Badgers advance far in Twitter #MarchMadness
The Badgers are going to the Men’s Basketball National Championship game — at least if the games were played in cyberspace with Twitter keeping score.
A Monday, March 21 post on the influential technology blog TechCrunch had the Badgers advancing all the way, until being edged by North Carolina in the title game.
For this particular bracket, effective Twitter use determined the outcome of the match-ups.
A service called Empire Avenue created a full bracket with a game-by-game breakdown, were the tournament to be decided by Twitter account activity.
Empire Avenue’s metrics took into account how much activity UW’s Twitter account has, along with the number of followers, replies and retweets. The metrics prioritize the basketball team’s Twitter account, but in some cases, also looked at flagship Twitter accounts.
“We continue to spread the word about this great place through the creative use of technology,” says Vice Chancellor of University Relations Vince Sweeney. “It’s exciting to see our innovation recognized nationally, even if it’s only part of a fun ranking.”
It isn’t the first time that the university’s social media programs have received accolades.
In January, the university ranked first among U.S. colleges and universities in a study examining higher education “brand equity” on the Internet by a consultancy called Global Language Monitor.
That led to a Time story touting the university as “most buzzed about” campus in the nation. Social media was one factor measured in the study.
Also in January, the university’s flagship Twitter account, was rated among the “most influential” on a list published by Klout.com.
The university has a vast collection of accounts, especially on Twitter, that can be viewed here.