Social Media is expected to play an important role in this year’s NCAA March Madness tournament, where 68 College Basketball teams compete to determine the 2011 National Champion. March 17th 2011 kicks off the first round with games being played as early as 12:15ET. Since this is during working hours, experts believe people will be logged in to Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube since not everyone will be able to access a television during working hours.

Twitter hashtags that people should keep their eyes on include #MarchMadness, #ESPN, #CBSsports, #NCAA, and others that will be posting live, up-to-the-minute scores and alerts from all of the games. Facebook will also be posting photos, videos, and more. YouTube is another great resource which can feature live clips from inside the dome’s as fans in attendance post live video.

"This year, we've already seen an increase in the role social media plays in American news consumption. Deal hunting, celebrity tabloids, breaking news, and now college basketball fans are planning to take over social media during March Madness.” – Scott Witwer, Chief Experience Officer of WebiMax.

A recent survey revealed that 23% of online Americans plan to use various social media to follow the NCAA tournament. 50% will use social networking websites, while 27% will utilize mobile applications.

Founder and CEO Kenneth C. Wisnefski was recently featured in an article on AOL Small Business regarding this year’s March Madness and how it relates to productivity.