How the Super Bowl is using Social Media

This year the Super Bowl XLVI will have the first-ever social media command center. A team of strategists, analysts and techies will monitor the digital fan conversation via Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. They will be doing this from a 2,800 square foot space in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana.

The station will open on Monday and run through the Super Bowl on February 5th. The team will tweet directions to fans in search of parking, direct visitors to Indianapolis's best attractions, and stand by to provide information in case of disaster.

"Social media is just how people interact now. We felt it was critical to have some horse power behind that aspect of the Super Bowl here, versus what you might have seen from other Super Bowls." From Taulbee Jackson, CEO of Raidious, the digital marketing agency for the Super Bowl’s communications hub.

Advanced search tools and analytics will help Jackson and his team identify fans in need of help by indexing key words and phrases. For example, a fan won't need to tweet, "Where can I find parking?" to get help Raidious operatives will be able to pick up on a general phrase such as "parking sucks" and be able to offer assistance.

The command center will utilize more than a mile of Ethernet cable and more than 150 square feet of networked screen space. More than 20 people will be stationed at the center for 15 hours each day.

Researches from near by Ball State University's Center for Media Design will conduct a study of the command center, analyzing its strengths and weaknesses. Michael Holmes, director of the center’s Insight & Research Unit, wrote in an email that the command center is an example of "the ubiquity of social media and the absolute necessity for companies, organizations and communities to use these tools to improve their relations with their customer, audiences and citizens."

Both Holmes and Jackson said they would not be surprised if the Super Bowl’s first designated social media war room sets a precedent for other major events. "We are kind of breaking new ground here so we don’t know the exact numbers yet of what we’ll be dealing with, but we should be able to provide that after the game to other cities that have to deal with these types of issues," Jackson said.

If you are visiting the Super Bowl this year, will you be using social media? How will this social media command center help you?

Source: http://mashable.com/2012/01/21/super-bowl-xlvi-social-media/