Social Media plays an essential part in the way tribes connect in an increasingly smaller world. One organisation MUST (Manchester United Supporters Trust) have begun utilising social media to spread their own campaign message.  MUST have always existed as a tribe in their own right, but as we have seen throughout history the bigger your gang the more power you can exert.

MUST have wanted the Glaziers out since they took ownership of the club, but this season they have given their movement legs with the “Green & Gold Campaign”.  These are the original colours of Manchester United, then known as Newton Heath, with the idea being that the fans will continue to wear Green and Gold until the owners go.

MUST are also aligned with another tribe, the Red Knights, who are the financial arm of the campaign. The Red Knights are made up of wealthy investors, some who are fans of the club, who are prepared to invest in Manchester United if and when the Glaziers agree to sell and then give 25% ownership of the club to MUST.

In February 2010 membership was 50,000 when it was announced that Blue State Digital, the same company who led the digital campaign for Barrack Obama during the presidential elections, were appointed to take the Green and Gold Campaign to the next level.

Membership of MUST, a month and a half later, has nearly tripled and currently stands at 134,440 at the day of writing (Friday 12th March). Using new media such as a Facebook page , a Youtube channel as well as providing easier ways for new signups to share information through their Facebook status is the reason the campaign has mushroomed recently.

Traditional media has caught onto the movement recently too, with not a day going by where MUST or the Red Knights don’t feature in the sports pages.

Every tribe though needs a tipping point and a figurehead. MUST’s tipping point and figurehead could have come on Wednesday the 10th of March after their game against AC Milan. Enter David Beckham, famous the world over for his football playing ability and consumer appeal, who made a clear expression of support when he donned a scarf in MUST colours after the 4-0 defeat of Milan on Wednesday night.

The MUST movement is now ready to explode and reach every corner of the globe and gain support of an estimated 75 million fanbase. This simple gesture by David Beckham is exactly what MUST and the Red Knights needed to cross over into the mainstream.

The power of Social Media in this movement should in no way be underestimated!

David Mulligan

On Friday night I found myself at a South African business networking event in the Green Isle Hotel outside Dublin asa  guest of Patrick Dunne from Brand Experience.

The highlight was meeting some amazing kids who have some serious get up and go attitude !  I met Brittany & Robin Windvogel & their parents – Brittany (12) is a published business author alreadywith her own web site.  Her brother Robin (8) has been on trial at Manchester United so muct be one hell of a hot shot! Well done to the parents for raising such talented & ambitious kids & please see below the Soccathon organised by their dad Rowan.

The Search is on!  WANTED: Magners League Professional Fan
Magners League announces search for Ireland’s first ever spokesfan.

Magners League is offering the opportunity of a lifetime to one lucky
job-seeker to become the ‘Magners League Professional Fan’ for this
current season 2009-10.  This unique position is diverse, fast paced and
demanding.  The many benefits include seats at Magners League games,
meeting rugby stars, getting to know team managers and trainers, travel,
(some) fame and the appreciation of  new-found fans.

The ideal candidate will be available to attend Magners League matches on
each match weekend from December through to the ML Grand Final next May.
Developing relationships with key personnel and media from each of the
provinces, the successful candidate will work with the Setanta Sports
production team in interviewing players and fans and providing in-match
summaries, in addition to maintaining their own blog and continuously
looking for opportunities to drive the profile of the League.

The chosen candidate will have strong communication and interpersonal
skills and be able to build relationships with all Magners League
partners.  He/She will have strong presentation skills, will enjoy working
with people and will be innovative and creative with a can do attitude.

Orlaith Fortune, Marketing Manager Bulmers said, “If you think you have
what it takes and you want to be part of the League’s most exciting season
ever, then all you have to do is apply… If you are passionate about sport,
hard-working and not shy in front of a camera, then this is the job for
you!”

The 2009/10 Magners League has all the makings of another all-action
tournament brimming with clashes high in both intensity and quality
between teams from Ireland, Scotland and Wales.  With the introduction of
play-offs for the four leading sides, this season promises to be one of
the most thrilling ever.

For details on how to apply before November 24th 2009, click here >>

With the All Ireland Football Final on Sunday, this is the time when it can get embarrassing that you don’t know the National Anthem in English, let alone in Irish! Are you one of the many people who stand in the crowd at sports events, miming the Nation’s favorite song because you don’t know the words – Olé Olé is not the National Anthem!

Nokia in conjunction with Gaelchultúr have launched an application where you can learn the words of the National Anthem on your Nokia handset. Logon to store.ovi.com to download this Karaoke style application for free! You can now learn the National Anthem in a fun, funky way with friends and family. The application will teach you the words line by line, by following the highlighted Irish text, while the English translation is featured underneath.

There are lots of ways to access “Amhran na Bhfiann” for free. If your handset is preloaded with the Ovi store application already on your Nokia device, click on it, go to applications and download “Amhran na Bhfiann.” Don’t worry if you don’t have OVI store on your phone, just go to the download folder, refresh the content and you will find the Ovi store application, download and install onto your device. You are now ready to start singing!

As my mother is from Macroom, I have to nail my colours to the mast and shout “Come on the rebels” !!

Sunday was quite the busy day down at Croke Park with the GAA All Ireland Senior Football Quarter Final & Hurling Semi Final. With crowds from all over the country, the stadium was bursting with excitement and pride for their supporting teams.

Thanks to Toyota for the tickets, we got to enjoy the Football Quarter Final with Mayo up against Meath. What a match! The stadium was brimming with both Mayo and Meath supporters alike, but in the end it was Meath that beat out the favored team Mayo.

Next on was the Semi-Final Hurling match between Kilkenny and Waterford. This was another great game, it ended ultimately with a win from Kilkenny.

Overall it was an excellent afternoon for enjoying some great Irish sports! Thanks again to GAA Football’s sponsor Toyota for the tickets!

Check out a video from the day:

Last Thursday evening the Connector team was off to the races at Bulmers Live at Leopardstown! Thanks to some free tickets from Bulmers, we got to enjoy the horse races and a great outdoor concert from The Coronas!

The night was spent watching the horses, eating some food from the Bulmers feast, making some connections with the jockeys, and moving to the beat of The Coronas’ great performance!

For more on the summer concerts for Bulmers Live at Leopardstown, check out their site >here>>

Connections Made
- May have some free tickets to the Irish Derby from Maria @ Kildare Village
- Was at the opening party on Fri night for BANG! Studios in Dublin 1 … welcome Vassilis !
- Connected Niall Harbison with some advise on T-shirt printing (from my site www.conman.tv)
- Connector’s good mate Alex has started a new site called www.eclicks.eu – talk to him, he’s good !!
- Was at an Nokia inter agency day with Eighty:Twenty, DDFH&B, Direction JWT, Mediacom
- Helped Don Mullan showcase his interview with the last remaining Titanic survivor – thanks to Nokia
- Heading towards 500 followers on Twitter … hope I ain’t boring them I don’t like qwitters !
- Met my mam for dinner in TheChurch.ie plus met Barbara McCarthy there too

Connections Wanted
- We’re looking guests for Connector No.11 on Friday12th June in TheChurch.ie …
- Seeking people or companies looking for Digital & Social Media Training or workshops …
- Celine Mullen is running an event designed for those made redundant or seeking new job opportunities …
- I would like to find a cool car/van asap – any one some connections for a bargain Connectormobile ?
- Looking for volunteers in Web TV, Blogging & Event Management … are there summer interns out there ?
- Anyone up for a Galway Races break (28 July-2nd Aug) as I may rent an appt or house for Connector

Connecting You / WLTM
- Who would you like to meet & why ?

Please email connect [@] connector.ie for more info

… and the Triple Crown and the 6 Nations Championship trophy … and Craig Doyle … and Paul O’Connell’s dad … and Gordon D’arcy …and Brent Pope and John Baker … !

OMG !! So many connections at the Irish Rugby Players Union Awards last night … Brian O’Driscoll deservedly wsept up the main player awards and a great night was had by all … thanks to Malachy from Another Avenue for the invite … more soon …

Well even the fish in the sea know that surfing has really popular in Ireland in recent years with a community of surfers spring up beside the coast.  I’ve seen some of this movies trailer on TV & Patrick from Screenclick recommended we go check it out.

WAVERIDERS is a feature film documenting the previously untold story of the unlikely Irish roots of the worldwide surfing phenomenon and today’s pioneers of Irish big wave surfing. The journey reaches a spectacular climax when the surfers conquer the biggest swell ever to have been ridden in Ireland by catching monster waves of over fifty feet.

Waveriders was Winner of the Audience Award for Best Film at the Dublin International Film Festival 2008.

More about Waveriders – www.WaveRidersTheFilm.com

You may recall before Christmas I helped raise €300 for charity at the Bloggers Christmas Dinner while raffling 2 VIP tickets to see Munster v Sale Sharks.  Well the match was last night and I was at the match with the two winners & my Limerick based cousin Diarmuid O’Riordan.

The winners were Christine Coen & Keith Delahunty who are pictured with myself, Diarmuid and Louise from Toyota.

I managed to film a Munster try on my mobile, one of the 6 they score in a thrilling 37-14 victory over Sale Sharks team with some of Europe’s top rugby names playing on the night.  However they were no match for Munster on a night where Paul O’Connell won Man of the Match.  The fans were great and it is amazing what this small Irish provincial team has achieved both on and off the field.  A highly coordinated real & virtual world community as you can see !

Picture below is Ronan O’Gara getting ready for a kick and it in mid air .. can you ‘Spot the Ball’ & win our special readers prize ?  Answers on a postcard …

We also met up with Glyn Billinghurst who is the Sales & Marketing Manager of Munster Rugby (now that is what I call a job !!) who kindly showed us arond the corporate & hospitality sections.  It is all spanking new and very impressive as was the stadium, the atmosphere, the performance and the total evening !  Thanks to Toyota for a great night out !