NORTON, MA- Fans of Wheaton College Athletics can now follow information disseminated by the department via Facebook and Twitter after the establishment of pages on each social networking Web site. Both sites, which are free to join, also provide opportunities for members of the Wheaton community to interact while keeping track of their favorite teams.

News items and additional updates will be provided throughout the year, and with much more frequency once the school year is in effect. All press releases published to Wheaton's athletics Web site will automatically post to Facebook and Twitter. Community members – including but not limited to alumnae/i, current student-athletes, employees, fans and parents – are all encouraged to begin following Wheaton Athletics.

For Facebook, those without an account can create one by visiting facebook.com and providing basic information. Users also have the ability to share and restrict information based on specific friends or friend lists. After creating an account, search "Wheaton College Athletics" and click on "Become a Fan" to join the group. According to Facebook.com, the site has more than 200 million members worldwide, two-thirds of whom are out of college.

On Twitter, create an account at twitter.com before visiting twitter.com/wheatonlyons and becoming a follower of Wheaton College Athletics by clicking on the "Follow" button. Followers can also sign up to receive free news alerts on a mobile phone via Twitter. Click on "Settings," go to the "Devices" tab, and add a mobile phone number following the provided instructions. While this is a free service, note that regular text messaging rates apply.

Per NCAA Division III rules, members of the Wheaton College coaching or administrative staffs are not permitted to use Facebook or Twitter to communicate with any prospective student-athletes. If a prospective student-athlete wishes to obtain information from or gain contact with a member of the Lyon coaching or administrative staffs, they may not sign up to follow Wheaton College Athletics on Facebook or Twitter. All accounts that choose to follow Wheaton Athletics on these social networking sites are subject to age verification per compliance with specific NCAA Division III by-laws.

Founded in February 2004, Facebook is a social utility that helps people communicate more efficiently with their friends, family and co-workers. The company develops technologies that facilitate the sharing of information through people's real-world social connections. Anyone can sign up for Facebook and interact with the people they know in a trusted environment. Twitter promotes the fact that simplicity has played an important role in its success since being founded in March 2006. Twitter asks one question: "What are you doing?" Answers must be under 140 characters in length and can be sent via mobile texting, instant message or the Web.