SEC Clarifies Social-Media Position

Amid widespread reports that the Southeastern Conference plans to crack down on the use of social media during the upcoming college-football season, the SEC clarified its position, telling The New York Times its target is not the casual fan posting updates and pictures, but users distributing photos and video clips for commercial use.

The NCAA conference is also looking to protect its upcoming SEC Digital Network, which will offer an online-video archive of SEC games and file footage when it launches this fall.

SEC spokesman Charles Bloom told the Times:

The line is drawn at game-footage video. We want to protect our rights to have video between the conference and its members and ban the commercial sale of photo images. Fans can post photos on their site or Facebook page, but they can’t be for sale.

Join Baratunde Thurston (left), The Onion’s Director of Digital and author of How to Be Black, for an entertaining look at creative social media campaigns in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. Other speakers include Morin Oluwole (Facebook), Tim Devane (bitly), and SocialTimes' writer Devon Glenn.   Register now.