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The Real Winner in the LeBron Sweepstakes? Twitter.
Miami, even though you have three All Stars on your roster, you’ve got nothing on Twitter. Over the past two months, all the drama surrounding LeBron James’s free agency decision has allowed the world to find out what Twitter is capable of. And even though I’m no longer a fan of LeBron, I’ve been extremely impressed with what can be done with a simple 140-character message.
Reaction
As a Cleveland sports fan, I’ve had more than my share of heartache. Growing up, I remember crying when Jose Mesa blew the World Series and Art Modell moved the Browns. I also remember having to wait until the next day to talk about it with my friends at school.
Last night, however, thanks to Twitter, I didn’t have to wait to find out what my friends thought of the decision. Twitter has allowed us to instantly react to news and work through the Five Stages of Loss much more publicly. Last night, we definitely made it to Stage Two: Anger.
@MattKeough: Modell > LeBron
@KurtKrejny: Lebron you will never surpass Jordan now. You are no longer the king… you are one of three Musketeers. #somuchforloyalty #lebrondecision
@mmazzone29: I mean really Lebron? Throw salt in the wound.
Rumors
Dozens of new LeBron rumors have popped up every single day for the past two months. Unconfirmed reports on subjects ranging from LeBron’s house hunting trips to his mother’s boyfriends have spread like wildfire thanks to Twitter. Now, any juicy rumor, regardless of its validity, can be retweeted thousands of times, spreading to the news feeds of millions of Twitter followers in a matter of minutes.
@JaredDudley619: Breaking News!!! My sources tell me Lebron will announce that he will be goin to the NY KNICKS tomorrow on ESPN.. This is serious.. WOW!!!!
@usweekly: Looks like LeBron James is def going to Miami Heat. Sources confirm he planned a big wknd party at W South Beach!
Reporting
One thing that has become clear through the Summer of LeBron is that the same qualities that make Twitter great for spreading rumors also makes the site a reporter’s dream come true. Updates can be posted much faster than a traditional news story can be written, giving reporters a coveted tool to help them scoop each other or simply report tidbits too short for a full story.
The problem with this is that so many people are posting rumors attributed to unnamed “sources,” that it can be difficult to separate the rumor from the news. That’s why, while I enjoy reading rumors, the only Twitter reports I’ll trust are from reporters like the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Brian Windhorst (@PDCavsInsider) who are more concerned about getting the story right than getting it first.
@PDCavsInsider: Newsday has reported LeBron has decided on Heat. Only a couple of people can truly confirm this. None have to me at this point.
@PDCavsInsider: Multiple police cars are protecting the witness billboard in downtown CLE.
Humor
Twitter’s 140-character limit allows users to post hilarious commentary on up-to-the-minute current events. LeBron’s free agency has provided fodder for some of the funniest tweets I’ve ever seen.
@ConanOBrien: I don’t care where LeBron James ends up… As long as it’s not at 11pm on TBS.
@LeBronsElbow: The real reason LeBron is calling this press conference? To announce if he is Team Edward or Team Jacob.
Interaction
This week, after years of refusing to touch social media, Lebron James set up a Twitter account. Yesterday morning, he asked his 300,000 followers to submit questions via a hash tag for his ESPN special last night. Thousands of responses poured in, and ESPN used some of the best (or safest) questions on the air.
@KingJames: Good Morning! It’s your chance to ask me a question about my decision, use #lebrondecision to submit and I’ll answer them tonight.
When you’re creating your social media strategy, don’t lose sight what Twitter is capable of. If you’re using your Twitter account for just one purpose, you’re probably missing some powerful opportunities.
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Comments
3 Comments so far3 Responses to “The Real Winner in the LeBron Sweepstakes? Twitter.”
Oh Twitter— Where would the world be if you didn’t exist? Reading the morning newspaper.
I like what twitter brought when it came to Lebrons decision and after. It made me feel involved. The Newspaper never made me feel that way.
Last night was a vivid illustration – the fastest way to distribute content is via engaged users in a network. The Dan Gilbert letter totally consumed my twitter feed while the sports talk TV and radio guys were scrambling to get a copy.
Of course, the content has to provide value, be it entertaining or educational.