WAG Social Media as Part of Gymnastics

[Fliptwisttumble]

I"m finding reading this thread very interesting, given the discussion on another thread as well about how some people are more "out there" with their kids' internet persona than others.

Our gym has a FB page, and together with that a corporate website. Your team child will end up with their name and picture on either should they win something/anything. It is posted as news, and it is public. Girls are also on the province's website with their photo(s), in the local newspapers and their respective online sites, etc. Thus I find it almost impossible to keep them (the kids) "hidden".

If Instagram, Youtube, etc. were added to the mix, that'd be fine with me. Can they be "more" out there? Likely not. There's enough info online about my daughter that you could find her whether or not I post anything. I just have to keep her as safe as I can, given the social media age we are in.

 

[LucyTRA]

I WISH my clubs had Facebook pages! The one that I run at Uni has a Facebook page for itself and there is the general sports page that the Uni runs. The Uni also has twitter (that occasionally includes updates from the tramp club) and I think an Instagram page, but the 2 proper BG clubs that I attend don't have Facebook pages, and the leisure centre I train at sometimes has a group but that is much more of a social thing, not for updates.

I follow quite a few gym and tramp accounts on Instagram and will sometimes post videos and stuff but never of the kids I coach, only of myself and of my adult friends.

I think a Facebook page is a good idea and maybe twitter but Instagram and YouTube are kinda time consuming and unnecessary

 

[gymmomtoo]

Gym has a Facebook page, but they really only use it for posting pictures of gymnasts at past meets or a good luck post. Nothing else on it. I think of it more as advertising than anything helpful.

 

[Becauseisaid]

Gym has a Facebook page, but they really only use it for posting pictures of gymnasts at past meets or a good luck post. Nothing else on it. I think of it more as advertising than anything helpful.

What would you define as helpful?

 

[Uglybetty]

A consorted facebook/twitter campaign has been very successful at boosting numbers at our gym. Another purely rec gym I know also does well from Facebook. However, the key to success is to post stuff parents will share e.g. Clips of their kid getting a new skill, photos taken at a competition. If you don't do this, only your existing likes will see your postings....it's the "sharing" that boosts the number of likes.

The parents also have a private facebook group so we can plan fundraising and arrange collections for coaches/judges, but that second page has caused problems because someone misread the intention behind a fairly innocuous post and took a screen shot and gave it to HC. As a result there is a lot of mistrust amongst the parents which is unfortunate since it was actually a good way for parents whose kids train in different squads on different days to communicate.

I could bore you with tons of stuff about making sure your website sits at the top of google search pages but it requires more consistent effort than most gyms are prepared to make.

 

[gymmomtoo]

What would you define as helpful?

Oh anything that had info about times for upcoming meets, location, etc. If it were a private FB page, probably more of that stuff would be on it. "good luck to the girls competing today!" posts aren't helpful at all--just fun