Live: Blogs With Balls 3, Chicago, IL

Today, I’m at Blogs WIth Balls, a sports blogging conference taking place in Chicago, IL. Below, I’ve included the streaming video from Justin.TV as well as a live blogging/Twitter stream that will be updated throughout the day.

To WomenTalkSports members/fans – please note that Dr. Nicole Lavoi from the Tucker Center (One Sport Voice) will be speaking on a very interesting panel from 2:40-3:40 CST: You’ve Gotta Fight For Your Right…to Blog?: A Legal and Ethical Primer to Sports Media. Should be interesting. Make sure you participate in the conversation and be sure to use the #bwb3 hashtag.

Watch live video from blogswithballs on Justin.tv

WomenTalkSports Xbox Nadal Preview

Nadal is a very cool (new) game about to be released by Xbox. I was invited to go to a party in NYC this past week and check it out along with other WomenTalkSports.com writer Lesley Higgins. We both loved it.

You might ask about what this has to do with women and sports. As you can see in the preview of the game below, there will be sports games on the system. Although we didn’t get to try any of them, they look pretty cool! This is a good, creative way to get young girls physically active at home, as well as engaged and excited about sports.

Excited for Nadal to come out! I might have to buy an Xbox for this…

How YouTube Direct could change sports broadcasting

Some recent, exciting news – YouTube Direct launched. This post discusses why it’s important for those in the sports world to pay attention to it.

Essentially, YouTube Direct is a platform which allows media sites to permit users to upload videos to YouTube without leaving the media site (see picture to the right). So far, those to take advantage of this new (free) API are mostly traditional news sites – The Huffington Post, NPR, Politico and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Why should people in the sports world care? It all has to do with broadcast media and the diversification of sporting event content.

(First, if you haven’t done so already, read my recent post on NCAA and social media: Friends?.)

Here’s my thinking…

One of my key criticisms of (some, not all) NCAA athletic departments was the fact that many of them aren’t open to the idea of sharing. In particular, I think they don’t broadcast their video content online nearly as much as they should. By limiting themselves to their local markets, they’re limiting their reach to a small, geographic area.

On the national level, let’s face it – not all sports are broadcast on TV. First, there’s just not enough space and licenses. Primary spots are given to “primary” sporting events. Meanwhile, all the others stay within the reach of their local media (which can be quite limiting).

But in both of these situations, there are a few constants – the fans and the athletes.

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NCAA and social media: Friends?

I’d like to extend a huge “welcome!” to NCAA collegiate athletic departments – it seems that this year, you may have finally realized the power of technology in bringing fans into your stadiums. Well, at least some of you have.

What am I talking about? Well, apparently, a panel of [experts?] convened at an NCAA education session and came up with the following finding:

“Programs willing to invest in effective communication can reap far greater support than at any time in their history.”

Couldn’t agree more. I’m just left a little confused as to why it took a panel of experts AND so much time to figure this out. These tools have been around forever. The only thing I can come up with is that there are some weird regulations out there that I don’t know about. Or athletic departments weren’t willing to lose control of their information. But now they don’t have any choice, and control is being relinquished. I guess that’s innovation?

NCAA institutions (especially schools which have strong female programs) should be doing everything they can to get fans, even if that means going online. Free tools exist, starting with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. These are ways to connect with people and keep them engaged, and sports fans are some of the most faithful users. Embrace it.

So I have to ask the question -  sports information directors, where the heck have you been?

You’ve got a lot of work to do. You need to show me why my friends and I should care about you. What makes you different and cool? What makes you indispensable?

The NCAA panel was right – unlike any other time in history, there’s a huge opportunity here. But like the millions of Americans who are out of work or suffering in the economic depression, you’ve got some proving to do. Here are a few things to think about:

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There’s a girl being born in America

There’s a girl being born in America
And somebody will tell her she is beautiful
And somebody will tell her she is strong
Somebody will tell her she is precious
And somebody will tell her she is tough.
There’s a girl being born in America
And someone will give her a doll
And someone will give her a ball
And someone will give her a chance.

- Nike advertisement, launched on television in 1996.

According to Robert Goldman & Stephen Papson, the authors of Nike Culture (1998), “By posing the issue [socialization of girls] in a binary way between “balls” and “dolls,” the Nike ad sought to privilege action over appearance.” (p. 137)

What do you think?

WNBA uses crowdsourcing to pick new name for Tulsa

I was impressed when I visited the WNBA Facebook Fan page today. They’re using crowdsourcing techniques to have the audience pick the next name for the new team in Tulsa, Arizona. This is what I saw:

 

Very cool. This type of technique makes me feel engaged. There’s a direct call to action, and I feel like I’m a part of this “naming” process. Looks like other fans enjoyed this functionality as well (92 comments, 142 people “liking” the post by showing their support).

When you click the bit.ly link (smart to use Bit.ly because you can literally track the link’s performance in a variety of networks), you’re brought to a WNBA page and asked to fill in some personal information (a little too much personal information, but I was willing since I respect their organization).

Then, I could vote. I picked Tulsa Tempo. Who would you pick?

Note: This blog post is part of a series discussing my experiences with social media as they relate to advocacy issues that highly affect the women’s sport sphere. This is an assignment for a class I’m enrolled in as part of John’s Hopkins University’s Digital Communications program.

Reading: Cluetrain Manifesto

Image credit: http://thinkwinemarketing.wordpress.com/

This blog post is part of my ongoing weekly series discussing the role of social media and female athletics. It’s also a class requirement for a course I’m taking at John’s Hopkins University.

 

In short, Cluetrain Manifesto by Levine, Locke, Searls & Weinberger, is a book that changed my life. This is my second time reading it, and I was just as engaged as ever this time around.

The central theme: “All markets are conversations.” The authors talk about the history of markets – “selling things” – as conversations. They used to be hyper-local, and producers directly communicated with their customers.

Throughout the 21st century, technology and innovation have separated these two groups. Social media is giving everyday people a voice, and all of a sudden, producers (now corporate America) are being forced to talk directly with their customers again. Now people like me are in the business of telling them how to do it again, being as authentic and meaninful as possible.

It all goes back to the basics of building relationships – trust, honesty and direct engagement = success.

No matter what industry you’re in, the premise of a “relationship” and a subsequent “conversation” applies, and it’s one to constantly think about as you determine the meaning of “return on investment” (ROI) and continue to define “success” means to you, both online and off.

This is how I, over the past two years, have been grasping the essence of the sports industry. It’s a giant conversation comprised of fans, athletes, business people, brands, the media and consumers.  I chose to dive in head first and made a lot of friends along the way.

Where’s your voice in the conversation about sports? 

Who is the loudest?

Where’s the voice of female athletes in the conversation about sports?

How a sports brand can create awareness through viral video

One of the best viral videos I’ve seen coming from a sports brand is associated with a powerful advocacy campaign created by the Nike Foundation called the Girl Effect.

Although the campaign’s mission is not overtly obvious, the interactive video (seen below) is very engaging, and, in my opinion, effective in spreading the awareness of the power of girls in the developing world. This video, which is not overtly focused upon sport,  educates an audience of pro-female supporters on how, by supporting  girls in developing countries, we can help end world poverty.

I’d like to share it with you today, on Thanksgiving, as we all think about what we’re thankful for. Visit GirlEffect.org for the full experience. To measure its effectiveness, take a look at their Facebook page (over 50,000 fans).

Reading: Millenial Makeover

This blog post is part of my ongoing weekly series discussing the role of social media and female athletics. It’s also a class requirement for a course I’m taking at John’s Hopkins University.

This week’s reading is called Millenial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube, and the Future of American Politics by Morley Winograd & Michael Hais.

This book is a story about me.

Why? Because I was born in 1985. I’m part of Generation Y -  I was born within the timeframe of 1982-2003.

Winograd & Hais refer to me as part of the “civic” generation -   my peers and I actually outnumber my “boomer” parents (by 10 million). We helped nominate and elect President Barack Obama, and, according to these authors, we will transform and dominate politics for the next 40 years.

Why?

Because we’re more engaged than any other population. “The attacks of 9/11 and the growing threat of terrorism and Islamic extremism” - are making us “pay attention” to things more.  Pop Culture is capturing the “comedy” of our attention, and the technology wave is at our fingertips…. and we’re using it… every day, to create change.

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What can Twitter’s geotagging do for sports?

This week, Twitter launched their Geolocation API, giving users the option to have their messages contain their exact locations.

Now, I have to admit, I my first impression was that this feature is a bit creepy, and I do think it may be one of those tools to makes us all a little “too close for comfort.” But there are also lots of useful things that can be done now, too.

Think about the type of power it can give sports fans. Think of yourself having scored tickets to the 2004 World Series championship when the Red Sox beat the Yankees. Or, maybe you witnessed the ever-so-famous 1999 World Cup penalty shot by Brandi Chastain in Pasadena, CA. As a fan, you could break the news quicker than anyone else in the world using your cell phone, right from the stadium, and everyone would know exactly where you were sitting and when. Archived for eternity. Priceless.

Here are some more ideas:

If the stadiums themselves got creative, they might just be able to build some type of API to allow people to communicate and know each other’s geographic seat location. (Maybe we’re not there yet, I don’t know).

Maybe a biker could tweat his specific location on the Tour de France. You can see how he’s doing, what he’s thinking, and where he is. All in real time. Cool.

Or how about something for recreational athletes. Maybe they tweet out their location and receive a message back that tells them where local leagues are. (Similar to a “responsive version” of the WomenTalkSports map of camps, leagues and clinics for women).

Think about sports news – maybe you sent out a tweet to an application that responds with the local scores of games or tweets within 5-10 miles of you. Very cool.

Think about how fans can track their favorite players as they travel around the country and world. For example, geotagging can tell a cool story for those WNBA players overseas right now.

More ideas can be found using your own imagination and reading this ReadWriteWeb post.

The basics: Online advertising (in sports)

Photo credit: dotperformance.com

This blog post is part of my ongoing weekly series discussing the role of social media and female athletics. It’s also a class requirement for a course I’m taking at John’s Hopkins University.

This week, we read Best Practices for Political Advertising Online by the Institute for Politics, Democracy & The Internet. I know I’ve said this before, but although this document (and other readings discussed here) are politically focused, their insights can easily be applied to the sports space as well, particularly those who work on or discuss grassroots issue efforts. This piece is no exception.

It provides a unique (and thorough) overview of online advertising from consultants in the political online world. Although most of hte up-front data is now old and therefore unuseful, two chapters I find most useful are chpater 4 – “Search engine marketing (SEM)” and Chapter 5 – “Online Display Advertising.”

Overall idea with online advertising:

“You can reach people with extraordinarily targeted precision, and measure success and failure in real time.” (p. 5)

While this publication (rightfully) advises you consult SEM experts when you have a substantial budget for your campaign, if you’re on your own, you have time and your budget is limited, you can actually figure them out for yourself through Google’s Adwords tutorials (there are also many books on this subject).

Here’s an overview of some useful main points:

(Step 1) Search Engine Marketing – Pay per click (PPC) advertising – “gives your campaign a visible presearch above organic search results” (which is a competitive space). You choose keywords, bid on them, add text to an ad, create a relevant landing page, set a budget, and monitor your results. Google Adwords is by far the best tool for such marketing.

(Step 2) Online Display Advertising – “Display advertising can include static, flash, or video banners in varying sizes and formats, the standards for which are governed by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). I have online display advertising which I serve through WomenTalkSports affiliate program (see ad to the right). You can also serve these ads through Google’s Ad Planner tool.

So, how are you reaching your target audience?

“We The Media” of female sports

 

"We The Media" by Dan Gillmor / Photo credit: wethemedia.oreilly.com

This blog post is part of my ongoing weekly series discussing the role of social media and female athletics. My latest reading is We The Media, by Dan Gillmor, who will be joining my class via Skype tonight.

 

 

In short, Dan Gillmor’s book is “important,” and is one that every female athlete sports fan should read. Why? Because he’s 100 percent spot on, and his call to action it’s our only hope for survival.

Gillmor wrote his book in 2004 and then printed it in paperback in 2006, long before the worst economic climates in recent history hit our country, a climate in which journalists from around the world are now suffering, particularly in the women’s sports world, where, as Mechelle Voepel puts it, “Pretty much nothing is ever “safe.””

Look at how Dan’s predictions relate to the the female athletic industry - our one comprehensive magazine died at the end of 2002 because it wasn’t profiting. Not only that, but incredibly talented journalists are taking buyouts and are now living in some shaded area between a freelance writer and a professional blogger, and paid far less than they deserve.

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