New Web Site Aggregates Twitter Feeds, Blog Posts From Athletes

Former ESPN and NBC Sports Producer Douglas Warshaw has founded Jockipedia.com, a Web site that gives sports fans a "simple, centralized way to keep in touch with the expanding digital load" of athletes' social networking sites, according to Richard Sandomir of the N.Y TIMES. Jockipedia aggregates "thousands of links to professional, college and high school athletes’ Twitter and Flickr feeds, blogs, personal Web sites, Facebook and MySpace pages, YouTube video channels and charity sites." Warshaw believes that the site, which operates on a "wikipedia-like format and invites users to create pages" for athletes, can "mine players’ various sites, which are dispersed around the Internet, in a faster, more devoted fashion than Google or other search engines could." Warshaw: "The Tower of Babel is getting bigger. The desire to find people will just get bigger. It just is. It’s like gravity. Every day, more and more athletes, not just the professionals, are doing this online.” Jockipedia currently has sites for about 3,600 athletes and other sports personalities, but Warshaw predicted the site will "have every athlete in the world." Warshaw said that he has "no plans to make Jockipedia into a site for fans, as opposed to one that served fans' desires to stay in touch with athletes." Warshaw: "I want this to be about information directly from the athletes" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/4).

PROCEED WITH CAUTION: In Boston, Shira Springer reported most major sports organizations, including the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB are "putting in place social media guidelines." There are "few, if any, regulations governing content or preventing impersonations" of athletes on social networking Web sites, so leagues, teams and athletes "find themselves negotiating tricky territory." They recognize the "value of more direct contact with fans," but also know that an "ill-timed 'tweet' or Facebook page can create a web of problems." However, "too much oversight may backfire," and for "athletes and organizations alike, the upside still far outweighs the downside" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/3). In Dallas, Richard Durrett noted teams and leagues understand the "marketing possibilities" tied to social networking sites, and are "attempting to use the medium as best they can." NHL Dir of Corporate Communications Michael DiLorenzo: "We want to reach fans where they are, so that's what makes these sites so important." However, leagues and athletes also are "aware of the potential dangers of giving the fans a closer look." Cowboys Dir of PR Rich Dalrymple said that the franchise "spends time monitoring the social media sites, 'discovering the positives and negatives,' and share whatever concerns they have with the players." Dalrymple: "We don't encourage them to enter into new forms of fan interaction, but it is our obligation to provide assistance for those who choose to do so" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/5).

Brenda Frese Believes Twitter Is Helpful For Better Identifying With Recruits

TWITTER 101: In DC, John Barr noted social networking sites have become "crucial tools for college coaches." Every time a "new method of persuading recruits pops up, it is safe to assume coaches will try to figure out how to use it before the NCAA tries to regulate it," though it "remains to be seen what effect, if any, Twitter might have on recruiting." Some analysts believe that "top football or basketball prospects, already hounded in the recruiting process, do not want to be bothered checking up with college coaches on Twitter." But other analysts suggest that Twitter could be the "latest innovation in attracting athletes" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/5). Also in DC, Mark Viera noted some college coaches see Twitter as a "way to connect with recruits and fans." Maryland women's basketball coach Brenda Frese: "I can't tell what they think of my Twitter. But following them on their Twitter allows me, when I get on the phone or send an e-mail, to know what's going on in their life. I think it helps you to know the personality of the recruits you're dealing with" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/5).