Why Italy didn't advance past the group stage

I’m right up there with the most passionate of Azzurri supporters. I bleed that cool, classy blue. After Italy won the World Cup in 2006, I decorated my entire room with Campione Del Mondo memorabilia. I bought jackets and jerseys; created a scrapbook of the games; and debated getting a 4 star Italia tattoo. To say I was happy...would be an understatement.

We were on top of the world four years ago in Germany. But boy oh boy, have things changed in four years. Now, Italy and all supporters are the laughing stock of the soccer world. I can’t eat, I can barely sleep and I haven’t been able to look at all those soccer posters in my room.

Whatever, we lost...it happens. But it shouldn’t happen like this! This World Cup was a nightmare for Italy and all its fans. Yet, I can’t say I’m totally surprised. I saw this happening. I knew the team and saw the weaknesses.
So without further fluffing about, here are the 5 reasons why Italy had such a horrible World Cup campaign:

1. Fabio Cannavaro

To say Fabio Cannavaro is still a world-class centre back would be a blatant lie. At 36, he proved to be too old to keep up with the quicker, younger strikers from Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia. He was sluggish and timid. It’s almost like he knew he wasn’t capable of stopping any through-ball or speedy striker. His man-marking was brutal and he couldn’t command the back four like he once did. He had his worst season ever with Juventus this year and clearly, wasn’t able to return to ‘Cannavaro form’ in this World Cup.

The main problem was that the Italian defence relied too heavily on him. Cannavaro should never have seen the pitch in this World Cup; he just wasn’t capable of leading the defence. Salvatore Bocchetti had an amazing year with Genoa in Serie A this past season and should have replaced Cannavaro after the first game against Paraguay. And don’t even get me started on Chiellini’s play.

2. Poor offence

Italy has never been an offensive power-house, but this year’s offense was just plain garbage. Alberto Gilardino was a waste of jersey in this tournament. He was slow, lacked creativity and showed no passion. Vincenzo Iaquinta was old and slow. Antonio Di Natale tried his best, but he just didn’t have the strength to carry this offense. The one bright spark in the offense was Fabio Quagliarella who only played the second half in the last game against Slovakia. He had the speed, creativity and desire to carry the offense, but his skill and value was realized far too late in the tournament.

Further, Italy missed Andrea Pirlo (who missed the first two games with a calf injury). He is the quarter-back to the Italian attack and without him, Italy had no skill or creativity in the offensive zone. Riccardo Montolivo, coined as Pirlo’s future replacement, was too inexperienced to make a difference. Overall, the offense let the team down.

3. Mix of young and old players didn’t work

The critics said Italy was too old to do anything in this World Cup and they may have been right. But the real problem was that Lippi mixed the old with the young and didn’t have a set game-plan for them to work together. Through-balls constantly rolled out of bounds and nobody knew what the others were doing; there was no chemistry between the players. Lippi should have brought Grosso, Materazzi, Perrotta and Totti to South Africa. Even though these players are old, they are proven champions and at least we would have had experience on our side. Instead, Lippi mixed some experience with some youth and the results weren’t pretty; the two never meshed.

4. No dynamic game-plan

Whether you’re playing a young, fast team or an experienced, tactical team, you need to set out a game-plan that counters your opponent’s skill set. At times, Italy was working the ball wide and attacked the flanks. At other times, they attacked the middle and tried cheeky one-two passes. But the problem was that there was no method to this madness. Clearly, Italy didn’t do their homework or watch enough opponent game footage. They never looked dangerous in the offensive zone or dominant in their own. They needed to understand their opponent and adjust their game-plan accordingly. But with the same formation from game to game, Italy never knew how to beat their opponents. And going a goal down in each of their three games was their demise. They didn’t have the creativity or fortitude to battle back and win a game.

5. Losing Gianluigi Buffon

He’s arguably the best keeper in the world and once he went down with an injury, Italy never looked confident in their backup goalie. Federico Marchetti (the backup) never looked comfortable or capable in goal. He let an easy, wobbly shot get through him against New Zealand and looked tired and tentative in the three goals from Slovaki; two of which he should have saved. You can’t replace Buffon, but still, you should have a capable backup, ready to step in and make the easy saves. Marchetti failed...miserably.

All in all, it was a brutal World Cup for Italy. It’ll be interesting to see how Italian media handle this debauchery... and for me, I’ll have to find solace in my old videos from the 2006 World Cup.

Go Argentina Go!

The Best and Worst Father's Day gifts

I know it's been a while since I've updated this blog; I've been busy. But I think this post is fitting considering it's Father's Day.

First, let me just remind you that your father gets to celebrate today because of you; He is only a father because of you were born, so these gifts should benefit you in some way. Also, since your dad is a guy, chances are he has either forgotten your birthday, sold your dog at a poker game, or gambled away your soul for the chance of winning $45. Thus, you shouldn’t be too worried about whether or not he appreciates your Father’s Day gifts and rather, the most important thing is that you benefit from these gifts in someway. And for the record, there are only 2 WORST gifts because Dads really aren’t that picky and will like and or eat anything. So here is the list of Best and Worst gifts:

BEST GIFTS

Cheap Tee-Shirt

Dads love comfortable tee shirts and rarely care about size; it’s either ‘too small –but it’ll work’ or ‘too big – but it’ll work’. Either way, he will make it work. And chances are your dad doesn’t know the difference between Lacoste and LaWalmart, so don’t worry about style, just go real cheap! And I’m not talking about a 2 shirts for $20 deal; I’m talking about raiding a lost and found bin or giving him one of your old ones. Or better yet, find a decent shirt in his closet, then spray paint it a different colour and give it to him. Why? It’s free and Dads love the smell of paint – win win.

Gardening Gloves

This gift works for two main reasons. First, once you invest in giving him something that he can use in the garden, you will never have to mow the lawn or trim the bushes anymore. He won’t want you to touch his gloves or his fortress bushes – chore avoided! Second, this gift works because the gloves can be considered a fashion accessory and thus, if he ticks you off, just tell him his gloves don’t match his handbag. He will be so enraged by this comment that he will immediately question his masculinity from that point forth. Why is that a good thing you ask? Well, in order to reassure his ‘manliness’ he will rush out and buy a Camaro, Mustang, or Corvette and after a few weeks and his guard is down, you will be able to drive the car. Again, the gloves are a gift that keeps on giving.

A 24 of Beer

Let’s face it, Dads love beer! But who loves beer even more than Dads? WE DO of course. Thus, since he will be so happy that you gave him such a thoughtful gift, he will probably say: “what a great gift, please help yourself to some of these beers!” This is a crucial mistake on his part because by saying this, he is assuming that you will only take 1 or 2 beers, but we all know that when it comes to beer/alcohol, we lose all restraint and neglect all rational thought – so taking 15 or 23 of these beers isn’t out of the realm of possibilities. Also, since your dad is an old-timer, he may have lost some of his drinking tolerance, so once he downs 2 or 3, the rest of the beers are fair game for you. You might as well trash the Father’s Day card and just give this present to you because that’s where it’s going anyways.

“King of the Grill” Apron

I give you full permission to stroke his ego with this gift. Why? Because if he has a “King of the Grill” apron, he will want to BBQ anything, everything, and at any time. Steak, Chicken, Sausage, your neighbour’s cat…. It’s all BBQ worthy for him. Thus, you will be eating delicious ‘neighbour cat’ in no time! It’s BBQ season – stay hungry friends.

A Sentimental Picture (you and him)

This is possibly the only gift in the world that can melt your dad’s heart. Not only is this gift really cheap, but it is all considered thoughtful, sweet, touching, yada, yada, yada. And why is all that ‘sweet’ stuff important? It’s important because it will act as your future “get out of jail” free card. Any time you are getting in trouble for something just quickly show him the picture. Don’t even say anything, just grab the picture and hold it in front of his face. Furthermore, this picture will enable you to do even stupider things in the future because you can always use it to get you out of trouble. Just watch:

You: “Dad, I smashed the car” (show the picture)
Dad: “it’s ok, as long as you are safe – and here with me, like you were in that picture.”

You: “Dad, I failed University” (show the picture)
Dad: “ahh so did I, we are one in the same – a beautiful family, just like in that picture.”

You: “Dad, I’m pregnant!” (show the picture)
Dad: “Hopefully it’s twins that look just like you and I…. in that picture.”

See, this gift always works.

WORST GIFTS

“Scarface” DVD

Before you even think of buying him this gift, think back to every single time you’ve heard some stupid kid/person say “say hello to my little friend!” It’s annoying as hell right? So then why would you even think of giving your father 3 hours of crappy Cuban accident’ed slang terms to recite? Think again, the lines aren’t original anymore and your dad isn’t a talented actor – this gift sucks in every way.

A Muscle Tee Shirt

Even though your dad will wear pretty much anything, don’t let him wear a muscle shirt. It’s the Worst gift for 3 reasons.

1. Your dad is probably not in great shape and seeing him in a muscle tee shirt does not benefit you in anyway. In fact, it will probably scar you in several ways.

2. He will actually think that since you gave him this shirt to wear, he IS in great shape! So he will be wearing it constantly – bustling around in it, looking a like bag of sand trying to smuggle a sack of hot pizza dough.

3. His confidence will be through the roof, which will probably turn your mother on in some sick perverse way. Thus, you will be dealing with disgusting sexual innuendo comments and gross sounding inside jokes every time he wears the shirt. And you know he will be wearing it often. Example:

Dad: “Oh man, this shirt just barely covers my rock hard body”
Mom: “You’re right it does….too bad.”

Dad: “I look like Zeus in this shirt”
Mom: “mmmhmm”

Dad: “Someone should test me for steroids in this shirt”
Mom: “Can I?”

Gross.

Hope you enjoyed!

Again, this is just for fun and shouldn’t be taken seriously.

#HumberPR looking forward

So the semester at Humber is coming to an end. Perfect time to reflect. Gathering at our 1C Social Media #Futurecamp class got me thinking; what are the 3 best things we learned about Social Media this semester?

So, keeping with my list-theme, here are the 3 best things we learned about Social Media this term:

1. Making Connections

Whether it be with fellow classmates or industry leaders, making solid connections is imperative to a successful online presence. Simply put, you can't build a network without making connections. And seriously, you've heard it all before; "it's all about connections, who you know not what you know."

2. Being Authentic

If you're not funny, don't try to be. If you're not trendy, don't even think about it. If you can't cook, don't pretend to be a chef and then take lessons. And if you're in love, get a room.

Ok, besides the last one, the same rule applies to these "authentic" do's and dont's. Social Media is about contributing to the convo and adding value to the discussion. So add something good or inspiring! Check out my man Johnny's blog: http://juantimetwotime.wordpress.com/ to see what I'm saying; he 'gets it', inspiring posts for need-to-be inspired minds.

It's like real life... if someone is boring or 'trying way to hard' to be your friend, you ignore them... Well, same thing goes for Social Media.

3. Contribute to the convo

Lame. I know.... but whatever, it's true! Follow your friends and contribute to their online convos. Get the ball rolling.

Here's some links to a few 'mazing blogs on this PR reflection:

caitlinmlamb.wordpress.com
missnadine-blog.blogspot.com
karasreview.blogspot.com
mllecaterina.wordpress.com

It's been a slice. The lists will keep coming though...don't worry.

Tiger's new Nike commercial

Nike = Genius. Tiger = Idiot.

By now I’m sure everyone has seen or at least heard about Nike’s new commercial. And I’m sure everyone has an opinion on it. Tiger aimlessly staring back at you while a voice-over, from his late father Earl, is heard in the background, has to make you think. I know it made me think.

I wanted to dislike the commercial, I wanted to dislike Tiger... but after thinking about it, I can only accomplish one of these. I love Nike’s commercial. I dislike Tiger. Are you lost? Does that make sense? Of course it does and here are a few reasons why:

1 reason why I love Nike’s commercial

This commercial generates great PR attention

Nike is the only major sponsor that didn’t drop Tiger after the sex scandals were exposed in November. So obviously, it’s in their best interest to rebuild his identity and brand. But with a commercial like this, they are doing more than just rebuild his brand. They are showing that they care about more than just products; Tiger’s actions affected people and Nike wants to help him starting earning back respect and trust. Essentially, this commercial is allowing Nike to be more than just a brand. It shows that they have a face and personality; good for any company.

Obviously it’s a marketing campaign, and Nike really only cares about selling more products; this commercial allows that to happen.

The media coverage and the buzz created by the commercial is astounding; a great success for Nike.

3 Reasons why I dislike Tiger Woods

Tiger desperately wants to rebuild his image. Doing a commercial like this, doesn’t help.

1. He’s not ethical

With this context, having your late father front and centre in a commercial is not ethical. Simply put, Tiger is exploiting his father for the benefit of his brand (Tiger and Nike). How is this remotely sensible?! Earl’s speech was not intended for this purpose. It has been cut and pasted into this commercial; taken out of context. How can we even know what Earl would say about Tiger’s transgressions? We can’t and therefore, shouldn’t be assuming that he would have these words to say to Tiger in such context. Earl’s speech is being commercialized in an attempt to sell more Nike products and restore Tiger’s image. Tiger had to ‘okay’ this commercial before it was produced and distributed and for that, this move is problematic.

2. Disgrace to his family and mother

Hasn’t Tiger done enough to disgrace his loved ones? Yes, he has, with about 20 women. This ad is completely commercializing Tiger’s transgressions. What did Tiger say to get permission to do this, or did he get permission? “Uh, Elin and mom, I’m going to make a Nike commercial that brushes over all of the damage I’ve done.” A commercial isn’t the proper context to talk about things you regret, especially when the sole purpose of an ad like this is to restore a brand and sell products.

Also, not to speak ill of the dead, but Earl can’t really offer a valid opinion in this matter; he cheated on Tiger’s mom as well. So not only is Tiger and Nike exploiting the situation, but they’re also commercializing the transgressions in attempt to sell more products and make Tiger likable again. What is Elin saying about this?! “Thanks for hurting me Tiger, and thanks for making an ad that exploits our family’s shared bitter past,” is probably what she’s thinking.

3. Stop being a brand



Honestly Tiger, do you ever stop ‘working’? Again, the sole intent of this commercial is to restore his identity and promote Nike. Sometimes you just have to man-up and take the loss. And while you’re still in hot water with those who trusted you (family, fans, kids), you shouldn’t be trying to re-brand yourself. Stop being a brand and move on Tiger.

He screwed up, we get that. Right now he should be transparent and sorry. We know he’s sorry, but making a commercial like this, so close to being exposed, shows that he really only cares about money and the brand. Not everything is about money and sponsorship; it’s time to put money aside and focus on restoring trust the right way.

But this is just my opinion, what do you think?

a social media campaign that works; Ford Fiesta

Ford Fiesta’s social media campaign leads the pack in driving buzz about an automotive product. Fiesta’s campaign is nothing short of revolutionary. For the first time ever, an automaker has successfully turned to social media to create a buzz around a new car. Billboards, magazine spreads and television commercials are so 2003. Social media is the new trending topic. Ford has recognized this and created a social media campaign that allows people to advertise their products. Right before our eyes on forums like twitter, people are leading the marketing campaign; turning twitter’ers and bloggers into Fiesta consumers.

This campaign gave 100 people “agents” the opportunity to drive a new Fiesta for 6 months at no charge. In return, these “agents” had to tweet, blog and post videos to create an online buzz about the car. They tweeted about how the ride was, what they liked about the car and their everyday experiences behind the wheel of Ford’s new product. The objective was to create a buzz around the car within the online social media community.

But this is only an overview, check out the whole campaign here.

The strength of this campaign resides in the fact that Ford has recognized the power of the online community and enabled “agents” to promote the car. Since these “agents” do not work for Ford, it is assumed that their tweets and opinions on the car were authentic and sincere. This campaign was so strong because it shifted the power of marketing from the old and tired paid-for-space advertisements to the online social media community. Simply put, Ford let people drive and promote the car because at the end of the day, it is people who need to buy the car for Ford to succeed.

Now, this is still my take on it... so in keeping with tradition, here are the top 3 recommended social media tactics that Ford could use for their next social media campaign:

1. Viral video contest
Ford could create a “Viral Video Contest” that would ask people to create a short 30 – 60 video promoting a new Ford vehicle. The person who creates the video that goes the most viral, would be given a brand new Ford vehicle. Ford can determine the details of ownership/leasing, but the most important part is that this contest would get people to promote the car.

2. 1000th person to re-tweet
The 1000th person to re-tweet a standard advertising message, produced by Ford, would receive a new Ford vehicle for 1 year. This contest would enable people to get the buzz out there about the car, with the potential to reach millions of twitter followers. Good promotion, good prize, good way to promote a new product!

3. Finish this tweet...
Ford could produce a standard tweet that would ask twitter’ers to finish the tweet in the most creative fashion. For example, “Finish this tweet to get a car: Ford Fiesta is ________________”. The person who creates the most innovative and creative finish to this tweet would receive the keys to a new Ford Fiesta for one year. Again, allow people to get in on the promotion of a vehicle so that the message reaches millions of twitter’ers in an authentic, buzz inspiring way.

For more takes on Ford Fiesta’s campaign, check out these reviews by these awe-inspiring people:

Mike Staniforth
Mike Thomson
Johhny Santilly
Jackie Clarke
Megan Vickell

3 reasons why Lady Gaga’s “telephone” video sucks

I like Lady Gaga. She’s eccentric and unique – both good in my books. Her music is catchy, even though it’s not my style. But nevertheless, she is a good performer. But this “Telelphone” video featuring Beyonce is just plain stupid. Here, check it out:



Wow... is all I can say about this 9 minute video. Well, I can say a few more things, but nothing nice. So rather than sit here and pretend to ‘get it’ I decided to say it’s brutal, for 3 reasons:

1. Pretentious art

I like unique, artistic videos and I think I can decipher good videos from useless ones (I have a degree in film). But the one thing I will not stand for is pretentious art videos. Basically, what I mean to say is “don’t make weird videos for the sake of making weird videos.” I’ve watched this video a few times now and still can’t figure out what Gaga is trying to say.

Mixing elaborate costumes and outlandish prison skits is not art; it’s just weird. Gaga’s costumes don’t stand for anything other than standing for insanity. The cigarette glasses mean what?! Do they speak to the inner jailhouse norm of smoking on one’s free time? Do they signify that Gaga has something the others desire? Or do they just present a crazy spectacle? I think the latter. But in that case, crazy for the sake of crazy is useless. Crazy for crazy’s sake is done, tired and really just comes across as pretentious art. You don’t fool us Gaga.

2. Too long

After 9 minutes of craziness, with no clear plot/vision, I feel shafted. This video was a twitter trending topics for almost 3 days and still, I don’t know why?! It was way too long, it was redundant and it robbed me of 9 minutes of free time. Not to mention that the constant breaks in the song made it impossible to listen to.

I like long videos, but when it’s 9 minutes of ‘hypno-crazed’ Gaga, I think I’d rather pass. Hypno Gaga has been done, face it, in all of her videos, she’s flailing her arms, clenching her hands and accomplishing nothing. What is the point? There is no point. Yet, people will still argue she is revolutionary and hugely inspirational... but why? Anyone can do 9 minutes of craziness.

3. If you’re not Tarantino, don’t try to be

Quentin Tarantino is an auteur, he’s eccentric and his films are thought-provoking. His films are his; nobody else’s. So then why would Gaga duplicate his decor and style when clearly, he’s already done it?! “Telephone” is not a Tarantino film and therefore, shouldn’t try to be. If you can’t make a Tarantino quality film, then don’t try because all of your feeble attempts will just be seen as second rate. And this video in this case, is third rate.

It’s like in hockey, nobody would dare to ever wear #99 again after Gretzky retired. His number was his, he owns it. Anyone else trying to wear #99 could never live up to Gretzky standards, which is why nobody wears it.



Fine, copy Tarantino, but leave the “Pussy-Wagon” where it belongs; in Kill Bill.

Agree, disagree? Let me know... I want to like this video but for now, have no reason to.

And hey, if you do like the video and disagree with everything I said just remember that this is my take on it.

Fit New You - The Plug

New blog on weight-loss, fitness, and nutrition.... check it out! ->

http://fitnewyou.blogspot.com/2010/03/cardio-myth.html

Top 5 reasons why ‘Vancouver 2010’ was a success

After the closing of the games, and before returning to our typical daily routines, we should take a moment to reflect on why these Olympics were so great for Canada. We accomplished a lot in Vancouver and it’s hard to narrow it done to the top 5, but here’s my take on the top 5 successes of the ‘Vancouver 2010 Olympic games’:

1. 14 Gold Medals

Simply put, “We Owned the Podium.” Winning 14 gold medals means we won 14 events, the most of any country. Germany, in second place, could only muster 10 and the US could only manage 9.

However, the system is flawed. It counts all medals (gold, silver and bronze) equally, which to me, is bogus. And with this, Canada finished 3rd overall.

The Canadian national anthem was heard at medal ceremonies 14 times (4 more than Germany) meaning that we won the most amount of events, thus taking the games.

Where else in life can you finish 2nd or 3rd and still be considered equal to 1st place? Nowhere... because it doesn’t compute. Here’s a few examples:

- On radio stations, the 1st caller wins the contest... not the 2nd or 3rd
- In a draw, the 1st name pulled wins the prize...not the 2nd or 3rd
- In the office, the 1st person in line for a promotion gets the promotion... not the 2nd or 3rd

Finishing 2nd, 3rd, or worse means you didn’t come in first and therefore, didn’t win. It’s simple; Canada won most events, meaning we won the ‘Vancouver 2010 Olympic games.’

2. CTV and its Consortium Coverage

I interned at CBC Sports for a few months in university and was so impressed with how they covered events but the CTV/TSN coverage of the games blew me away. These guys and gals worked incredibly hard to bring us thoughtful, engaging, entertaining and flawless coverage of the events. The events were well broadcasted, the athlete profiles were engaging, the on-the-fly montages were energetic and the voice-over monologues were touching and inspiring. Brian Williams, Jennifer Hedger and James Duthie in particular were incredible. Heck, everyone at CTV and TSN was incredible and they all deserve gold medals.

But perhaps the best part of the CTV/TSN coverage was that it allowed Canadians to focus on our athletes all the time. Thank god we didn’t have to watch NBC coverage of the events with their ‘larger than life narratives’ and ‘zero to hero stories’ surrounding their American athletes. They take patriotism to a sick, uncomfortable, over-the-top, no wonder nobody likes you level.

3. Making us fans of previously unpopular sports

I’ve never watched curling before the 2010 games. But due to great coverage of Cheryl Bernard, I became a big fan. Enough said.



She’s purty. She looks better in Silver than any Swede looks in Gold. period.

Also, Jon Montgomery was the coolest person at the Olympics and any Canadian would be lucky to drink a beer with him. Skeleton was put on the map because of this charismatic Gold medal winner.



4. Stephen Harper

Our Prime Minister was at EVERY event, seriously. Finally, Canada got to see a ‘human’ side to our previously ‘machine-like’ leader. Obama is a person, and now Harper is too.



No wonder he wanted to prorogue parliament for a few weeks... he wanted to watch the games in peace. I can’t blame the man for that. Good for you Stevie.

5. Canada wins men’s and women’s hockey gold

By far, the best part of these Olympics is the fact that we won gold in both men’s and women’s hockey. We proved to the world and especially the cocky Americans that Hockey is our game. Hands-down. No questions asked. Essentially, our men and women said to the Americans “bullshit, stop it.” Congrats men and women... and girls don’t ever feel bad for having an on-ice brew after the gold medal game, you deserve it.



Best part was, I called it after the men lost to the Americans in round-robin play... check my blog.

Canada was brought together by these games, let’s keep up the patriotism.

My Personal Brand Plan - A Fit New You

My personal brand is all about fitness and nutrition tips and excercises that are geared towards people looking to 'get fit'. My brand will be communicated through twitter, a new blog (not just this one) and Linkedin.

A Fit New You:

Andrew Bartucci’s Personal Brand Plan

View more presentations from Andrew Bartucci.

I hope you enjoy! Feedback is always welcome.

An Overview of Social Media Effects

Having studied communications in university and learning the theories of Marshall McLuhan, I’ve learned that when communicating any message, the medium is just as important as the actual message. As we digest media products it is apparent that the message and the medium work together to shape the effects of the message; we understand the limitations and freedoms a particular medium warrants. Whether you’re reading a blog post or newspaper article, the messages, even if they are the same, have different effects. We attribute a certain bias and pre-understanding of each medium before we actually read the message and thus, the medium shapes the message. And further, as McLuhan states, “the medium IS the message.”

An overview of social media effects

In McLuhan’s Tetrad of Media Effects, McLuhan divides a medium’s effect into four categories; Enhancement (figure), Obsolescence (ground), Retrieval (figure) and Reversal (ground). “Figure” refers to the medium and “ground” refers to the medium’s context.
Just like any other medium, social media as a medium produces a certain effect when examining the message.

Examining McLuhan’s Tetrad of Media Effects on Social Media

Enhancement (figure): What the medium amplifies or intensifies.
Social Media intensifies a two-way flow of communication. For example, when reading a blog, a reader can leave a comment on the blog and can even offer their own opinion on the content with a blog of their own.

Obsolescence (ground): What the medium drives out of prominence.
Social Media reduces the prominence of one-way flows of communication. Newspaper articles, books and videos are meant to be passively digested. These mediums do not offer a means to communicate back to the original medium. Social Media overcomes this short-fall of traditional medium forms as it welcomes a discussion and a variance of opinion.

Retrieval (figure): What the medium recovers which was previously lost.Social Media makes conversation and debate achievable. People no longer are passive consumers of media products but rather are now media producers themselves.

Reversal (ground): What the medium does when pushed to its limits.
Prominent Social Media figures become the newsmakers of today. Social Media has the ability to become a credible news source for readers everywhere. Also, now more than ever, media outlets (newspapers, magazines etc.) are offering means for readers to communicate back to them. Online newspapers now offer discussion forums and comment boxes so that readers can voice their opinions on a particular matter. This reality has been produced by Social Media’s prominence in our society.
 
In the end, Social Media has moved our mediated society forward as we no longer need to passively consume media products; we can talk back and engage in the discussion, effectively becoming media producers. Simply put, Social Media enables us to have a voice when in the past we had to sit idle and simply accept a medium’s message.

3 reasons why Canada will win men’s hockey gold

Okay, I know, we choked against the States and almost blew it against the Swiss. But fear not, there is still a lot of hockey left. As it sits right now, nobody has won the gold and everyone is playing in elimination games. We have every opportunity to win... and we will for 3 reasons.

1. An extra game

If we had beaten the States we would have received a direct pass to the quarter-finals. Big woop, one less game to be played against a weak opponent. But losing to the States was the best thing that could have happened. Team Canada, made up of superstars, haven’t meshed yet and it’s only a matter of time until they find their chemistry together. This one extra game, against Germany, offers us more time to come together and find some much needed chemistry. We will wallop Germany and gain back our confidence before playing a tough Russia squad. Practice makes perfect.

2. Adios Marty Brodeur

Sure, Brodeur is the best goalie to ever play but he is past his prime and the game against the states proved this. After giving up 4 relatively weak goals, it was apparent that he isn’t our number 1 goalie. We were scared to admit that Brodeur is old and tired but this loss made it easier to recognize this. His past accolades are great and all, but they won’t help us now. Luongo is now the undisputed number 1 goalie and he can now focus on winning us a gold. Again, losing so badly to the States was the best thing that could have happened for us as it answered our goalie question.



3. Talent

Crosby, Nash, Iginla, Pronger, Heatley, Toews, Getzlaf, etc. etc. etc. the list goes on and on. Our players are the best in the world. They are too talented to roll-over and lose. Sure, the Russians have Ovechkin, Malkin and several other stars, but they lack the depth of the Canadians. The States are riding a high and it’s only a matter of time before their energy runs out and they find it hard to compete with the world’s best players. Face it, the States have a couple solid players but lack a much needed powerful core. They will perish, quickly. The Czechs, Swedes and Finns are all good, but again lack the depth and grit to win it all. Canada has the depth.

Just wait, in a week we’ll have our gold.

Oh and FYI, our record in the opening round is 1-1-1... the same record we had in the 2002 opening round (1-1-1) and we won gold that year.

Top 5 ways to spend Valentine's Day with a loved one

It’s almost here, Valentine’s Day, the one day that you have to show your love for that special someone. So how do you do it?
You can buy roses?... nah, been done.
You can go to the movies? .... nope, too many loud kissers.
You can make dinner? .... forget it, you can’t cook and you’d poison her.

But fear not, there are a few ways to show your love the right way.

Here are the best 5 ways to spend Valentine’s Day with a loved one... for you at least.

1. A Sporting Event

Sure, as soon as you tell her that you both are going to a Leafs or Raptors game she will roll her eyes, or much worse, hit you. You’ll probably think “dam, I deserved that!” but no you don’t deserve that because taking her to a sporting event is the most romantic thing you can ever do.
3 words friends, “Jumbo Tron”. Yes, all you have to do is pay a hundred bucks or so to get a sweet “I love you (insert name here)” message plastered on the big screen. Tell her beforehand that you have a surprise for her on the screen and BAM! She’s excited for the game.
Can you say win win?! She’ll be glued to the Jumbo Tron the whole time, leaving you to enjoy the game in peace. Perfect.



(omit all that marry me business)

2. The Car

Why is the car a great place to spend Valentine’s Day? It’s simple. The best part of being in a car is the ability to optimize Drive- throughs. Yes, a drive-through offers so much joy to everyone involved in the sinful act. You get to eat, she gets to eat. Perfect. But don’t skimp, forget the McValue meals and spring for something more classy... like A&W or Arbys. Then when your belly is full, drive to a lakeside parking lot because that’s romantic and you get to digest in peace.

3. Staples Business Depot

What’s the second sappiest, most heart-warming movie of all time? The Notebook. And what does Staples specialize in? You guessed it, Notebooks! All you have to do is say “honey, I think it’s time we started our own notebook story.” Her heart will melt and all you have to do is spend $7.99 on a frilly notebook. Oh, and in the checkout line, say, “Ally, I will always be your Noah.”
Cue... babbling brook. Boom. You win.



(you = left.... her = right)

4. The Couch and a Seal CD

Why attempt to say the most perfect sweet and heart-felt words when Seal has already done that for you. Face it, you’ll say something stupid and she’ll be upset. So don’t reinvent the wheel. Let Seal serenade her all night long while you catch a few Z’s on the couch. Or even better, turn the TV on and watch the game... on mute of course – you wouldn’t want to be rude.
She’ll be so touched by Seal’s sweetest songs that she won’t even realize that you haven’t really done anything for Valentine’s Day. But I warn you, she will want to cuddle after this, so try to be accommodating... at least until Sportscenter starts at 11.

5. The threshold between two towns

Have you ever seen the number 1 sap movie of all time, “A Walk to Remember?” Probably not, but she definitely has. And there is a grade-A sap scene in the movie that she will never forget. Shane West takes his love, Mandy Moore, to a threshold between two towns before she dies. Stupid right? Read on... and when she asks “why did you take me here?” He cooly responds, “you always wanted to be in two places at once.” .... splash.... cue water works for every woman who has ever lived.
SO all you have to do is re-enact this scene. She will be so swelled up with emotion that she won’t even know that you haven’t spent any money or time on this Valentine’s Day. Boom. Easy. You win times a million.



(If you combined all the Maple trees in the world and melted them in a pot, you would still have less sap than this film)

These all may be unconventional but isn’t unconventional the root-word for spontaneous?! Yes, yes it is. And girls love spontaneity.

Happy V-Day.

Leafs Nation can slowly start beLEAFing

Finally, the Leafs have done something positive. They have shed useless baggage and acquired some heavy duty talent. Beautiful! Here’s how the shake-up went down:

In the Calgary deal, the Leafs traded Ian White, Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman and Jamal Mayers to the Calgary Flames for all-star defenceman Dion Phaneuf, six-foot-six defenceman Keith Aulie and winger Fredrik Sjostrom.

In the Anaheim deal, Leafs traded Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake for JS Giguere.

TSN has done an excellent job covering the trade story. Check out: http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=308479 for all the details.

With regards to all these trades, all I can say is ‘beautiful!’ ... for 3 distinct reasons.

1. Dion Phaneuf.
What a stud. Enough said. He may not be having his best season, but he is young and incredibly talented; he’ll be dominating again in no time. Straight-up, when Phaneuf is on, he is unstoppable. Bone crushing hits, a dynamite shot and some much needed leadership, he is the complete package. I give it a month before he wears the Leafs’ C.



Are you kidding me? What an animal.

2. JS Giguere.
This guy was once a top NHL goalie and it’s only a matter of time before he returns to his great form. Heck, even if he doesn’t become a top level goalie again, he’s still infinitely better than Vesa Toskala. He can back up Gustavsson and come in to any gaming confidently. He’s a big goalie who squares himself well to every shot. And with a Stanley cup win under his belt, he knows how to win. A Great move.

3. Jason Blake – Goodbye and good riddance.
Thank God, he’s gone...finally. Blake has been nothing but an overpaid, undersized, third liner who’s done nothing for the Leafs. I know as soon as we acquired him, he wouldn’t be nearly as good as he was with the New York Islanders. Yeah yeah, he once had an impressive 40 goal season, but seriously, that was a fluke. He lacks skill, size and game saavy. And with his huge $5 million a year contract, he is the most overpaid player in the NHL. Now we can move on and use that money elsewhere.

Good riddance Blake.




To see what Brian Burke and the rest of Leafs Nation has to say about the trades, check out: http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/index.html

And to see what is in store for the Leafs, check out The Globe and Mail's David Shoalt's report. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/whats-next-for-leafs/article1452609/

Blogspot blows..... your mind!

I love blogspot. I think you should too. If you aren’t a member yet, what are you waiting for? If it’s convincing you need, then here are the top 5 reasons why you should start a blogspot account. Quit lagging, start reading, then start blogging. I’d love to converse with you, ‘blogspot styles’.

1. You are the boss. With blogspot you are no longer just a media consumer; you are a media producer. You have your say, whatever that may be. Talk about anything that interests or excites you. Heck, even write about stuff that makes your blood boil. It’s all free game.

2. Live in web 2.0's democracy. Having an account with blogspot always you the freedom to write whatever you want. No longer is blogging just for journalist and reporters. Now you have the forum to write whatever you want, however you want to write it. Stand on your soap-box and profess to the world. With blogspot, you don’t need to own a newspaper company, a radio station, or a TV network. You just need a computer and an opinion.

3. You can converse. Every blogspot post comes with a comment box. Readers can contribute to your blog, express their opinion on your subject or just say they appreciate what you wrote. It’s simple and requires no advanced training. The comment box allows you to understand a reader and speak to them. Blogspot allows for a 2-way flow of information; sender to receiver and receiver to sender. Have a debate, contribute to a topic or just acknowledge a good opinion. It’s fun.

4. It’s user-friendly. You don’t need a degree in computer engineering in order to write a blog. Blogspot has taken your tech ineptness into consideration. Once you sign in, you can compose, edit, and preview your posts. You can also quickly and easily change the formatting and layout of your posts. If you can read and have a left clicker on your mouse, you can have your posts up in no time. It’s simple.

5. It’s free! Does it get any better? Not only can you write whatever you want, but you can do it without opening up your wallet. All you need is an email account and a blogspot account to start creating magical prose. If you still aren’t convinced that blogspot is right for you, check out Kelly Duffus’ blogspot review

6 reasons why it's good to be a Leafs fan.

Reporters everywhere are constantly belittling the Leafs. They are always panicking and putting a damper on every Leaf season. This is no way to support Leafs nation.

Just look at some recent headlines:

“Dissecting a Leafs season gone wrong” (Toronto Sun – Jan. 25, 2010)

“Leafs fail to finish deal ... again” (Toronto Sun – Jan. 24, 2010)

“Maple Leafs show ‘effort’ but no fire: Wilson claims Leafs are trying hard, but that means they simply aren't good enough to compete” (Toronto Star – Jan. 24, 2010)

“Battle of the bottom dwellers lives up to its billing” (Globe and Mail – Jan. 21, 2010)



Yet, I feel it is necessary to present another side to the debate. Let’s look at the bright side for a change. Let’s embrace losing … the odd win will be that much sweeter.

Here are 6 reasons why being a Leafs fan is in fact, a good thing.

1. Leafs don’t sign big name players. I know what you’re thinking, “how is having a team of crappy players a good thing?” But listen to this, if the Leafs signed big name players then these players would come to Toronto and ruin their careers – we would have no reason to like these players anymore. So by not signing the best players in the league, we can still appreciate the talents of Ovechkin, Crosby, Iginla, Nash, etc. as they play for other and better teams. Hockey heroes can remain heroes and do not have to give up their incredible careers. The result? We still get to see some amazing goals and hits from these players on TSN as they play elsewhere because if they came to the Leafs, their excellence would vanish.

2. Leafs haven’t won a cup in a super long time. How is this a good thing you ask? Well, simply put, we don’t know or remember what it’s like to win a cup. And if you’ve never felt the joy of winning a cup then you don’t really know what it’s like and thus, aren’t missing it. You see if you haven’t experienced something great then you don’t get to miss it when it’s gone. For example, chocolate is delicious, but if you’ve never tasted it, then you don’t know what you’re missing. Chocolate then stands for nothing; a foreign food that to you, is tasteless. The same goes for winning a cup, if you’ve never experienced winning one then you don’t know what you’re missing.

3. Leafs will never win a cup. “But how can you claim that not winning a cup is something to desire?!” This one is easy; Leafs fans don’t get their hopes up. If we actually thought they could win a cup, not winning the cup would make us feel horrible. So if you aim low, and I mean really low, then you can’t be disappointed. Leafs fans don’t even think about winning a cup because it won’t happen and therefore, can’t be disappointed when we lose in the playoffs. Hell, we won’t even get to the playoffs. No expectations = no heartbreak = enjoyment in just watching teams beat up on the Leafs night in and night out because a Leafs loss is something we can always guarantee.

4. Pro-line wins. Another easy argument. Bet that the Leafs lose and you will always win pro-line. It’s simple math that never fails.

5. Leafs don’t win games very often. Yes, it’s true, Leafs lose way more than they win but every so often they DO win. And when they do somehow pull out a victory, Leafs fans are the happiest fans on the planet. You know that expression, “it’s the small victories that count?” Well, this saying holds true with the Leafs because if you’re a Leafs fan, every win is like winning the cup. Therefore, if the Leafs win 20 out of 72 games in a season, then Leafs fans will essentially win 20 cups that year. So when other fans laugh at Leafs fans because we never win the cup, we can laugh back at them because to us, every win is a cup win.

6. Every other NHL team is better. Fans across the league who cheer for good teams only get excited when their teams win cups and if you look at the numbers, chances are they won’t win very often (even if they cheer for the Red Wings). So the fans of good teams are constantly being disappointed because their teams don’t win the cup every year. Whereas, since Leafs fans are ecstatic with just winning games, we actually get excited many more times in a year than those other fans of cup-contending teams. Red Wing fans are happy only once in every 5 years but Leafs fans get excited 20 times every year. So in a 5 year span, we actually feel good about our team 100 times and not just once.

In the end it’s simple, being a Leafs fan is a good thing. We cheer for a goal, a rare win, and the slightest glimpse of a winning streak. Our expectations are so low that we can’t get disappointed, which is more than we can say about other fans of good teams who actually think their teams can win it all, all the time.



All I can say is: Shame on you short-sighted reporters and thank you Leafs for sucking - you make every victory a Stanley cup win.

*I promoted this blog post on twitter, FaceBook, and ning in order to examine how quickly people would read it/respond to it. On the Toronto Maple Leafs fan page, on Facebook, this blog post received attention within 2 minutes of being promoted.

Here's the thread on Facebook -> blog attention.

Thanks for being my test subjects.

UPDATE!!! Check out one of my newer posts that gives a few more reasons why it's good to be a leafs fan...just click here!

How to use Flickr for the tech saavy-less

For those of us who are not ‘tech savvy’, any web 2.0 application may seem foreign at first. We even tend to shy away from anything that requires a screen and a key board. Fine, we have different strengths. But smart ‘tech savvy’ people have realized that not everyone using their applications have a degree in software engineering. Thus, they have worked hard at making their applications user friendly and have helped us reap the benefits of some useful web applications. Howcast videos have taken all our questions into consideration and have designed helpful DIY videos to ease our sorrows.

So, get tough and don’t shy away from Flickr or any other web application any longer.

With that being said, I initially thought Flickr was just another one-hit wonder. I was wrong. Maybe I originally thought Flickr was only for trek’ies and voyeurs or maybe I just wasn’t interested in learning a whole new social media application. (It was probably the latter)

But it’s not my fault... when you think of an application that solely shares photos, you think that it would come complete with all the tech jargon and pixel size ramble.... if you, like me, thought this, you’d be dead wrong.

Flickr is actually one of the more interesting and ‘easy to use’ applications out there. How did I come to this realization? Well, first, I decided to give it a shot. Then, because I’m down with DIY tech vids., I looked one up. First hit in google was the one. It was perfect. Howcast’s video on Flickr made everything easy.

Check it out:


I hate long, dry instructional videos. This is not one of those. It’s quick, snappy, peppy, and just gets the job done. You may need to look at it 2 times because it is pretty fast, but it’s worth it. Does it give me step by step account for everything you will need to get started? Your damn right it does - does it well too, actually. I wanted to dislike the video, but I couldn’t it was perfect.

For efficiency, it’s top notch; no wasted time and no techie jargon. Straight A’s in my book. It gives you a 10 step breakdown of how to use Flickr properly. What more could a non-techie ask for?

If you don’t believe me, just look at these other ‘takes on it':
Megan Vickell's Megan in Nut-shell
Johnny Santilly's Juan Time For Your Mind
Jessica Sanchez's Jess and Thou
Sophie Tupper's Learning Made Simple

Oh, and for more good DIY tech vids. Click here