May 2, 2009

By Matt Pucak
Athletic Media Relations

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – In order to provide the most current information to fans and donors, Colorado State is offering a new way to follow the Rams, on Twitter and Facebook.

Twitter, a free social networking and micro-blogging service available at twitter.com, allows its users to send and read other users’ updates (also known as “tweets”). Fans can receive updates on Rams athletics directly from a twitter page, on their mobile phone, via instant messaging or through e-mail. In addition, CSU athletics Twitter pages can be added to blogs or other social networking sites.

Joining men’s basketball coach Tim Miles, a twitter veteran for over a month who already has 178 followers, is football Head Coach Steve Fairchild, who began tweeting last week. What’s more, women’s basketball Head Coach Kristen Holt and volleyball Head Coach Tom Hilbert have also both begun updating their Twitter accounts.

The coaches will use the site to give updates on their daily activities and as a way to let followers catch a glimpse into the personalities that guide the Rams.

Additionally, many CSU sports will now have team Twitter pages, which will be used to update fans on the latest happenings with the program. One of the best features will be the ability for fans to receive in-game, or in-practice updates straight to their mobile phone or e-mail, along with reminders and updates from everything from practices to special events, through Twitter. Links below provide access CSU’s Twitter pages:

Programs
Men’s basketball: http://twitter.com/CSUMensBball
Women’s basketball: http://twitter.com/CSUWomensBball
Football: http://twitter.com/CSUFootball
Softball: http://twitter.com/CSUSoftball

Coaches
Tom Hilbert: http://twitter.com/CoachHilbert
Kristen Holt: http://twitter.com/CoachHolt
Steve Fairchild: http://twitter.com/CoachFairchild
Tim Miles: http://twitter.com/CoachMiles

Others
Ram Club: http://twitter.com/CSURamClub
CSU athletics: http://twitter.com/CSUAthletics

With new communication media springing up rapidly, there are many methods that CSU can now use to reach out to the donors, fans and alumni that make up the CSU community. The goal of the CSU athletic department is to use every possible method to deliver the most current information to its fans and donors.

In the last year, CSU has made several steps in order to embrace new media related to the distribution of news about the Rams, including sport-specific Web sites for football (www.coachfair.com), men’s basketball (www.coachtimmiles.com) and volleyball(www.ramvolleyball.colostate.edu) to complement CSURAMS.com, Twitter, and also Facebook.

It is free to join Twitter and CSU fans can easily sign up at www.twitter.com/signup.

Facebook
Rams fans, alumni and donors are encouraged to interact with CSU’s athletic department Facebook page and show their support as “fans.”
The athletic department launched a Facebook fan page to provide the CSU family with:

• A schedule of events;
• Updated schedule changes;
• Photo albums;
• Videos; and
• Special promotions exclusive to members of the CSU athletics Facebook fan page

To access CSU’s Facebook page, Facebook members need only to search for Colorado State athletics and join the page. Facebook has exploded in popularity. Currently, there are more 200 million active users in the world.