You've seen it, heard about it, or possibly even dabbled with it: You know, Twitter?
It's that text-based, micro-messaging platform that leaves over 6 million people glued to their mobile phones and desktops, and the rest of society scratching their heads.
Shaq is on it. Actually, Shaq is always on it. And he's just one of many hoopsters caught in the latest "trend" of social media participation.
Aside from being the perfect way to get yourself in trouble during halftime, Twitter can actually be a useful tool for basketball community members to build relationships, solicit feedback, share information, get up-to-speed news, and promote their products and services.
After the obvious question, "So, how do I use this service?," I'm usually asked "How do I find people who talk about basketball and are involved in the game?" To avoid future repetition of this expected query, I've decided to outline how I find fellow basketball community members on Twitter. If you should have any questions, comments, or concerns, you can also reach me on Twitter: @Peter_R_Casey
Keyword Search:
It's that text-based, micro-messaging platform that leaves over 6 million people glued to their mobile phones and desktops, and the rest of society scratching their heads.
Shaq is on it. Actually, Shaq is always on it. And he's just one of many hoopsters caught in the latest "trend" of social media participation.
Aside from being the perfect way to get yourself in trouble during halftime, Twitter can actually be a useful tool for basketball community members to build relationships, solicit feedback, share information, get up-to-speed news, and promote their products and services.
After the obvious question, "So, how do I use this service?," I'm usually asked "How do I find people who talk about basketball and are involved in the game?" To avoid future repetition of this expected query, I've decided to outline how I find fellow basketball community members on Twitter. If you should have any questions, comments, or concerns, you can also reach me on Twitter: @Peter_R_Casey
Keyword Search:
Search.twitter.com: In addition to this branded URL, Twitter has an integrated search box built into its interface and one can see who's talking about anything basketball-related in real time. During the playoffs or most recently, the NBA Draft, many basketball-specific topics (i.e.
Shaq Trade, Ricky Rubio, Lakers, LeBron James) were included in the trending topics area. This offers a ripe opportunity to join an existing conversation, establish your credibility, and listen to what's going on in the hoops world.
TweetGrid.com: If you're really into talking basketball and want to set up a matrix of multiple searches in dashboard fashion, TweetGrid is the solution. During March Madness and the NBA Playoffs, I had a 3x2 grid set up and tuned into a variety of conversations. TweetGrid is the epitome of a Mike D'Antoni or Grinnell College offense: Fast-paced and high scoring (in terms of value).
Bio Search:Shaq Trade, Ricky Rubio, Lakers, LeBron James) were included in the trending topics area. This offers a ripe opportunity to join an existing conversation, establish your credibility, and listen to what's going on in the hoops world.
TweetGrid.com: If you're really into talking basketball and want to set up a matrix of multiple searches in dashboard fashion, TweetGrid is the solution. During March Madness and the NBA Playoffs, I had a 3x2 grid set up and tuned into a variety of conversations. TweetGrid is the epitome of a Mike D'Antoni or Grinnell College offense: Fast-paced and high scoring (in terms of value).
TweepSearch.com: This site allows you to dig through over 5M Twitter user profiles to find self-identified basketball enthusiasts. I use the following search terms: basketball, bball, hoops, hoop, NBA, NCAA, St. John's, and Knicks (or any of your favorite/hometown teams). Once the search results are spit out, you're a simple click away from following these users' updates.
There's a strong chance you've seen someone in the basketball world's Twitter updates cross-promoted on their blog, facebook or LinkedIn page, or in the general media. There's no easier way to follow their updates than by clicking on the link and subsequently following them. If it's broadcasted on TV or the radio, make sure you have the Twitter application installed on your mobile phone to quickly and easily follow a particular user.
Search applications:
Twitter, itself, has a "Find People" search function built-in its horizontal navigation bar where you can:
Search by username, or first and last name (i.e. RealLamarOdom or Lamar Odom)
Find on other networks. If you already communicate with people in the hoops community through Gmail, Yahoo, or AOL, Twitter can find those folks in your address books with a simple click.
Invite by email. Have an email list of AAU, JCC, CYO or HS coaches and want to see if they're on Twitter? You can search for them individually or as group and invite some or all of them to join if they're not already a member.
Suggested users. Obviously Shaq's celebrity helped him amass a large Twitter following. But did you know that he and other basketball celebrities - Paul Pierce, John Calipari, LA Lakers, Dwight Howard, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to name a few - are listed by Twitter as suggested users? This helps generate massive visibility as new Twitter users sign up for accounts or visit the 'Find People' function.
Find on other networks. If you already communicate with people in the hoops community through Gmail, Yahoo, or AOL, Twitter can find those folks in your address books with a simple click.
Invite by email. Have an email list of AAU, JCC, CYO or HS coaches and want to see if they're on Twitter? You can search for them individually or as group and invite some or all of them to join if they're not already a member.
Suggested users. Obviously Shaq's celebrity helped him amass a large Twitter following. But did you know that he and other basketball celebrities - Paul Pierce, John Calipari, LA Lakers, Dwight Howard, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to name a few - are listed by Twitter as suggested users? This helps generate massive visibility as new Twitter users sign up for accounts or visit the 'Find People' function.
Directories:
WeFollow.com - Kevin Rose's user generated Twitter directory is loaded with basketball people. Click on NBA under popular Twitter tags or type in basketball in the search field. Having a high ranking on both tags helped me score a free ticket to the NBA Draft and have access to exlusive blog content. Make sure you bookmark yourself here.
Twellow.com - The YellowPages of Twitter. Search for basketball and you'll find over 5,000 relevant Twitter users.
JustTweetIt.com - The weakest of the 3 directories, JustTweetIt does not include a basketball-specific category; however, you can find some notable hoopsters under sports.
TwitDir.com - Search for basketball, bball, hoops, nba, and ncaa within names, usernames, and descriptions.
Twellow.com - The YellowPages of Twitter. Search for basketball and you'll find over 5,000 relevant Twitter users.
JustTweetIt.com - The weakest of the 3 directories, JustTweetIt does not include a basketball-specific category; however, you can find some notable hoopsters under sports.
TwitDir.com - Search for basketball, bball, hoops, nba, and ncaa within names, usernames, and descriptions.
Hashtags:
Using hashtags (#) are a unique way to create groups or topics for tweets that others can use as well. (i.e. #marchmadness, #nbadraft, #nbaplayoffs)
Ask Mr. Tweet:
MrTweet.com: is a friendly bot that will recommend relevant people based on your profile and Twitter stream.
Influencers:
There are many popular basketball constituencies on Twitter. Generally speaking, people in the basketball community flock to or "follow" the influencers. Possibly even more important, finding out who the influencers follow, or @Reply to, can lead you to an even more rich resource of basketball insiders.
For example, SLAM magazine has long been the basketball bible. If you go to SLAMonline's Twitter page to see who they're following and who follows them, you'll come across a ton of players, fans, coaches, camp and clinic organizers, basketball product suppliers, agents, referees, writers, and broadcasters among others.
Here's just a few of the popular influencers on Twitter (excluding NBA and NCAA players):
@RicBucher
@FreeDarko
@jeskeets
@YahooSportsNBA
@HoopsHype
@UKCoachCalipari
@GaryParrishCBS
@AlanStein
@DaveTelep
@DimeMag
@BounceMag
@ClaudeJohnson
@TheHoopGroup
@InsideHoops
@NBA
@usabasketball
@nbadleague
@RickBozich
@BrianMcCormick
@HoopsAddict
@Anklesnap
For a comprehensive list of basketball bloggers on Twitter, check out this post by the Hoop Doctors.
