The Anaheim Ducks and Facebook

POST 3: After following the organization’s Facebook page for seven days prior to your last post, answer these questions:  How does the organization attempt to create dialogue between itself and the fans? How often do these attempts occur? Multiples times a day? Once a day? Once a week? What interesting design or visual elements have been contained on the Facebook page over the seven days?

As one of the leading social media platforms, Facebook has become among the most important places for fans to check for news regarding any given franchise. Almost every post made by the Anaheim Ducks organization primarily includes at least one picture or video. Sometimes, these will accommodate a discussion in the post’s comment area; others will attempt to entice the public to attend a game or watch online, as well as include game summaries or promotions and giveaways. The possibilities seem endless.

There is no specific target amount of posts per day although there are a myriad of posts within one week’s time with some organizations. The particular week that was being monitored saw an average of almost four posts per day (one per six hours) with a grand total of 27 posts. Compared to its Katella Ave. neighbor LA Angels of Anaheim, this is slightly less (22 total posts) although the second half of that one week period saw a double in production from two posts per day to four or five per day. The spike has been due to the first set of preseason games starting in all of Major League Baseball, compared to a shortened midseason National Hockey League schedule. During the NHL offseason and lockout, the Ducks had only posted mostly once per day.

Unfortunately with Facebook it is not possible for any person, group, or organization to personalize the layout of their page. However when people use their imagination – the most powerful tool in the world – the pictures posted by the Ducks can be quite mentally stimulating. 
The Ducks are very good with providing that imagery. Any time a picture of a crowd celebrating a goal or cheering on a fight shows up, a person might be able to feel the energy of that crowd. This is visual imagery. If you were told that a new player to the team who was famous was making his debut, you may be able to imagine the atmosphere, but it simply wouldn’t be the same as you cannot immediately picture or have never seen the exact vision of the team’s home venue. That is abstract imagery (being able to imagine from descriptions).

This does not exclude other pictures and videos. There may be special graphics added to a picture to promote a specific game or regarding a certain promotion at the team store (et cetera). Usually videos posted by a sports organization on their Facebook page are regarding an important highlight of a game in which the team is competing. The videos aren’t limited to that however, as they may also include player interviews, special events, or even behind the scenes “shenanigans” to be shared with you, the fan – their customer.