PETER ROBERT CASEY

Twitter Tip: Don't Just Follow People; Follow Keywords

2012-05-15T17:19:00.003-04:00

Let's say you're Shotloc. You just created the most effective shooting aid on the market, and want to start connecting with your target demo - 11 to 17-year old competitive basketball players - in a meaningful way.

You turn to Twitter or, better yet, a third-party client like Hootsuite. The beauty of this particular social media dashboard is that it allows you to create 'streams' to monitor everything from mentions to lists to keywords. Today, we'll focus on the lattermost topic.

Why track a targeted keyword?

Because it allows you see who's talking about a particular subject matter that relates to your brand, and in what context. All in real-time.

Let me demonstrate.

Eleven to 17-year old competitive basketball players generally play on an organized team. Organized teams practice. So if logic prevails, Shotloc should follow the keyword 'basketball practice.'

How does this manifest on Hootsuite?

Once you're signed up (it's FREE) and logged in:

Click 'Add Stream.'
Click 'Keyword' tab
Type in your desired keyword and hit 'Add'
Click 'Create Stream'
Make sure the keyword(s) generates relevant and active tweets.

Keyword Stream...

Voila. You're now tapped into live conversations by your target audience.

Note: Treat it with respect. Don't interrupt a dialogue. Limit talking about your product or your brand. Be helpful, and save the sales speak.

Genuine conversations yield. Being helpful yields even more. It builds trust. Trust will help your brand's influence, reputation, and, of course, profits.

I practiced what I'm preaching and it paid off pretty quickly in the form of a RT and follow. See below. Now I challenge you do the same.

NBA Best Practices: Wizards Bake Chat Into Facebook

2012-02-28T19:25:00.001-05:00

What do you think of this in-game experience? Drop me a line on Twitter, @Peter_R_Casey. Don't miss the wrap-up post from @andypawlowski, titled '5 Tips to Steal From the NBA's Best.'

NBA Best Practices: Magic Offer Female's Perspective on the Team

2012-02-28T18:43:00.000-05:00

Melanie writes an array of posts, covering everything from a behind the scenes look at Amway, life on the Road, the Final Four and even this weekend's All-Star festivities in Orlando.

Melanie's content doesn't stand alone, though. Her blog's one of six on the team's page, which also includes a pair of columns written directly by Magic uber-fans.

The quality and quantity of content delivered the Magic's in-house staff offers a broad and deep look at the organization, and should keep you busy for a while.

What do you like about Orlando's digital presence? Don't be shy. Let me know on Twitter, @Peter_R_Casey.

In case you missed it, don't forget to check out Digital Hoops Blast for @andypawlowski's breakdown of all Western Conference teams.

NBA Best Practices: Miami Heat Break Language Barrier

2012-02-20T15:14:00.005-05:00

Introducing the Heat en espanol...

And Mandarin Chinese...

The Heat also extend their multilingual engagement to Twitter, where Spanish radio and TV broadcaster, Jose Paneda, provides updates in Espanol.

This is tough for all teams to execute, but hats off to Miami for raising the bar.

What other teams, inside and outside the NBA, make their site and social updates accessible to fans of other languages? How else can Miami advance this strategy?

Let me know on Twitter, @Peter_R_Casey. And don't forget to visit Digital Hoops Blast tomorrow for your next Western Conference team analysis. @andypawlowski has you covered.

NBA Best Practices: Hawks' Historical Archive

2012-02-17T12:19:00.000-05:00

And I would be wrong. Dead wrong, and delightedly so. The Hawks take a smart approach to sharing its rich history. They use a graphic-heavy historical timeline as a central element of listing key dates, players, milestones and an evolution of the brand's logo.

On top of this illustration, Atlanta offers a detailed breakdown of Classic Alumni, Uniforms and Logos, Arena Evolution, Coaching Records and Hawks Team Records.

Under 'Classic Alumni' alone, there are plenty of in-depth player profiles with photos and videos (when available), creating a comprehensive library to add value to your fanhood.

But, wait there's more...

Season by season recaps. Updates from alumni. Classic nicknames. Retired numbers. The list goes on. If you're a die-hard Hawks' fan, this part of the site is gold.

What do you think of this digital archive? I'm all ears. Hit me on Twitter at @Peter_R_Casey.

Make sure you check out Digital Hoops Blast today for @andypawlowski's take on the Thunder.

NBA Best Practices: Bobcats Offer Chance to Win Kemba's Kicks

2012-02-14T15:47:00.002-05:00

The Bobcats are giving away a John Hancocked (made that up) pair to honor the rookie's participation in All-Star Weekend. And they're collecting a boat-load of new Facebook fans, email and mobile captures in the process.

How? By gating the contest behind the "Like" button on Facebook.

Once you "Like" the page, which is required, a contest entry form pops up, replete with data fields and a default opt-in to receive special offers and the Bobcats' Game Time Newsletter.

The Bobcats cross-promote the contest in their newsletter, mobile, Twitter, Facebook status updates and several other avenues.

We'll let you decide whether or not handing over this info's worth a 'chance' at winning the kicks.

But, kudos to Charlotte for the clever campaign aimed at bolstering its database for the very low cost of building out this form -- all while Walker gets attention for playing in the Rookie-Sophomore game.

What are your thoughts on this activation? Would you switch up the prize and do it monthly or quarterly? How else would you extend it via social?

Hit me on Twitter - @Peter_R_Casey - I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

Make sure you swing by Digital Hoops Blast tomorrow, where @andypawlowski will bless you with another Western Conference team analysis.

NBA Best Practices: Bucks 'Pin' the Tail on Monetization

2012-02-10T13:33:00.002-05:00

Pinterest, for the unaware, is simple. It's a virtual pin board that allows you to organize and share findings on the Web.

Easy, schmeezy.

Well, the Bucks created eight boards to pin interesting items to, including five boards that are monetizable: men's, women's and kid's clothes, home goods and ticket promotions.

That's a savvy use of social in our books. Milwaukee complements these five boards with photos, classic clips and artifacts of team pride.

It's too early to tell if Pinterest has staying power, but the Bucks are clearly riding the platform's monetizing ability while it remains a daily fixture in the media.

Smart move, Milwaukee.

What other sports teams have you found on Pinterest? How else would you like to see the Bucks tap into this technology.

Hit me on Twitter (@Peter_R_Casey), and don't forget to hop on over to DHB Monday for @andypawlowski's next Western Conference team analysis.

That's all for this week, folks.

INFOGRAPHIC: History of Marketing

2012-02-09T21:08:00.001-05:00

History of Marketing Infographic

From: HubSpot Marketing Software

NBA Best Practices: Pacers "Like" Pictures, Lotsa Pictures

2012-02-08T15:06:00.002-05:00

Week 4 of the Digital Disciple Series is underway. Let's keep the train rolling. But first, a peek back at where we've been:

Warriors | Celtics | Clippers | Nets | Lakers | Knicks | Suns | 76ers | Kings | Raptors | Mavericks | Bulls | Rockets | Cavs |
Grizzlies | Pistons | Hornets

Up next: Indiana Pacers

Not all Facebook posts are created equal.

In fact, Roost by Vertical Response, found that photos generate 50% more impressions than any other type of content.

50%.

We're not sure if the Pacers were privy to this study, but they do a phenomenal job at complementing Facebook updates with hi-rez images, which generate a sizable amount of comments, shares, and "Likes."

One way to improve this tactic?

Excuse the cliche, but pictures alone are worth 1,000 words. And Facebook posts that are 80 characters or less tend to yield the highest engagement.

Our advice: Trim down the copy supporting these amazing images, and limit the post to one specific call to action. It'll convert at a higher rate.

But, keep those pictures rolling. We love 'em.

What do you think? Hit me on Twitter.

TOMORROW: Andy Pawlowski will break down the next Western Conference team on DHB.

NBA Best Practices: Up Close with Joe D, Pistons' GM

2012-02-06T00:10:00.000-05:00

It's time to kick off Week 4 of the NBA Digital Disciple Series, where Andy Pawlowski and I share best practices of how each team uses digital marketing and social media as strategic business drivers.

Where we've been: Warriors | Celtics | Clippers | Nets | Lakers | Knicks | Suns | 76ers | Kings | Raptors | Mavericks | Bulls | Rockets | Cavs | Grizzlies |

On the docket for today: The Detroit Pistons

What do we like?

Besides putting together an impressive collection of halftime performances from Vanilla Ice, Flo Rida and T-Pain, the Pistons also generate unique, original YouTube videos, like this 4-part series with Joe D (full sequence below).

For the unfamiliar, Joe D, is Joe Dumars, a Detroit legend and the team's current President of Basketball Operations.

The videos provide answers to crucial questions that all fans want to know about how and why a team's built a certain way, and rationale behind the organization's decisions related to the Draft, free agency and trade acquisitions.

It also gives Detroit devotees a chance to step inside Joe D's office to hear right from the man himself.

The Pistons marketing and sales team use the video as a platform for ticket promos, which you'll notice scrolling across the lower-third with strategic calls to action.

How can our friend from "Motown" take this series up a notch?

We'd love to see a sample of questions culled from the fan base via social media, rather than using an exclusive list from an in-house journalist.

And instead of embedding the ticket sales copy into the video, a clickable call-to-action annotation might be more effective in driving people to the storefront.

Lastly, all four videos should be linked together in the description area of the video, so fans get from one to the next more seamlessly.

What about you? How would you build on this town hall concept? Let me know on Twitter, @Peter_R_Casey.

Be sure to check out the videos below and visit Digital Hoops Blast tomorrow to see Andy's analysis on the next Western Conference team in line. That part's a surprise.

Part I:

Part II:

Part III:

Part IV:

Is Your Basketball Business Mobile-Ready?

2012-02-03T21:34:00.001-05:00

It's no secret. The world's ~~trending~~ going mobile.

Need proof? (stats via socialmeda.biz)

By 2012, almost all mobile devices produced will be able to access the Internet.
There will be 788 million mobile-only Internet users by 2015.
By 2014, mobile Internet browsing will surpass desktop browsing.
Mobile ad revenue will skyrocket to $20.6 billion by 2015.

Is your site ready? Check HERE. Replace the word 'robot' with your full URL.

You're welcome :)

(h/t to Richard Ting for the link)

NBA Best Practices: Rap with the Rook on Facebook

2012-02-02T00:20:00.001-05:00

The NBA Digital Disciple Series is back.

It's been nearly two years since Andy Pawlowski (Digital Hoops Blast) and I completed our first digital 'dig through' of every NBA team's website. New tools have emerged and a healthy culture of fan engagement has been deeply embedded into the landscape. Time for a second sift.

Our mission: To share learnings of how NBA teams uniquely leverage digital tools to engage fans, build loyalty and use digital marketing and social media as strategic business drivers.

Looking back: Warriors | Celtics | Clippers | Nets | Lakers | Knicks | Suns | 76ers | Kings | Raptors | Mavericks | Bulls | Rockets

Next up: Cleveland Cavaliers

With a Facebook fan base hovering over 800,000, it's almost certain Cavs fans have questions for their beloved rookie, Kyrie Irving.

So why not canvass this massive audience for inquiries and let the first-year phenom record answers so they can get to know him better?

Great interactive idea.

That's exactly what the Cleveland franchise did back in June, shortly after David Stern announced the brief Blue Devil as the League's No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

Another smart move:

As soon as you press play, a "Like" annotation appears in the top-left hand corner of the screen, quickly converting video viewers into subscribers of the page.

The Cavs held similar chats in the past with Ramon Sessions and Tristan Thompson, both of which have generated over thousand questions, "Likes" and follow-up comments after the videos were produced.

We'd love to raise the Cavs one, and see them execute this chat in real-time on Facebook. Make it an event. Sync it with a sweepstakes or giveaway and cross-promote it on your other social channels to maximize impact.

What about you?

Thoughts on this concept and ways to take it up a peg? Tweet me at @Peter_R_Casey.

And don't forget to head over to Digital Hoops Blast, where @andypawlowski will wrap up Week 3 with a new Western Conference best practices post.

NBA Best Practices: Chicago Bulls Curate the News

2012-01-31T00:23:00.000-05:00

Next up: Chicago Bulls

What do we like?

The Bulls curate each weekday's headlines and links from major outlets so you don't have to. How cool and convenient is that?

Not only is Chicago recognizing its stable of beat writers, it's referring traffic their way too. Sadly, there are pro teams that treat the media - you know, those with significant reach and influence - as an enemy.

That's counterintuitive and bad for business.

I'd love to see this idea extended for bloggers as well. Most don't make a dime and are not credentialed on press row, but there are a bunch that do a bang-up job in offering fair and quality analysis. That acknowledgment goes a long way. Trust me. And you never know when a blogger will rise up to a larger platform or build a massive community of their own.

What do you think of this concept? Thoughts on ways to add to it? Hit me on Twitter @Peter_R_Casey. I want to hear your .02.

Make sure you swing by Digital Hoops Blast tomorrow for @andypawlowski's next Western Conference team analysis. Deal?

NBA Best Practices: Raptors' Social Media Landing Page

2012-01-29T19:16:00.001-05:00

The NBA Digital Disciple Series is back.

It's been nearly two years since Andy Pawlowski (Digital Hoops Blast) and I completed our first digital 'dig through' of every NBA team's website. New tools have emerged and a healthy culture of fan engagement has been deeply embedded into the landscape.

Time for a second sift.

Our mission: To share learnings of how NBA teams uniquely leverage digital tools to engage fans, build loyalty and use digital marketing and social media as strategic business drivers.

Looking back: Warriors | Celtics | Clippers | Nets | Lakers | Knicks | Suns | 76ers | Kings

Next up: Toronto Raptors

What do we like about our Northern Friends' digital deeds?

Their social media landing page.

The Raps have an active presence on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube, and weaves them all together with a simple page that gives you brief background on each player and staff member, shares their latest updates and allows you to quickly connect with them.

The proliferation of networks can make it quite easy for teams to have a fragmented or siloed social graph. Integration and cross-promotion of channels is an effective way to let fans know where they can access news, videos and updates on the team while incrementally growing opt-in numbers across the board.

This landing page accomplishes that.

One way to raise the bar?

Show off a high quality, recent YouTube upload to get fans excited about your video content and to build out your subscription database on the world's most powerful video search engine.

What about you? What are your thoughts on what the Raps do well with digital and social? Ping us on Twitter - @Peter_R_Casey and @andypawlowski.

And don't forget to check out Digital Hoops Blast Monday, where Andy will dive into the next Western Conference Squad.

NBA Best Practices: Sixers Give a Reason to "Like" Them on Facebook

2012-01-26T11:54:00.002-05:00

The NBA Digital Disciple Series is back.

It's been nearly two years since Andy Pawlowski (Digital Hoops Blast) and I completed our first digital 'dig through' of every NBA team's website. New tools have emerged and a healthy culture of fan engagement has been deeply embedded into the landscape.

Time for a second sift.

Our mission: To share learnings of how NBA teams uniquely leverage digital tools to engage fans, build loyalty and use digital marketing and social media as strategic business drivers.

Looking back: Warriors | Celtics | Clippers | Nets | Lakers | Knicks | Suns

Next up: Philadelphia 76ers

What do we like about the Sixers' social strategy?

They give you a clear and attractive reason to "Like" them on Facebook.

Research shows the number one reason why people follow brands on Facebook is ... you guessed it, special offers and deals.

How many times have you seen a team advertise their page with a "Like (Find) us on Facebook" call to action without a specific defined benefit?

That's a missed opportunity and easy way to in our book.

Philadelphia also has a shop tab on Facebook, which links you directly to the store where you can redeem the coupon code. Smart approach.

Our one concern is that the shop tab is below the fold in the list of Facebook apps (requires clicking the More arrow), so it might not be easily discovered.

Connect these two more seamlessly and you have a win-win activation. What say you? What other ways can the Sixers leverage their shop on Facebook? A full integration?

Kentucky Puts all of its Twitter Eggs in Coach Cal's Basket

2012-01-23T20:55:00.000-05:00

It's Monday, the new college basketball rankings are out, and Kentucky's back on top of the pile.

That's no surprise.

What caught me off guard, however, is when I went to see how the team's Twitter page responded to the good news, I quickly realized ... there is no team Twitter page.

The 'Men's Basketball' Twitter link under the team's social media menu takes you to directly to Coach Calipari's account. Further research turned up the same results.

Surely that's not a bad default. We all know Coach Calipari & Co. do a terrific job on the highly popular microblogging platform.

His 1.15M+ followers make him one of the top-360 most-followed Twitter users on the entire service, an impressive mark considering he only tweets around five times per day. Opposing college basketball coaches also know Coach Cal doesn't need added help to boost his already strong online presence or program.

But, what happens when Coach Cal retires or, instead, bolts for the NBA? If Twitter's still en vogue, the team will have to start from scratch. Is that a concern?

Kentucky's arguably the most successful program in college basketball history and Big Blue Nation rolls deep. Very deep.

Should the team have its own presence? I'm just thinking out loud here. Tweet me your thoughts at @Peter_R_Casey.

NBA Best Practices: Knicks Embed a Reporter With The Team

2012-01-23T08:47:00.000-05:00

[NOTE: In the spirit of full disclosure, I was a full-time freelance employee of the Knicks last year, charged to manage KnicksNow.com and help plan and execute the team's social media strategy.]

The NBA Digital Disciple Series is back.

It's been nearly two years since Andy Pawlowski (Digital Hoops Blast) and I completed our first digital 'dig through' of every NBA team's website. New tools have emerged and a healthy culture of fan engagement has been deeply embedded into the landscape.

Time for a second sift.

Our mission: To share learnings of how NBA teams uniquely leverage digital tools to engage fans, build loyalty and use digital marketing and social media as strategic business drivers.

Looking back: Warriors | Celtics | Clippers | Nets | Lakers

Next up: New York Knicks

What do we like?

The Orange and Blue provide unprecedented access to the Knicks through an embedded, team-employed reporter - @JonahBallow - who covers the team at every practice, game (home and away) and community event, and shares the content in real-time via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and KnicksNow.com.

Sure, beat writers are assigned to cover the same territory and can provide a much more objective analysis of the squad, but Jonah's flying on the team plane and also offering a first-hand account of players' lives on the road outside of traditional shoot-around and pre- and post-game coverage.

Most teams will have someone from their PR or communications staff dabbling with original content on the road, which is supplementary to their regular responsibilities. But installing a dedicated, traveling reporter who's a member of the team organization?

That's unique.

An embedded reporter is only part of the Knicks' social strategy. Rather than publish all of the reporter's content on NYKnicks.com - which serves as more of a transactional site for ticket info, stats, roster, and schedule - New York created a content hub and social environment with KnicksNow.com.

If you browse around the site, you'll notice a video and image-heavy vibe, capitalizing on the unfortunate trend of waning attention spans. The site's replete with contests, photo galleries, video highlights, leaderboards (with point-incentivized actions) and an aggregated news feed from beat writers and the blogosphere.

Facebook, YouTube and Google+ log-in prompts allow for the Knicks to build out their marketing database, and calls to action around tickets and television, which are supported by live game chats, align very well with the team's revenue triggers.

All combined, the embedded reporter concept raises the bar on how an organization covers and markets its own team. The content and dialogue are facilitated by the team in their ecosystem, which offers advantages to staying connected, getting to really know who your fans are and capturing sales leads.

What do you think?

Warning: When you start a tweet with @name, few people see it

2012-01-21T15:54:00.004-05:00

Here's a relatively unknown, but important Twitter tip:

When you start a tweet with @name, the only people who can see your message are people who follow you and people who follow the person/brand you're replying to.

For example: "@SHAQ says some crazy things on Inside the NBA."

If your followers don't follow @SHAQ, they won't see this tweet. Instead you can rewrite it this way:

"Wow, @SHAQ says some crazy things on Inside the NBA."

Simple enough, right? I see this often and just thought I should share. Hope you're enjoying your weekend.

Are you keeping an eye on this Facebook metric?

2012-01-20T22:20:00.001-05:00

"I don't want people talking negatively about us."

Only a few years ago, the primary reluctance for basketball teams and brands to experiment with social, outside of lack of know-how or resources, was a fear of the statement above.

Really?

Let's be honest. We're all basically equipped with the same publishing and commenting tools, and people are going to talk about our teams or basketball products and services whether we participate online or not.

That's not the problem here.

What if nobody, or very few people, are talking about your team, sneaker line or basketball shooting product, for better or worse? What if that issue exists after heavily investing in a media buy or other online advertising campaign?

That's a larger concern in my book.

Behold, one of Facebook's latest insight metrics: "People talking about this."

What is it? From a Facebook spokesperson:

“This metric refreshes daily, but goes back a week. So it’s the current barometer of how much conversation is being generated by someone’s Page on Facebook. It’s a good gauge of the content Pages are putting up and how to generate more conversations around a Page.”

There are many interactions that make up the "people talking about this" metric (full list HERE), all centered on how engaged current and potential customers are with your brand.

What good is it acquiring tens or hundreds of thousands of fans if they're not tuned into what you're putting in front of them? Gaining "Likes' is important, yes, but an engagement strategy must follow.

Though the brand above (which I'll leave nameless) has acquired over 88,000 fans, less than 1% of them have interacted with the page in the last seven days. Compare that with this brand below, which has a smaller audience but one that's responding more favorably to its content.

When people interact with your updates (now called stories on Facebook), your page reaches an audience beyond the fan base. A poor ratio of "people talking about this" to "Likes" may mean your content's not relevant, or you're posting too infrequently.

What do you think? Are you paying attention to this metric?

NBA Best Practices: Nets Believe 'Being' Social > 'Doing' Social

2012-01-19T09:16:00.001-05:00

The NBA Digital Disciple Series is back.

It's been nearly two years since Andy Pawlowski (Digital Hoops Blast) and I completed our first digital 'dig through' of every NBA team's website. New tools have emerged and a healthy culture of fan engagement has been deeply embedded into the landscape.

Time for a second sift.

Our mission: To share learnings of how NBA teams uniquely leverage digital tools to engage fans, build loyalty and use digital marketing and social media as strategic business drivers.

A look back: Warriors | Celtics | Clippers |

Next up: The Brooklyn-bound Nets.

What do we like?

The Nets don't 'do' social; they are social. Interacting with fans has become a fabric of the organization's culture. Take a peek at their Twitter stream and you'll see an abundance of @replies to bloggers, loyalists and average fans alike. They don't discriminate.

It sounds so simple, yet many teams continue to use social media entirely as a broadcast mechanism. Social's the operative word here, folks. It's a two-way exchange.

We all like to be wired in to our teams, but fans also appreciate acknowledgment. In some circles, it's becoming an expectation. The Nets get that, and their interactivity isn't exclusive to Twitter.

Drop a Facebook wall comment. They respond. Quickly. You can bet this simple form of recognition goes a long way in increasing fans' trust and loyalty with the team.

No?

Peep our boy Igor's avatar.

New Jersey even went as far as launching a formspring account to ensure all fans' questions get answered in a transparent and timely manner. Impressive.

How do you keep up with a team in transition? Tumble on over to the Nets' Tumblr page or install the team's toolbar, a 2.0 edition, to stay connected socially. Brooklyn updates included, too.

If you think the soon-to-be Brooklynites like to remain hidden behind the corporate veil, you're wrong. The Nets have completely humanized their social strategy, leveraging the talented Ben Couch, a resident journalist, as the primary face and voice of their digital trail.

And guess what? Ben's no 'Couch' potato when it comes to engaging in dialogue. All tweets from Ben are labeled ^BC, and he happens to carry over the same social habits on his own Twitter account, which is very Nets-centric.

In sum: There is a vast chasm between 'doing' social and 'being' social. Our peer Vanessa DiMauro writes:

"Doing social is the imperative part of the equation. This means making plans, defining objectives complete with outcomes, tracking and measuring success and making adjustments to the plan along the way....This usually looks like marketing managers using social tools to broadcast their message to the world."

However, being social means building competencies across the organization that encourage, support and institutionalize the use of social tools by a broad cross-section of employees," and having "a clear voice and a comfort level about interacting with [fans] online."

Our hats are off to the Nets for choosing the latter.

We're far from done here. Tune in to Digital Hoops Blast tomorrow, where Andy Pawlowski will tip-off the next Western Conference team analysis.

Have a great weekend, y'all. We'll be back here Monday.

NBA Best Practices: Celtics 3-Point Play

2012-01-17T21:57:00.002-05:00

One of the eight founding franchises of the Basketball Association of America, a precursor to the NBA, the Boston Celtics do a lot of things very well.

Most obviously, winning.

While 17 titles can help accelerate any marketing strategy, the C's success in cultivating a deep and loyal fan base goes beyond its envied collection of Larry O'Brien trophies.

Having Rondo, Allen, Garnett and Pierce in the fold doesn't hurt, either. But the surname that spearheads Boston's online success is Stringer. Peter Stringer. Not that Peter Stringer.

He's no shooting guard, but the six-year interactive marketing veteran does such a solid job with Boston's digital and social strategy and execution that it's hard to boil down just one example of benchmark behavior.

But that won't stop me from trying. So, here goes it...

Celtics 3-Point Play

A first-of-its-kind Facebook application among NBA teams, 3-Point Play embraces the trend of social gaming and allows fans to competitively predict statistics for their favorite players while building out the team's marketing database in the process.

What do I like?

1) 3-Point Play's baked into Facebook as an app, so when you play, all of your friends will know about it. The viral loop's an effective way of luring in new users. "Hey, if my friend's playing..."

Social proof's in the pudding. Did we mention if Facebook were a country, it'd be the third most populated in the world. Zuckerberg's creation is quickly approaching 1B users. Yes, that's a 'B.'

- The Leaderboard: We're all a bit competitive in nature. Knowing where we stand among fellow gamers gets the juices flowing and is sure to drive us back the next game to avenge a poor performance or retain bragging rights. So, when is the next match-up?

I planted that segue.

- Aha, the Countdown feature: Countdown clocks are a great psychological device for creating a sense of urgency. It helps move people from unawareness to anticipation.

- The Data Capture: In Peter's words: "The concept was simple: How do we get fans out of Facebook and into our database, while giving them a fun, easy-to-play game that allows them to compete with their friends and win Celtics prizes? That’s where 3-Point Play was born...And from the business side, it was a huge success."

By clicking the 'Play Game' button and granting the app permission, you're handing over your email address, name, birthdate, friends' list and other important marketing and demographic information to the C's. Hey, it's an even exchange.

- The last permission item deserves its own bullet: "Post to Facebook as me." As mentioned above, the viral loop feature of posting your 3-Point Play score on your wall is built-in marketing. Roughly 2.9M Facebook users ages 13 and above in the United States list 'Celtics' as an interest in their profile.

The team already boasts 5.9M Facebook "Likes," and the app has approximately 10,000 monthly users. Which means there's a lot of growth potential for an already successful activation.

That's what I like. Now it's your turn. What else are the Celtics doing from a digital and social marketing perspective that teams should adopt?

Stay tuned tomorrow as Andy Pawlowski of Digital Hoops Blast tackles his next Western Conference team. Don't miss his spotlight on the Golden State Warriors HERE.

Coming Monday: NBA Digital Disciple Series, Volume II

2012-01-13T19:39:00.004-05:00

Picture Copyright: Peter Robert Casey

We're baaaack!

It's been nearly two years since Andy Pawlowski (Digital Hoops Blast) and I completed our first digital 'dig through' of every NBA team's website. New tools have emerged and a healthy culture of fan engagement has been deeply embedded into the landscape. It's time for a second sift.

The mission: To share our learnings of how NBA teams uniquely leverage digital tools to engage fans, build loyalty and use social media as a strategic business driver.

As students, or disciples of the game, we'll examine and pick the one thing that each squad does best and spotlight it over a six-week journey. It all starts Monday. Stay with us, spread the gospel and share your own thoughts with us.

Cool? Let's go...

PS: Andy will tackle Western Conference squads.

2011-12 NBA SOCIAL MEDIA INDEX

2012-01-02T00:02:00.066-05:00

Here's our New Year's gift to you: A 'nearly' comprehensive index of NBA writers, players, teams and league-wide social media accounts.

If you find an error or omission, please tweet one of us below or send an email to peter@peterrobertcasey.com. We'll do our best to add, edit or delete any new or outdated links and accounts ASAP. We apologize in advance if we missed you, but we're updating the index daily.

Happy 2012, y'all. We hope you find this resource helpful.

Compiled by: @Peter_R_Casey / @jbauman13 / @Tim_Lockwood / @Craigs_Lists

NBA LEAGUE ACCOUNTS:

@NBA / @NBAPR / @NBAOfficials / @NBA_Labor / @NBAHistory / @NBAAllStar / @NBATV / NBATVCanada / @NBAJamSession / @TheNBPA / @NBAStore / @nbacares / @NBAStatsCube / @Ene_Be_A

NATIONAL WRITERS:

Adrian Wojnaroski / Yahoo! / @WojYahooNBA

Chris Sheridan / SheridanHoops.com / @SheridanHoops

Ian Thomsen / SI.com / @SI_IanThomsen

Chris Mannix / SI.com / @ChrisMannixSI

Sam Amick / SI.com / @sam_amick

Zach Lowe / SI.com / @ZachLowe_SI

Howard Beck / New York Times / @HowardBeckNYT

Jonathan Abrams / Grantland / @jpdabrams

Ken Berger / CBSSports.com / @KBergCBS

Marc J. Spears / Yahoo! / @SpearsNBAHoops

Josh Robbins / Orlando Sentinel / @JoshuaBRobbins

Brian Mahoney / Associated Press / @briancmahoney

Sean Deveney / The Sporting News / @SeanDeveney

Mitch Lawrence / New York Daily News

Peter Vecsey / New York Post

Eddie Sefko / Dallas Morning News

John Jackson / Chicago Sun-Times

Scott Soshnick / Bloomberg News / @soshnick

Steve Luhm / Salt Lake Tribune / @sluhm

Jeff Zillgitt / USA Today / @usat_jzillgitt

J. Michael Falgoust / USA Today / @jmikeNBAusat

Gary Washburn / Boston Globe / @gwashburn14

ESPN / @NBAonESPN

Chris Broussard / @Chris_Broussard

Marc Stein / @ESPNSteinLine

Chad Ford / @ChadFordInsider

Brian Windhorst / @windhorstespn

J.A. Adande / @jadande

Henry Abbott / @TrueHoop

Kevin Arnovitz / @KevinArnovitz

John Hollinger / @JohnHollinger

Chris Palmer / @ESPNChrisPalmer

Tom Haberstroh / @TomHaberstroh

David Thorpe / @coachthorpe

Ric Bucher / @ricbucher

Michael Wilbon / @RealMikeWilbon

Larry Coon / @LarryCoon

Jordan Brenner / @JordanBrenner

NBA.COM / @NBA:

Scott Howard-Cooper / @SHowardCooper

David Aldridge / @daldridgetnt

Steve Aschburner / @AschNBA

John Schuhmann / @johnschuhmann

Shaun Powell / @Powell2daPeople

Sekou Smith / @SekouSmithNBA

Fran Blinebury / @FranBlinebury

NBA TV / @NBATV

Rick Kamla / @NBATVRick

Dennis Scott / @3Deezy

Steve Smith / @Steve21Smith

Greg Anthony / @GregAnthony50

Cheryl Miller / @NBATVCheryl

Chris Webber / @RealChrisWebber

Matt Winer / @Matt_Winer

Vince Cellini / @Vince_Cellini

NBA D-League / @nbadleague

Austin Toros / @austintoros (Affiliate of: Spurs)
Bakersfield Jam / @BakersfieldJam (Affiliate of: Clippers/Suns/Raptors)
Canton Charge / @cantoncharge (Affiliate of: Cavaliers)
Dakota Wizards / @DakotaWizards (Affiliate of: Warriors)
Erie BayHawks / @ErieBayHawks (Affiliate of: Knicks)
Fort Wayne Mad Ants / @TheMadAnts (Affiliate of: Pistons/Pacers/Bucks)
Idaho Stampede / @IdahoStampede (Affiliate of: Nuggets/Trail Blazers/Jazz)
Iowa Energy / @iowaenergy (Affiliate of: Bulls/Hornets/Wizards)
Los Angeles D-Fenders / @Dfenders (Affiliate of: Lakers)
Maine Red Claws / @maineredclaws (Affiliate of: Celtics/Bobcats/76ers)
Reno Bighorns / @renobighorns (Affiliate of: Hawks/Grizzlies/Kings)
Rio Grande Valley Vipers / @rgvvipers (Affiliate of: Rockets)
Sioux Falls Skyforce / @SFSkyforce (Affiliate of: Heat/Timberwolves/Magic)
Springfield Armor / @armorhoops (Affiliate of: Nets)
Texas Legends / @TexasLegendsNBA (Affiliate of: Mavericks)
Tulsa 66ers / @Tulsa66ers (Affiliate of: Thunder)

LEAGUE-WIDE BLOGS:

ESPN TrueHoop / @TrueHoop / @TrueHoopTV / @TrueHoopNetwork

HoopsHype / @hoopshype

InsideHoops.com / @insidehoops

Hoopsworld / @hoopsworld / @SteveKylerNBA / @AlexKennedyNBA / @EricPincus @TommyBeer / @AlexRaskinNYC / @LangGreene / @TheRocketGuy / @JFlemingHoops

NBC Pro Basketball Talk / @basketballtalk / @KurtHelin / @BrettEP / @Rotoworld_BK / @Docktora / @AaronBruski / @AdamLevitan / @Mr_norof

CBS Eye on Basketball / @EyeOnBasketball

New York Times Off the Dribble / @HowardBeckNYT / @robmahoney / @nytcloseup

Yahoo! Ball Don’t Lie / @KDonHoops

Hardwood Paroxysm / @HPBasketball

RealGM / @RealGM

The Breakdown with Dave & Audley / @BreakdownShow / @DaveMendonca / @theaudman

I am a GM / @iamagm

The Basketball Jones / @jeskeets / @tasmelas / @TreyKerby / @ScottCarefoot

SB Nation / @SBNationNBA / @teamziller

Hoops Addict / @ryanmcneill

The Hoop Doctors / @anklesnap

Shaky Ankles / @ShakyAnkles

The No Look Pass / @TheNoLookPass

About.com NBA / @charliezegers

Hardcourt Mayhem / @JoshDhani

The Chase Down Block / @Mark_Travis / @jakin1013

The Sports Network / @JFMcMullen

NBAtipoff / @NBAtipoff

The Starting Five / @michaeltillery

TNT / @NBAonTNT

Ernie Johnson / @TurnerSportsEJ

Kenny Smith / @TheJetOnTNT

Shaquille O’Neal / @SHAQ

Reggie Miller / @ReggieMillerTNT

Craig Sager / TNT_CraigSager

Mike Fratello / @MikeFratello

MAGAZINES:

SLAMonline / @SLAMonline / @bosborne17 / @marcel_mutoni / @TTwersky / @LangWhitaker / @RussBengtson / @mdotbrown / @San_Dova /

DimeMag.com / @DimeMag / @the_real_aron / @SEANesweeney

HoopMag.com / @HoopMag

STAT HEADS:

Basketball Prospectus / @bballprospectus / @kpelton / @bbdoolittle / @Sportsref_Neil

Hoopdata / @hoopdata

Basketball Reference / @bball_ref

82games.com /

BasketballValue.com / @basketballvalue

Popcorn Machine / @pmgameflows

APBR Metrics /

The Wages of Wins Journal /

NBA.com Stats Cube /

Hickory-High / @HickoryHigh

DRAFTNIKS:

Draft Express / @DraftExpress

NBADraft.net / @nbadraftnet

NBA Draft Blog / @nbadraftblog

My NBA Draft /

NBA Draft History

Swish Scout / @swishscout

FANTASY

Xs & Os / SCOUTING:

NBA LAW/CONTRACTS

Sports Law 101 / @sportslaw101

OTHER DOPENESS:

Hoopism / @hoopisms

HoopSpeak / @HoopSpeak / @beckleymason / @SherwoodStrauss

TEAMS:

Atlanta Hawks / @Atlanta_Hawks / Facebook

Beat Writers

Michael Cunningham / Atlanta Journal Constitution / @ajchawks

Blogs

Players

Al Horford / @Al_Horford
Joe Johnson / @TheJoeJohnson2
Zaza Pachulia / @zaza27
Jannero Pargo / @jpargo1
Donald Sloan / @dsloan15
Jeff Teague / @Teague0

Execs

Arthur Triche / VP of PR / @HawksPRGuy

Arenas

Philips Arena / @PhilipsArena

Mascots

Harry the Hawk / @HARRY_THE_HAWK

Boston Celtics / @celtics / Facebook / YouTube / Google+

Beat Writers

Frank Dell’Appa / Boston Globe / @frankdellappa
Gary Dzen / Boston Globe / @globegarydzen
Steve Bulpett / Boston Herald /
Mark Murphy / Boston Herald / @murphmj
Dan Duggan / Boston Herald / @dduggan
Scott Souza / Metro West Daily News / @scott_souza
A. Sherrod Blakely / Comcast Sportsnet / @SherrodbCSN
Jessica Camerato / Comcase Sportsnet / @JCameratoNBA
Chris Forsberg / ESPN Boston / @ESPNForsberg
Paul Flannery / WEEI.com / @pflanns

Blogs

Players

Ray Allen / @greenrayn20
Avery Bradley / @aabradley11
Marquis Daniels / @Marquis_Daniels
JaJuan Johnson / @JaJuanJohnson
Mickael Pietrus / @MickaelPietrus
Paul Pierce / @PaulPierce34
Rajon Rondo / @rajonrondo
Greg Stiemsma / @gregstiemsma

Execs

Rich Gotham / President / @rgotham

Arenas

TD Garden / @tdgarden

Charlotte Bobcats / @bobcats / Facebook

Beat Writers

Rick Bonnell / Charlotte Observer / @rick_bonnell

Blogs

Players

Bismack Biyombo / @bismackbiyombo0
Derrick Brown / @D_Brown4
Matt Caroll / @Matt_Caroll_
Gerald Henderson / @GhJr09
Cory Higgins / @chiggins11
Byron Mullens / @byron22james
Eduardo Najera / @eduardo_najera
Tyrus Thomas / @tyrusthomas
Kemba Walker / @KembaWalker
D.J. White / @dj_white3

Execs

B.J. Evans / Director of Communications / @BobcatsBballPR

Arenas

Time Warner Cable Arena / @TWCArena

Mascots

Rufus Lynx / @rufuslynx

Chicago Bulls / @chicagobulls / Facebook / Bulls Connect

Beat Writers

K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune / @KCJHoop
Neil Hayes / Chicago Sun-Times / @bynhayes
Mike McGraw / Daily Herald / @McGrawDHBulls
Nick Friedell / ESPN Chicago / @ESPNChiBulls
Sam Smith / Bulls.com Blog / @SamSmithHoops
Adam Fluck / Bulls.com Blog /
Aggrey Sam / CSN Chicago / @CSNBullsInsider

Blogs

Players

Carlos Boozer / @MisterCBooz
Ronnie Brewer / @RonnieBrewerJr
Jimmy Butler / @mr_2eight1
Luol Deng / @LuolDeng9
Taj Gibson / @TajGibson22
Kyle Korver / @KyleKorver
John Lucas III / @luke1luk
C.J. Watson / @quietstorm_32

Execs

Bull PR / @ChicagoBulls_PR

Arenas

United Center / @unitedcenter

Mascots

Benny the Bull / @bennythebull

Cleveland Cavaliers / @cavs / Facebook / Podcasts / Cav Fanatic

Beat Writers

Mary Schmitt Boyer / The Plain Dealer / @pdcavsinsider
Bob Finnan / The News-Herald / @BobCavsInsider
Tom Withers / AP / @twithersap

Blogs

Waiting for Next Year / @WFNYScott / @WFNYCraig / @RockWFNY / @RickWFNY /
Cavs: The Blog / @johnkrolik
Fear the Sword / @FearTheSword
Right Down Euclid / @KJG_CodyN
Stepien Rules / @ChrisGrantland
Real Cavs Fans /

Players

Omri Casspi / @casspi18
Christian Eyenga / @christeyenga8
Alonzo Gee / @GeeAlonzo
Daniel Gibson / @BooBysWorld1
Kyrie Irving / @KyrieIrving
Anthony Parker / @AMP1808
Samardo Samuels / @samardo24
Tristan Thompson / @RealTrist13

Execs

Dan Gilbert / Owner / @cavsdan

Arenas

Quicken Loans Areana / @TheQGirls

Mascots

Sir CC / @CavsSirCC

Dallas Mavericks / @dallasmavs / @mcuban / Facebook / YouTube

Beat Writers

Eddie Sefko / The Dallas Morning News /
Dwain Price / Star-Telegram / @DwainPrice
Jeff Caplan / ESPN Dallas / @ESPN_Caplan
Tim MacMahon / ESPN Dallas / @espn_macmahon

Blogs

Players

Brian Cardinal / @BrianCardinal
Vince Carter / @mrvincecarter15
Dominique Jones / @Dojo20
Jason Kidd / @RealJasonKidd
Ian Mahinmi / @Ianmahinmi
Shawn Marion / @matrix31
Dirk Nowitzki / @swish41
Lamar Odom / @reallamarodom
Jason Terry / @jasonterry31
Delonte West / @CharleeRedz13

Execs

Mark Cuban / Owner / @mcuban

Mascots

Champ / @MavsChamp
Mavs Man / @OfficialMavsMan

Denver Nuggets / @denvernuggets / Facebook / YouTube / Google+

Beat Writers

Benjamin Hochman / The Denver Post / @nuggetsnews
Chris Dempsey / The Denver Post / @dempseypost
Aaron Lopez / Nuggets.com / @Lopez_Nuggets

Blogs

Players

Arron Afflalo / @Arron_Afflalo
Corey Brewer / @CoreyBrewer13
DeMarre Carroll / @DeMarreCarroll1
Kenneth Faried / @KennethFaried35
Rudy Fernandez / @rudy5fernandez
Danilo Gallinari / @gallinari8888
Jordan Hamilton / @J_Goin_Ham
Kosta Koufos / @kostakoufos
Ty Lawson / @tylawson3
JaVale McGee / @JaValeMcGee34
Julyan Stone / @J_Stone5

Arenas

Pepsi Center / @Pepsi_Center

Mascots

Rocky the Lion / @RockyTheLion

Detroit Pistons / @detroitpistons / Facebook

Beat Writers

Dave Mayo / MLIVE Media Group / @David_Mayo
Dave Pemberton / Oakland Journal - Pistons’ Point / @drpemberton
Dave Hogg / AP / @Stareagle
Brendan Savage / Flint Journal / @BrendanSavage
Vincent Goodwill / Detroit News / @vgoodwill
Vince Ellis / Detroit Free Press / @VinceEllis56

Blogs

Players

Austin Daye / @Adaye5
Ben Gordon / @BenGordon8
Jonas Jerebko / @JonasJerebko
Brandon Knight / @BrandonKnight12
Vernon Macklin / @vernon_macklin
Jason Maxiell / @JasonMaxiell
Greg Monroe / @G_Monroe10
Charlie Villanueva / @CV31

Execs

Tom Gores / Owner / @TomGores

Arenas

The Palace / @ThePalace

Golden State Warriors / @warriors / Facebook / YouTube / Google+

Beat Writers

Rusty Simmons / San Francisco Chronicle / Blog / @Rusty_SFChron
Marcus Thompson / Mercury News / @gswscribe
Matt Steinmetz / Comcast Bay Area / @MSteinmetzCSN
Tim Kawakami / Mercury News / @TimKawakami

Blogs

Players

Stephen Curry / @stephencurry30
Charles Jenkins / @CTJenkins22
David Lee / @DLee042
Brandon Rush / @KCsFinest24
Ishmael Smith / @ishsmith
Klay Thompson / @klaythompson
Jeremy Tyler / @jeremytyler3

Execs

Peter Guber / Owner / @PeterGuber
Dan Martinez / PR Director / @dmar

Arenas

Oracle Arena / @OracleArenaSMG

Houston Rockets / @Rockets / Facebook

Beat Writers

Jonathan Feigen / Houston Chronicle / @Jonathan_Feigen

Blogs

Players

Jeff Adrien / @Adrien4
Chase Budinger / @CBudinger
Marcus Camby / @MarcusCamby23
Samuel Dalembert /
Goran Dragic / @Goran_Dragic
Courtney Lee / @CourtneyLee2211
Kyle Lowry / @Klow7
Marcus Morris / @MookMorris2
Chandler Parsons / @ChandlerParsons
Patrick Patterson / @pdpatt
Luis Scola / @LScola4

Execs

Daryl Morey / GM / @dmorey

Arenas

Toyota Center / @ToyotaCenterTix

Mascot

Clutch the Bear / @clutchthebear

Indiana Pacers / @Pacers / Facebook / Google+

Beat Writers

Mike Wells / Indy Star / @MikeWellsNBA

Blogs

Players

Leandro Barboso / @leandrinhooo20
Darren Collison / @Darren_Collison

Paul George / @King24George

Danny Granger / @dgranger33

Tyler Hansbrough / @THANS50

Roy Hibbert / @Hoya2aPacer

George Hill / @George_Hill3

Jeff Pendergraph / @TheRealJP31

A.J. Price / @realajprice

Lance Stephenson / @StephensonLance

David West / @D_West30

Execs

David Benner / Director of Media Relations / @PacersDMB

Krissy Myers / Media Relations Rep / @PacersKrissy

Arenas

Bankers Life Fieldhouse / @TheFieldHouse

Mascots

Boomer / @PacersBoomer

L.A. Clippers / @LAClippers / Facebook

Beat Writers

Brad Turner / L.A. Times / @BA_Turner

Blogs

Players

Caron Butler / @realtuffjuice
Reggie Evans / @ReggieEvans30
Randy Foye / @randyfoye
Ryan Gomes / @gotgomes
Blake Griffin / @blakegriffin
DeAndre Jordan / @deandrejordan
Travis Leslie / @FlightLeslie23
Chris Paul / @CP3
Trey Thompkins / @TreyThompkins
Mo Williams / @mogotti25
Nick Young / @NickSwagyPYoung

Arenas

Staples Center / @STAPLESCenterLA

L.A. Lakers / @lakers / Facebook / Podcasts

Beat Writers

Kevin Ding / The Orange County Register / @KevinDing
Janis Carr / The Orange County Register / @janiscarr
Mike Bresnahan / L.A. Times / @Mike_Bresnahan
Elliot Teaford / Daily Breeze / @ElliotTeaford
Dave McMenamin / ESPNLA.com / @mcten
Brian and Andy Kamenetzky / ESPNLA.com / @ESPNLandOLakers
Mike Trudell / Lakers.com Blog / @LakersReporter

Blogs

Players

Matt Barnes / @Matt_Barnes22
Steve Blake / @SteveBlake5
Devin Ebanks / @DevinEbanks3
Christian Eyenga / @christeyenga8
Andrew Goudelock / @0goudelock
Pau Gasol / @paugasol
Jordan Hill / @jordanchill43
Darius Morris / @dariusmorris4
Metta World Peace / @MettaWorldPeace

Execs

Jeanie Buss / EVP / @JeanieBuss

Arenas

Staples Center / @STAPLESCenterLA

Memphis Grizzlies / @memgrizz / Facebook

Beat Writers

Chris Herrington / Memphis Flyer / @FlyerGrizzBlog
Ronald Tillery / Commercial Appeal / @CAGrizzBlog

Blogs

Players

Tony Allen / @aa000G9
Darrell Arthur / @darthur00
Mike Conley / @mconley11
Dante Cunningham / @DlamarC33
Marc Gasol / @MarcGasol
Rudy Gay / @rudygay22
O.J. Mayo / @juicemayo32
Jeremy Pargo / @therightpargo1
Quincy Pondexter / @quincypondexter
Zach Randolph / @MacBo50
Josh Selby / @JoshSelby2
Marresse Speights / @mospeights16

Arenas

FedEx Forum / @FedExForum

Mascots

Grizz / @grizz

Miami Heat / @MiamiHEAT / Facebook / YouTube / Message Boards

Beat Writers

Ethan Skolnick / Palm Beach Post / @EthanJSkolnick

Tom Haberstroh / ESPN’s Heat Index / @tomhaberstroh

Michael Wallace / ESPN’s Heat Index / @WallaceNBA_ESPN

Brian Windhorst / ESPN’s Heat Index / @WindhorstESPN

Joseph Goodman / Miami Herald / @MiamiHeraldHeat

Ira Winderman / South Florida SunSentinel / @IraHeatBeat

Chris Tomassen / Fox Sports Florida / @ChrisTomasson

Blogs

Players

Shane Battier / @ShaneBattier
Chris Bosh / @chrisbosh
Mario Chalmers / @mchalmers15
Mickell Gladness / @UpnComin32
Terrel Harris / @T_Harris87
Udonis Haslem / ThisisUD
LeBron James / @KingJames
Mike Miller / @m33m
Dexter Pittman / @PUN45
Dwyane Wade / @DwyaneWade

Execs

Micky Arison / Owner / @MickyArison

Mascots

Burnie / @BurnieTheMascot

Milwaukee Bucks / @Bucks / Facebook / YouTube / Flickr / Foursquare / LinkedIn / PicPlz

Beat Writers

Charles Gardner / Journal Sentinel / @cfgardner
Gery Woelfel / Journal Times / @gerywoelfel

Blogs

Players

Andrew Bogut / @AndrewMBogut
Jon Brockman / @MrJonBrockman
Carlos Delfino / @cabezadelfino
Tobias Harris / @tobias31
Brandon Jennings / @BRAND0NJENNINGS
Jon Leuer / @JLeu30
Luc Mbah a Moute / @MbahaMoute
Larry Sanders / @LarrySanders
Ekpe Udoh / @EkpeUdoh

Arenas

Bradley Center / @BradleyCenter

Mascots

Bango / @BucksBango

Minnesota Timberwolves / @MNTimberwolves / Facebook / YouTube / Google+

Beat Writers

Jerry Zgoda / Star Tribune / @JerryZgoda

Ray Richardson / Pioneer Press / @TWolvesNow

Blogs

A Wolf Among Wolves / @mdotbrown / @talkhoops
Dunking with Wolves / @DWWdotcom
Canis Hoopus / @canishoopus
Howlin’ T-Wolf / @HowlinTWolf
Punch-Drunk Wolves / @PDWolves
Hoopsworld / @Stephenlitel
TC Huddle
Howl at the Moon /
T-Wolves Blog /

Players

J.J. Barea / @jjbareapr
Michael Beasley / @8MichaelBeasley
Wayne Ellington / @WayneElli22
Malcolm Lee / @leezy3
Kevin Love / @kevinlove
Anthony Randolph / TheARandolph
Ricky Rubio / @rickyrubio9
Anthony Tolliver / @ATolliver44
Martell Webster / @MartellWebster
Derrick Williams / @RealDWill7

Execs

Chris Wright / President / @WolvesPrez
T-Wolves PR (joint account) / @Twolves_PR

Arenas

Target Center / @TargetCenterMN

Mascots

Crunch the Wolf / @WolvesCrunch

New Jersey Nets / @netsbasketball / Facebook / YouTube / Flickr / Formspring / Tumblr

Beat Writers

Stefan Bondy / New York Daily News / @NYDNInterNets
Andy Vasquez / Bergen Record / @andy_vasquez
Colin Stephenson / The Star-Ledger / @colinledger
Fred Kerber / New York Post / @NYPost_Nets
Mike Mazzeo / ESPN New York / @MazzESPN
Ben Couch / NBA.com/Nets / @viewfromcouch

Blogs

Players

MarShon Brooks / @Marshon2
Dennis Horner / @DHorner31
Kris Humphries / @KrisHumphries
Damion James / @KONJames10
Anthony Morrow / @BlackBoiPachino
Johan Petro / @Frenchi27
Deron Williams / @DeronWilliams
Jordan Williams / @jwilliams20
Shelden Williams / @sheldenwilliams

Execs

Brett Yormark / CEO / @brettyormark
Billy King / GM / @bkdefend
Gary Sussman / VP of PR / @sussez

Nets PR / @Nets_PR

Arenas

Prudential Center / @PruCenter
Barclays Center / @barclayscenter

Mascots

Sly Fox / @NetsSlyFox

New Orleans Hornets / @hornets / Facebook / YouTube

Beat Writers

Jimmy Smith / The Times Picayune / @JimmySmithTP
John Reid / The Times Picayune / @JohnReidTP
Jim Eichenhofer / Hornets.com / @jim_eichenhofer

Blogs

Players

Al-Farouq Aminu / @farouq1
Trevor Ariza / @TrevorAriza
Marco Bellinelli / @marcobellinelli
Eric Gordon / @TheOfficialEG10
Jarrett Jack / @JarrettJack03
Trey Johnson / @MrTreyJ
Chris Kaman / @ChrisKaman
Carl Landry / @CarlLandry24
DaJuan Summers / @dsummers35
Greivis Vasquez / @greivisvasquez

Execs

Hugh Weber / President / @hughweber1

Hornets PR / @HornetsPR

Arenas

New Orleans Arena / @NewOrleansArena

New York Knicks / @nyknicks / Facebook / YouTube / Foursquare / KnicksNow

Beat Writers

Howard Beck / New York Times / @HowardBeckNYT
Alan Hahn / MSG / @alanhahn
Frank Isola / New York Daily News / @FisolaNYDN
Marc Berman / New York Post / @NYPost_Berman
Al Iannazone / The Bergen Record / @al_iannazzone
Ian Begley / ESPN New York / @IanBegley

Blogs

Players

Carmelo Anthony / @carmeloanthony
Tyson Chandler / @tysonchandler
Baron Davis / @Baron_Davis
Landry Fields / @landryfields
Josh Harrellson / @BigJorts55
Jerome Jordan / @jerome_jordan
Jeremy Lin / @JLin7
Steve Novak / @stevenovak20
Iman Shumpert / @I_Am_Iman
JR Smith / @TheRealJRSmith
Amar’e Stoudemire / @Amareisreal

Execs

Scott O'Neil / President / @ScottONeil_MSG
Drew Cloud / VP of Ticket Sales and Service / @drew_cloud

Arenas

Madison Square Garden / @MSGnyc

Oklahoma City Thunder / @okcthunder / Facebook

Beat Writers

Darnell Mayberry / The Oklahoman / @DarnellMayberry

Blogs

Players

Cole Aldrich / @colea45
Nick Collison / @nickcollison4
Daequan Cook / @DC4three
Kevin Durant / @KDTrey5
Derek Fisher / @DerekFisher
James Harden / @JHarden13
Serge Ibaka / @sergeibaka9
Royal Ivey / @ROYALTIVEY
Reggie Jackson / @MiniT21
Eric Maynor / @EYMaynor3
Nazr Mohammed / @NazrMohammed
Thabo Sefolosha / @ThaboSefolosha
Russell Westbrook / @russwest44

Execs

Vicki Guera / Communications Manager / @okcVickiG

Arenas

Chesapeake Energy Arena / @ChesapeakeArena

Mascots

Rumble the Bison / @rumblethebison

Orlando Magic / @orlando_magic / @El_OrlandoMagic / Facebook / YouTube /

Beat Writers

Josh Robbins / Orlando Sentinel / @JoshuaBRobbins
Brian Schmitz / Orlando Sentinel / @magicinsider
Sam Gardner / Fox Sports Florida / @Sam_Gardner
John Denton / OrlandoMagic.com / @JohnDenton555

Blogs

Players

Ryan Anderson / @ryananderson33
Earl Clark / @3eazy
Glen Davis / @iambigbaby11
Chris Duhon / @CDuhonStandTall
Justin Harper / @Tru_Harp32
Dwight Howard / @DwightHoward
Jameer Nelson / @jameernelson
Daniel Orton / @danielorton21
J.J. Redick / @jjredick47
Jason Richardson / @jrich23
Quentin Richardson / @Qrich
Von Wafer / @vonwafer13

Execs

Pat Williams / SVP / @OrlandoMagicPat

Arenas

Amway Center / @AmwayCenter

Mascots

STUFF / @STUFF_Mascot

Philadelphia 76ers / @Sixers / Facebook / YouTube / Flickr

Beat Writers

John Mitchell / Deep Sixer / @DeepSixer3
Marc Narducci / Deep Sixer / @sjnard
Bob Cooney / Sixerville / @BobCooney76
Kate Fagan / X&O / @KateFagan3

Blogs

Players

Lavoy Allen / @BroadStBully24
Craig Brackins / @C_Brackins33
Spencer Hawes / @spencerhawes00
Jrue Holiday / @Jrue_Holiday11
Andre Iguodala / @MindofAI9
Jodie Meeks / @jmeeks20
Marresse Speights / @mospeights16
Evan Turner / @thekidet
Sam Young / @SamYoung4

Execs

Adam Aron / CEO and Co-Owner / @SixersCEOAdam
Michael Preston / Director of PR / @Preston76

Allen Lumpkin / Director of Basketball Administration / @biglumpal

Arenas

Wells Fargo Center / @WellsFargoCtr

Phoenix Suns / @PhoenixSuns / Facebook / Google+ / LinkedIn / Foursquare / YouTube

Beat Writers

Paul Coro / The Arizona Republic / Orange Slices Blog / @paulcoro
Jeff Heisner / ABC 15 / @JeffHeisner

Blogs

Players

Shannon Brown / @ShannonBrown
Josh Childress / @JChillin
Jared Dudley / @JaredDudley619
Channing Frye / @Channing_Frye
Marcin Gortat / @MGortat
Grant Hill / @realgranthill33
Robin Lopez / @eegabeeva88
Markieff Morris / @keefmorris
Steve Nash / @SteveNash
Garret Siler / @Big_G_21
Hakim Warrick / @hdubb21

Execs

Robert Sarver / Owner / @RobertSarver
Jeramie McPeek / VP of Digital / @jmcpeek
Rebecca Clark / PR Coordinator / @SunsPRgirl

Arenas

US Airways Center / @USAirwaysCenter

Mascots

The Suns Gorilla / @SunsGorilla

Portland Trailblazers / @pdxtrailblazers / Facebook / Blogs / I am a Trail Blazers Fan

Beat Writers

Joe Freeman / The Oregonian / @BlazerFreeman
Chris B. Haynes / Comcast NW / @ChrisBHaynes

Blogs

Players

LaMarcus Aldridge / @aldridge_12
Nicolas Batum / @nicolas88batum
Jamal Crawford / @JCrossover
Jonny Flynn / @J_Flynn
Armon Johnson / @AJALLDAY1
J.J. Hickson / @JJHickson31
Wesley Matthews / @wessywes2
Mehmet Okur / @MehmetOkur13
Craig Smith / @Csmeezy1
Nolan Smith / @NdotSmitty
Hasheem Thabeet / @HasheemTheDream
Elliot Williams / @ewill901
Shawne Williams / @ShawneWill3

Execs

Paul Allen / Owner / @PaulGAllen
Jim Taylor / Senior Director of Communications / @BlazerFlack

Arenas

Rose Garden / @rosequarter

Sacramento Kings / @sacramentokings / Facebook / YouTube / Google+ / Instagram

Beat Writers

Jason Jones / Sacramento Bee / @mr_jasonjones

Blogs

Players

DeMarcus Cousins / @boogiecousins
Tyreke Evans / @TyrekeEvans
Jimmer Fredette / @jimmerfredette
Francisco Garcia / @cisco32
Donte Greene / @DonteGreeneCOS
Chuck Hayes / @c_hayes44
Tyler Honeycutt / @thoneycutt23
Isaiah Thomas / @Isaiah_Thomas2
Jason Thompson / @jtthekid
Marcus Thornton / @OfficialMT23
Terrence Williams / @TheRealTWill
Hassan Whiteside / @youngwhiteside

Execs

Gavin Maloof / Vice Chairman and Co-Owner / @GavMaloof
Joe Maloof / President and Co-Owner / @JoeMaloof
Chris Clark / Director of Public Relations / @C2KingsPR

Arenas

Power Balance Pavilion / @pbpav

Mascots

Slamson the Lion / @SlamsonTheLion

San Antonio Spurs / @spurs / Facebook / YouTube / Flickr

Beat Writers

Jeff McDonald / San Antonio Express-News / @JMcDonald_SAEN
Tim Griffin / San Antonio Express-News /

Blogs

Players

DeJuan Blair / @DeJuan45
Boris Diaw / @theborisdiaw
Manu Ginobili / @manuginobili
Danny Green / @dgreen_14
Cory Joseph / @Cory_Joe
Kawhi Leonard / TheBig_Island
Gary Neal / @GNeal14
Tony Parker / @tp9network
Tiago Splitter / @tiagosplitter

Mascots

The Coyote / @SpursCoyote

Toronto Raptors / @raptors / Facebook / YouTube / Google+ / Raptorspace

Beat Writers

Doug Smith / The Toronto Star / @SmithRaps
Ryan Wolstat / Toronto Sun / @WolstatSun
Mike Ganter / Toronto Sun / @Mike_Ganter
Eric Koreen / National Post / @ekoreen

Blogs

Players

Andrea Bargnani / @andreabargnani
Ed Davis / @eddavis32
DeMar Derozan / @DeMar_DeRozan
Gary Forbes / @gforbz3
Amir Johnson / @iamamirjohnson

Execs

Jim LaBumbard / Director of Media Relations / @jlombo07
Raptors PR / @RaptorsPR

Arenas

Air Canada Centre / @ACC_Events

Mascots

The Raptor / @the_raptor

Utah Jazz / @utahjazz / Facebook / YouTube / Utah Jazz 360

Beat Writers

Brian T. Smith / Salt Lake Tribune / @tribjazz
Steve Luhm / Salt Lake Tribune / @sluhm
Jody Genessy / Deseret News / @DJJazzyJody

Blogs

Players

Alec Burks / @AlecBurks10
Derrick Favors / @DFavors14/
Gordon Hayward / @gordonhayward
Enes Kanter / @Enes_Kanter
C.J. Miles / @CJMiles34
Earl Watson / @Earl_Watson

Execs

Greg Miller / CEO / @GreginUtah
Jonathan Rinehart / Director of PR / @jonrinehart

Arenas

EnergySolutions Arena / @ESArenaOfficial

Mascots

Jazz Bear / @utahjazzbear

Washington Wizards / @WashWizards / Facebook / Ted’s Take

Beat Writers

Michael Lee / The Washington Post / @MrMichaelLee

Carla Peay / The Washington Times / @ckpeay
Craig Stouffer / The Washington Examiner / @craigstouffer

Blogs

Players

Andray Blatche / @drayblatche
Trevor Booker / @trevor_booker
Jordan Crawford / @jcraw55
Shelvin Mack / @ShelvinMack
Roger Mason / @MoneyMase
Hamady Ndiaye / @H55Ndiaye
Kevin Seraphin / @kevin_seraphin
Chris Singleton / @C_Sing31
Jan Vesely / @24JanVesely
John Wall / @John_Wall

Arenas

Verizon Center / @verizoncenterpr

Mascots

G-Wiz / @the_real_Gwiz

Three years ago today...

2011-10-26T23:58:00.047-04:00

...I launched PeterRobertCasey.com.

The primary purpose, at the time, was to break into the business of basketball. Blogging was to be used as a networking tool, a place to learn in 'real-time.' All in public. To meet people, but with the end goal of helping to facilitate getting a job in hoops.

Well, I've landed.

It didn't take all three years to meet the mission, but after waking up from one of those "What day is it?" two-hour naps, I recalled the personal significance of October 26th, partly because I found myself helping someone else accomplish the same goal earlier in the day.

That's the beauty of it. I started blogging with a selfish intent -- to help "myself" get a job -- but quickly realized that's not how the "real world" works. You build trust, respect, and authority by helping others. Not yourself. And it took the practice of blogging to really absorb that truth.

The journey started with a void. I was working in higher education administration at the time. Life was comfy, cozy. Newly married. Nice job title. Decent salary. Great benefits. All en route to earning an Ivy League master's education, mostly on the school's dime. Yet I was unfulfilled.

I went to graduate school at night, on a part-time basis after work. While taking an elective course in Higher Education, I looked around the classroom and saw passion. Passion in the subject. Passion for the industry. You could see it in my classmates' eyes. Certainly not mine.

I liked working with students. And, sure, you could say I was 'helping' them. But every day that I went home and looked back on the day, I felt unsatisfied. Incomplete. The one key learning in my core curriculum of Organizational Psychology was that the biggest motivator in the workplace wasn't money. Or benefits. Or recognition. Or any other extrinsic element. It was enjoyment of the actual work.

I didn't have it, and I needed to get off that treadmill.

The class went on for another hour. I spent the duration of the session with my head buried in a notebook, jotting down the names of basketball figures who inspired me. Hoops had been my lifelong passion, but I was looking for a second act and thought that ship had sailed. I would be wrong.

I 'Googled' all of the names on the list I drew up. Read their bios. Digested their journeys. Strangely, I noticed, they all didn't follow the same path. Some took the traditional, well-beaten course of player to coach to front office professional. Others must have had a moment like I did, a deep acknowledgement of that void, and consciously decided to act on their passion.

I raced home, told my wife about the moment, and vowed to dive head-first into hoops after graduating and returning from our honeymoon in July 2008. She was very supportive. Encouraging, in fact, too. And I still owe her a lot for the sacrifices she made.

Goodbye, Europe. Welcome back to New York.

On Sunday, July 13, 2008, I hopped on LinkedIn and came across the profile of Greg Marius, CEO of the famed Entertainer's Basketball Classic at Rucker Park. I shot him a note through the platform: "Recent Columbia grad looking to help. For free." My phone rang an hour later, and I was at the park the following night after work, immediately put to task on ghost-writing corporate sponsorship proposals.

Ahh, the value of social media.

Little did I know at the time, while looking to expand my work experience, I also found a 'niche' for my blog. And a go-to value proposition needed to break into the business. Every Monday through Thursday, for the following five weeks, I'd close up shop at the office at 5 p.m., hop on the B or D train at 125th street and spend my evenings at Rucker Park -- soaking in the park's rich history, watching hoops and refining my writing skills.

The summer of 2008 was rapidly coming to a close and I still needed to build my chops. Why not pitch SLAM on the idea of covering the EBC finals for their site? I'd been writing private pitch letters all summer and spent three years at that point carefully responding to dozens of daily email inquiries about student health insurance. It was time to take this writing thing public, and SLAM obliged.

One article became two. Two became three. And thanks to a high school friend and pair of kind strangers from the Worldwide Leader, the trio of SLAM pieces spawned into a quintet of write-ups for E.S.P.N. The Magazine. Soon enough, I had a guest blogging post on Bounce Magazine. Things were going really well, and I was more than excited. I lost a lot of sleep, but who needs sleep when you're getting closer to your goal?

I found my next act - writing - and had nearly 10 articles floating independently in the digital universe. I'd drop 'em on Facebook and Twitter, but I needed a home base to anchor it all together. A hub. A place to continue my craft when the outside writing opportunities dried up.

And so this blog was born.

I went from Pete Casey to Peter Casey to Peter Robert Casey overnight. Dan Schawbel, the personal branding genius, suggested it when I reached out. Mainly because it was wide open in search engine results and 'peterrobertcasey' social media handles were readily available.

Pete Casey was too common. And there were already two quasi-famous Peter Caseys roaming the Earth, an Australian music director and the co-creator of 'Frasier.' I was a little worried about trying to sound too regal or giving off a serial killer vibe with using three names, but I trusted Dan's advice.

"Three first names. One first love. Basketball." It stuck.

The blog, which lacked a clear focus at launch, became a topical site on the intersection of basketball and social media. I would still use the site as a platform to meet new people and learn in real-time, but the learning would be about how the basketball community can maximize the utility of social media to meet their objectives.

The goal was for the site to be a resource. A place where I could experiment, make mistakes and share those miscues and successes with a very small fraction of the basketball world that fell upon my homepage. I interviewed people in the business, extracted tips and resources from dozens of marketing and social media sites, and hired a guy to help enhance my blog's search engine juice.

It was the best investment I've ever made. Not the SEO results; the actual knowledge and application skills I acquired from Mr. Saikat Bose (Thank you, brother). True to his word, more people started reading the blog. Not a lot of people, but the 'right' people. Those who worked in and around the game of basketball, exactly where I wanted to be.

An evolution occurred. Blog visitors became commenters. Commenters became subscribers. Subscribers became connections on other social channels. Social network connections became email and phone conversations. And those dialogues matured into offline relationships, even friendships in some cases.

Jordan Rich's words -- a Boston radio host who I conducted an informational interview with early on -- were proving to be true: "Writing is networking." He asked me how I was going about my job search of trying to break into basketball. When I told him that I was emailing people about openings and sending out my resume, he advised me to abandon that approach immediately.

"Stop asking, start creating. Be useful," he said.

The proverbial light bulb went off. This dude was onto something. Emailing your resume around conveys the message, "I need something from you." It's an ask. Creating useful content, on the other hand, and to whatever extent I was accomplishing that, is an act of giving. And people are more inclined to help "givers" than "ask-ers."

I never sent out another resume again. My LinkedIn profile, Google search results, content and bio on the blog became my resume. I shaped the site's content to focus on how I can showcase the knowledge and work of others via interviews. I read marketing and social media blogs, sifting for applicable knowledge and shared that with the hoops community, re-purposed through a lens that makes sense to them.

Players. Coaches. Trainers. Scouts. Athletic directors. Basketball product and service companies. Media. I started writing with them in mind. "How can I help these folks?" When I interviewed people on the phone, face-to-face or via email, to share their stories and knowledge, a common theme developed: Before hanging up or closing the conversation, they all said "... And let me know how I can help you."

Reciprocation was at work. Giving begat giving.

On a random Friday in August 2009, I saw the voice message icon appear on my phone while I sat on the bus on my way home from work. I had just emerged from the subway. It was Mark Fratto of St. John's University. He was interested in issuing me a press pass to cover the men's basketball team exclusively via my personal Twitter account.

It hadn't been done before, and the story blew up.

The NBA took notice, and so did the Knicks. Apparently, Charlie Murphy and Pau Gasol did too. It was an unbelievable experience, and I learned a lot about the world of basketball media and reporting, all within the limitations of 140-character messages. It forced me to be creative, and learn on the fly.

I traveled to Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Carrier Dome, covered the Big East Tournament and even did a TV-Twitter integration with the Northeast Conference on MSG Network. I became one of the first sports writers for The Huffington Post and had my mug shown on the Madison Square Garden Marquee on my 29th birthday.

A year after that initial conversation with Fratto, the Knicks came calling again. They needed someone to help launch, run and grow KnicksNow.com, their social community for fans, and serve as the online voice for the team's social channels. The timing was perfect. I had ditched my day job at Columbia eight months earlier and my start-up project hadn't taken off.

When the season ended and the NBA lockout hit, I slid over seamlessly to serve as community manager for Five-Star Basketball, the camp where Michael Jordan was discovered, and over 400 NBA and 10,000 Division One players once laced 'em up. I was a three-time camper myself, a huge fan of the brand's history, what it stood for and where they were going, so it was a 'coming home' of sorts for me.

I actually interviewed Leigh Klein, co-owner of Five-Star Basketball Camps, two months into my blogging journey. Leigh didn't hire me, but his colleague who did ... take a guess how we first connected? ... Through a Facebook message, but only after he read my blog. How fitting. It all comes back full circle. Starting this blog was the best decision I've ever made as a professional. Hands down.

Looking to get a job in basketball, too?

"Stop asking, start creating. Be useful." Shout out to Jordan Rich for that timeless advice.

2011 Sports & Social Predictions

2010-12-26T14:33:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, all. 2010 was a great year. Along with some very smart peers, I've included a couple of sports and social media predictions in Jason Peck's 2011 compilation. Enjoy.

Sports Social Media Predictions 2011