of offline content, like programmes, with social media and online commerce should also make a step change.

Finally, a couple of personal thoughts around social and sport for me in 2012: firstly how, as a Governing Body, the RFU can best use social media to increase participation; and secondly what would an organised F1 assault on social media look like? The sport is ripe for it and 2012 may finally be the year they nail it.”

Steven Dent (@Steven_Dent) is the Social Networking Executive for the England & Wales Cricket Board, looking after all the England team sites on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

“2011 saw social media and sport take a massive step forward. More sports stars than ever are jumping on board, realising the power of interacting directly with their fans for the first time in this social media age. I can only see fan engagement growing in significance in 2012. With Facebook’s changes to Pages highlighting more openly the level of engagement or ‘talking about this,’ community managers will start to place more emphasis on increasing their one on one engagement with sports fans. Sport has always had the benefit of passion and emotion to call upon it’s fans, but the next step is listening and responding to those messages to truly be social.

2012 will a be a year where we see increased efforts to transfer engagement from offline to online. The in ground/in stadium audiences, or those following more remotely, will be actively encouraged to involve themselves in online activities in more creative ways using mobile devices and Facebook apps. As a result the amount of touch points fans can have with sports will increase. In turn that will mean an increase in stadium Wifi and interactive locations around sports stadiums to ensure fans get involved. Geo-location and near field communication (NFC) will start to become commonplace for fans as they absorb more of the experiences around sporting events.

With the speed of advances in technology and new social ideas emerging all the time, 2012 is going to be another year where digital media takes a step forward in the prominence of sporting organisations. It’s an exciting year ahead, and I for one can’t wait!”

Mark Segal (@segalmark) is a freelance football journalist writing for a number of national magazines and websites. Formerly football editor of Teletext and ITV Football, he is now production manager  of the ITV website.

“At some point in 2012 you will be able to see live, real-time stats on your television while watching a sporting event. I expect internet-connected TVs to move into the mainstream during the year and a number of companies are already developing products which will immerse a viewer even deeper into the game they are watching. The opportunities are endless with live stats, extra replays and even Twitter streams being available for a user to see while watching the game.

Sports fans will be the big winners in 2012 as clubs look for ever more ingenious ways to reach out to them. Thankfully the days when organisations took to the social media sphere purely to make money are now gone and most realise the medium is a great way of building a more rounded relationship with their supporters. The phrase social media stadium will be heard a lot more as clubs follow the example of the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona in making the voices of their fans heard on matchday.

On a more cautious note I expect more sports stars to get into trouble in 2012 for what they post on Twitter. Social media training should now be essential for those in the public eye, but a more grown-up approach from sporting bodies would also be a welcome development.”

Chris Hughes (@chrishughespr) is the Head of PR and Communications at Sine Qua Non International with extensive experience in the motorsport arena. Chris also works with Olympic gold medallist and triple rowing World Champion Zac Purchase.

“For much of the sporting world, 2012 will be the year when social media becomes a naturally integrated element of a wider communications and marketing platform. Sports teams, athletes and event organisers have spent sufficient time exploring and experimenting with social media to know which platforms work best for them and what approach will engage and grow their respective fan bases. There will always be new tools, new apps and renewed focus on a particular area (it’s widely believed that 2012 will be a breakthrough year for mobile), but social media is no longer the shiny new toy that it has been for the last couple of years.

The impact of social media on global sporting events has been witnessed already, from the 2010 Football World Cup to the Ashes to Formula One; social media is now a fundamental, unavoidable part of fan experience and engagement.

The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will, however, be the first summer Games to take place with such widespread understanding, adoption and, perhaps most importantly, expectation of platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. As a result, London 2012 will be the fastest moving, most openly debated Games in Olympic history, which opens up a raft of opportunities for athletes, as long as the powers-that-be do not interfere.

Willingness to embrace social media during London 2012 is not going to be widespread with confirmation this week that the tens of thousands of Games Maker volunteers will have to conform to stringent social media restrictions. Quite how these restrictions will be monitored across 70,000 volunteers is another matter entirely.

The IOC has at least recognised the importance of social media for athletes with a set of guidelines already established to give athletes an element of “controlled freedom” when it comes to online posts. The stipulation is for first person narrative rather than third person commentary, and there will inevitably be stories of wrist-slapping for contravention of the rules, but it is far better to encourage social use rather than try to impose a blanket ban from the outset.

The influx of Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls to Twitter has already begun and follower numbers are increasing. London 2012 could well give our home heroes the chance to shine online and what an exciting prospect that is. Much like the Games itself, the athletes are looking to establish a legacy for themselves long after the closing ceremony and public engagement through social media will be a key factor in achieving that.”

Mike Dunphy of MD Media (@mdunphy) who works with numerous football clubs and agencies including Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid.  

“The convergence of social, location and mobile will become the opportunity for clubs and associations to engage productively with fans in 2012. Those who still live in the world of “pc websites” will be left further and further behind. Those that are embracing mobile optimised services will now be in a position to have more than enough traffic to commercially exploit in an empathetic manner. However, there are still opportunities for traditional mobile plays in the developing world.

 The most interesting things I am looking at are around taking mobile and social network followers to the next level. Of course there are opportunities to do more with Facebook in the “pc website” world, such as having Facebook stores, but we must not forget the Facebook traffic that is not on the fixed web, maybe over 50% for some brands.”

Some great insights I’m sure you’ll agree.  If you’d like to add your own then please do so in the comments below.

I hope everyone has had a great Christmas and enjoying the holiday period.  As I was having a look at the latest news and innovations in social media and sport I came across this from Intel.

Initially it has been launched on Android (interesting that chose this first with iPhone to come later – usually its the other way round) and it comes with many features that stato football fans from around Europe will be interested in.

The app offers to provide 2nd screen insights I imagine aimed more at the TV viewer than those at the game.  You can follow your particular team, get live match info on all key events (corners, goals, offsides, fouls, shots, yellow cards, etc), player stats which are updated throughout the game and fan chats.

This last element is interesting as it offers something more interactive.  It allows you to see up-to-the-minute comments, etc from forums, Facebook, Twitter and fan sites as the game is progressing.

This is available for teams in the top leagues of Germany, England, Spain, France, Italy, Holland, Poland, Russia, Turkey and Sweden. This covers most of the top supported nations in Europe including some we would not usually expect.

Is this going to appeal to most mainstream fans?  possibly not but it depends on how easy to use, interesting and interactive it really proves to be.  Intel is a tech company and the main aim will be to show off the tech side rather than making it a great user experience.

You can download the beta Android version now here

For more info they have provided a YouTube video to explain it some more….

This is the last mash up summing the week in social media and sport before the Christmas celebrations really start!  It has been a fantastic year, a sentiment I hope you share too.

2012 is going to be another year of massive change in the world of social media as we see adoption rates accelerate and new technologies spring up.  With so many massive sports events to look forward to, including the first ‘social’ Olympic Games here in London.

Anyway, back to the week that was.  Here is your weekly round up…

David Villa on YouTube straight after surgery

Barcelona and Spain striker David Villa fractured his leg playing in the World Club Championships in Tokyo, meaning he will miss at least the next 4 months which may even extend to the Euro 2012 Championships.  To show his fans how we was getting on, his team posted a video of him coming out of surgery and then him giving a message to his fans.  This was posted on his own YouTube channel.  Who needs journalists to break news when the players can do it themselves?!

Super Bowl to be streamed online in 2012

Big news for all fans of the Super Bowl.  It was announced that next years big game will be streamed online by NBC Universal on their website and via Verizons NFL mobile app.  With the tight broadcasting rights around many sports this is going to be an interesting one to see what the uptake is like.  With the BBC planning to show all the Olympic sports via red button and their website next year too, could we see the rise of the internet enabled TV?

Canadian players develop own social media policy

The coach os a world junior ice hockey team is not on Twitter, and does really too much for it. But his players do enjoy it. So when it comes to making a policy for their conduct on it why not let those who know it best decide how they should use it?  It sounds like a great plan and appears to be working well.  Could this be the way forward for social media policy making?

Arsenal Facebook – Emirates 360 Panorama

As part of the clubs 125th anniversary celebrations, they have developed a Facebook app to enable fans to take themselves and friends who went to the Arsenal v Everton game on the 10th December.  Not a new idea but one that adds something new to their page and fans always like seeing themselves in the crowd to show friends.

Michael Owen fires back on Twitter to fan banter

One of the drawbacks for any ‘name’ on Twitter is that they are open to people throwing abuse at them or trying to wind them up enough to get a response.  This time it was Michael Owen’s time to lose his cool at one fan in particular.  It did seem to catch him at a sensitive time as he was tweeting about how he was upset by the amount and type of abuse levelled at Blackburn manager Steve Keen during the game against Bolton on Tuesday night.  Sometimes a simple ‘block’ or ‘block and report spam’ is the best answer though when emotions are running high it is easily done.

Pro team to sport Twitter handles instead of names on jerseys

Another trip over the pond to see what our friends in the US are up to.  This time it is one of the National Lacrosse League teams who have made some headlines.  They have announced that for their Feb 12th game each player will have their Twitter handle in place of their name on the back of their shirt.  In the meantime this requires each player to have a Twitter account and the club will be running Twitter training sessions in the lead-up to the game.  A bit of a PR gimmick but with the traning they are heading in the right direction at least.

Social Media and Football: a Match Made in Heaven

An article from The Wall Blog telling us something that most of us know, that football and social media are a perfect match with so much potential.  It takes a brief look at footballers and social, clubs and what they are doing plus a roundup of what the future holds.  It is a subject that could go on for much longer than a couple of hundred words as it does here but still quite a nice little summary.

You can tell when Christmas is approaching when you write a blog.  The updates slow down as the pre-holiday rush to get work completed kicks in, as well as the christmas parties/drinks most evenings of the week.

Thus this week has been one where it has been head down and concentrate on the day job.  A quick thank you as well to everyone who came along to the drinks in London on Monday.  It wasn’t the best weather to be out and about but it was great to catch up with everyone.  Thanks as well to We Are Social for sponsoring the night.

This week in the world of social media and sport it also seems to have slowed down a little.  Less new campaigns and initiatives are being launched as people prepare for a week or two (or three!) off.  Here is a wrap up of those items that have caught the eye in the last few days.  As always just click on the title to link through to the full article…

Facebook Time goes live for everyone

Originally it was just New Zealand (any idea why just NZ?) that could get the new timeline set up for their Facebook profile, and the geeks amongst us who put the code in to get it early.  Now it is available to everyone to opt into having.  The testing phase where it is optional, giving everyone a short time to get used to the change before the old profile is dumped forever.  Here USA Today look at 9 things you need to know about the new Timeline.

Man City to extend Augmented Reality to include swappable content

The current Premier League leaders are again pushing the boundaries in the digital space.  I feel I could write something every week about something new they have launched or tested, they are going full tilt with plans and are not scared to fail along the way.  This week they have extended the AR capabilities of the membership cards to allow them to swap content using the built in RFID technology.

Premier League Social Media stats for December

Digital agency Freestyle Interactive, whom our very own Sean Walsh works for, have released an interesting infographic that summarises the social media stats of premier league football for the month. It looks mainly at the size of the Twitter and Facebook following and the rate of growth they are seeing.

Heres what People Look at on Facebook Brand Pages

This doesn’t have anything sports specific in it but for any club, NGB or brand with a brand page on Facebook it is interesting stuff.  It looks at where it is on the screen that people look when on a page which should help anyone running a page to make best use of the spaces most looked at and move away from those that dont.  I think its safe to summarise that people look at the picture gallery at the top and the top post the most.  Interestingly the tab links on the left are looked at only a few times.

OneUp turns live football (US) into a game of play-making bingo

Another Mashable article (shocking I know) and its from our friends in the US.  It is interesting as it another attempt to help gamify the sports viewing experience.  Many companies have taken variations of this and tried to help people do more whilst watching from the comfort of their own sofa.  There is a fine balance between adding a valuable extra experience and becoming too much of a distraction that it takes people away from the game itself.  Ahead of Euro 2012 and London 2012 there are going to be more of these types of 2nd screen experiences being developed for the sports fan.

5 social media tactics every football club ‘must have’

An interesting summary from Sean as he looks at what he has learned from looking at football clubs in the social media space over the last year or so.  Here he puts together those thoughts and picks out 5 of the most important areas a club must have to be successful.  Are these the key 5 in your opinion and are there others?

Lots of love for broken leg victim David Villa from fans and players on twitter

To finish on a positive note and show how Twitter can be a platform of support as well as aimless gossip and talk about food.  After the unlucky David Villa of Barcelona fractured his shin bone playing in the FIFA World Club Championships this week, fans and players alike took to Twitter to show their support for him at what would be a really difficult time for any player.  He faces 4 or 5 months out of the game and lot of work to get back to where he was before.  All the best from the UK David.

This weeks #DigiSport mash-up has brought together a whole host of great stories from the last few days.  With the seasons first El Classico coming up this weekend and Shaq O’Neill giving an insight into his social media plans its been all go.

To go to the actual articles and find out more on the story, click on the title of the article and it will take you straight there.  If you hear of any interesting #DigiSport stories during the week then tweet them to me at @danielmclaren or @uksportsnetwork and we’ll add them in next week.

For anyone still interested, the drinks on Monday in London has a couple of places (is just about full) so DM or email me for more details.  The great news is that We Are Social (my place of work) will be sponsoring the evening which is fantastic news!  Thanks guys

Have a great weekend all and enjoy the articles below…

Twitter launches brand pages – interesting for sports teams!

Tonight, Twitter has come out and made a major announcement in regards to a redesign of its platform and more interestingly what it is doing for brands.  The article concentrates on what is in it for brand marketeers but this is also interesting for sports teams and leagues.  Be interesting to see what more comes out in the coming days from all parties.

The Match Day Experience: a Social Media trial goes live

After last weeks post about Man City’s social media experiment they have again come out and explained more about whaty has been happening.  It is great to read about what they are doing, why they are doing and sharing their successes and failures.  I cant think of many other companies who would do the same. Well work keeping an eye on their MCFCgeeks website and twitter

Big Shaq talks up Social Media plans

The Big Aristotle announced via Twitter in June that he was done with basketball. But since then, he has busied himself by promoting his book, “Shaq Uncut,” and by preparing to team up with Charles Barkley as a TNT basketball analyst this year.  O’Neal has also been working on his website, Shaq.com, which is what he wanted to talk about during a phone interview last week. During a call that included his brand manager, Mary Gleason, he also discussed his business plans, dispensed social-media advice and talked a little Barkley and basketball.

Barcelona’s new website gives links to players social media profiles

Barca’s newly designed website has come with some really cool new features.  The one I was drawn to, unsurprisingly, was the players info area where not only can you find out about the usual player biog stuff but also see embedded news streams from either Twitter or Facebook pages.  Awesome integration!

Fastest growing Facebook pages in sport this year dominated by Messi and Barca

This interesting snippet of information as we near years end has come from Facebook and their ‘Memology 2011′ tab.  Here you can see the fastest growing sports (as well as music, news and entertainment) pages in terms of growth of fans.  Messi’s FB page launch this year means he went from 0 to 27m pretty quickly.  6 footballers are in the top 10 and Barca, Real and Man Utd make up top 3 in teams (shock).  Some interesting info none the less.

Real Madrid v Barcelona – social media battle

You may need Google Translate for this one but this Spanish article ahead of the first El Classico of the league season this coming weekend.  It compares the giants of both the football and social media world with some interesting stats and take on what they are doing well.  A good read from Sportwist.

Social Saviness – NBAers, NCAAers and Media members talk social media

An interesting look by Jeremy Bauman and Peter Robert Casey on Slam Online at the impact social media has had for fans, players and media alike in how they consume and follow the game.  They’ve snippets from players on their experiences and media alike.  A good read if a fan of basketball and social media in the US.