The NFL, NBA, MLB have a combined 19.7 million Facebook ‘Likes’ on their respective pages.

Some interesting tidbits:

During televised sporting events, 83% of people are using a second screen; 63% will even check updates while they’re sitting in the stadium.

Fans will go social anywhere, 86% of people will check in from work and 58% will even check in from the bathroom.

This infographic by GMR breaks down the success sports media is having in the social space.

What impact has social media had on your sports experience? Let me know.

The debate is over. Solid research is now available backing up the idea that tablets are gaining momentum. Over things like say, watching TV. Giving credence to the growing “social TV” mania.

Social TV is the fast-paced intersection between connections of social interactions and televisions that is more than a passing fad and becoming the new standard.

SocialTV is the entertainment experience of users utilizing a mobile device while watching television and creating a conversation around events.

According to recent research, Nielsen has found that 88% of tablet owners and 86% of smartphone users said they used the devices while watching television during a 30-day period.

And many of those people (45%) used two screens at the same time at least once every day, with 26 percent doing so even more frequently.

Checking email while watching TV was the most frequent activity, but wasn’t limited to during commercials. When people do something other than email, they were looking up information related to the show or looking for deals and general information on products advertised on TV.

Here are some of the notable social TV events so far this year:
Wrestle Mania – The hashtag #Wrestlemania was mentioned more than 610,000 times.

NBA All Star Weekend - For the first time, fans decided the winner by either using hashtag #SpriteSlam for their favorite dunker, sending a text message or NBA.com.

NASCAR – Driver Brad Keselowski Lives Tweets during a race.

You could not run from it if you wanted to these days.

The inspiration for this blog comes from the countless questions from students, entrepreneurs, nonprofits managers, sales people, and educators about harnessing new media to further their cause.

New media, social media, and online marketing is everywhere in the media these days, and it is hard to avoid the seemingly endless conversations about its’ popularity.

The goal for jayfhicks.com is to create an online space dedicated to conversations about the digital revolution, online branding, bridging new media with traditional media, and diversity on the web.

This blog is an investment in helping you, your brand, and your company with resources for navigating the new media landscape.

The goal is answering several basic questions:

#1 How your employee’s time on Facebook amount to more than FarmVille.

#2 How you can develop or reinvent your online brand.

#3 How can companies make money by opening social media to the masses.

#4 How can diversity in journalism and technology can benefit the community.

#5 How can television and other media firms leverage the power of socialTV.

What questions do you have about getting started on the social sphere? Thank you for stopping by.