Check out our updated March Madness social media guide for 2011.
As far as we're concerned, March means Madness of the basketball variety, and keeping up with all aspects of the NCAA tournament is an absolute must. If you feel the same way, then we think you'll find our complete guide to all things college basketball on the social web indispensable.
A recent survey revealed that this year, more Americans than ever are going to be turning to the web and social media for their NCAA fix. Although traditional TV comes out on top, 54% of those quizzed are planning to catch the action live online, 10% via a mobile device, and 18% through various social networks. If you're one of the many participating online this year, check out these resources.
Facebook Fast Break
Facebook is a popular destination for NCAA fans. Not only can you catch up on the latest news, but you can get your fellow basketball-loving buddies involved too -- whether it's for some trash talking, or to celebrate the win of a mutually fave team.
The Official NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Facebook Fan Pages will allow you to connect with nearly 10,000 others (4,000 on the Women's page) on the social networking site.
As well as having info on the NCAA with links to sites of interest, the Pages offer informal commentary from the NCAA teams, fan comments and insight, ticketing info, and comprehensive events data.
Meanwhile, if you're looking for a bracket system that's available within Facebook, then Bracket Challenge by Citizen Sports is a popular option. The free Facebook app will get you making your picks in no time at all, and offers the chance at a $5,000 grand prize. Bracket Challenge also has the option to create pools with your friends.
Mobile Madness
Facebook and phones certainly aren't the only places to get your bracket challenge fix. There is a wealth of online options, many offering larges cash prizes, should you be astute enough to pick the perfect bracket. Of course, the odds of that happening are a whopping 9.2 quintillion to 1. Still, the contests below are all great places to make your picks and each (excluding Applebee's) come from sites that offer a dearth of tournament news, scores, opinions, and analysis, as well.
The 2010 Yahoo! Sports Tourney Pick'em game offers a whopping million dollar prize for a perfect bracket, while having the next highest scoring bracket will nab you $10,000. This gives you the option to join the masses or create a private group with invites that can be sent via e-mail, Facebook or Twitter.
If you don't have a Yahoo! ID or care to create one, there's also ESPN's 2010 Tournament Challenge, as well as another chance at a $1 million prize from restaurant chain Applebee's.
Also getting in on the online action is Fox Sports with their bracket challenge, and CBS, which is offering the enticing grand prize of a 2011 Infiniti M for the top bracket champ.
The biggest prize this year, though, has to be from AOL's Fanhouse, with the SoBe Lifewater Zero Inhibitions Bracket Challenge that boasts a $9 million jackpot for anyone with a perfect bracket. (Again, though, good luck with that.)
Video Slam Dunk
Elsewhere, you can grab news snippets from the Twitter home of the "ubiquitous college basketblog" Rush the Court.
If you like getting your basketball news from sources who can add a bit of commentary to the game, then there's a ton of sports journos tweeting who can offer just that.
Tweeple that cover the NCAA basketball championship for various media outlets include 12 New York Times reporters and editors at The Quad, and a team of Sports Illustrated writers and photographers as well.
ESPN fans can follow longtime college basketball analyst Dick Vitale, senior writer and college basketball reporter Andy Katz, college hoops reporter Dana O'Neil, and Jimmy Dykes, who works for ESPN and also offers analysis on ABC.
CBS meanwhile comes in with Seth Davis, as well as columnist Gary Parrish, who should offer you some good insight into the Big Dance.
Conclusion
If we've overlooked a service you use, be sure to shout it out in the comments. Or, if you have an idea for an even better way to use social media to keep up-to-date with the March Madness, then Coke Zero wants to hear from you as part of their clever, basketball-themed social media promotion.
The fizzy drink company is currently asking for ideas to improve the NCAA fan experience. A winning idea could net you $10,000 and tickets to the 2011 Final Four. So get your thinking caps on!
More sports resources from Mashable:
- 5 Reasons Every Sports Fan Should Be On Social Media
- 5 Social Media Lessons the NBA Can Teach Businesses
- When Social Media Gets Athletes in Trouble