- Is this really the death of journalism or just plagiarism?
- Random acts of traction… hugh nails it… “I put stuff out there- cartoons, prints, a book, a blog post, whatever. Some of it flies, some of it goes nowhere… Eight years of pretty successful blogging later, and I STILL have no way of predicting what will work, and what will fail.”
Great Reads & Feeds
THE TWITTER EFFECT
Wherever Web 2.0 goes, so ends the traditional communications hierarchy. The sooner organizations realize that transparency is better than controlled opacity, the better. Here, the NFL is attempting to prevent players from streaming their lives.
For the first time, fans aren’t dependent on media reports for training camp updates. Players themselves are divulging certain details, from the humorous to the inconsequential, using Twitter feeds
In all, 10 Redskins players use active Twitter accounts to keep in touch with friends and fans through 140-character bursts. It’s part of a revolution that has touched other sports, but one that didn’t boom in the NFL until after last season’s Super Bowl. Since then, dozens of players throughout the league have opened Twitter accounts, giving fans an intriguing look at the offseason — previously a period in which most players essentially disappeared from public view.
The league sent out word almost immediately that it has a pre-existing rule barring the use of mobile devices from the bench area. Ochocinco, who has nearly 79,000 followers, immediately responded on his Twitter page: “Damn NFL and these rules, I am going by my own set of rules, I ain’t hurting nobody or getting in trouble, I am putting my foot down!!”
Rather than trying to block conversations, the NFL and its owners would be better off engaging in the stream of consciousness around its games and players. Rather than attempting to disable when and where it can occur, they would be better to encourage it where appropriate.
The Graveyard Book…
I love Neil Gaiman’s writing. This is a short entertaining read – probably written for teens but still a worth a night’s attention. Looks like a movie version is coming soon. Better than Coraline.
Great Reads & Feeds
- Tim on getting good, really good…
- Xero crosses the 10,000 mark, has escape velocity…
- Where does your dinner come from?
- Going after bottled water with extreme marketing…
Hellmann’s – It’s Time for Real from CRUSH on Vimeo.
- Marketers link to Twitter more than Facebook…
Not Close to An "A" Blacks
It’s tough to watch the All Blacks these days. Even harder if you are a die-hard fan. It’s not often the Springboks win back-to-back – in fact this is the first time the Springboks have defeated the All Blacks in 33 years.
The forwards look ok. The backs look like they are in disarray. The players that once had impact, have little. Those that were reliable look barely interested in the fundamentals of the game. Kick when you should kick. Run when you should run. Score tries when you should score tries. And they seem keen, at every opportunity, to show teams like South Africa such disrespect as to engage in a version of basketball when on defense.
You have to wonder what the coaches are thinking and doing. Fundamentals are absent. We aren’t just talking little mistakes. We are talking a 50/50 ability to catch a high ball. A less than odds chance they will catch a line-out. Certain indiscipline when under pressure.
But that’s the easy route to go. The harder route is to question why such talented players are unable to execute the basics? Admittedly, TV obscures the weather and conditions. Every game looks like it is played in equal conditions. They aren’t. Surely these players are accustomed to that?
NZ Rugby is entering a deep period of questioning and inspection. And so it should. We simply no longer have the depth we once had. Our impact players of 2 years ago are without impact – and there is no talent lining up behind them. Or if they are, they aren’t making it to the field fast enough.
The deeper and ever present question will be: do we have the management and coaches to unleash our talent? This is the an All Blacks team without focus. Without a game plan. Without a clear edge. And all three start off the field.
It’s going to be a very tough year to be an All Blacks fan. Unless fundamental changes are made in strategy and approach, it will be like this through next season and into the World Cup.
Perhaps then only consolation is that we have time to sort this out. The question is whether a coaching staff so inclined not to take advantage of opportunity – favoring instead bizarre rotations and player selections — will take advantage of it.
This die-hard fan hasn’t lost faith in the players. But it’s hard to keep faith in the leadership.
