Direct Contact

Bang On: @umassdilo and #Pens vs. #Caps #Game 7

Some readers may find the title of this post confusing, and some may have an idea what it is about…

Yes, it’s about Twitter.

There are some exciting things happening if you are into sports marketing and social media. @umassdilo is the Twitter name for Michael DiLorenzo, Director of Corporate Communications with the NHL. Michael also has a blog - From the Blue Seats.

In case you didn’t know, the “#” (hashtag) is used on Twitter to denote a topic or grouping (more about hashtags here) – it’s a simple way of saying “I’m talking about this”. It’s community driven, so there isn’t really a great deal of etiquette on the use of hashtags yet. Anyone can use or create one, like #directcontact or #baconandeggs.

What’s been happening as of late is a pretty fantastic hockey playoff series between the Penguins and Capitals, and Michael DiLorenzo has been assigned to cover the games on Twitter. During the game, you will find @umassdilo Tweeting away, and there are several other individuals doing the same. I spent some time on Twitter while watching the games, and have found the experience to be interesting. The teams’ own Twitter feeds, @umassdilo’s and several other people contribute to a shared experience.

I asked Michael today if he would be Tweeting during #Game 7 – I didn’t get a direct answer but he did make (harmless) fun of me for what seems to be a Canadian term, “bang on” (as in: correct, perfect, bang on):

umassdilo@carsonmckee Yer bang-on right it is.about 7 hours ago from web in reply to carsonmckee

So here’s hoping we find @umassdilo online again for Game 7 – Michael has informed me that he will not be in DC for game 7, but I do expect him to be monitoring the Twitter stream. If you are on Twitter, please join us.

• Follow the Washington Capitals on Twitter here
• Follow the Pittsburgh Penguins on Twitter here
  
• Follow Michael DiLorenzo on Twitter here
• Follow me on Twitter here