Atlanta Braves ''Superfans'' Go Online to Build Fan Support with Help from Facebook...
Atlanta Braves ''Superfans'' Go Online to Build Fan Support with Help from Facebook and Watercooler MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(Business Wire)-- It's not everyday that you run into two Atlanta Braves fans who have gone online in order to build a better fan community in the real world, but that's exactly what Andrew Roden and Grant Crowe are doing. Using Watercooler Inc.'s Atlanta Braves Fans community on Facebook, Roden and Crowe are reaching into their own pockets and offering free Braves tickets to the fans who can recruit the most friends to the Braves application. "It pisses me off how passive Braves' fans can be," said Roden. "There's is a very real connection between how well a team does and how much fan support they get." After joining the Atlanta Braves community on Facebook (the 4th largest National League fan community, with over 44,000 total members), Crowe and Roden realized they could build additional fan support online. Their ambition? To build a fan community that surpasses their biggest rival: the New York Mets. Knowing that two sports nuts can't reach this goal alone, they are asking for help from their fellow fans. When the Braves pass the Mets, or on April 2nd - whichever happens first - Crowe and Roden will give the top recruiter two tickets to a future Braves game. To further incent the fans, Watercooler will be matching this generous donation by giving two additional tickets to the second place recruiter. "Andrew and Grant represent a new kind of superfan who not only want to cheer their team from the stands, but use Web-based communities like Watercooler's to connect with other fans to extend the social experience of baseball," said Kevin Chou, CEO of Watercooler, Inc. "If this promotion gets more fans involved with the Atlanta Braves, both online and in filling the seats at Turner Field, then we have succeeded," says Crowe. Facebook users can access the Atlanta Braves fan community at: http://apps.facebook.com/atlantabravesfan/. Within the community, fans can come together and taunt their opponents, put their favorite photos on their Facebook profiles, and take the Trivia Challenge to show who's the biggest fan. Individuals can gain recruiting points by engaging friends via sending messages, or else getting them involved in a virtual cheering "wave". ABOUT WATERCOOLER, INC. Watercooler is the leading provider of the world's most interactive and highly targeted television and sports communities. The Watercooler social media platform encompasses Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Friendster, and other social networks. Watercooler, Inc. Justin Smith, Product Manager, 650-396-7492 Fax: 650-964-4924 justin@watercooler-inc.com Copyright Business Wire 2008
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