Practicum Post 8 -- Max

This past weekend, I was one of the primary users on the @UWBadgersdotcom Twitter page. I gave a new perspective, as I tried to give an "inside" look at the Kohl Center with pictures and messages during an event. One of our goals for Twitter is to interact with fans, so I made sure to end nearly all of my posts with a question to try to engage followers in conversation. I learned a lot about using Twitter during the two games and also had some interesting findings.

First of all, I found it difficult in a sense because I could not say certain things. For example, I could never bad mouth the other team or make fun of any players (about as far as I could go was "Bucky looking for the sweep tonight against BSU" or something along those lines). Rather, I had to give an objective viewpoint but still try to drum up interest in my tweets. I also came across difficulties when deciding what to write in 140 characters. For example, I wanted to tweet a photo and message from the equipment room when preparing for the game. I took a picture of one of the managers sharpening a skate (a very cool picture, I might add) but had a hard time getting the message across that I wanted. It is tough to say everything you want to say, yet keep it appropriate for fans, and still try to engage a conversation all at the same time. I did get one or two retweets on that one, so it was well received, but I was really fighting the words for a bit.

That brings me to results. From both games combined, I got about 20 at mentions or retweets. That is pretty successful (given we average about 20 at mentions in an entire week). My most successful tweet was a picture of the band playing during an intermission with the message "UW Band plays during 1st int. What's your favorite song to hear at the Kohl Center?" That message got a lot of replies -- clearly it was a hit. One follower said "Time Warp. Hands down." Another said "Varsity" after retweeting my message. I can't wait to see on Tuesday (when I compile our weekly Twitter stats) how many followers we gained over the week and how many at mentions we had. Hopefully I made an impact and hopefully the fans enjoyed some different pictures and looks at the Kohl Center during an event!

I'll have one more post on Tuesday to summarize and close off the project. I am really learning a lot about Twitter use from a business standpoint (in my first tweet on Friday, I had to remember to capitalize "Kohl Center" for example) and how to effectively use social media. It's a different level of focus because when you are representing a company, you need to be sure your messages are approved; you can't just say whatever you want with whatever style of grammar you choose. You need to keep messages professional and inline with the company's image. Keep following @UWBadgersdotcom -- more on Tuesday.