The NBA Cleveland Cavaliers have taken another leap in the social technology space with the launch of the Wine & Gold Nation community, a new online social network that gives legions of Cavs fans a personalized platform to engage with each other and the team like never before. Developed by the Cavaliers in partnership with Drund, a Youngstown, Ohio-based software company, the new community is equipped with all the modern social tools and more that fans have embraced from other established social platforms. The Wine & Gold Nation community platform, leveraging the Drund software, is the first-of-its-kind in professional sports.
Becoming a member of Wine & Gold Nation (WGN), the official fan club of the Cavaliers, is the first step in gaining access to the new social network that provides a pipeline for Cavs fans of any age to interact in a safe and controlled environment and enjoy all the benefits that come with being a part of a dynamic, passionate and fan-first community.
WGN members can connect to the community on any device online at https://nation.cavs.com or via a brand new Wine & Gold Nation mobile app available for free in the Apple Store and Google Play Store. The personalized features and the user-friendly functionality go beyond a fan forum and set the Wine & Gold Nation platform apart from other online sports communities.
- Event management to organize events with customizable features like reminder notifications, RSVP management and more
- Community broadcasts to send instant messaging to the entire community or specific public/private groups
- Discuss the latest topics around the Cavaliers and stay connected with other fans
- File sharing with the community or a group (10 GB available to each registered member)
- Ability to connect to Facebook and Twitter and post concurrently to both platforms while also posting directly to a designated Wine & Gold Nation community/group
- Private messaging to a single or group of members from any device
- Create both public and private groups within a community
- Instant push and email notifications around predefined member preferences
“We have been looking for the next-generation platform to take our digital fan engagement to a whole new level. The Drund platform not only achieved that for us but delivered a new subset of social tools to our fans that will allow them to stay engaged regardless of device or time,” said Mike Conley, Cavaliers vice president of digital and web services.
Membership to Wine & Gold Nation is a fun way for Cavs-loving fans of every age to embrace their passion for the team without a ticket commitment. There is both a free and paid membership option. A free membership provides access to the Wine & Gold Nation community to interact with other fans to have discussions and share opinions about their favorite team.
For just $35 annually, WGN offers four membership groups that feature exclusive experiences and perks for fans of every age: Cavalittles (newborn –age 5), Kids Club (ages 6-12), Cavalry (ages 13-17) and Wine & Gold Nation (18+). To join, visit https://nation.cavs.com.
Each age group will have their own dedicated WGN social community that caters to their interests.
- Stay up-to-date on official fan club updates, events and more
- Share photos and videos
- Receive community notifications
- Get exclusive and unique content designed for each membership tier
Users must be 13 years of age to create a community account, however parents of Kids Club and Cavalittles members will have access.
In 2008, the Cavaliers launched CavFanatic.com making them one of a handful of NBA teams to develop its own social network website at the time. Cavfanatic.com is ending its celebrated reign and current users will transition to today’s more relevant and innovative Wine & Gold Nation community with the option of either a free or paid access. The same features users had on CavFanatic.com will continue to be free on the new platform, while a paid membership will provide the added benefits described above.
About Drund
Drund provides a white label digital platform with integrated mobile apps, comprehensive community controls, fully scalable VPC (virtual private cloud) & CDN for live streaming video and revenue generating solutions for online communities. Drund founded in 2010 is based in Ohio, visit www.drund.com for more information