Sports teams and organizations fail to measure social media correctly, concentrating on re-tweets rather than real interactions, and that limits the value they get out of social platforms, a group of entrepreneurs said during a panel titled "From the Ground Up: The Executives Behind Media and Digital Startup Companies Take You Behind the Scenes." During this final panel at the ’12 Covington & Burling Sports Media & Technology conference, PopTips Founder & CEO Kelsey Falter, whose company is a tool for interacting with Twitter followers, said that she would give teams a C or D grade on what they do with social media. Speaking on the the panel, “From the Ground Up: The Executives Behind Media and Digital Startup Companies Take You Behind the Scenes,” Falter said, “They’re still operating on a brand agency model. ... They’re buying fans for reach, which is kind of fluffy.” FanBridge co-Founder & CEO Spencer Richardson agreed, saying that many teams still need to overhaul their internal structure so they can communicate with fans more effectively. He cites many teams that still have e-mail communication with fans separated from social media communication. Richardson: “Data is showing them that they can’t have these things live in silos operationally anymore.” RSE Ventures President & CEO Matt Higgins, who previously worked as NFL Jets Exec VP/Business Operations, expects issues like that to begin to change because teams are far more open to technology today than they were in the past. Higgins said, “The business is under attack from the at-home experience. You can’t take your fan for granted any more. ... Everyone has to work harder.” OneUp Games Founder & CEO Daren Trousdell agreed with Higgins, and said that the integration of WiFi technology at stadiums will only accelerate the technology teams adopt. Trousdell: “Access and utility around mobile in sports is going to make a humongous difference.”
