ATTN Smashers: Use Social Sites To Be Connected w/ The Community
posted to the public
at 6:13 PM on Monday Jun 11, 2012
Fortunately, various social media and sharing sites have really been hitting it off within the Smash community, but I feel like there are a lot more of you out there that haven't begun to take full advantage of it yet. There are tons of different services out there to help keep you connected to all the latest news and events happening in the Smash Community. Utilize each of them and not only will you benefit by getting all the information you want as fast as possible, but you also help others keep up to date as well.
Smashboards/Smash World Forums http://smashboards.com This is the first of the two obvious on the list, the Smash-centric websites. Smashboards excels in its message board, and is the best place to engage in conversation in this format with others from the community. It's more fitted for longer conversations, that doesn't have to be instant. Smashboards also has a news section that recently launched earlier this year, which often highlights key threads being made, tournament results and media, and more.
All is Brawl http://allisbrawl.com The other obvious Smash-centric website, and hey - it's where you're reading this right now! All is Brawl excels more at a social, user-created aspect of the Smash community. AiB has a stronger focus around your friends, and content you create (such as blogs), posting your scores from the game (stadium modes), and has the wifi ladder.
Facebook http://facebook.com Many sub-communities of Smash often now have Facebook groups you can be a part of, which is a GREAT way to get updates that matter to you. For instant, in the NJ/NY SSBB Group on Facebook, conversation normally takes place between all the local players that we meet with at all of the tournaments, and we find out when tournaments in our area are coming up, and help organize carpools to them.
Twitter http://twitter.com Twitter is all about instant updates that people post and share instantly. Twitter is often used in Smash for quickly posting tournament results, as they happen in tournaments. This service is also great for sharing announcements, videos and media, and your favorite content. You can then follow other users you like and get all of their status updates on your homepage. If you follow all of the Smashers you can, you get well integrated into receiving tons of status updates all about Smash.
Twitch TV http://twitch.tv Streaming is a pretty big deal in competitive gaming, and has really exploded in Smash over the last year. Even if you don't plan on being a broadcaster, having a Twitch TV account is great. While streams are going on, you can participate in the chat room with fellow viewers, and also follow channels to receive email updates as soon as they go live, so you never miss your favorite streams.
YouTube http://youtube.com YouTube is a lot more than just watching videos, it's a great way to communicate about videos. While you can discuss videos anywhere, doing so through comments on videos opens up your opinion to everyone watching that video, normally upwards of thousands of people. You can also subscribe to the channels of your favorite content producers to get updates on their videos asap, and can also message them if you have any questions.
Reddit http://reddit.com Reddit is a site where users post links or blurbs of text, and users can upvote or downvote it. Posts with enough upvotes make it to the front page, where it will get more views. Content that matters is what's spread wider, and gets more exposure. This is great for spreading the word on news and updates that really matters. Reddit is split into sub-communities that people create, and you are able to subscribe to these communities. Your homepage on Reddit will only show posts from the communities you subscribe to. There are communities for both Smash, Project M, and all other types of games on Reddit.
Bringing All of These Services Together
That's a lot of websites and a lot of accounts you need to keep track of, but it's a lot easier than you think. Each of these sites all excel in their own little niche services, and you can connect most (if not all) of them together to make one big giant web of social connectivity. For some examples, you can setup your YouTube account to make a post for you on Facebook and Twitter whenever you upload, like, favorite, or comment on a video. Twitch TV has a function for broadcasters to share a link to your channel on Twitter as soon as you go live. Even better, Twitch just launched a new update this past weekend for viewers that lets you connect your Facebook account to Twitter, and it will share any stream you are watching automatically when you are tuned in.
Twitter and Facebook both have options to share updates with each other. You can post on Facebook and have it appear on Twitter or vice versa. Smashboards have share options so you can spread links to your favorite threads via almost any of these sites. There is also an official Smashboards and All is Brawl page on Facebook, and Smashboards has its own official Twitter account.