Seven sports teams using social media in seven innovative ways

When you think of sports fans, passion is one of the first things that comes to mind.

When you think of active social media participants, passion comes to mind just as quickly.

This is both a blessing and a curse for sports teams.

When things are going well for a sports team, social media channels provide them with a ‘virtual roar’ that can be heard all over the world.

But, the ‘virtual boo’ can be just as loud.

How do these teams channel this passion?

New Trend? 'Reverse' Media Content Partnerships on Facebook

I hate classifying something as a 'trend' without any data to back it up, but anecdotal evidence (and common sense) suggests 'reverse' media partnerships are on the rise.

And, it's about bloody time!

Hold on a second, what is a Reverse Media Partnership?

Well, historically, brands have created content and then partnered up with media outlets to get eyeballs on their content.

But, as brands have evolved to become legitimate media players, they too can provide an 'audience' to traditional content creators.

Tick tock! 10 'real-time' photo search engines

Thanks to services like Twitter and Instagram, and the global 'smartphone saturation' phenomenon, live reporting from big events has never been easier.

No longer do we have to rely on professionals delivering content and images from these events, we have our extended social networks doing this for us.

And, because so many of these updates get fired into the 'public' timeline, virtually any update from anywhere can be found and shared in a matter of seconds.

But, with all of this content creation happening, who is making sense of it, giving it some order and structure?

You, of course.

10 Mandatory Ingredients of Online Video Content (Part One)

This definition of 'great online video content' has to be one of the most subjective definitions in existence.

How many times have you heard someone say: "We've produced some great video content for our client." 

And then you watch it and shake your head (until it nearly falls off).

Is this 'great video content' claim simply based on personal preference and / or original client buy-in?

Probably (sadly).

Who ultimately decides?

The public, of course, but how can you predict performance before hitting publish?

Report: Soccer Rules Australian Football Leagues On Facebook*

Sport is a huge part of Australian culture.

I was privileged enough to experience this as a marketer of Australia's favourite sport, Cricket, for a number of years (at Cricket Australia).

It has filled me with great pride to see the way in which Cricket (in Australia) has embraced (and pioneered) social and digital media under the direction of some old colleagues of mine.

Naturally, I've also kept an eye on Australia's three most popular Football 'codes' - AFL (Aussie Rules), NRL (Rugby League) and The A-League (Football / Soccer).

And, while there are several HUGE caveats in what you're about to see, an analysis of the Facebook profiles of each of the Australian Football Leagues throws up some interesting insights.

10 Innovative Examples of Traditional Media Using Social Media

Traditional media outlets are often criticised for not having embraced social media in the way other organisations have around the world.

There's a pretty simple explanation for this - the fundamental purpose of traditional media outlets/ brands is to sell advertising space in exchange for exposure to an audience (via content).

When that isn't your main source of income, 'giving away' content is a lot easier to swallow which is why automotive, drinks and fashion brands are so fond of social.

However, the smarter operators have realised that they can use social media channels and tools, especially in real-time scenarios, to keep them in their 'consideration mix' (this theory that when a consumer is considering between you and your competitors, they will lean more favourably towards you because of the value you have added elsewhere).

Using the New 'Engagement Rate' Formula to Measure Facebook Page Performance

There is still A LOT of confusion out there about what constitutes a 'good' Facebook page.

Sure, 'likes' are an obvious popularity metric and a powerful 'trust mark' - if you visit a page with big 'like' numbers you are more inclined to join that page and be receptive to the content being shared.

But (and it's a good 'un), this doesn't tell you ANYTHING about how well the page is being managed or how the community interacting with the content being provided.

Facebook have tried to make this more obvious with metrics like 'talking about this' (the number of people who have actively engaged with your page in the last seven days) and 'reach' (the number of people who have seen content from your page in the last seven days).

10 beautiful ways of enjoying Instagram on the web

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Instagram has had a huge month or so.

First, it released its much anticipated Android app to rave reviews.

Then, it announced its partnership with Facebook.

And just this week, Instagram passed the 50 million user mark.

En fuego no?

Even though it is a mobile-based platform, there are occasions when you want to access Instagram content in different ways, especially via your PC / laptop.

Dissecting the definition of digital

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you'll know I tend to take a pretty simplistic view of communications - I don't really care how things are categorised as long as they are done well.

A couple weeks back I attempted to define the roles and responsibilities of a digital strategist.

Since then, I've been involved in several discussions about what 'digital' means.

The way it is defined is often determined by your background and / or specific slant.

Today, I'm going to have a crack at creating a universal definition that might help settle an argument or two.

Four 'must-read' marketing books in 2012

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Over the last couple of months, several members of my 'comms community' have released books on the subjects of social media, PR, influence, SEO and more.

I haven't had a chance to tackle these yet but I do plan on doing so over the coming months so I thought you might find it useful if I gave you some brief background / context to each in the event you wanted to do the same.

In this edition of 'Adam's Book Club' we're going to look at new reads from Deirdre Breakenridge, Mark W. Schaefer, Lee Odden and Stephen Waddington and Steve Earl.