It’s that time of the year again, as March Madness is in full swing. That means tournament brackets and non-stop consumption of college basketball through TV, computers and mobile phones. Regardless of where fans are, they want to stay informed of the latest scores and their favorite teams. As a Marquette alumnus, I will be watching closely this Thursday, as the Golden Eagles take on Washington.

One of the best ways for fans to follow the action is through social media. It should be no surprise that social-media platforms play a huge part in the frenzy of March Madness, as fans interact with one another. However, many businesses and media outlets are also taking part by advertising their tournament brackets or related products through vehicles such as Facebook. In fact, I recently displayed my basketball expertise by submitting my tournament bracket through CBS on Facebook.

This craze for constant updates and fan interaction is undeniable, regardless where you are or what you are doing. It has even crept into the workplace with the creation of the “Boss Button”; employees can pretend to be productive, while enjoying great matchups that air in the afternoon. The Boss Button allows Web users to hide, with a click of a button, the game they are watching and replace it with a fake, business-related image such as an Excel spreadsheet. The “Boss Button” received 2.77 million clicks during the 2009 tournament and, with my help, will probably surpass that number this year.

For those without access to a computer, fear not, because mobile phones provide another way to receive your tournament fix. Phones like the iPhone and Droid provide access to websites and mobile applications created specifically for tournament viewing and updates. As a huge Marquette fan, I subscribe to mobileTV just for the month of March to ensure I don’t miss any buzzer beaters or “posterizing” dunks. CBS has seen such a spike in demand during March Madness that the price of its mobile application has doubled from $4.99 to $9.99.

One thing is for certain: Whether you are at home, at work or on the go, the 2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is never more than a click away. Go Marquette!