Media Makers ...

One of the best written and most interesting blogs that I have read this season (so far) would definitely have to be posted by Rookie F1. It's called The Social Paddock. If you haven't read it, click the link and read it before you go any further.

With the Social Paddock, it has essentially laid a base down for the 'new style' Formula One media layout.  With the paddock going digital, the teams and their PR's are having to adjust.  Though the 2011 Formula One season is not even half over, some are doing better than others in my opinion...

We will start off with probably the largest networking site that there is, Facebook.

Nearly all the teams have an 'Official Facebook Page'. To actually search and find their page through Facebook is next to impossible so click here! to see our Ultimate Facebook List (for teams / suppliers and venues alike).

Being the social networking site, you would happen to think that all of the teams would themselves, have a team of individuals that arm Facebook to offer the fans the latest and greatest news. Some teams / suppliers do and some fall short.

Take Red Bull for example. What they post is fantastic. Behind the scenes photos at all the races, podcasts and videos.  And yet there is very little fan interaction.  Don't get me wrong, what they post is of amazing quality but there seems to be very little interaction compared to others.

If you have ever come across the Pirelli Office Facebook page, you are in for a treat.  Sure they are only the tyre supplier to all the teams but they have delegated their media responsibilities to a 'tee'.  If you post a question on their page, they respond.  And relatively quickly too!

One site that is a fantastic place for all your photos needs that is forgotten about by many of the team would definitely have to be Flickr. 

There are millions of fans spanning across the globe that would only kill for a glimpse of what it is like to be at a race.  A few teams have picked up on this niche and rediscovered Flickr.  To find these teams, you'd think that it would as simple as clicking on a link from the Official Website of each respected team, but just like Facebook, it may take some investigation. Here at Girls Like F1 Too, I've discovered these pages and found that one team stands well apart from the rest.  It would be Team Lotus. Their Flickr Page  used to take you back all the way to their Lotus Racing Launch, but since the acquisition of Team Lotus, they have been photographing and uploading everything.

One great way to get your fans involved would be with a community.  Some teams have been trying to develop a fan forum or fan page.  With a page like this, many teams can gauge how their fans react or think about what is happening.  Now this can backfire sometimes and cause more of a hindrance than a help.

If you can get past these people that like to 'troll' on forums, fan communities offered by the teams are great ways to meet people.  As most of you know, I am Canadian. And to tell you the truth, there are not too many Formula One fans here in the 'Great White North'.  If it was not for communities like Red Bull's Fanzone, I would not have anyone else to 'talk shop' with! Being on a few different fan sites, Red Bull have got it.  Though many people have stated that the software they use is 'old school', the set up they use it a great community platform.

You can find a lot of things on YouTube. Everything from a talking dog to old war footage. It's not very often that you find a Formula One team ready to bare all. 

This category, there are two fantastic teams that 'bare all' on Youtube and in two completely different ways.  First you have Lotus-Renault GP.  Their YouTube Channel is full of driver's videos. You have both Nick Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov giving look at what to expect at each race and the team gives anyone who may not have the chance normally, to see their Roadshow.

At the opposite end of the YouTube spectrum would definitely have to be Mercedes GP.  As like LRGP, Mercedes GP have nothing to hide.  The team are more than willing to poke a bit of fun at their drivers. With the likes of Michael 'The Red Baron' Schumacher and Nico 'Britney' Rosberg, how could they not?  But on a more serious side, the team also have their drivers and the team principal. Ross Brawn, doing Team Talks.  It is where they have a 2-3 minute clip explaining different aspects of Formula One and it's cars.

The main thing that has caught my attention with Rookie F1's The Social Paddock blog is Twitter.  Even though Twitter's been around publicly since 2006, it wasn't until 2011 that the Formula One Paddock has embraced it. Many of you may know that Girls Like F1 Too is also on Twitter and with being on Twitter, we are fully submersed in that culture. 

Like the trolls on team's fansites, Twitter is full of Aggregators or Bots (as well as a few trolls).  They can be quite annoying as with an 'intelligent' phone (not a smart phone), each time they mention you or retweet you, the alert pulls you away from the page you are on. Some people find it easier to follow the Aggregators than going through and finding all the individuals but with the Aggregators

With Twitter being so new to the paddock, many of the teams and paddock employees are trying hard to keep up.   One team, well not even the 'team' per se, but nearly all of it's employees that have adapted well and and very easy to communicate with would be Marussia Virgin Racing. People from MVR that can be found on Twitter range from their finance division to drivers and mechanics.  And they are always willing to tweet back. 

To find these people, it may take a  little bit of investigation but Sidepodcast has started a very comprehensive list. MVR not only has embraced Twitter, but is using it to it's fullest extent.  They host driver interviews, they have a great circuit walk called #therealhotlap where a pair of team members walk the track and literally photograph (and upload) the sites. Whether or not you are a fan of MVR, I recommend 'following' them. The team just loves to have fun and include all their fans with it.

All in all, the Formula One Paddock has become very social.  With new technology and new media types, it is quite hard not too.  All the teams reach out to theirs fans in different respects and in different ways. Depending on how they approach the situation, a team can make a fan out of a person where the thought may have never crossed their mind before.