Posted July 18th, 2008 by Mike Rynchek
Mike Rynchek
Spyder Trap Online Marketing
Sports teams are always looking for ways to bring the team closer to its fan base in new and exciting ways. Traditionally fans can learn and interact with their favorite players and teams through appearances, team websites, or ESPN. With the surge of social media outlets, companies and now sports teams are learning how to take advantage of social media sites such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and now Twitter. Working in conjunction with Spyder Trap Online Marketing, the Minnesota Thunder (Minnesota’s professional soccer team) launched their Twitter page on July 16th, symbolizing a new and exciting way to engage and interact with soccer fans. The Minnesota Thunder currently utilizes Facebook, MySpace and YouTube as a means to engage with fans, so Twitter is a logical next step. Twitter opens up an entirely new opportunity to strengthen existing and prospective Thunder fans.
Lindsey Amundson, Corporate Services Coordinator for the Minnesota Thunder, summarized the Thunder’s need to find new and creative ways to interact with fans by stating, “The Minnesota Thunder is always looking to broaden our horizons with fans both within the metro area and beyond, searching for ways to connect and communicate with them. Social media has allowed us to directly link with fans to spread the word about games, appearances, and special events. The outcome has been really great so far!”
The Minnesota Thunder plans to utilize Twitter in several ways, including informing fans of upcoming games, player appearances, posting statistics and much more. We are currently working within the front office and with Spyder Trap to brainstorm new and exciting ways to interact with soccer fans. Social media has so much potential for us, and we’re really excited about what the future holds as we move forward,” stated Amundson.
Connect with the Minnesota Thunder by following them on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/MNThunder. You can also learn more about the team by visiting www.MNThunder.com, their Facebook page, or their Myspace page at www.myspace.com/minnesotathunder.
Technorati Tags: Facebook, Minnesota Thunder, MySpace, Online Marketing, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube
Posted July 13th, 2008 by Brad Wellman
Brad Wellman
Spyder Trap Online Marketing
The web has been buzzing as of late over the possible Twitter-killer called Plurk. Some people see Plurk as having the ability to pack the knock-out punch to Twitter, because it offers the ability to send short status updates to your friends, like Twitter, but without the bandwidth issues Twitter has been facing. However, there are people that don’t see Plurk as a Twitter-killer, or “the next Twitter,” because the two are ideal for different goals, and thus incomparable.
While both sites share the 140-character limit for micro-blogging, with Twitter, many users feel it has become more ideal as a broadcast tool; for sharing ideas and information in more of a general, open forum. This is largely because of Twitter’s inability to effectively thread replies, which makes it nearly impossible to follow a specific conversation. Plurk, it has been argued however, is more interactive, like a topic-divided chat room, and as such is better for following conversations because the interface threads replies to a topic. To many, Plurk seems a lot less formal and as such is more conducive for nonsense rambling, while their Twitter streams are better suited for sharing ideas and information on more of a professional level.
The bottom line is that although Plurk and Twitter are in essence micro-blogging sites, and at the most basic level they are comparable with offering short status updates, they are far from being one-in-the-same. I do not anticipate people choosing between Twitter and Plurk they way people choose between Mac and PC, where it’s either one-or-the-other. What it comes down to is the different interfaces that make them unique to one another, thus giving each one different personal and business applications.
Which one is best for you? In my opinion
using both is better than
choosing one.
Technorati Tags: Plurk, Social Media, Twitter
Tags: Plurk, Social Media, Twitter
Posted July 7th, 2008 by Brad Wellman
Brad Wellman
Spyder Trap Online Marketing
In this blog post, I want to address how the boundaries of Facebook, MySpace, and other forms of social media and networking sites are becoming more permeable to one another.
With the changing social media landscape, lines tend to become blurred. Such is the case with the social media giants Facebook and MySpace. Although competitors in their own right, there are ways in which users of Facebook link to MySpace, MySpace to Facebook, and both to other platforms of social media.
There are applications on Facebook that enable users to share their MySpace profiles with Facebook users, and vice versa. Similarly, there are applications on Facebook and MySpace that connect with a user’s Twitter profile updates and Plurk updates. There is also an application on Facebook which link information from a user’s LinkedIn profile.
Unlike people defining themselves as a “PC” or a “Mac” user, as “Facebookers” or “MySpacers,” people are now using the various forms of social media simultaneously. The various social media platforms interact, and in some ways, feed off of each other. In effect, the networks are networking.
It will really be interesting to see what the future holds for the social media industry if the major forms of social networking continue to be intertwined more and more seamlessly.
Technorati Tags: Facebook, MySpace, Plurk, LinkedIn, Social Media, Twitter
Tags: Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Plurk, Twitter
