Tweet
Unrealized by many DIII schools last year, the NCAA actaully prohhibited the use of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter fearing prospective recruits could be consuming that information. Members of the DIII committee put some pressure on the NCAA and just the other day resolved their legislation for using such sites.
You may recall myself using Twitter to keep fans and parents updated when UW-Stout wen't out to Lake Placid, NY last spring. Those following the tweets and Stouthockey.com were able to get hourly updates on what the team was doing and where we were.
Here is an excerpt from a NCAA press release ---
"DENVER – Division III institutions now are free to use such media as Facebook and Twitter to publicize game results and other athletics news without worrying whether prospective student-athletes are receiving those “electronically transmitted” messages, provided the communication meets some new objective guidelines established by the Division III Management Council.
The Council agreed this week, in chair Lynn Oberbillig’s word, to “liberalize” 2008 legislation that has prohibited sending any electronically transmitted correspondence other than an e-mail or fax – including any type of message via social-networking media – to prospects.
Council members approved the recommendation from the Division III Interpretations and Legislation Committee as noncontroversial legislation and also approved the language of the revised bylaw, meaning that it became effective Tuesday upon adjournment of the Council’s summer meeting.
The Council also made application of the new standard retroactive to August 2008, when the original legislation became effective. That action relieves schools of the requirement to report violations in cases where prospects may have received information available to anyone seeking it via social media.
Institutions and coaches still are prohibited from using social-networking media, as well as such tools as texting or instant messaging, to communicate personally with a specific prospect. Communication with prospects via phone, e-mail and fax continues to be permitted.
The Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, a prime force behind adoption of the 2008 legislation because of its stance that recruiting via electronic technology should be neither intrusive nor informal, supported the change. SAAC representatives on the Council said the original legislation’s intent is preserved by the revised bylaw’s requirement that prospects must be given the ability to decline receipt or “unsubscribe” from receiving information from an institution.
“Our original worry was with single text messages, which we felt were unprofessional and placed undue, one-on-one pressure on a student-athlete,” said Erin Wojtkun of Christopher Newport, one of SAAC’s two Management Council members.
“We felt the restrictions in the new legislation, with no one-on-one contact and that it’s general in nature, makes it a prospective student-athlete’s choice to receive the message. We decided (social networking) is a new technology and it’s how new students are getting information. So, we don’t want to close it off, because we want as many Division III athletes as possible to learn what it really means to be a Division III athlete.”
The revised bylaw does not specify the types of information that may be transmitted by institutions, simply terming it “general athletics information.” But the Interpretations and Legislation Committee has suggested that it is the same type of information available to the public through a school’s Web site, such as “general media reports, scores and other public information.”
"
Not really hockey related but an interesting read none the less
You may recall myself using Twitter to keep fans and parents updated when UW-Stout wen't out to Lake Placid, NY last spring. Those following the tweets and Stouthockey.com were able to get hourly updates on what the team was doing and where we were.
Here is an excerpt from a NCAA press release ---
"DENVER – Division III institutions now are free to use such media as Facebook and Twitter to publicize game results and other athletics news without worrying whether prospective student-athletes are receiving those “electronically transmitted” messages, provided the communication meets some new objective guidelines established by the Division III Management Council.
The Council agreed this week, in chair Lynn Oberbillig’s word, to “liberalize” 2008 legislation that has prohibited sending any electronically transmitted correspondence other than an e-mail or fax – including any type of message via social-networking media – to prospects.
Council members approved the recommendation from the Division III Interpretations and Legislation Committee as noncontroversial legislation and also approved the language of the revised bylaw, meaning that it became effective Tuesday upon adjournment of the Council’s summer meeting.
The Council also made application of the new standard retroactive to August 2008, when the original legislation became effective. That action relieves schools of the requirement to report violations in cases where prospects may have received information available to anyone seeking it via social media.
Institutions and coaches still are prohibited from using social-networking media, as well as such tools as texting or instant messaging, to communicate personally with a specific prospect. Communication with prospects via phone, e-mail and fax continues to be permitted.
The Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, a prime force behind adoption of the 2008 legislation because of its stance that recruiting via electronic technology should be neither intrusive nor informal, supported the change. SAAC representatives on the Council said the original legislation’s intent is preserved by the revised bylaw’s requirement that prospects must be given the ability to decline receipt or “unsubscribe” from receiving information from an institution.
“Our original worry was with single text messages, which we felt were unprofessional and placed undue, one-on-one pressure on a student-athlete,” said Erin Wojtkun of Christopher Newport, one of SAAC’s two Management Council members.
“We felt the restrictions in the new legislation, with no one-on-one contact and that it’s general in nature, makes it a prospective student-athlete’s choice to receive the message. We decided (social networking) is a new technology and it’s how new students are getting information. So, we don’t want to close it off, because we want as many Division III athletes as possible to learn what it really means to be a Division III athlete.”
The revised bylaw does not specify the types of information that may be transmitted by institutions, simply terming it “general athletics information.” But the Interpretations and Legislation Committee has suggested that it is the same type of information available to the public through a school’s Web site, such as “general media reports, scores and other public information.”
"
Not really hockey related but an interesting read none the less
Comment