This swine flu stuff is seriously getting out of control. Yes, it’s gone viral.

On Twitter and Google that is. Everywhere you look online, there’s something about the swine flu. And every American with any semblance of a cold is now at home worried about having something far worse, spending all their time online…

Which leads me to today’s big Texas story. University Interscholastic League, UIL, which governs high school sports in the state, has officially postponed baseball, softball, track and other spring sports events until May 11. And here are some of the top search terms on Google Trends:

#2 – swine flu maine

#10 – texas uil

#24 – university interscholastic league

#39 – maine cdc

#49 – swine flu san jose

And some of Twitter’s top trends: Swine Flu, #swineflu, and Mexico.

One thing these trends aren’t telling me is whether or not all of this social media activity and online traffic is doing more to spread panic about a potential pandemic than it is doing to disseminate relevant information about the swine flu itself.

What I do know is this: this swine flu is proving that it’s important to understand digital and social media for your personal health (unless you want to be put on hold with your doctor’s receptionist) and your company or organization.

One of the things PulsePoint offers clients is something called an Immersion where we help a company or organization’s employees better understand the online channel from a holistic point of view.  We won’t teach you how to become the top blogger overnight nor will we get you 2,000 Twitter followers in one week, but we are positioned to help clients and employees better interpret online content and conversations and train them on important skills in the online channel.

For example, right now the UIL is experiencing rapidly increased search resonation and Web traffic, not to mention the hundreds if not more phone calls and emails their staff is almost certainly getting from concerned athletes, coaches and parents.

An Immersion for their staff would provide the necessary skills and processes to use the Web (and social media) to do some of the things they probably rely on traditional media to do, i.e. informing coaches, parents and student-athletes, putting out an official statement and answering questions.

Regardless of how much the swine flu truly impacts the high school sports seasons here in Texas, UIL is one of many organizations that should look to immerse itself in social media. One place to start would be an Immersion, although they shouldn’t wait that long to get on Twitter.

By the looks of it, this thing may not go away anytime soon.