Author: Cat

Over the past two weeks I’ve been asked repeatedly to write about my experiences of sexism in rugby union. Truth be told, it’s taken me this long to calm down enough to put my thoughts in order.

In the last Social Pages before the Social Pages as you know it properly kicks off – the end of my trials, if you like – (and my posts become, blessedly, quicker to write!) I wanted to cover the official accounts, and start to look at some of the confusing relationships between accounts and why the Super Rugby Facebook Page ignores South Africa and New Zealand.  Just a warning- this has lots more words and fewer pictures than usual. The Official Super Rugby Accounts @SuperRugby on twitter; super rugby on Instagram; Facebook.com/superrugby These are the official SANZAR-run Super Rugby accounts.…

How to be in the Social Pages for all the right reasons Go shirtless. Or shortless. Or both. I am a woman who appreciates a man who shows a commitment to solidarity and equality with his athlete sisters. Athlete women have been forced to cavort in skimpy clothing in settings and poses completely unrelated to their sport since Esther Williams flopped about prettily for MGM way back in 1945. Shirtless rugby players are our strongest allies in redressing this imbalance. They recognise that challenges to the inequalities arising from hegemonic masculinity in sport are more effective from within the privileged…

I’ve started the Social Pages this year looking at the strengths and weaknesses of the franchises so far and what I would like to see them do better. I think it’s safe to say that the Melbourne Rebels are the standard to which all other Australian sides are held to. Put simply, the franchise’s presence on social media is outstanding, and while their players have, through the years, done some stupid stuff on social media (largely documented on these Social Pages) the Rebels presence has always been strong. The Rebels’ social media presence is ALL about fan engagement – given…

Who gets the keys to the social media accounts? I mentioned a couple of posts ago that the social media for a team could be done by one person whose primary responsibility was for maintaining the social media presence of the team. Logistically though, to pump out content that people want to see on a daily basis you really need people throughout the organisation to have the keys to your social media channels. For example if your media manager is in charge, you also probably want a team manager to be able to take some photos to tweet or…

Before I get started, in yesterday’s post about the Brumbies I stated:  ‘They don’t really engage with fans: no replies on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook’. I was mistaken because they do reply on Facebook, occasionally publicly through comments on posts but more often via private messages with people. Thanks to all who let me know, and apologies to anyone who was put out by my mistake!  Fan engagement: the other side It’s a franchise’s responsibility to engage with their fans. But we need to recognise that this responsibility goes both ways. As fans we need to do our bit too.…

Every year for franchises look at their match day ‘experience’ and sponsor ‘activations’ at games, on the understanding that fans engage with teams (and their sponsors/ ‘corporate partners’) at home games. But social media means that fan engagement can now happen anywhere in the world and at any time. Failure to engage with fans in a two-way conversation means that you can miss out on a LOT of free (!) cross-promotion, and ignore fans who may support your team but live too far away to get to games. Also, you don’t have to fit followers into a stadium. To put…

‘Better fan engagement’ will be one of the top three priorities for Super Rugby franchises in the 2014 competition. The Social Pages 2013-14 will take a slightly different approach in looking at how the Australian Super Rugby sides engage with fans. Why? Brands that connect with sports fans on social media motivate consumers to take action, including purchasing memberships, tickets or merchandise. By commenting or sharing content on Facebook, Google + or Twitter, brands essentially get free media coverage direct to their target market. Social media use is easy, immediate and most importantly for Australian rugby, it’s free.In a media…

We’re at the juicy end of the season; the Lions are gone; the players are mad-Mondaying or preparing for finals; and the Social Pages are BACK! There’s so much to get through so let’s get into it! [one_half last=”no”] Brand Watch On July 10 Instagram gave me the ability to embed videos from Instagram into blogs. I like to think that clips like this are exactly WHY. It’s worth the click, trust me. http://instagram.com/p/bnv2aWtBX1/ [/one_half] [one_half last=”yes”] Dreamboat Watch The Rebels membership drive has started already. Here’s a shot from the calendar next year. [/one_half] [one_half last=”no”] Birthday Boy In…

Every day since the Lions game on Saturday there has been a new story attacking James O’Connor’s character or attitude. Two people have come out in support of James: Buddy Franklin and James King. Sadly James King deleted his single supportive tweet this morning. While King is a member of the Rebels squad he has not seen a great deal of game time nor has he travelled extensively with the team; neither are his regular teammates at the Rebels or Wallabies. King’s tweet indicated that the ARU were going to lose O’Connor overseas, while Buddy Franklin blames the Rebels organisation…

This week I take a look at the advertising strategy for the coming British and Irish Lions tour. The subtext and narrative will amaze you.  The use of iconic images in advertising is a tried and tested way of subliminally associating a sporting contest or brand with a known narrative. Often this is disguised so well that the association is subconscious. The first ad released for the coming Lions series featured David Pocock fearlessly facing down a roaring lion, evoking Daniel and the Lions’ Den associations. This imagery was used to describe Chamberlain leaving a meeting with Hitler, but I’m…

The Melbourne Rebels’ recent trip to South Africa was noteworthy for all the wrong reasons, and it’s easy to forget that 99 per cent of the Rebels’ social media usage was, and still is, awesome. Hopefully this will remind us of the good stuff too! And what other team would form a Trolley Train through an airport after a hellish travel day? Frisky Physio The Rebels take a very hands-and-other-body-parts-on approach to musculoskeletal treatment and maintenance… Yes, the first photo is a Vuna-Beale stack, both with phones in hand. Hmmm…. Shark Talk No, we won’t be rehashing the…

Cat gets some great cheeky shots from behind the scenes at the Brumbies

You won’t see this scoop anywhere else.

A wry look at Aussie rugby social media, this episode focusing on Campo and the Tahs

The Rebels players’ and the Rebels team accounts on Twitter are fantastic. Especially in a sport-saturated media market such as Melbourne, distributing content and interacting with fans (and potential fans) via Twitter and Facebook would be central to their fan-base growth and brand-recognition. Why I love the Rebels James O’Connor and Kurtley Beale’s Australia Day shout-out Their ongoing lookalike posts (see last Rebels post for more) Laurie Weeks showing that Kimami Sitauti is capable of simultaneously exhibiting both traditionally masculine and feminine traits, and in doing so supporting Sandra Bem’s Gender Schema Theory (1981) where…

Welcome to all our Western Force fans!  I’ve done my research and I now understand that the ‘Western’ in your name refers to your geographical location relative to the other Australian Super Rugby teams, not to your collective penchant for dress cowboy boots, Akubras, and checked shirts. Although on that note, a special Social Pages shout out to Richard Brown…. First off I have to tip my hat to the Western Force tweeter — if you aren’t already following the team on Twitter (@thewesternforce) they’re worth it. They’re not afraid to have fun, they RT some of the best player…

This edition of Social Pages is brought to you from the home of what Wikipedia refers to as the ACT Free Roaming Feral Horses of Australia. Did you know that collectively Free Roaming Feral Horses are known as a mob or a band? So here’s what’s been happening with our own beloved band of feral horses…. What better way to prepare for the Brumbies versus Force trial game on Friday in hot and steamy Darwin than a hot Brumbies Social Pages today, and a steamy Force Social Pages tomorrow? Actually, don’t answer that. Training: Brumby-style I think the Brumbies have…

In 2013 I’ll be doing the Social Pages a little differently. In the past I have tried to post something from each franchise and the Wallabies in each post. This has meant that I’ve had to leave out a LOT of great stuff from some players and franchises while including some mundane stuff from others (see Tahs’ Season 2012 tweets). This year’s Social Pages will be done as needed and by team, including occasional international editions. If you like the Social Pages, I encourage you to get behind them: share the post on Facebook, tweet the post on Twitter, follow…

After a much-needed hiatus I’ve resumed my Campo-approved role as purveyor of Australian rugby’s social media gossip. Some of the commenters on my previous post will be reassured that there will be no match analysis or critical thought about “real” rugby issues in this column. I’ll stick to “girl” talk! This year I’ll be doing the Social Pages a little differently. In the past I have tried to post something from each franchise and the Wallabies in each post. This has meant that I’ve had to leave out a LOT of great stuff from some players and franchises while including…