@skysportsaldunn investigates the unexpected role Twitter has played in the transfer window.
@skysportsaldunn investigates the unexpected role Twitter has played in the January transfer window.
When Ryan Babel decided to declare his Photoshop skills to the world via Howard Webb's head superimposed on the body of a Manchester United player the role of Twitter in sport began to dominate news agendas.
Social network sites landing footballers in trouble is not new news but Twitter as a mode of communication that breaks down traditional barriers between punter, pundits/journalists and players has never been more so apparent than in the current transfer window.
Convincing a generation of hacks still lamenting the fall of the typewriter to condense their prose into 140 characters was never going to be easy, but with a raft of Fleet Street's finest on board the rest have soon followed.
It would be premature to suggest more seasoned methods of breaking news are now redundant but why articulate in ten paragraphs what one can express in 140 characters?
Tired of countless column inches speculating where he might move to in the window, Steven Pienaar regained control of the situation by announcing to his Twitter followers: 'To end speculation I am going to Spurs.' There was no need for a press conference to announce this one.
Darren Bent tweeted about a forthcoming trip to Birmingham on the morning of his shock move to Aston Villa, while an ill-advised Marvin Morgan facilitated his switch from Aldershot to Dagenham & Redbridge when he tweeted: 'Like to thank the fans who booed me off the pitch. Where's that going to get you! I hope you all die.'
From boardrooms to newsrooms, editors are beginning to take Twitter seriously as a platform to not only source news but break it.
In the skysports.com office, News Editor Peter O'Rourke and transfer newshound Graeme Bailey have embraced Twitter as a new journalistic tool that allows them to communicate with a public that never tires of hearing about who's on the move and where they're going.
Twitter allows up-to-the-second insights that in terms of speed can reach core markets quicker than any print or broadcast medium. On January 12 O'Rourke tweeted Liverpool's intent to sign Blackpool's Charlie Adam. It wasn't until Jan 21 that the news became official.
There was also six days between the time he first tweeted about David Bentley's loan switch to Birmingham and the midfielder signing on at St Andrews.
Bailey, who prides himself on knowing more agents than 007, has shown a willingness to investigate rumours the public have passed on. He's broken first, via Twitter, news of transfers involving David Wheater, Jermaine Jones, Demba Ba, Wayne Bridge and Seb Larsson.
It's a similar tale on Sky Sports News where Chief News reporter Bryan Swanson has over 13,000 disciples hanging off his every transfer titbit, with one of the hottest phones in football forever poised to break a story with a quickfire tweet.
As a form of communication Twitter has made a major breakthrough in the transfer window and whether you love or loath it, as a tool used by journalists, players and the public alike it's here to stay.
Who to follow: @SkySportsRachG @skysportsed @graemebailey @skysportspeteo @skysportspetef @skysportsbucko @skysportsrobp @skysportschrisb @skysportslewis @skysportsaldunn @SkySportsMK @SkySportsPaulH @skysports_bryan @SkysportsTC @SkySportsJamesP
