Join the conversation! FAMU athletics partners with Twitter to increase digital footprint
Willie Simmons understands the importance — and strength — of social media.
The Florida A&M football coach creates and shares posts regularly across multiple platforms, including Twitter and Facebook.
"Social media is the way we communicate today as a society and if you don’t have a strong presence, then you’re behind the eight ball," said Simmons, who has nearly 31,000 followers on Twitter and 3,500 friends on Facebook.
Twitter’s capacity to provide information in real-time is game changing. No other social platform, according to socialmediatoday.com, comes close on this front.
Combine that strength with FAMU athletics' desire to increase its digital footprint and generate conversations among fans, the decision to partner with Twitter as the first HBCU to launch a Twitter Community was an easy one: FAMU Rattlers.
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FAMU Athletics Director Kortne Gosha, who also values the strength of social media and branding, encouraged FAMU fans to join the community for "drops promotions, and news."
The FAMU Rattlers community will be a place where student-athletes, fans, students, and alumni can interact directly while being the first to gain exclusive access to FAMU athletics major news and releases, according to the FAMU athletics department.
Becoming the first to partner with Twitter to pilot the first HBCU Twitter Community did not surprise Simmons.
"As the 'School of First' here at FAMU, we have always been trendsetters and becoming the first HBCU to partner with Twitter only adds to that reputation," Simmons said. "These are exciting times and there’s never been a better time to be a Rattler."
As Simmons said, the Rattlers have been trendsetters in the past.
In March 2021, for example, FAMU and Nike signed a deal that outfitted all of the school's 14 athletic programs and the Marching 100 in LeBron James signature uniforms and apparel.
FAMU is the only HBCU outfitted in LeBron James gear in the SWAC. This six-year agreement was enacted in an effort to support and uplift HBCUs around the country.
In honor of launching the new FAMU Rattlers Twitter Community, there will be a special giveaway exclusively for community members.
FAMU's presence on Twitter includes an official athletics site (more than 31,000 followers) and university site (more than 54,000 followers).
Tweets in Communities, meanwhile, can be seen by anyone on Twitter.
However, only others within the Community itself can engage and participate in any discussions.
Reach Jim Henry at jjhenry@tallahassee.com.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU becomes first HBCU to launch Twitter Community
