Fighters making good use of Twitter

Those following the Iran election and protests would surely say, yes.

Whether or not this new social medium is really journalism is up in the air but Twitter is certainly media. If the basic function of media is disseminate information than Twitter meets this requirement. Especially when we consider who we are following on Twitter. For example if a player tweets, "I have been traded to team X" surely this is significant sporting news.

For the MMA community Shane Carwin's recent tweets regarding his next opponent is the latest example of individuals controlling their own media message to disseminate information of their choosing. The UFC was not pleased with Carwin's early announcement and Shane tweeted a 'mea culpa'. Ironic considering Carwin was simply following Zuffa's lead when it comes to controlling one's own media message.

While this minor dust up didn't really cause a serious issue between management and employee the fact remains that the prevalence of social networking and new media forms ensures that fighter's and athletes will always have a voice in the public forum. Something that will be invaluable in the next skirmish between a disgruntled athlete and ownership.