So it’s been awhile since that last post. My bad.

But I’m back with an idea that can help Falcon fans everywhere. Since even the most die-hard BG fans have to miss a game now and again and scores aren’t all that easy to come by, I think I’ve found a solution.

Twitter.

If you haven’t seen or used Twitter before, it’s pretty simple, it’s generally useless, but it’s kind of addictive. As an active user, you can post thoughts, ideas or status updates, up to 140 characters at a time. A small bit of space for the next great blog post or maybe even your thoughts on the last game, but perfect for keeping Falcon fans up to speed on what’s going on.

More passive users can climb on board and just read “feeds” of people they’re interested in. A lot of news organizations use it as a new wave RSS feed (some better than others), while a lot of personal users use Twitter to let others know where they’re going for lunch, or that it’s time for bed.

So how can this new toy help Falcon fans?

It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s pretty darn good, I think. Anyone who wants to get BG scores sent to their computer or, ideally for this purpose, their cell phone, will have to sign up for a Twitter account. It’s free and pretty easy and painless to register for. In fact, I think it just asks for a username, password and e-mail address and you’re in.

From there, it gets a little tricky, but still pretty simple. On your Twitter “home” page, click on Settings, then click on the Devices tab. Follow the on-screen instructions to assign your cell number to the account. (Note: Text message fees apply, not only to the set up, but also for each update you receive over your phone. Users are responsible for those fees, more on that later.)

From there, search for “bgsusports” (or go here) and “Follow” the feed. Once you’ve done that (and if your phone/mobile device is activated), you’ll see an option to turn on “Device Updates” for the bgsusports feed. There is also a spot in the sidebar of your Twitter homepage (http://www.twitter.com/YOURFEEDNAME) to turn on updates. Do that and you’re set.

The idea is to try to feed updates for the major sports first (football, basketball, hockey) and to do so in a way that is informative, without bombarding cell phones with tons of text messages (after all, there’s usually a charge for each one). Something like an update with each score and at the end of each period/half/quarter. For basketball, maybe an update at the media timeouts. It’s still just an idea and one that can take off with input at that.

If you’re done needing updates, or you’re getting more than you wish to receive, all you have to do is text “OFF bgsusports” to 40404 (Twitter’s “cell phone number”) and they should stop. Want them back? Text “ON bgsusports” and they’ll come back. There are other commands available here.

Since, for now, the score updates will just come from online sources or radio broadcasts (since I’m rarely in BG), the schedule will rely somewhat on my availability and access to the games. With enough interest, I’ll try to publish a schedule of games to be Twittered, or find someone that can handle it in my absence. Or, I may just fire off a feed if there’s a game going on and I have access and maybe even for some “non-major” sports, volleyball and men’s and women’s soccer come to mind.

So what do ya say, Falcon fans? Need some score updates?

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