Social Media: How do you choose?

Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn, YouTube, Widgetbox, MySpace, Picasa, Hipcast, Google Video, Meebo, Gabby, 30Boxes … The list goes on!

Social media is here to stay. With so many choices it can be difficult to figure out what type of social media to tap into. Aspects of social media pepper the literature that passes through the SIRC Collection, examples include:
• Lessons in social media
• Guidelines for sports officials posting on Twitter
• YouTube views during the Beijing Games
• Keeping your members informed through social media
• Marketing your organization, meetings and events
• Putting competition videos on YouTube
• Official team and event blogs
• Using the web as a tool in teaching health and physical education
• Relationship between journalists and bloggers

For the most part blogs (Blogger/Typepad), Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn and YouTube seem to be the essentials. If you are looking for information on how to incorporate them into your organization and/or is it out there!

What you are reading right now is a blog and is part of the Blogosphere. If blogging is where you would like to start check out the following resources to get you started:

Definition: Blog -Wondering that a blog is? Personal blogs, corporate blogs, search engines, advertising and more are summed up in this definition.

Digging Deeper: Your Guide to Blogging -Provides a quick overview of a blog touching on common elements, how to blog, getting your blog noticed and searching for blogs.

Technorati: Blogging Central -Everything that you may need to know and more on blogging. Today’s leading story is Top Ten Tactics for Driving Blog Traffic.

Check out SIRC's other social media sites:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube (coming soon)

The 12 Minute Sport Lawyer – Ottawa Edition

The first installment of the SIRC/CSL Knowledge Management Series was a success! The 12 Minute Lawyer took place yesterday afternoon in Ottawa. If you missed attending you have another chance. Register now for the session held in Toronto on February 23 at SIRC@Sport4Ontario.

Rachel and Steve from the Canadian Centre for Sport and Law led a discussion about some of the hot, legal issues in the sporting community. Time flew by as we talked about social media, music rights, hands-free devices, police checks, human rights and LTAD. Interesting questions to ask yourself include:

• Are you paying SOCAN for music rights during practices? Should you?
• Can you get fired for what you say on Facebook?
• Should you have to play employee fines if they are talking on their phone in the car for business and get caught?
• Do waivers for minors really work?
• How are the changes to police check policies effecting your organization?
• Should you align LTAD with the Athlete Assistance Program?
• Are your employees and volunteers aware and educated on human rights violations?

We are looking forward to Managing Your Intellectual Property, the next KMS in Ottawa. Speakers will discuss the ambush marketing that happened before and during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Make sure you register early!