Tuesday, June 05, 2012

CFP: International Journal of Sport Communication Special Issue

International Journal of Sport Communication
Special Issue: Changing the Game in 140 Characters: Twitter’s Rising Influence in Sport Communication

Guest Editor: Dr. Jimmy Sanderson, Clemson University – Clemson, SC, USA

Social media technologies have become firmly entrenched in the sports world. While various social media sites such as Facebook, Google Plus, and Tumblr, have a presence in sport, one domain in particular -Twitter - appears to be the social media channel of choice for sport stakeholders (Sanderson & Kassing, 2011). Twitter has become increasingly popular and prevalent in multiple areas of sport communication and sport media. Sports organizations use Twitter to engage fans via promotion and marketing activities, efforts that encourage and bolster fan identity. Athletes are employing Twitter to build personal brands, break news, engage sport media personalities, and communicate with fans. Sport media organizations routinely integrate tweets from audience members and sports personalities into their broadcasts and Twitter offers fans unprecedented communicative access to sports figures and athletes. The simultaneous communication occurring on Twitter between all these entities has produced a number of implications – both positive and problematic. Twitter’s rise in the sports world corresponds to growing attention from sport communication and sport media scholars. Accordingly, the time has arrived to dedicate a special issue to the Twitter phenomenon. The purpose of this special issue is to highlight Twitter’s emergence in the sports world and its influence on sport communication and sport media processes.

Submissions are welcome on any analysis related to Twitter and sport communication/sport media. While all topics within sport communication and sport media will be considered, some example of possible foci, issues, and topical areas include:

-Ways that various sports entities (e.g., sports teams, athletic departments, athletes) use Twitter
-Interaction between sports stakeholders (e.g., athletes/fans) via Twitter
-Perceptions of Twitter within the sports community and among sports fansTwitter’s role in identity expression and brand management
-Social network development within Twitter
-The extent to which traditional sport media practices (e.g., source verification) pertain to Twitter
-Shifting communication patterns via Twitter (e.g., athletes breaking news) and their implications
-How sports organizations manage/regulate Twitter

Deadline for submissions: July 31, 2012
Publication Issue: Volume 5(4) – December 2012

Jimmy Sanderson, Ph.D. is the guest editor of this special issue. Dr. Sanderson can be reached atjsande6@clemson.edu. To submit a manuscript, however, please go through the regular submission steps found at the IJSC website (please see link below). In the cover letter to the IJSC editor (Paul M. Pedersen, Ph.D., Indiana University), simply note that the submission is for the “Twitter” special issue.

Submission Guidelines: http://hk.humankinetics.com/IJSC/journalSubmissions.cfmIJSC: http://hk.humankinetics.com/IJSC/journalAbout.cfm

No comments: