NBA teams, NFL, NHL

Finding The Happy Medium For Twitter…Howard yes, Johnson no…

The twitter debate with regard to athletes and celebrities rages on as to what is acceptable and helpful and what is detrimental and contrived, and what at the end of the day is actually the best mix for use in the social networking space. Much like other media that have launched…sports radio, blogs, websites…the initial pushback is due more to the unknown as opposed to the medium itself. Sports remains a very traditional, very routine business, especially for those who are amongst its veterans in communications on the team side. The season has its patterns, and many times there is a reticence to differ from that pattern or try new things or embrace new technology, hence the pushback.

It is usually the group that needs the coverage…the New York Islanders two year ago launching a blog spot, the Toronto Maple Leafs breaking coverage on their website, the Cleveland Indians crating coverage space for high school journalists, the Washington Capitals dedicating time on their blog to fan forums…that usually lead the way in not just embracing new technology or media but in figuring out ways to incorporate it, eventually seamlessly, into the day to day coverage of the team or the athlete or the brand. It just takes time to do and the willingness to understand how the new medium can best benefit the organization.

On the athlete side, again this past week we were thrown information on the positive and the negative use of social media. Ad Age.com’s Rich Thomaselli had a Monday piece on the backlash from Larry Johnson’s issues on Twitter last week and what organizations can do to combat problems, while Mashable had a great piece on how Dwight Howard is offering incentives, including a free trip to a game in Orlando, for the millionth follower he gets. The two athletes represent the good and bad offered up with any new medium. There will be abuse of the system but there will also be nuggets of enlightened use that can be put to very positive experiences. The good takes time to develop and like any medium, for the user to find the appropriate amount of time and the right voice. While some athletes or entertainers will shun the use of new media much like some have shunned ANY media, the ones who want to build their brands effectively will find that balance, and use it as a part, not as the whole, of their overall plan.

So is twitter the bane of a publicist’s existence? Not any more than any other new technology was in the past, or other new mediums will be in the future. The issue remains for those who don’t take the time to understand the use of the medium and then how to use it for its advantage to better and more efficiently communicate and build a platform to tell the stories needed. It just takes time.