Back with a Vengeance!

My apologies for the lack of posts recently - I must have gotten caught up in grad school and college football bowl games. Some truly memorable games, and imagine how much better they will get when the NCAA moves to a playoff format?

Just returned from the 2012 National Sports Forum in Oklahoma City, OK. And guess what this cross industry conference of sports executives focused primarily on? If you were gonna say drinking, you would have been close. But the conference hammered home the importance of marketing, analytics, and social media. Folks, analytics and social media are the burgeoning fields in sports. If you don't care for data or hold steadfast to print media, then get out of sports.

Google+ Making a Play During the Lockout

Google+, the new social media arm of Google, is set to host 4 games with multiple NBA All-Stars such as LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Dwayne Wade.

The stars will work with Google+ and other sponsors to host games in their hometowns in the month of December.

Big move for Google+. This comes soon after a recent Twitter town hall run by (current, but for how long... great piece by Bill Simmons in Grantland) NBA Commissioner David Stern. By hosting these events, this will give instant social media access for the game, the professional players, and the fans which could be a huge win-win for Google+ and the players.

Can't wait to hear what type of social media access and technology will be used for these games.

David Stern takes questions through Twitter

Tonight, David Stern and Adam Silver took to Twitter in a town hall of sorts where they answered tweets from players, media, and fans. Last week they unveiled a new Twitter handle. Tonight, they took the message to the people.

Brillant move by the NBA to get down to the level of the fans through their Twitterview. Change comes from the top and getting Commish David Stern to tweet about the lockout is a great move to make the owners and the NBA look more transparent and sympathetic.

And here is the best part... by responding on Twitter, you get to choose which tweets to answer! Helps you avoid any large gaffes or embarrassing memory lapses, right Gov Rick Perry?

Here's a look at some of the highlights:

The opening of the Twitterview with an answer to Bill Simmons

And even D-Wade gets in on the action

Of course, the most obvious limitation is length. To talk eloquently about the new CBA deal in 160 characters or less is quite a challenge. But all in all, this was a great move for the NBA to get their message out directly to the people. If there is one thing we have seen in social media is that if you are not crafting your message, someone else will do it for you.