Though the primary purpose behind social media is purely social — athletes and coaches frequently communicate with each other as "Facebook friends" or Twitter "followers," news is often inadvertently broken this way.

Shaquille O'Neal talked about his trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers on his Twitter account, and Chicago Bulls forward Tyrus Thomas sent out a few messages related to the trade rumors sending him to Utah for Carlos Boozer. "The media is a mess," he said as well as "No, I'm not traded."

Salt Lake City cyclist David Zabriskie announced via his Twitter page before it hit the newspapers or radio stations that his house had been broken into a few months ago.

Rather than let fans and media speculate about various things, Locke said, athletes would be smart to embrace the technology and set the record straight.

And while some might be slow to embrace social media as a preferred method of communication or marketing, there is no denying it has carved out a sizable niche.

"It's a way for me to be connecting with my audience," Locke said. "You're just trying to find a way to break through the wall and connect."

e-mail: jeborn@desnews.com