Friend or Fan

Continuing some ideas for next week's presentation at CoSIDA - what would you rather to have for your athletic department, fans or friends?

An essential part of a good social strategy is not only encouraging the conversation and recognizing that your followers are in control of your brand and reputation, but working to turn your fans into friends.

Here is my example of how this can be achieved through being your own media. The CoverItLive real-time reporting tool was critical to this development during baseball season. Letting fans be somewhat robust in their comments brings them into the fold. Yes, within reason - nothing personal, nothing vulgar, nothing anonymous and not repeating - I allowed "negative" comments on the interactive blog.

Why? Arern't you validating negativity?

Let's be real - a whole lot worse was possibly being said elsewhere; be man enough to let those man enough to say it to your face.

Sometimes, the facts themselves are just negative. It does no good to ignore a series of bad fielding errors. It happened. Own up to it, and if there was an explanation, give it.

Concrete example: our baseball coach sat down two of our three top players for the SEC tournament. They were pretty significantly hurt. One was not able to play. One might have played, but risked turning a stress fracture into a serious break. One was nicked up and needed rest. If they were 100%, there's a shot at the title. At less than healthy, they would be no help - maybe even a hinderance - and certainly risked season ending injury.

When fans questioned our coach's decision, it gave me a chance to explain, to stand up for our point of view and to remind them that we had a higher goal. Now, it wasn't pretty in Hoover, but we ground out those blogs and proved our position.

The next week those players returned, we advance through the regional, push the top seed to the limit - a pair of 12-inning games. All because of the strategy of the coach.

Now that one of the teams our fans shelled us for losing two of three at the end of the year - South Carolina - is playing for the national championship, we can also remind our fans next time to trust and have patience. Perhaps, some of those critical fans by having the chance to express themselves and see how that opinion played out, may now become more of our friends.

But that's not the best part. More times than not, I was actually doing some fans a favor in NOT publishing their negative comments. However, at difficult moments, to uncap the pressure, I let one through.

And just stood back.

The friends of the program would pounce on their own. They were harder on each other than I would ever be.

When you think about it, most of these folks want to be in the stands, and act that way. They'll yell at the other team, at the umps, and yes, occasionally, at each other.

It's all part of building a community, something a little bit more than just being your own media.