For all those Twitter users, the RFL have released an article about using hashtags to talk about the games. So for Friday's game its #SLWidWak, bring it on! [urlhttp://www.superleague.co.uk/article/tweet-tweet/24288[/url Quote With the Stobart Super League starting this Friday now has never been a better time to talk about our great game. For those of you with Twitter we will be using the following hashtags throughout the season so fans can keep abreast of the latest Super League news and banter. Bradford Bulls #Bra Castleford Tigers #Cas Catalan Dragons #Cat Huddersfield Giants #Hud Hull FC #HFC Hull KR #HKR Leeds Rhinos #Lee London Broncos #Lon Salford City Reds #Sal St Helens #StH Wakefield Wildcats #Wak Warrington Wolves #War Widnes Vikings #Wid Wigan Warriors #Wig Using the above this weekend's games will look like... Friday 3rd February Widnes Vikings v Wakefield Wildcats = #SLWidWak Leeds Rhinos v Hull KR = #SLLeeHKR Saturday 4th February London Broncos v St Helens = #SLLonStH Salford City Reds v Castlefprd Tigers = #SLSalCas Sunday 5th February Bradford Bulls v Catalan Dragons = #SLBraCat Hull FC v Warrington Wolves = #SLHFCWar Wigan Warriors v Huddersfield Giants = #SLWigHud And don't forget to use the following when discussing the Grand Final and the Challenge Cup... Grand Final = #SLGF Challenge Cup Final = #RLCCF For up to date Super League news please follow us - www.twitter.com/RLSuperleague'"

For all those Twitter users, the RFL have released an article about using hashtags to talk about the games. So for Friday's game its #SLWidWak, bring it on! [urlhttp://www.superleague.co.uk/article/tweet-tweet/24288[/url Quote With the Stobart Super League starting this Friday now has never been a better time to talk about our great game. For those of you with Twitter we will be using the following hashtags throughout the season so fans can keep abreast of the latest Super League news and banter. Bradford Bulls #Bra Castleford Tigers #Cas Catalan Dragons #Cat Huddersfield Giants #Hud Hull FC #HFC Hull KR #HKR Leeds Rhinos #Lee London Broncos #Lon Salford City Reds #Sal St Helens #StH Wakefield Wildcats #Wak Warrington Wolves #War Widnes Vikings #Wid Wigan Warriors #Wig Using the above this weekend's games will look like... Friday 3rd February Widnes Vikings v Wakefield Wildcats = #SLWidWak Leeds Rhinos v Hull KR = #SLLeeHKR Saturday 4th February London Broncos v St Helens = #SLLonStH Salford City Reds v Castlefprd Tigers = #SLSalCas Sunday 5th February Bradford Bulls v Catalan Dragons = #SLBraCat Hull FC v Warrington Wolves = #SLHFCWar Wigan Warriors v Huddersfield Giants = #SLWigHud And don't forget to use the following when discussing the Grand Final and the Challenge Cup... Grand Final = #SLGF Challenge Cup Final = #RLCCF For up to date Super League news please follow us - www.twitter.com/RLSuperleague'"

Id like to hope they do something with the comments that are being put up. Social media is a great way to sell a business and a big part of everyday life now especially at sporting events.

Could be a big idea here!

League Express are on board with this hashtags and I know that they plan on using the comments.

I would like Sky to advertise them and then use them in game, that would be good.

Was wondering when this would happen, I emailed the RFL and Sky Sports about this.

Don't get why we can't all just stick to #rugbyleague but there ya go!

Because there is often more than one game on at any one time, and because this is an infinitely better system.

Stick to a vague sport name which could refer to any game, competition, or saga, or have a bespoke one for every single game and occasion?

Not a hard choice. It's not like this is a difficulty is it? Stick to the programme, we'll all get along fine.

Think we have more chance of getting #rugbyleague trending though if everyone is using it rather than several different hashtags

easy really isn't it.

I would say that #rugbyleague isn't likely to trend anyway, at least this way you can quickly find tweets related to the match you're watching, from your own and opposition supporters. I quite like the system, if only everyone uses it...

I agree but it's not very likely that a new fan / someone on the verge of being a fan will type in those hashtags though. Someone with a partial interest could easily type #rugbyleague

As I say, only a good system if enough people use it. Perhaps if the RFL really want it to take off they need to get SKY to show it or read it out at grounds before the match?

It's not just about trending, in fact that's a small part of it, and due to horny teenagers tweeting about something called bieber we're unlikely to. It's about connecting with people and discussing the same things. If the likes of the League Express or elsewhere want to find a post on the specific match or issue in question they need to look in one place. We differentiate between the matches because they are different discussions. Rugbyleague could refer to super league, championship, australia, new zealand, a league of union somewhere, amateur, anything. Also if people at the match want to check what others there are saying on their phones it's useless wading through texts about other games and issues before they get to tweets about this specific one.

This is what gets me. Max tried to get this up and running at the back end of last season and people couldn't stick with the plan because they were too pig headed to follow a simple instruction. They had to start their own tags in a different format just to please themselves because they couldn't manage to just get with the programme. The rugby football league are issuing these now and they still moan about the tags being used.

It's not a difficult format, it makes sense, stop questioning things for the sake of it and use the correct tags!

US sports broadcasts have been doing this for a while, even putting their commentator's twitter names in on-air captions. The NRL were using it towards the back end of last season too I think. Not sure why sports in this country haven't jumped on it yet. Free publicity!

It's not only about trending.

People talk in game all the time but don't often put #rugbyleague at the end. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, #rugbyleague has never trended whilst many other RL related terms have. This is to do with the nature of trending, it is only when a term spikes in relation to its usual usage that it trends. This stops things like Justin Bieber or days of the week trending 24/7. People use #rugbyleague all day every day so it would take a huge spike for it to ever trend. A good example is in Australia. NRL or #rugbyleague never trends there because of this but the game specific tags do all the time now and often in top spot.

Game specific tags are now standard in many sports and it was trialled at the end of last year to good effect. Many people enjoyed using them and found the games much easier to follow. If people get used to it and we trend now and again then that is simply a bonus.

Are you and Chris Dalton related? I agree with what you have said, but to expand the fan base of the game things like twitter are a very useful tool. If people can find out about it.

I'm glad the RFL and League Express have taken it upon themselves now. I just hope they push it properly.

There's something peculiar about Rugby League fans that has to react to everything, no matter how harmless, with distrust and dislike. It was the exact same with the NRL, fans couldn't understand why they couldn't just use #rugbyleague. Now it is not questioned.

The A-league in Australia is the 4th biggest sport (a bit like RL) and they have adopted these and got them trending worldwide. This is just a bonus to a much better way of tweeting.

Indeed we are. Brothers. I am Paul Sculthorpe to his Danny.

I am more Sam Tomkins to his Joel Tomkins.

Sky should show the hashtag at the start of the programme like Channel 5 have done with #CBB and ITV did with #Imaceleb

Yep, I've tried to contact them about this before only to get nothing back.

I'll keep trying, hopefully the RFL's backing should change this.

I didn't think even you would stoop that low.

Yep, simple. 'Please use the #SL(insert) hashtag on twitter' read out by Eddie Hemmings, Phil Clarke could read out some tweets at half and full time and use them as discussion points for analysis. Could even have tweets featured in game where we might normally see scores from other matches. Can just see Phil Clarke saying 'Joey Barton has got in touch via twitter and thinks Rugby League has set the standard for video technology, and urges to FA to take note'.

I know some people don't like the thought of such things, but Twitter is a powerful tool, and if managed correctly can attract large audiences on the 'Top Trends' section, more publicity and all that.

Love it.

Get it sorted RFL!

Actually, Clarke is more likely to say something like [i "Y'know Eddie, that's the forty-third tweet we've had on that on the last twenty minutes ... Stats show that Saints fans are more prolific with their twittering in the last twenty minutes of a game than any other team in Super League ..." [/i

Hi guys, just signed up here.

I was involved in the adoption of Hashtags in the NRL. As you can see we had some very successful games:






Towards the end of the season almost every game would trend #1 in Australia. The most amazing thing was that this was born completely from the NRL Twitter community. The NRL is more involved this year so it can only get bigger.

The main reasoning behind match specific hashtags is that it presents a live stream which can be very handy for someone who can't get any other form of commentary. #RugbyLeague would not trend due to it's high use already (has already been said). The amount of people who were asking what #NRL....... meant, was incredible. As fans of the Greatest Game of All we have the ability and the duty to give something back.