Social makes the Super Bowl more super

Computerworld - When the first Super Bowl was played in January 1967, you had three ways to enjoy the game: You could drive to the stadium and sit in the stands, listen to the play-by-play on the radio or watch the action on TV. If you were on the cutting edge of technology, you could watch the game in color.

Is that how you're going to watch the game this year? Just on a color TV, like it's 1967?

Come on. It's 2012.

This year, there's a wide range of options for augmenting your experience with social networking and other Internet-based technologies. The Washington Post said this year's game will be the first "second screen" Super Bowl, since advertisers, the football "industry" and others will all be trying to get your attention via other venues when you're not focusing on your television.

Second Screen game options

Google has gone all out with a site called "Game Day With Google" that will offer special features throughout Super Bowl Sunday. You can get up at 8 a.m. and turn to the site to find recipes for game day snacks. It also features a pregame briefing and has tips for searching for stats during the game. And in keeping with Google's new obsession with social networking, the site offers a feature called "See What Your Friends Are Saying" that highlights Google's ability to surface social posts.

Google is also promoting a Google+ hangout by the New York Giants just before the game.

The city of Indianapolis, where the Super Bowl will take place, has set up a 2,800-square-foot "Super Bowl Social Media Command Center." It's staffed with Internet-savvy locals, who search the Internet looking for people asking questions about the city from within a 50-mile radius and respond with answers. They'll be able to tell people where to park and how to navigate the crowds, and they generally try to answer any question posted on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ or on message boards and chat rooms.

The NFL has introduced a new app for iOS and Android for people attending the game. The app offers maps of the stadium and the surrounding area, highlighting nearby restaurants and businesses.

The app also features video and data on each of the Super Bowl players and teams, as well as a database of information about previous Super Bowls.

Ads get social

And it's not just the game. Advertising has gone social, too.

Super Bowl ads this year cost an average of $3.5 million for a 30-second spot. So advertisers will try to get the most out of their investments by driving eyeballs to social interaction. More than 80% of this year's Super Bowl ads will offer some kind of social component or app integration.