Web 2.0 in 2012

Matt Hames

Manager of media communications

Colgate University

@mhames

• What is a social network, and how they are different

• Some examples of social media tools

• How to create content for the Curling Club

• Why it matters

What is a social network?

• For an individual, the value is in the community

• For a curling club, the value is in harnessing the curling community

Who has time for all this?

• The simple fact is, the smart phone in our pocket is a content creator. We can create images and video about our experiences in real time.

The tactics for the curling club

• Facebook has over 850 million members

• On average, more than 250 million photos are uploaded per day

• More photos are uploaded to Facebook with an iPhone than all other cameras combined.

• 49.87% of all Canadians have a profile!

Source: http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics

• Facebook is about connecting people to friends, family, and people with the same interests.

• Or, at least friends and family.

• Facebook wants to plot what is called the social graph.

• Here’s how you think about it: every member that is on Facebook has 132 friends (average).

• If you can get them to talk about their experience, you will be marketing to your members x 132 people.

• Create a Facebook page for your curling club.

• Go to Facebook.com. And click on “Create a page for my business”.

• Send out an e-mail to all members of the club to ask them to “like” the page.

Your strategy

Place this in your locker room

Like us on Facebook

QR Code to Colgate University

• Identify people in the club who can create content. Volunteers. Young people.

• Create content around scores on competitive nights.

• Every bonspiel should have pictures that are uploaded to the Facebook page.

• Bonspiel committee has a Facebook person who creates content around the event. Winners. Etc.

Content strategy

• Ask people in the club to create content.

Content strategy

• Solicit strategy questions online.

• Identify some of your competitive curlers and see if they will answer questions that are asked on Facebook.

• What shot should you play?

• What is the strategy for up one coming home without last rock?

Content strategy

• Post daily updates on the ice as it is going in.

• Post daily pictures of the ice as it goes out.

• Ask people in May to pay their next year’s dues.

• Identify Facebook as a team finder in the summer. Promote it during March and April as a summer team finder.

Content strategy

• Use entirely different ideas that you have for creating content.

• Create a strategy for what you will post.

Content strategy

• YouTube has a vibrant community

• It is also the second most used search engine on the Internet.

Using YouTube to promote

• YouTube offers individuals and organizations the ability to create a channel.

• Visit YouTube.com and click on join.

• Note: this involves creating a separate login than your personal gmail account.

• It should be Curling Club Name.

Create a YouTube Channel

• YouTube offers individuals and organizations the ability to create a channel.

• Visit YouTube.com and click on join.

• Note: this involves creating a separate login than your personal gmail account.

• It should be Curling Club Name.

Add content to YouTube channel

• Video tape the Wednesday night game.

• Video tape the winners at the bonspiel.

• Interview some of your members and ask them why someone should join. Take that content and place it on the Facebook page.

Content for the YouTube channel

Google+

• Oh great, another social network.

Google+

Google+

• With Google’s new “Drive” and Google+, people with an android phone can easily create content for the club.

• Some people might say they don’t know how to get a picture from their phone to Facebook.

Location based social sites

• Google Places and Yelp.ca are local mobile search engines.

• Go to Google.com/places and make sure your curling club is signed up. Fill out all the information relevant to your club so that it can be found.

• Search Yelp.ca to see if your curling is in there.

• Post a notice on your board asking if anyone uses Yelp. If they do, ask them to review the club.

Take control of your online spaces

Yelp.ca

Google Places

Google Places

Google Places

• The Canadian Curling association created a business social networking site for Canadian Curling Clubs.

• This is a place to share ideas, get opinions, talk about what is working and not working.

• There, you will find a video showing you step by step how to get on Google Places. There is step-by-step instructions on creating a YouTube channel.

Ning.CurlingManagers.com

• It is open to all Curling Managers and board members across the country.

• Be honest, it is private and will not be indexed by Google.

• What you say here will stay here.

Ning.CurlingManagers.com

The shift

• Word of mouth has traditionally helped grow the game.

• The difference now is many people have mini-communities of friends and acquaintances. We want to increase the power of word of mouth.

• People turn to Google a lot sooner in their search for things to do. When your club is out there more digitally with Facebook and YouTube, there is an increased chance of being found in search.

Getting the word out

• That’s a digital presence not a website.

• It’s digital real-estate that you have some control over, where people can talk back.

• Where people can engage with what is great about our game.

• Start with current curlers, let them be the content creators.

Start with your current curlers

• Each board meeting or sub committee meeting, talk about what content could be created (video, images) and where the content will go (Facebook, YouTube, the curling club website).

• Ask curlers to create content (or at least like the page).

• Use them as content creators, take advantage of their mini communities.

How to create content

The risk!

• Be smart.

• The “My mom rule”

• Questions