No Social Media In These College Stadiums 265
RawJoe writes "Today, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) is expected to release a final version of its new media policy that, at the moment, can best be described as a ban on all social media usage at SEC games. Earlier this month, the conference informed its schools of the new policy, which says that ticketed fans can't 'produce or disseminate (or aid in producing or disseminating) any material or information about the Event, including, but not limited to, any account, description, picture, video, audio, reproduction or other information concerning the Event.' Translated, that means no Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, TwitPic, or any other service that could in any way compete with authorized media coverage of the event. In the case of the SEC, authorized media coverage rights belong to CBS, who has a $3B deal with the conference over the next 15 years, according to The St Petersburg Times." Good luck with that. To quote Clay Shirky, "The idea that people can't capture their own lived experience is a losing proposition."
Can a hearing aid rebroadcast it? (Score:3, Interesting)
Seriously, from the surrounding ambient noise to the wearers ear?
As long as everybody Twitters, it'll be OK (Score:5, Interesting)
The sensible answer is a protest (Score:5, Interesting)
Using Twitter and Facebook when you're at a game is distracting at best, narcissistic at worst. However, the assumption that they are using to fuel their ban - that personal accounts and expressions are somehow not admissible, that CBS has a monopoly on communication - is dangerous, and should be protested. You can laugh it off and say, "There's no way that this is Constitutional," but you should stand up for your rights. As lame as it may sound, they should organize a huge Twitter contingent to post at the same time, and see if they can get kicked out. That would show people how out of touch the SEC is, and that people's rights cannot be signed away, with OR without their consent.
Seriously? 15 years? (Score:5, Interesting)
Who knows what kind of tech we will get in those 15 years? It's going to be very difficult to control that over the long term.
Higher Education (Score:3, Interesting)
Since schools are disseminators of knowledge, this policy to ban knowledge/information attacks the entire institution of education. What network TV has to do with the educational process beyond Cable In The Classroom is beyond understanding. Clearly these policies will need to change or colleges will no longer be an effective means of higher education.
Re:Who even cares (Score:1, Interesting)
More likely, they'll ban cell phones, and refuse you entry at the gate if you have one.
Morons (Score:3, Interesting)
I WAS an SEC football fan. I'm not whether I'm allowed to be now. Can I not discuss the game with friends the next day now? Fuck that.
Re:Who even cares (Score:3, Interesting)
I wouldn't go anywhere in public without my phone. Certainly not into a teeming mass of thousands of people. It's just an obvious safety precaution.
The SEC doesn't get Viral Advertising (Score:3, Interesting)
War Eagle to all, and I can't believe but totally understand the short-sightedness of this.
The SEC became the best conference in college football because fans are rabid. They live, eat, breath this stuff year round. They talk about it year round. Trying to control pics/video/texts from a SEC game is impossible from a practical standpoint and stupid from a marketing standpoint. You want more people talking about your sport, openly, and while there. That increases your brand penetration and desirablity.
Re:Trying to police this... (Score:3, Interesting)
As an alumni, probably not much, but any student that gets caught with a facebook photo taken in the stadium: immediate suspension.
Or they'll give the poor student an option of paying a "Reduced fine" ($2-5k) and everything will be taken care of out of court. Everything done RIAA style against students that can't afford a lawyer to fight this.
Pssst! Hey, buddie! (Score:2, Interesting)
There was this ball game the other day...no, really! And since no one was paying attention, and no one was permitted to share in the reality, NOBODY SHOWED UP.
Are these the same boneheads who though the Federal government were smart enough to blow 20,000 to 30,000 times the "Cash for Clunkers" program, yet Clunkers was a dismal failure? (The fed is inept, period. No matter which country you talk about.)
These people smell like the RIAA...
Re:As long as everybody Twitters, it'll be OK (Score:4, Interesting)
Ah well maybe everyone should participate in a flash crowd and dress up as birds in the stands and then tweet away about tweeting.
Re:Court-ready proof that this can't work: (Score:1, Interesting)
The brainwashed masses in the US have to get their doses of American Idol, Bridezilla's and Fox News. I never turn on TV here in the states. Sometimes if I want some BG noise I put on the History Channel or SCIFI.
TV is a complete waste of money in my opinion. My girlfriend likes to watch Law and Order and CSI stuff, think that's the only reason to keep TV around.
Wow They Really Don't Get It! (Score:5, Interesting)