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.  Following on the from the success of his last article here on UKSN, here is the first of two part look at sports bodies and clubs interaction with the public through digital media.

A digital media strategy is increasingly not only an accepted part of sports governing bodies, clubs and players (“parties”) interaction with the public but a necessary part.  This article will look at the importance of interaction with, opposed to merely talking at, the public.  A number of parties appear to have failed to harness the potential digital media offers but those who have understood its capabilities are reaping the benefits in both monetary and non-monetary terms.

This article will examine aspects of a digital media strategy that should be foremost in the mind when planning and reviewing such a strategy and extracting the maximum benefit from its use.  It is clear that there is no one size fits all strategy and that parties need to determine their individual requirements, budgetary constraints and the skills available to them before creating, implement and maintaining a suitable strategy.  A common complaint from fans of the parties is that there is often a lack of understanding in relation to the difference between having a digital media presence and using that presence to engage the fans.

Engaged or merely courting?

A vast number of parties now have a presence through digital media platforms and in particular an increasing presence on social media channels. However there is a significant difference between presence and successful engagement. Too few parties have been successful in achieving a sustained level of engagement. Often this is a result of not prioritising digital media efforts, lacking the sufficient expertise or having an ineffective policy.

Many may wrongly believe that a successful strategy is simply a case of being able to make the necessary resources available, but this is not the reality.  A recent survey by Newcastle United Supporters Trust found that only 3% of fans believed the club listened to them. Such a figure is not uncommon even amongst the higher profile teams and it is symptomatic of the argument that the sports industry (as a whole) takes fan loyalty for granted rather than seeking to build a business to customer relationship more akin to alternative ‘business led’ industries.

It is widely believed that the NBA in the United States has been the most successful sport in engaging with their public, as digital media opportunities have been pursued from the governing body, the teams and individual players. The NBA has developed its digital media strategy by embracing opportunities and learning what works and what has been less successful.  In the United Kingdom the slickest operation is undoubtedly Manchester City as exemplified through initiatives such as use of FanCam and streaming post-match interviews via their social media channels. One reason for their success is that their digital media strategy works in harmony with their long term overarching intention of creating a global brand.  It is by understanding the fan, their wants and likes that will enable a party are able to fully engage the public.

There are a number of factors behind many parties’ failure to actively engage the public such as an over focus upon increasing revenue from the outset and inadequate available skills within the employees which results in a failure for the parties ability to get to grip with the impact that digital media can have.  Richard Ayers, Digital Playmaker at Manchester City believes that the biggest hindrance faced by many is a lack of internal communication and co-ordinated planning.  Without understand what the aim of the communication is it is virtually impossible to create a consistent and effective on-going engagement with the public.

Considerations for parties

Strategy

In order to have a successful engagement with the public there needs to be considerable planning and consideration as to what the party is actually seeking to achieve and what would need to occur for the strategy to be deemed a ‘success’. As part of this the party should undertake a process to establish what an acceptable return on its investment would be (this may be commercial returns or cultural returns).  In order for the strategy to have a chance of being a success the aims must be line with an honest review of the budget, the time that key personnel are able/prepared to commit and the available skill set of the employees.

Without the commitment of the key people within the party any planned strategy is likely to be unsuccessful. In order to achieve this ‘success’ it is necessary to highlight shortcomings, and quite possibly advisable in the case of skill sets, to bring in a consultant to work alongside the existing employees of the party to create, implement and maintain a viable digital media strategy.  Digital media is a specialist area and the specialist skills required to fully utilise its capabilities should not be underestimated.  Successful digital and social media offerings are increasingly the result of utilising third parties experience. Manchester City for example decided that in order to become a market leader they need skills which were not available internally and brought in an external team.  Individual players are also increasingly using the expertise of consultants who take the player’s wish to engage with fans and turn it into a professional offering as shown by Wayne Rooney’s recent hiring of Jae Chalfin from Sports New Media.

Target

One key aspect to fully engaging fans is ensuring that the social media strategy is fully targeted. The Party should determine to whom the content is designed for. Some content will be suitable for the public as a whole such as Manchester City for example use the twitter hashtag #blueview on match days a simple idea to initiate but highly effective and has been equally well received by those attending the game and their international fans.

Where however this is not the case attention should be paid as how best to engage the relevant part of the public.  For example on a match day there are two separate groups that the digital content make seek to engage e.g. those attending the game and those who are not at the game.  Therefore it may be a possibility that those at the ground can be offered more targeted content e.g. traffic news, latest offers in the club shop etc. while those unable to attend may get different content e.g. latest offers in the online store. Where a party is seeking to maximise its engagement with international fans there are significant benefits to providing content in a range of languages along with region specific content e.g. heavier focus on players from that region etc.

Analyse and improve via feedback

To improve the level to which fans feel engaged it is important to ensure that the digital media analytics are effectively monitored as this will provide evidence see how the successful the engagement is.  For example by analysing social media data such as the number or comments on Facebook, replies or retweets on Twitter for example it will enable a greater understand of who the audience actually is.  In addition it will provide valuable information that will help to target content and improve the value of digital media offerings to the party.

While the digital media strategy must have a long term goal it is necessary to have built in flexibility in order to adapt to trend changes for example.  It is therefore vital to encourage the users to have their say on both the content and how it is being provided, e.g. weekly suggestion competitions with the winners getting a shirt/voucher/ticket etc. and importantly incorporating the suggestions. The provided content should be simple to use, interesting and fun for the public. By thinking from the mind-set of the target public (easily done through using their feedback) it is possible to understand what will be most appealing e.g. behind the scenes access or interactive content.

Make content engaging and authentic

Jae Chalfin believes a key aspect of having a successful approach is to embrace the ethos or personality in the offerings as fans will know, and been turned off, when there is a lack of authenticity.  Parties must understand that there is a significant benefit to focussing on producing engaging content for fewer platforms than a lesser presence on many. Dan McLaren, from here at UKSN, says that “a number of pitfalls are the result of parties doing something for the sake of it and not really understand why they are providing content.”  The content must engage the public and not be solely about the commercialisation of a party, by providing content that is authentic and interesting the party will see a greater uptake of their message.

As mentioned above parties should place themselves in the shoes of the public what content they would like to see? For individuals and clubs it is very much about contact, the behind the scenes access is constantly top of fans favourite features on social media surveys.  For governing bodies its again about removing the feeling of us and them and enabling the public to understand how the body functions. Governing bodies should seek to be informative and give the public an insight into the latest going-ons within the sport and utilise former professionals to give context around events.  For example the Rugby Football Union can use former players to discuss the upcoming Six Nations games as well as news about team line up, fixtures etc.

Traditional media v Digital media

There is a careful balance to be taken between an over reliance on either traditional forms of media or digital media as they each offer advantages and drawbacks such as the cost, speed, target markets that they will reach.  There is a need and benefit for undertaking a co-ordinated marketing and communications plan that embraces both types of media.  There has been a hesitancy by many parties in embracing digital media to a greater extent. This does not come as a surprise to many as the vast majority of decision makers have often built their careers during an age of traditional PR/marketing opposed to the relatively new phenomenon (particularly in relation to social media) that is digital media. This situation is slowly changing and with the addition of decision makers who have digital experience, or directors who are open minded enough to hire someone with such experience and give them sufficient authority, increasing synergies between the two forms of media are occurring.  Richard Ayers believes that it is this lack of digital experience coupled with the authority to act that is resulting in missed opportunities for many parties who often continue to struggle to make digital media part of their standard operating procedure.

It is vital that a party, who wants to maximise their opportunities and engagement, uses specialists within each area but also that these specialists work in conjunction rather than competition with each other.  Traditional media still has a very significant role to play and the different types of media can benefit from each other as many social media marketing campaigns cannot work without the awareness that TV, print, etc can bring and in turn digital media can reach a wider and different audience than traditional media.  When choosing the correct media to use it is still important to remember who is the target market is as some age categories and countries are more effectively reached through traditional media than digital media. This is shown by a quote given by an ICC spokesman when discussing the difficult balance they have between using traditional and digital media “particularly given that we are an international organisation trying to reach out to countries where consumers behave very differently when it comes to what kind of media they engage in.”

So what expansion ideas should be looked at?

The social media focus of most digital media strategies has been on Facebook and Twitter, which is not surprising due to the popularity and possibilities available on these platforms.  However, these platforms should not be relied upon to the exclusion of others for example Manchester City currently has nine separate components of social media available to their fans.  However it is prudent to build a presence on one or two platforms and build up rather than spreading the content too thin across multiple platforms. Prior to releasing content onto any digital platform the plan must be well-thought through and tested.

The ICC is very sensible looking at utilising the experience held by their broadcast and sponsors to find new and creative ways to engage fans at their marque events such as the ICC World Twenty20 later this year in Sri Lanka.  It is important to undertake market research as to what the targeted audience is looking for.  A governing body should seek to offer a different service to that of a sports club or player who will seek to engage their fans on a daily basis. The governing body should look to work with their members and collectively share their experiences as different members will have alternative strategies.

A few thoughts that the parties should consider are:

Be fan driven

It is the fan who generates a significant amount of revenue for the club and holds a passion for the team. It is important to always think of what content they would like to receive rather than just what you wish to provide.  Regularly interacting with fans is crucial ideas such as competitions, exclusive access, uploading fans photos and Q&A sessions may make them feel part of the team and in turn encourage others to join.  Taking the time out to reward particularly loyal fans shows that you are interested in their support. The cost to do this may be negligible but the value could be significant. You should encourage your fans to suggest ideas and encourage them to interact with each other e.g. offer a hashtag where fans can share their thoughts.

Remain focused and up to date

It is not necessary to try and put content out on every available platform and it is advisable to focus upon a few outlets (the most common being the body or club website, Facebook and Twitter).  Three considerations should always be borne in mind, content must be correct; content must be current and content must be of interest. Utilise the strengths of the platforms you are using to their maximum, the club webpage can provide significantly more details/stories etc, Twitter should be used for very quick updates the fan should hear the latest news from the party themselves not a third party.  Facebook offers an easy platform to upload interactive content and fan pictures etc.  

Where parties wish to utilise digital and particularly social media to drive revenues it is often a collaboration of non-revenue content that will enable this.  For example when a party is launching a new kit or event the videos of such a launch or announcement can be accompanied by a link to be the first to buy the kit or tickets. Fans will not be upset by having commercial driven content alongside relevant content, they will however be turned off it the content is primarily focused on increasing revenue streams.

Constantly benchmark against other sports team/bodies or players

Once a party has set up their digital media offerings they should always be looking at how to deliver an improved service.  A simple way of doing this is looking at what offerings other parties and brands are using.  Not everything that is successful elsewhere will work for every party but there are often elements that will help to ensure that your content is engaging.  If you think of an idea it is worth trialling it and making a point about its trial in order to: a) create hype around it; b) receive feedback; and c) enables it easily to be taken down if it is not successful. It is by trying new and innovative ideas that you will establish what works for you and your fans.  New ideas do not have to cost a lot of money but can really set you apart from the competition e.g. Manchester City and Vincent Kompany who held the Premier League’s first post-match interview on Facebook and Twitter. Another simple but clever initiative is being used by Sheffield Wednesday FC who allow supporters to use Facebook to find where their friends are sitting when buying a ticket.

Size of digital media market domestically and internationally

One of the most prominent advantages of digital media is that the vast number of people (both current fans and potential fans) that it enables a party to reach across international boundaries.  It is this fact only that should mean that the digital media strategy should be an integral part of any party’s business strategy.  The market enables quick and easy access to a greater number of fans than traditional media is able to.

Due to the international support that parties now have and the possibilities available through digital media platforms the content should be provided in a language other than just English, such as Manchester City providing their content in Arabic. The party should seek to utilise the international aspects of digital media in line with its core business plan, this has been shown by Manchester United’s development of mobile video highlights of its games across Asia and Europe.

Conclusion

Digital media is too often an area that many parties undervalue and its full potential is yet to be embraced by many.  The increasing popularity and acceptance of smartphones means that digital offerings can be viewed more often than ever. A successful strategy must be well planned and implemented but should not be in place of existing traditional media offerings utilised with such offerings. Digital media is not a fad and is a specialist industry in itself and often the cost of hiring an consultant to guide a party through the available opportunities will be money reaped back many times over.

A fan-centric approach should be adopted by parties as the culture of digital media, and in particular social media, is very different to traditional media.  Fans expect content to be tailored to be of maximum interest to them and when this is achieved will revenue generate activities be established. Facebook itself showed that by having patience in getting the offering correct prior to commercialising the platform can be very lucrative in the long run.  It is likely that an increasing number of parties will embrace the opportunities available through digital media in the coming years.  While there are some potential pitfalls where handled properly it can be an incredibly effective tool.

I would particularly like to thank the ICC, Richard Ayers (Manchester City), Jae Chalfin (Sports New Media) and Dan McLaren (We Are Social/UKSN) for their help in writing this article.

Yes, I know Facebook has been around for ages and it is no shock that sports stars are on the platform.  What has been noticeable though is that although many have taken to Twitter over the past couple of years (there are too many to mention now) there have been fewer who have gone onto the bigger platform.

This last few months has seen a shift with Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney, Tom Daley and Kevin Pietersen (as of last week) launch their own Facebook pages, or in KP’s case account.  All them are still on Twitter and have been some of the biggest advocates of the 140 character way of communicating with fans and friends.

So is this a move by them to extend their reach and build up their ‘brands’?

It would certainly seem so.  Facebook does offer certain functions that Twitter cannot.  For example tweets have a shorter lifespan and thus needs to be updated on a more regular basis.  You can add in events, tabs for extra content or competitions, etc.

But rather than look at whether it should be one or the other, why not have both?  This is a good move for all of those athletes named.  They are already well known and now have another platform where a more controlled, visual message can be put across and will help in raising awareness but also create new revue streams both now and in the future.

It will be interesting to see who is next and how many, especially footballers and Olympians, make the same move.

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’.

The first Mashup of 2012 (last one here) and this start to January has been a very eventful one for social media and sport in the news.  Some of it has been positive as social becomes more intertwined in major sports event and this week sees the start of the Australian Open tennis down in sunny Melbourne.

It has also been a time for apologies and fines in equal measures as sports stars take to Twitter to let their views been known.  Some has been a case of some careless banter and have received no more than a ticking off, while for others it has been much more costly.

If you haven’t caught our look into the future of social and sport we ran recently, you can via the links here for the USA/Spain Social Media 2012 predictions and for 2012 Predictions in the UK.

Anyway, there is much to get through so here we go (click on titles for full articles)….

Mark Williams set for disciplinary over twitter comments

Snooker star Mark Williams is set for disciplinary with the governing body over the use of offensive language on Twitter.  The players were warned about the use of social media platforms during the summer by letter from the board.

Snooker Star Ronnie O’Sullivan faces fine for Twitter comments

Carrying on the snooker theme, the star who always seems to get on the wrong side of the snooker laws has been threatened with a fine.  This time it was not for anything said about snooker but the 36-year-old, and three-times World Champion, criticised the Welsh glamour girl for going to the High Court to clear her name over claims she had tried to blackmail the Manchester United star over their six-month fling.

FA Cup game highlights available in iTunes

The FA has taken to step of making the FA Cup highlights, something that has always been reserved for TV and the broadcaster websites, onto iTunes.  You can now buy a ‘season pass’ to watch highlights from every round and from last season final.  If your a fan of cup football then this looks like a great purchase.

How the Australian Open is acing digital

The 2012 Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament may just be the most digitally connected major sporting event of all time.  This Mashable article looks at how the fist major tennis event of the year is showing the way for the rest of sport in 2012.  A Slamtracker already provides real-time updates of qualifying play that began on Wednesday, and fans can relive and share their favorite moments via Facebook and Twitter through a database of classic matches.

Wales captain Aaron Ramsey takes to Twitter to clarify comments

The Arsenal midfielder took criticism for saying he was disappointed at players not being consulted over Gary Speed’s replacement. But in a series of tweets, Ramsey clarified his comments to defend what he had initially said.  It should how Twitter can be used to defend players reputations and come at at the press for what they see as quotes being taken out of context.

Oxford City sack Lee Steele for homophobic tweet

A footballer who posted a homophobic remark on a social media website has been sacked by his club.  Oxford City striker Lee Steele made a comment on Twitter about the gay former Wales rugby player Gareth Thomas.

Tweeting about Thomas’s appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, Steele, 38, wrote a “strongly-worded” message about being in a bed near the contestant.  Oxford City manager Mike Ford said: “On this occasion Lee’s had to pay for his error of judgement.

Leo Messi shares Ballon D’Or win on Facebook with most shared post ever?

The Argentinian genius strolled to his third World Football of the Year award in a row last Monday and to celebrate this achievement his sponsors adidas put together a video with the man himself.  The video was released solely on Facebook and YouTube with no other promotion around it.  Since its release on Monday night it has racked up 1.9m views on YouTube together with 372k likes, 45k shares and 41k comments!  Is this the most ever in the sports world?

Rory Lamont apologises after Twitter blast at Barack Obama

Scotland and Glasgow Warriors winger Rory Lamont has apologised after describing Barack Obama as a “whore” on a social networking site.  The rugby international has used his Twitter account to make disparaging remarks about a number of politicians.

These have included the United States president, Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.  The Scottish Rugby Union has described the language as “inappropriate” and the 29-year-old has apologised via Twitter.

Premier League Social Media stats – January 2012

Finally, here is the last infographic by Freestyle Interactive to enjoy showing the lastest social media stats from the Premier League….

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.

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.

I know this is slightly off from the usual posts on here but it is great news for the group and for those coming along to the Christmas drinks talking place in London tomorrow night.  I’m delighted to say that the conversation agency We Are Social, the great company I happen to work for, is going to be sponsoring the fun get together.

The event is now fully booked and I really cant wait to chat and get to know all those who will be coming along.   Hopefully it will kick what for most of us will be the start of a week of Christmas events in style.

In other news, we are looking to host an event as part of Social Media Week London (13-17 Feb).  What the topic will be and the venue for it are yet to be decided but that will announced shortly into the start of the new year.

If you would like to speak at the event or like to help out then do send me an email or DM, be great to hear from you.

This evening saw the first launch of the new adidas [client] Messi signature range for kids on Facebook.

A tease post went up on his site yesterday to let people know that something was coming and today saw an e-commerce tab launched on his page to his fans.

Although this isn’t available in every country yet via the e-commerce tab just yet, many can get hold of the range via retail outlets and see useful info on the tab (the shop doesn’t show to them, they see the last image listed below).

Now that both Messi and Ronaldo have their own ranges available on their Facebook pages through their sponsors, is this going to be a lucrative new initiative more players (and athletes) will look to do as they become bigger brands online?