As I have discovered and discussed in previous posts, the sports industry has a strong relationship with social media. According to the CEO of Mass Relevance, sports have always been about the fans and allowing them to gather and participate in sporting events. He explains that his company is essentially doing the same thing, but on social media, and states, "From the beginning, sports have been about fans getting together. Now you're participating with this group whether you're at the stadium or not, and that's a bullseye for social media." Mass Relevance is a a social engagement platform that allows brands to use relevant and curated content experiences in order to engage consumers. Mass Relevance has made such an impact with sports on social media that Twitter made Mass Relevance "its first official social engagement and curation partner." 
       Mashable's recent article on Mass Relevance asks CEO, Sam Decker, questions about the maturity of sports social media and how he sees it evolving in the future. Decker first is able to explain the success Mass Relevance has had because they are able to bring social media into other platforms and in a meaningful way. They understand that sports fans aren't going to be paying 100% attention to social platforms while they are watching a game, so he brings social media into other places like apps and TV channels. The company also tries to allow fans to create stories and content themselves rather than the brand doing it all. While storytelling and creating engaging content is important for everyone in the sports industry, creating content is a little more complicated for sports brands in comparison to teams and leagues. Sports brands need to understand what sports their consumers are interested in and combine that love of the sport with their product to create an impact with their content. 
       Decker believes that sports social media is still very early in the evolution process. Those that are standing out, such as MLB and Turner sports, have the entire organization utilizing and emphasizing social media. The ones farther behind in the evolution process have a very small social media marketing team and a social media presence that no one else in the organization is aware of. I agree that some brands are more ahead of others, but I think the sports social media presence is greater than described by Decker. I, myself, follow numerous teams and sports brands on different social media platforms and think they have created a strong presence. In the future, Decker believes social media will become more integrated into what fans are doing. I agree, not only is this true for social media in general but it is true for sports social media. Once teams, leagues, and brands realize the growing importance of social media they will place more emphasis on it. This will all fans to not only "like" a page or receive updates of teams, but to interact with them as well in a variety of ways. As a sports fan, I hope that teams and brands become more interactive on social platforms because these are brands I would be extremely interested in following. 

~Katie 

      I admit, I am one of those people that could sit on Pinterest forever, looking for new inspirational things to make, wear, or cook. I pin different recipes and clothing items, but never do these pins ever turn into a purchase. Many of the products I come across are out of my budget or are out-dated and are no longer in stock. A new social network that I recently read an article about that caught my interest is Luvocracy.
       Luvocracy is a San-Francisco based start-up that is similar to Pinterest in that users can take products they like and pin them to boards. They can also repin products from friends, brands, and stylists. Luvocracy differs from Pinterest by focusing more on the idea that we buy products that our friends recommend. According to Nielsen reports, 92% of customers trust word-of-mouth over any other type of advertising. Luvocracy has therefore ensured that all products featured on their site are in stock. Users are forbidden to post products to the site if they aren't available to be purchased. This differentiates Luvocracy from Pinterest where numerous products are either not yet available or are out-dated and no longer available. Luvocracy also has a plug-in that Pinterest does not offer that when downloaded it allows users to pin products to their Luvocracy account that they come across on various retailers' sites, such as Nordstroms or Etsy. When pinning products you can also pin them in your "Backroom" that is available to only you and not your friends. To further make them a site focused on buying products that your friends recommend, Luvocracy rewards consistent users with a small percentage of money back if someone buys one of your recommended products. While it takes multiple purchases to receive money back, it is still an incentive to continue participating on the site.
       While similar to Pinterest in the way products are pinned and shared, Luvocracy seems to have done a great job differentiating themselves. It therefore won't be a question of which site is better, but what you want to get out of the sites. If you are looking for inspiration then you might want to use Pinterest, and if you are interested more in purchasing the actual products then Luvocracy will better suit your needs. I personally have found use in both sites. I enjoy using Pinterest for recipe ideas and health tips and fitness inspiration, but I like using Luvocracy for buying products, whether it is clothes, jewelry, or decorations for my home. Luvocracy is yet to state how many users they have to-date, but I hope people continue to join this site because it really is a great new way to go shopping online.

~Katie