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Tweet Tweet: The Twitter Explosion

(Editor’s note: We would like to welcome our newest writer cvas to the site.  He hails from Gainsville, Florida, is the president of the UF lacrosse team, and knows how to do the Gator Chomp better than anyone.  Remember: North, South, East, and West, LAS has you covered.)
Until a few months ago, the words ‘tweet tweet’ might signal some deranged bird enthusiast invading your space. Now though with the recent explosion of Twitter into the mainstream ‘tweet tweet’ is starting to sound trendier and more commonplace each day.

Whether you’re a tech junkie (like myself) or simply a fan of what’s new and exciting, Twitter is now the hottest ticket in town. The simple micro-blogging service started out in 2006 as way to update others on your life, and as Twitter started to pick up steam users began using the service in new ways. It wasn’t until a few months ago though that Twitter finally found its way into the mainstream as the Internet’s new thing.

Twitter has become home to more than just the casual user. Celebrities, companies, and sports teams have started to tweet about anything and everything. If your in the mood for random acts of Shaqness you can follow the Big Aristotle (@THE_REAL_SHAQ) for everything from his latest halftime tweet to free Suns tickets if you’re the first to touch him. But if Shaq Steel isn’t your thing and you want to get your lacrosse fix, Twitter has become the one-stop shop for live scoring and team updates around the MCLA. 

With @BYULAX and @gatorlacrosse the MCLA burst onto the Twitter scene this past January. Gone are the days of lurking forums to find the scores of games from across the MCLA. Now fans, parents, alumni, and random followers can receive live updates on their phone or computer as they’re happening. Teams can even Twitpic gamephotos so followers can get a better feel for the crowd and game atmosphere.

With MCLA teams lacking the ESPN and CSTV contracts that our D1 counterparts enjoy, the only real way to grow exposure for MCLA teams is the Internet. While some of the more established programs like BYU, Colorado, and Michigan are able to afford live game scoring and in-game audio on their sites, most teams have found Twitter as a great alternative to keep fans, alumni and parents engaged.

The Internet’s new fascination with social media gives the MCLA and its players a chance to compete in some capacity with D1 lacrosse on the web. The fact that most teams are run mainly by college students makes it perfect for them to utilize Facebook Pages, Youtube videos , Twitter, etc to reach other college students and even gain some attention for the team at a younger level. While some teams might already have an established local following and steady stream of new blood, the social media available to today’s teams allow them to reach out and grow support like never before.

Here in Florida, lacrosse has exploded onto the high school scene in recent years due to the FHSAA finally sanctioning it on a state level. Almost every public and private high school now has a team, and while some of the state’s top talent get recruited to schools like Maryland, Hopkins, and Salisbury many players can’t pass up the more affordable education by staying in state. As I’m sure is the case for most teams out west, getting the states top players is crucial to maintaining the level of play Top 25 teams in the MCLA enjoy year in and year out.

Social media is a way for those unfamiliar with the level of play and organization in the MCLA to finally take notice and become aware of the opportunities available for graduating high school players, fans of the game of lacrosse, and supporters/alumni who are looking to support their school.

This was my first post so I had a lot to say, from now on they’ll be short and sweet, I promise. Follow me on twitter @cvas

Here are some other Twitterer’s you should be following:

Lacrosse on Twitter:
LacrosseAllStars
Kyle Harrison

Collegelax.us
Inside Lacrosse
US Lacrosse
LaxPower.com

A few MCLA teams who consistently update:
Colorado
Michigan
BYU
Florida

Celeb’s:
Steve Buscemi
Jimmy Fallon
Ashton Kutcher

…and the self pronounced King of Twitteronia:
Shaq