"Must-See" Site of the Day: KnicksNow.com

A few days ago, the New York Knicks officially launched an innovative social media oriented site that has become a hot topic of conversation in the digital sports space. The site, KnicksNow.com, is a team-operated community that provides real-time social media insights and nuggets of information in a concise, digestible format.

KnicksNow.com offers a tremendous amount of high-quality content in a simple format - two aspects of digital media that fans are looking for. The site features a plethora of videos, high-res images, post-game interviews, blog posts, relevant tweets, live Facebook integration, content sharing features, headlines, quotes, daily photo uploads, and caption contests. Fans can feature @thenyknicks in their Tweets throughout Knicks games for the chance to be featured on KnicksNow.com.

Per Howard Jacobs, EVP of Marketing and Sales for MSG Sports, "KnicksNow.com is the next digital step in our total fan engagement strategy. It's the ultimate destination for our most passionate and loyal fans to access exclusive, behind-the-scenes content on the team and fully engage with other Knicks fans and our players in the dynamic, ever-changing conversation that's taking place across the social media landscape."

The interactive site could soon become a benchmark for organizations across all sports looking to host their social media initiatives all in one hub. Check out some screen shots of the site below:

Let Fans Go In-Depth with Facebook Spotlight Features

Sports organizations looking for ways to promote their players (e.g. rookies, free agent signees, veterans) and give fans new, in-depth insights should consider creating a series of Facebook Spotlight Features.

The NBA Summer League did a tremendous job sitting down with NBA prospects Eric Bledsoe and Wesley Johnson to give fans a personal tour of their Facebook accounts and personal life. The video series allowed fans to learn more about their personal experiences and relationships off the court. The players talked about their Draft Day experiences, their birthdays, friends, graduation day, and family. The excercise may be fun to also do with the dance team, mascot, coaches, and fans.

Teams interested in the concept (and can find players willing to share their personal Facebook account) should model the Eric Bledsoe feature (1st video enclosed below) that has a nice, clean picture-in-picture format. Check out the NBA Summer League Facebook video tours below: