Yakcing all over Twitter: A new social network site launched by Victor Rojas
looks to hook you into sports specific social networking "rooms" |
Social networking has become more than a trend, by all accounts, it appears to be here to stay. Whether it’s Facebook or Twitter, millions connect to discuss what is important to them.
For sports, Twitter seems to have gained incredible traction. Media, fans, and athletes converged on the platform, and with it, it has become where many get their news.
But, as with any platform that isn’t specific to one area, it can have disadvantages. Trying to pick out game relevant tweets in the timeline gets lost with other content being followed. Sure, there are hashtags, but with only 140 characters at your disposal to comment with, they can chew up space for something you wish to say, and getting everyone to use the same hashtag for an event is no sure bet.
Victor Rojas, the new television play-by-play man for the LA Angels, and former MLB Network host today launched Yakcy (http://www.yakcy.com/), a site that allows sports fans to engage in Twitter-esq conversation on sports, thus allowing fans to focus on specific events without the background chatter often times associated with Twitter.
Rojas, a staple on Twitter, saw the need for a sports specific social media site at one point last season.
“While I was extremely active on Twitter for most of last summer & enjoyed the interaction, I found it difficult to follow ‘conversations’ on my timeline during a game and wasn't a fan of the hashtags,” Rojas said. “The proverbial light bulb for me occurred during the Twins/White Sox play-in game. As I watched and ‘talked’ with friends & followers, I kept getting @mentions from other fans wanting to talk about their teams. That's really when it dawned on me...what if I created a 'space' where I could talk about a specific game with fans from the two teams involved and no one else? My lack of sleep began the next day.”
The site is designed around specific sporting events, such as each game for the NCAA Tournament, Golf, MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, MMA, and more. Users can login by creating an account through Yakcy, or use your Facebook or Twitter accounts to connect through to the site. Once in, sport-centric “rooms” are available to enter into approx. an hour and a half before an event starts and closing about an hour and a half, after. Events also have a “Yak-Trak” room open 24/7 to allow open chats.
Rojas kicked off the site with a soft launch today with multiple phase to the application functionality coming shortly, including versions iPhone and Android mobile platforms.
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