If you follow me on Twitter (@mariakonopken), Facebook postings, or simply talk to me in my offline life, it is no secret I am a huge sports fan especially when it come to the Arizona Cardinals. And while my team will not be making the trip to Indianapolis for the big game, nearly 150,000 people will be descending on the city to see the New York Giants take on the New England Patriots.

It can almost go without saying of those 150,000, most have never been to Indianapolis, let alone a Super Bowl. And while this chaos is nothing new to the NFL, this year they are taking a different approach by creating a Social Media Command Center. In short, the purpose of the Social Media Command Center is a group of Social Media Strategists in Indianapolis who, through Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms will respond to fans with questions on events, directions parking, tourism information, and other inquires. The patron doesn’t need to say “Hey I need help parking,” but will search for keywords and phrases. The Command Center is launching today and will run through Super Bowl Sunday.

In my opinion, I think this is an amazing idea. Not only could it help people stay safe and lower frustrations during Super Bowl week, but also helps in promoting a city more than any book might. From restaurants to attractions, one can explore a city they may have otherwise missed.  I recently tweeted asking what there is to do in Indianapolis to test out their response time, so we will see how it goes.

To measure the strengths and weaknesses of the Command Center, researchers from Ball State University will be conducting a study. In an e-mail to Mashable.com, Michael Holmes, director of the center’s Insight & Research Unit, stated the Command Center is an example of the “the ubiquity of social media and the absolute necessity for companies, organizations and communities to use these tools to improve their relations with their customers, audience and citizens.”

If this new Command Center is as successful as planners are hoping, it could change the future of Social Media for major events, and could help better inform the general public if anything were to occur.

How do you think this will change future major events?