Sports social media follows trends, just as every brand with a social account does - the object being to create and produce content that users want to engage and interact with, and hopefully ends with a sales conversion. Since the LA Kings joined Twitter and other NHL teams followed suit, the NHL has had many creative campaigns on the platform - the Arizona Coyotes' "Throwback in Black" had unique, inspired content for a one time event, while many teams use the Throwback Thursday (#TBT) and put their own unique spin on it. Each team has created their own online voice, producing content to match, with new platforms being implemented frequently.
However, one trend in professional hockey social media has always bothered me - it spans multiple leagues, and multiple platforms, although it is most prevalent on Twitter. As soon as a team's season comes to an end, inevitable one hashtag pops up - #IsItOctoberYet
To me, this hashtag has no value - it is an easily answerable question ("No") that lacks creativity, and deviates from each and every brand that the teams has creative. There are hundreds of ways to count down to the season - including the oft-used jersey countdown - but adding this tag undercuts any potential value to a post. It's intrusive, and often times annoying. This might be my opinion, but I'm willing to bet that I'm not alone.
Why pick on this hashtag? It's low hanging fruit, and with October starting in just under 5 hours on the east coast, this tag will be gone soon, after a round of posts from different teams about how it's now October. But it also typifies what happens when trends are continued past their prime, and start to interfere with new content. The talent level within the social media departments of teams is incredibly high, and there is incredible potential to create a new, team - or even league - specific version of the tag that helps engage fans with the potential to create unique content around it. It's time to retire #IsItOctoberYet, and evolve to a new, more dynamic tag.
Plus, it's an excuse to post a Green Day song.