1. What is the thinking behind athletes using obscure social media websites to get out their message?

    We’ve seen athletes blow up on Facebook.com and more specifically on Twitter.  Over the past few years, breaking news on twitter has gone from being unconventional to predictable, whether in sports news or any field of interest.

    It seems twitter is becoming old news now though.  Specifically with athletes we have seen several smaller social media websites used to either try and set a trend or make a splash.  One example of an athlete doing just that is future NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’neal.  O’neal has taken a fond interest in the visual social media site Tout.com.  Members of Tout can follow other members, and the main medium for media postings are via short videos, typically recording on webcams.  O’neal, who has been a member of the site since May of last year, made a splash when he announced his retirement in a Tout video.

    Sure, using Tout was a fast and media-painless tactic for Shaq to get the word out.  After all the video did make it on air for mainstream online and TV outlets including ESPN’s Sportscenter within minutes.  But there seemed to be something more to breaking such big news via Tout than simply trying to avoid a media gathering.  After all, Shaq did love the media throughout his career and later on, after the Tout video, invite the media to his home in Florida for his official retirement reception.

    My theory is that Shaq was trying to make a big splash on a low-key social media website.  It’s more than a theory really in Shaq’s case, since O’neal does hold a large investment in the company.  Still, it seems that part of the thinking athletes are having today when they go to break news is the following: how much will the platform I break my news on be a part of the story?

    Just today I read an article on foxsports.com about former Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots wide reciever Randy Moss announcing his comeback plans for the upcoming NFL season.  Moss also made his announcement through video, however the single-season touchdown receptions record holder used Ustream.tv to make the announcement live to about 500 viewers.  Moss did downplay the decision of using his Moss.tv online channel by saying he didn’t want to make a splash.  But he did, even with his agent who was unbeknownst to Moss’s decision.  Now twitter is blowing up with speculation on where Moss might land.

    If Moss had just tweeted his desire to comeback you almost get the feeling like it wouldn’t have been as powerful.  People tweet impulsively all day long.  To see Randy actually say he wants to come back in a live video stream is different.

    If there is one thing most people can agree upon, it is that the social media prowess among the athlete community should not be underrated.  From Shaq, to Ochocinco, and now potentially even Randy Moss, many pro-athletes are willing to break all kinds of barriers through social media.

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