social sites of athletes

Social media immediately binds you to the internet! My goal is to teach athletes about how they can use social media to their benefit and how they can escape the risks associated with it. There are many reasons that athletes need to learn the principles of using social media; they can build an identity for you, they can provide you with opportunities to showcase creativity, they can provide you with a forum to connect with followers, and they can share insights that can benefit others. In comparison, there are also advantages to sportsmen from the hazards of social media. The lack of awareness of hazards and the proper means of using social media has caused challenges for many athletes. Social media wonders to sports fans, athletes cannot ignore this fact. Even if you do not remember, social media is a double-edged sword. College Athletes Suspended Over Alleged Animal CrueltyThe way an athlete uses social media can have career ramifications. One should adhere to go netiquette guidelines and operate in awareness that digital footprint is hard to erase. It can have a positive and negative impact on athletes, for instance the case of two college footballers in Tennessee. Two football players from Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) players’, Justin Alvarez and Shalom Alvarez, uninformed social medial uses has resulted in suspension from team involvement and Criminal Investigations. The two uploaded a video on Snapchat in which Alvarez hits a puppy four times, and the puppy yelps in pain. The video also contains derogatory comments regarding payment of rent. This action has led the Athletics Director in the school, Chris Massaro to come up with an initiative to educate athletes on the dangers of using social media. It is important for people to realize that social media can have good or bad results, it is a double-edged sword. Indulging in prohibited behaviour is bad enough, posting about it is calling the authorities to your case. Lack of literacy on what to post and what not to post has landed many sportsmen into trouble , let alone losing the support of their fans. Sportsmen are supposed to use the social media to create a positive reputation, however lack of knowledge on how to use social sites can lead to underutilization, overutilization or an abuse of it. Sports bodies are monitoring the behavior of their sportsmen on social media. Most of college sports clubs use one’s social media footprint to determine selection during recruiting. If they find information that can be damning or embarrassing in future, it is likely that they will not select an athlete. Other sports bodies prohibit use of social media in specific times like when a game is ongoing. Athletes need to what to post, respond to, and like in social media sites. Ronaldo’s Social Media Earns Nike $500 a YearThe use of social media is rewarding for athletes who have known to leverage it. Technology and new media add many possibilities in communication and business. The athletes who are informed about its usage, do not earn whooping amounts of money, but they can also connect with their fans and open up a world of business possibilities. Such use of social media means one post strategically in order to appeal to their target audiences. For instance in Ronaldo’s case, he reaches 262 million people through his social sites. He has millions of followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Companies use Athletes to market their product, some even run athletes social media accounts; asAdidas run Messi's Twitter account. Such rewarding social media use adheres to the rules, observes netiquette and know the digital footprint they want to leave. In order to make social media rewarding for athletes, they have to know how to balance professional and personal lives. An athlete should be careful on what, how, and where to post and contribute to social media. Also, it is important to avoid wars and controversial opinions on social media. Since most athletes work in teams, it is important to respect other people’s privacy. Do not post about other people, or share photos, names and contact information about others. Just as Ronaldo's social media success, any athlete who learns how to leverage social media for branding is in for huge returns. Working with social media pros will help you to navigate. Ronaldo has about six people working on his social media presence. Ronaldo is not making all these money because of his football prowess alone, his literacy on social media and the ability to use it to his advantage, has worked for him. What Experts Say IPalic (2015) discusses what athletes can learn from Ronaldo's social media use. First you need to realize the potential of social media in doing smart PR – have social media presence! Secondly, use social media for financial gain – Ronaldo earns over 500 million for Nike from social media. Thirdly, know that you are dealing with active audience that considers everything you say. Fourthly, leave a digital footprint which will make your opinion count even when you are off sports. Finally, share information that benefits people – you owe them that much. For college athletes, social media has many benefits. According to Miller (2016), students using social media are able to see their true identities. Miller says that they are able to portray themselves outside athletics. Again, college athletes are able to keep in touch with family and friends who might be away from where they are studying. Communication and peace of mind is important for any athlete. Although much has been said about the negative effects of social media, but used responsibly and appropriately, it has a lot of benefits or athletes. What Experts Say IIAthletic departments have overcome the notion that social media is a risky medium (Hipke & Hachtmann, 2014). They have devised innovative way to get revenue. However, social media within colleges is strictly regulated by the National Collegiate of Athletic Association (NCAA). Athletics departments in schools are tasked with regulating student behaviours to protect both the students and the department (Sanderson et al., 2015). There are a myriad of benefits that a college athlete can benefit from, its use is encouraged. However, it is important to consider the NCAA regulations, your department’s policies as well as the overall internet netiquette. On the other hand, as much as social media use among college athletes should be regulated, the policies should not be so restricting such that they deter student’s involvement in social media. The research of Sanderson et al. (2015) found out that policies portrayed social media as restrictive. Students find the messages they are given to be conflicting. In this regard, social media policies should be tailored in ways that explains to students how they will benefit from social media and how they can use it to their advantage. For Further ResearchTo grasp the many possibilities that social media brings to athletes, I recommend to visit Clearing house for Sport and read the many stories about success and failures of social media use by athletes. It also explains the many ways you can use social media to improve your athletic career. I recommend you to visit the page because it contains a repertoire of links to all sorts of stories regarding social media and sports. The Huffingtonpost Blog explains how social media is a goldmine for any athlete. If you need to know more how you can turn your Facebook or Twitter account into a money making channel, this post will inform you. I recommend the NCAA website to college athletes and athletic departments to this site because it contains guidelines on how college athletes are to use social media and the repercussions involved. My ViewThe Internet has changed the way we do everything. The rapid increase of social media use has resulted seen many people embrace its use. However lack of media literacy skills in its use has led to problems in its use (Banyai et al., 2017). Most people have been caught up in the repercussions of careless use and overuse. In current times, social media has shaped sports. Athletic bodies use social media to create and maintain a strong fun base. For instance, football clubs. Corporate use of social media is not as problematic as personal use. Among all the cases that have brought controversy and negative effects, 90 percent are the result of personal use. Athletes have been caught in up posting private information which they should not be sharing with the outside world. Others have been found themselves with copyright problems where they post content that belong to other people without acknowledging them. Additionally, they have had problems with privacy issues after posting personal information of teammates or other people involved in the sport. Such behavior can be avoided through literacy and formation of guidelines to guide athletes. College athletes, most of whom are in their adolescent years need guidance of how to use social media appropriately and responsibly. Having said that, they rules should not deter them from its use because its use has many benefits. ReferencesBányai, F., Zsila, Á., Király, O., Maraz, A., Elekes, Z., Griffiths, M. D., & ... Demetrovics, Z. (2017). Problematic social media use: Results from a large-scale nationally representative adolescent sample. Plos ONE, 12(1), 1-13. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0169839Hipke, M. & Hachtmann, F. (2014). Game-changer: A case study of social media strategy in big ten athletic departments. Faculty Publications, College of Journalism & Mass Communications. Paper 86. Retrieved on April 30, 2017 from http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1087&context=journalismfacpubMiller, K. P. (2016). The impact of social media on intercollegiate athletics. Retrieved on April 30, 2017 from: https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/49076/PDF/1/Palic, M. (2015). Christiano Ronaldo and the power of social media. Retrieved on April 29, 2017 from: http://promoovertime.com/cristiano-ronaldo-power-social-media/Sanderson, J., Snyder, E., Hull, D. & Gamlich, K. (2015). Social media policies within NCAA member institutions: Evolving technology and its impact on policy. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 8(2), 50-73.