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| Another Confusing Cody Column |
Social Networking Hits
IHSA Athletics
IHSA Athletics
The Illinois High School Association unveiled their Facebook
and Twitter pages on Tuesday. How does social networking
play a role in high school sports?
and Twitter pages on Tuesday. How does social networking
play a role in high school sports?
has become one of the biggest priorities as of late in regards to what people like
myself do.
Once upon a time, one could type a letter to a friend on a typewriter, and then get
off the chair afterward and pick up a newspaper to read.
Then there was a time when one could type a letter to a friend on a word
processor, and then click on an Internet icon and view the news.
Then there was a time when one can type a message to a person on a web page,
and have the news pop up and attract you – on the same web page.
This is the evolution of news delivery in the past 30 years.
The latter example is how news is delivered to most people who are reading this
column. One gets everything they want on one thing. Like an Apple iPhone. Or a
Facebook page.
If you, a person interested in high school sports, want to know what is going on
with the Illinois High School Association, you fish for it by going to their web page.
iPhones and Facebook pages help cut out the middle man. How would you like it if
the IHSA delivers the news to you on a stage you are already familiar with, and
spend a lot of time on?
It is now possible with the IHSA's new Facebook Page (linked at the end of this
page). Any update to that page will be automatically posted to your Facebook
homepage, once you add them as a "fan."
Would you like to know what's on the mind of the IHSA? Twitter, a network devoted
to one question – What are you doing? - can also add the IHSA to it's vast list of
users. Check out the Twitter Page (linked at the end of this page).
According to IHSA Assistant Executive Director Matt Troha, exactly how the two
mediums will be useful is still under consideration. Preliminary ideas are to use
Facebook as a source for news stories, pictures, video, and event promotions.
Twitter would be used for scores and state series updates. In other words, it's like
having a part of the IHSA web site there in front of you while you're on Facebook,
or a press release there in front of you during your tweeting.
Facebook has more than 200 million users throughout the world. It is estimated
that three people on a typical city block have a Facebook page. Throughout
activity on Facebook, several groups and fan pages are formed for various things.
ReaganSports.com has a Facebook group. The Quad City Times prep sports
website, QCVarsity.com, has it's own Facebook profile with game updates and
links to their stories.
There are a lot of other team-related pages on Facebook. A Facebook search for
“Illinois High School Sports” results in many other groups and fan pages pertaining
to Illinois high school sports. A search for “IHSA” results in group pages for
particular IHSA sports and activities. The IHSA Student Advisory Committee has a
Facebook group.
Not even the IHSA is prone to Facebook critics. Other particular interest pages
related to the IHSA also include the “the IHSA multiplier sucks” group, and the “I
Hate the IHSA” group.
Twitter, meanwhile, is less complex and with a simple purpose. People use Twitter
to post tweets, which are messages under 140 characters. It's the ultimate
response to “What's up?” It's role in Illinois high school sports is confined to certain
individuals tapping updates onto their phone.
It won't be long before we see athlete tweets during games.
Links:
IHSA on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Illinois-High-
School-Association-IHSA/103213860215
IHSA on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ihsa_illinois
Cody Cutter is the Publisher of Northern Illinois Sports Beat, and writes columns
about Illinois high school sports. He can be reached at
Northernillinoissportsbeat@yahoo.com.
myself do.
Once upon a time, one could type a letter to a friend on a typewriter, and then get
off the chair afterward and pick up a newspaper to read.
Then there was a time when one could type a letter to a friend on a word
processor, and then click on an Internet icon and view the news.
Then there was a time when one can type a message to a person on a web page,
and have the news pop up and attract you – on the same web page.
This is the evolution of news delivery in the past 30 years.
The latter example is how news is delivered to most people who are reading this
column. One gets everything they want on one thing. Like an Apple iPhone. Or a
Facebook page.
If you, a person interested in high school sports, want to know what is going on
with the Illinois High School Association, you fish for it by going to their web page.
iPhones and Facebook pages help cut out the middle man. How would you like it if
the IHSA delivers the news to you on a stage you are already familiar with, and
spend a lot of time on?
It is now possible with the IHSA's new Facebook Page (linked at the end of this
page). Any update to that page will be automatically posted to your Facebook
homepage, once you add them as a "fan."
Would you like to know what's on the mind of the IHSA? Twitter, a network devoted
to one question – What are you doing? - can also add the IHSA to it's vast list of
users. Check out the Twitter Page (linked at the end of this page).
According to IHSA Assistant Executive Director Matt Troha, exactly how the two
mediums will be useful is still under consideration. Preliminary ideas are to use
Facebook as a source for news stories, pictures, video, and event promotions.
Twitter would be used for scores and state series updates. In other words, it's like
having a part of the IHSA web site there in front of you while you're on Facebook,
or a press release there in front of you during your tweeting.
Facebook has more than 200 million users throughout the world. It is estimated
that three people on a typical city block have a Facebook page. Throughout
activity on Facebook, several groups and fan pages are formed for various things.
ReaganSports.com has a Facebook group. The Quad City Times prep sports
website, QCVarsity.com, has it's own Facebook profile with game updates and
links to their stories.
There are a lot of other team-related pages on Facebook. A Facebook search for
“Illinois High School Sports” results in many other groups and fan pages pertaining
to Illinois high school sports. A search for “IHSA” results in group pages for
particular IHSA sports and activities. The IHSA Student Advisory Committee has a
Facebook group.
Not even the IHSA is prone to Facebook critics. Other particular interest pages
related to the IHSA also include the “the IHSA multiplier sucks” group, and the “I
Hate the IHSA” group.
Twitter, meanwhile, is less complex and with a simple purpose. People use Twitter
to post tweets, which are messages under 140 characters. It's the ultimate
response to “What's up?” It's role in Illinois high school sports is confined to certain
individuals tapping updates onto their phone.
It won't be long before we see athlete tweets during games.
Links:
IHSA on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Illinois-High-
School-Association-IHSA/103213860215
IHSA on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ihsa_illinois
Cody Cutter is the Publisher of Northern Illinois Sports Beat, and writes columns
about Illinois high school sports. He can be reached at
Northernillinoissportsbeat@yahoo.com.
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