The ever changing world of online media is especially challenging for NASCAR as a sport. Instead of an organized league like baseball or football, NASCAR is a large group of independent contractors who simply meet to race. The race teams, the sponsors and even many drivers all have their own online presence.
The folks at Turner Sports in Atlanta have revamped the NASCAR.com website several times to try and figure out how to serve all these different interests. Now, they have expanded again to add a presence on MySpace.com for NASCAR fans. Here is the official info:
Turner Sports and MySpace announced today a partnership between the popular social networking platform and Turner Sports-managed NASCAR.COM, the online home of NASCAR.
A custom NASCAR-branded page will live on MySpace embodying MySpace’s multimedia platform by offering videos, news and photos provided by NASCAR.COM, along with socialization capabilities to give users an enriched experience.
Fans may further interact with NASCAR on the MySpace community via the driver gallery where they can find corresponding pages for the athletes. In addition, MySpace will provide promotion to NASCAR.COM’s portfolio of offerings including the Superstore, TNT RaceBuddy and TrackPass subscription products.
Fans can access the official NASCAR page on MySpace at: www.myspace.com/nascar
The NASCAR page on Facebook originated by Turner has proven to be very popular with over 215 thousand fans. Click here to take a look at that page. It is easy to become a Facebook fan and receive lots of information from NASCAR directly.
The final piece of this online puzzle is the rapidly growing Twitter. NASCAR is already established with regular updates on all three national series, the regional touring series and many other sections of the sport including NASCAR.com directly.
The goal of this expansion to MySpace is the same as our recent discussions about ESPN trying to organize its online information. The concept has two parts. The first is for a piece of information to be published and appear on NASCAR.com, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter at the same time. That makes sense, so that everyone gets the same information.
The second part of the puzzle revolves around the fans. Click here for a video on how the Turner gang has reorganized the Community section of NASCAR.com to enable users to establish their own personal presence on that site.
The idea is to cross the traditional technology boundaries and let conversations and updates occur between Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other messaging services. A lot of this came about because of the tremendous popularity of RaceBuddy this summer.
The NASCAR fan response was overwhelming to a free application that provided a live pit reporter, user-selected cameras, team audio and many other features. This is clearly going to become a permanent addition to all Sprint Cup Series races once the TV network politics are settled. With the financial and TV ratings issues facing the sport right now, 2010 might just be the year to make sure this gets done.
So, kudos to the Turner folks for continuing to expand the online offerings. There are many among us who believe that the NASCAR.com website could be better organized, but at least the Atlanta-based company is listening and making changes.
Perhaps, you could take a moment to offer a comment if you actively use NASCAR's Facebook, Twitter or NASCAR.com website. You can also offer your opinion by clicking the comments button below on the new MySpace and expanded Community options we discussed.
This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thank you for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet.
30 comments:
too little, too late
from the techno's who still run carbureted engines
This is great! I use all 3 of those websites daily. Half the time I have all of them up at once. It's good to see NASCAR finally reaching out to fans, or Turner anyway, but hopefully RACE-BUDDY will be back before next year's TNT schedule rolls around. That's a very nice application.
From a ex-web designer and now programmer geek who loves NASCAR, I think NASCAR's guys are doing a great job on the website. The RSS feed always has good content regarding current issues, I feel informed on issues surrounding my favorite driver, and I can find the data on the things I care about: standings, tracks, drivers, owners, PR events, and the like. Best of all, they're quick with getting the story delivered.
My only negative comment is to say c'mon guys, MySpace? Still know many people that use that? I don't. You're a little late on that call.
GOOO Denny!
I am a member of the Community, but I only go on there every two months or so. Might see how that looks (when I get 'round to going back on there. :P)
I'm not one to have it dominate my network sites though (except for certain drivers!)
I have found NASCAR.com much improved this year and I check it much more frequently than EESPN's site, which I only check to see what Ryan McGee or Marty has written and occasionally David Newton. After Ryan and Marty, I believe David Carriavello is right there with Jenna Fryer and Bob Pockrass.
Wow, they launched a MySpace page? It's only about 5 years too late. MySpace has it's moment in the sun during the Bush Administration. I am guessing that means we'll see the NASCAR Facebook page in 2012 and they will start a Twitter account in 2014!
This just in. Elvis has left the building with MySpace. They should rebrand it MySpaceIsForSaleByOwner. I set up an account years ago and rarely use it anymore. Rather than head to MySpace, NASCAR needs a new web content partner other than Turner.
Sorry, JD. LMAO here...agree w/some of the others. My Space is waaaaaaay over. And if TPTB think this a good idea, our sport is going to die a painful death.
Myspace? Aside from musicians, who uses Myspace anymore...Facebook users love to say it's "so Five years ago".
But I dont like either platform. Tried FB but then friends of friends and family (strangers to me) kept posting their updates of minutia/games and other rubbish so I stopped using it. AND when tv stations, and retail outlets started using Facebook, well that was a shark jump. (By the way there is not Jump the Shark site anymore and I used to love that place, but 'I digress ala Gilbert G N A R L E Y.'
Twitter works for me cause I only read what I want. But if I follow somebody that turns into a spontaneous chat box, I UNFOLLOW. Some peeps tweet 20-30-40 times AN HOUR!! Course if you put @ to the name and you aren't following the @ person, those Tweets don't clog up your stream.
I used to follow and unfollow some people, I liked but had days of excess chattiness, but Twitter will often block those accounts thinking it's spam bots...so now I just monitor who I follow more closely and who follows me (Check ur followers OFTEN to clean house)
Now with all that out of the way, I am glad Turner is listening..but what we REALLY need is something like the IRL has for race video online FOR FREE! & not some animated cartoon thingie, but the real deal. In this economy many of us are scaling back on cable & online options would be terrific.
I enjoy Twitter.
Maybe it's easy multi tasking. But it also feeds the A.D.D. mentality of the world..but I've found FABULOUS folks from locals to keep me informed of sports, food, news, music,current events, traffic, & restaurant
And of course many sweet peeps from the TDP.
Now all we need to hear is that, well, never mind, that will never happen in a hundred years.
:)
Sophia's comment was great, as usual!
None of the above :-)
I signed up on Twitter to follow some of the drivers. I am sure I didn't understand what I was doing, but just signing up bugged me...just seemed creepy. So I unsubcribed. So much for my Twitter experience.
Just tooooo much information IMHO.
I'm with West Coast Diane. I don't understand the Twitter fascination. I haven't logged in to my account there in weeks. Tons of information, most of it useless or redundant.
I only go to myspace to check on musicians/bands. Don't imagine I'll go there for NASCAR with all of the great websites giving me everything I need.
I have a myspace still but don't really use it I log in once in a blue moon.
Have FB and of course Twitter.
If you guys have a rough time with Twitter, you can always email me with questions at editor@thedalyplanet.tv anytime.
Best and most up to date NASCAR info is on Twitter right now.
JD
I bet NASCAR will have an I-Touch app by 2016....
I'm sure the folks at Turner and NASCAR are congratulating themselves about jumping on the social media craze but I have to agree with all those who said that they're entering into a partnership with MySpace five years too late. Except for music very few people seem to use MySpace regularly anymore, they've moved on to Facebook and Twitter. I wasn't crazy about Twitter, and still prefer Facebook, but I now use both regularly and have a lot of fun with it.
I never used MySpace but like FB and Twitter. Once I figured out how to use Twitter (and thanks to Dot for helping me to learn how to reply to posters) it is actually an easy site for me to access and I'm not on there hours either to get things accomplished. I really like the tweets from Ross Kenseth during Matt's races he keeps me informed much more than the ESPN booth guys.
I almost did not click through this one (from my RSS feed). I was thinking, oh, JD can't mean MySpace. Too old.
But I did and sure enough....I guess to have a place there is fine, but I don't think I would promote it as if it is something new. I feel embarrassed for them.
And Sophia's right about FB. People "posting their updates of minutia/games and other rubbish" makes the site annoying.
I'm waiting to see later today what the revamped nascar.com forums look like. I took an interest this year, same as I took an interest in this blog. My fave online app so far is RaceBuddy. I haven't started on FB or Twit as a race fan yet, but in the interests of 21st Cen racing, I probably will get into that next year. Not enough time ya know? Although I heard that it's easy to Twitter while fishing.
Don't twit, don't have a facebook or myspace account. If I can't find it on Jayski or one of the links from there, I don't read it. Guess I am showing my age or computer savvy. But my weekend isn't complete without my Raceview to watch the cup races, would love to have it available for the Nationwide or truck races. Actually, I would be happy with a live leaderboard for for the truck races. Put me in the low tech oldtimers column.
MySpace was the "in" thing about 3 or 4 years ago. They're a little late for that bandwagon. Twitter is nothing and Facebook has become a place where people play all these games and take quizes and challenges.
DL - Tweeting is so easy - even a Caveman can do it!
Wow, MySpace? What's next, NASCAR gets their very own keyword on AOL?
Again Twitter is all about WHO you CHOOSE to follow.
I get traffic updates so if somebody I know is on the way home from somewhere and needs to avoid major back up (other night major traffic artery was gridlock for HOURS) I get it from my Twitter stream.
to get started on Twitter, I initially went to TWEETGRID (NOT Tweetdeck, it made me crazy & u have to turn off the annoying update CHIRP)& use it for SEARCH only...type in your city and see who is on twitter. Sometimes local tv/newspaper or radio is good place to begin. THEN see who follows them, and read those folks tweets (comments)
I get updates from latest voting stuff (things going on ballot this fall) and if you follow people locally, you can interact with them about common interest. I don't get out much but have invites to a few fabulous restaurants and cool condo of a local blogger & his wife.
I get the latest news about EVERYTHING on my Twitter stream.
But much of Twitter can be endless babble...you pick your interests/Tweeps.
Then again one person's babble is another person's news. :)
NASCAR News & other sports is right at your fingertips on Twitter.
I just could not take the endless clutter on FBOOK and games...but many are entertained by that.
Diff strokes & all that.
I want to see the SPEED guys on Twitter. One signed up but has not used it since June. :) But I get it's not everybody's thang.
You can keep MSpace & FB.
PLUS on Twitter, you can send out bubbletweets (30 second video's to somebody)
ON THE OTHER HAND, I am not into having the most FOLLOWERS or FOLLOWING that many. I could never read 1200 followers stuff so why try to get the numbers that high?
I want to interact with a lot of whom I follow and it's impossible to read ALL 1200 or 12,000 plus people's Tweets.
unless you spend 8 hours straight on Twitter. no thanks
The first thing Nascar should do
is this : Regards Television
Stop the non - stop talk fest !!!
Stop talking so loud !!
Stop talking soo much
Stop talking soo loud
Thank you ( it will never happen )
I realize this is slightly off topic, but if this is an omen for the weekend, it's not good...
As the ESPN folk closed their opening segment in the qualifying broadcast, Jerry Punch identified where they were as "Bristol International Raceway."
NOOOOOOO!!!!!
Went to look up the field order for Sunday on NASCAR.com, but they currently have the New Hampshire field posted if you click on either link - the one with the headline "Joyful Jimmie" or the lineup link underneath.
Boy...media partners not off to a good start this weekend.
And on my second pass only minutes later, the problem has been fixed. All is good.
Tom, a couple of week's ago was the same thing on nascar.com the previous week's race was posted. And it was a week old. Surely they can do better than that - don't they have someone who's responsibility it is to post the starting lineup in the right place for the right week?
@Vicky D - [grunt] me like twitter. me like follow daly planet. me want u follow me. me want u follow me at twitter.com/toomuchcountry. [/grunt]
scrawled, caveman
:-)
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