Thursday 26 July 2007

social networking during the rugby world cup

The Daily Telegraph has announced that a social networking platform will be put on their website specifically for followers during the Rugby World Cup tournament. This site will allow fans and experts to blog, upload their own photos and videos and share with their community their experiences of the tournament; an almost mini Facebook if you will for the avid rugby fan. As well as this there will be all the usual latest news and analysis from its journalists and columnists.

This is a great idea and builds on the fantastic message boards of BBC 606 and Planet Rugby that I believe led the way in initially getting people online to discuss their theories and share their biases regarding rugby. I definitely think that stuff.co.nz and the nzherald.co.nz could get more interactive with their rugby fans. Although both websites have excellent coverage of rugby (as one would expect in New Zealand) they both lack a chance for fans to really network.

I was surprised in particular when Stuff launched their new rugbyheaven site recently. Although it is a good site, I really did think that with the Web 2.0 tools in place it was possible to make this site something really special for the fans. Even one message board of some description or at least a fanzine corner like the one on the All Blacks website where fans can submit their own articles and partake in an open, interactive forum would make this site so much better. Instead we have opinions from the experts and no female writers whatsoever. So all in all I think they still have a bit of catching up to do when compared with our British counterparts.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

An amazing thing, the internet. It's hard to believe that I can get sameday coverage of what goes on in world rugy. Now I can "meet" fans from all over the world-pretty heady stuff for a Yank who used to have to wait months for my French buddy to send me rugby clippings and news from L'Equipe.

Matt @ Green and Gold Rugby said...

Ferdy,

It all makes more sense now.

For yonks I've been wondering why there's always a flood of kiwi posts on Aussie message boards and blogs. Some good, most jingoistic drivel. This was actually partly why I set up Green and Gold rugby.

This isn't different from any other country's editorial output, but I'd always wondered why it was posted on Aussie message boards rather than NZ ones. Now I know....

Looks like there's a gap in the market for you Ferdy. Amazing considering how frenzied kiwi fans are.

Nathan said...

I am happy to see that here will be a social networking site suring the WC. I am heading over to cheer on the blackness and I hope that I can hook up with some fans in different pubs in Cardiff, London and Paris. Nice job on the site Ferdy!