There was a very intriguing article in the Oakland Tribune today about the staff's increased activity involving social media. Written by Jeff Faraudo, one of the few true scribes still out there in the world of sports journalism, the article highlighted the greater emphasis put on social media by Coach Tedford and staff.
Citing a changing of the guard, Tedford seemed to concede to the fact that the staff had no choice but to increase their level of activity in social media -- namely in regards to recruiting.
To help with the effort, the athletic department recently created a full-time "social media director" position to help cipher through all the posts, tweets, and updates that relate to Cal football in one way or another.
My reaction?
Better late than never.
Ever since the days of MySpace.com, where young athletes such as an 17-year old Andrew Bynum often jump online to express their "mood of the moment", there has been a slow yet steady shift in how athletes communicate with the public. The days of Bob Ryan sitting down and having dinner and a cigar with Larry Bird before picking his brain about the Lakers have thoroughly been replaced with quick blurbs and texts through one's mobile device.
And that's okay.
The significance of the Cal football staff finally getting on board with this social media business cannot be understated. In the article, Faraudo briefly mentions Tosh Lupoi and his departure meaning losing "much of the Bears' Facebook and Twitter acumen." That acumen Faraudo cites centers around the recruitment of high school athletes.
High school kids are a fickle bunch who often make decisions on a whim and influenced by gestures that you and I wouldn't think twice about.
Tedford is in a business where courting young kids to join his team is the lifeline of his company's foundation.
And while there is much more I can write about this issue (some of which I'll probably touch on as the season rolls along) I am just extremely glad that Tedford and company seem to understand the implications of social media and the positive effect it can have on recruits.
Tedford's tweeter: here
Social Media is obviously extremely important for recruiting, but it is also vital for fan engagement. All of those Old Blues won't be filling the alumni section forever and at some point the biggest advocates and financial backers for Cal's athletics will be those who have had social media prominent in their life. Fortunately, I feel Cal is going in the right direction here also.
ReplyDeleteAlso, where is the SCF Twitter handle and Facebook page?
Good call on a FB and Twitter page. We'll get on that!
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