Explaining What We're Doing (in Six Easy Steps)

Yesterday I was interviewed live on the air by KFAN's Henry Lake during "The Lake Show", his weekly Sunday solo gig. The interview lasted about twelve minutes but it felt like two. I did, however, succeed in repeating the name "FanChatter.com" at least a half dozen times.

I'm not sure how well I did beyond simple name repetition, but I'm hoping to get a copy of the segment soon. Others gave me good reviews, although my wife said I talked "pretty fast"...

...but here's what hit me this morning:

The more I talk to people about FanChatter, the more I learn what elements of my pitch are resonating. Interestingly enough, by observing the reactions of others I get a much better idea of where we should be aiming.

Or maybe it's by using the site in its current form that I discover more of what we have to offer. For example, FanChatter is currently populated by myself and several people that I know, and we've been talking sports for a few days now using only the site. I get mobile alerts when the people and groups I'm subscribed to post new chatter, and I presume others have figured out how to receive alerts when I chatter.

All of this led me to compose a new Google Ad Words-style ad this morning in the shower:

Mobile Sports Fan Chat
Talk sports with your friends from
anywhere, anytime, all at once!
FanChatter.com

Sitting around talking with your friends about sports... Isn't that exactly how many of us would rather spend our days, like we were in the 6th grade again? If only we could hang out with our friends all the time -- like we did in the 6th grade -- so each of us could hear all at once what all of us think about each passing sports headline.

Well, now we can, thanks to FanChatter.com.

Here's how I would suggest the average sports fan use the site, in SIX EASY STEPS:

1. Sign up and quickly fill our your sports fan profile (this takes about 2 minutes)

2. Recruit your friends to sign up, too, and ask them to tell you their usernames so you can easily find them on the site.

3. Once they sign up, add your friends to your Lineup (kinda like YouTube's "Subscriptions") and make sure they join your Crowd ("Subscribers").

4. Next, enable your mobile phone to send and receive chatter from your Lineup. Once enabled, you can start and stop mobile chatter notifications anytime by texting #start or #stop to the address "m@fanchatter.com" from your phone.

NOTE: After completing steps 1-4, you and your friends will be able to talk sports ALL DAY LONG from wherever you are, DISCREETLY via your computer, email, or text messaging, and all of you will see what everyone else is saying, and none of you will need to enter and re-enter everyone's email addresses or phone numbers over and over again (unless you don't use FanChatter). Now, on to the equally simple steps 5 and 6...

5. If you decide to explore a little bit and/or search by tags, you may find and subscribe to other users you don't know personally but who share your sports fan views.

6. Another way to find like-minded fans, or to keep track of a particular sports subject, is to follow and participate in a group that interests you. You can even start and stop group chatter notifications to your phone by texting #start or #stop followed by the groupname. You can also post to a group from your phone by texting @ followed by your chatter.

I hope that sounded easy, because it is. I also hope is sounded useful, because it is.



And as I was typing this I just got a huge bit of news (Thanks Kev). 10,000Takes.com, a Minnesota Sports Blog I highly respect, just mentioned us in their daily "Morning Hangover" entry. Maybe it was the radio appearance. Maybe it's because I added them to the blogroll (at right). Whatever it was, thanks guys.

And thanks again to Henry for having us on. This is getting good. Go Twins.