Blah Blah Blah. I’ve heard enough about Instagram. Credit to its creators, it is a simple to use program to enhance photos while also sharing them with friends, but c’mon, what is with this phenomenon over Instagram.
Using photo enhancing tools that you don’t understand doesn’t make you “artsy”. The site is a good way for friends to connect and upload and share photos, but it is still necessary to make the distinction between a photographer truly capturing a beautiful or creative photo, and an average person taking a randomly digitally enhanced photo.
Still, the site has been a hit. Hundreds of millions photographs have been uploaded, and Facebook even purchased the site for one billion dollars.
My journalism class recently visited the Palau Robert exhibit here in Barcelona. The exhibit included only photos that had been filtered through Instagram, and that were taken in Catalonia, in order to increase attraction in Barcelona as a tourist attraction. Although I have not been overwhelmed by the Instagram trend, I was definitely amazed by the series of photos displayed at the exhibit, and could easily see the benefits and power of Instagram.
My time in Barcelona is coming to a sad end, so I thought I’d give a season review as the Eagles season is also about to come to a sad end. But for me I’m sad to leave, for the Eagles the season was simply sad, but regardless of that, it’s always tough to see the end of the NFL season approaching its close, knowing you have a long off-season to wait until to can watch your favorite team again and experience that passion and excitement. Hearing the first MNF or NFL Live tune at the beginning of the NFL season is one of the greatest sounds on this earth.
I don’t expect the Eagles to finish the year with more than 6 wins. I never could have imagined this. There were a lot of hidden problems with this team, and I think the Eagles were finally starting to realize them in firing multiple assistant coaches, and making some player personnel changes as well. The offense was inconsistent all year, which can be partly attributed to the terrible and injury ridden offensive line. But still, no one truly stepped up on O. Of course injuries played a huge part in this. Right now the list of starts hurt is endless: DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, Micheal Vick, Brent Celek, Jason Peters, Jason Kelce, Todd Herremans. How can a team really expect to reach its potential when that happens. I’m looking forwards to what the O can do with a fully healthy O-line, just a shame their coach Howard Mudd is retiring.
But defensively it was an embarassment. The addition of Kenricks and Ryans were finally supposed to provide just what the D needed. And to be honest they played very well all year, especially Ryans, and his role as a leader cannot be underestimated. Otherwise the wide-9 was a failure, and Washburn apparently even undermined Castillo’s authority as defensive coordinator. The D-line was in the debate as the best in the league entering the season. Now Jason Babin and the D-line coach are gone. The secondary was pretty awful as well. Way too many breakdowns there.
Looking back to my About me section, I really couldn’t have predicted this season much better. I got my hopes up as always, and was again let down, this time in a big, big way. But this catch from Jason Avant was pretty f-ing awesome.
As discussed earlier with blogging, anyone capable can start a blog at any time on any topic. Podcasting is just another example of this opportunity that Web 2.0 allows for. A podcast, which comes from the combination of iPod and broadcast, is a series of periodic audio or video files that are uploaded to the internet. People can download podcasts and listen to them on computers, iPods, and even phones. Many are also offered for free on iTunes. By subscribing people can have podcasts automatically downloaded and ready to listen to at any moment. Podcasts generally resemble radio talk shows.
As seen in my earlier Eagles NFC East post, podcasting is a very easy to use, creative, and informative tool for companies or the average person to spread news and any other information, no matter the topic. The benefit of podcasts is that they are a simple, free, and often daily updated source of news that any listener is interested in.
One of my favorite podcasts is the B.S. Report. I discussed Bill Simmons‘ influence on media convergence in sports, and today ESPN’s Simmons is debatably the most followed sports writer in the world. “A free flowing conversation that occasionally touches on mature subjects” the B.S. Report’s topics range from sports to pop culture. Really anything can be included, and that’s what makes the show great. He has topics anyone can be interested, and delivers them in an interesting way. In fact the B.S. Report with Cousin Sal discussing the NFL week 14 and the week 15 betting lines, is currently #1 on iTunes as the most downloaded podcast. Here’s a link to Simmons’ podcast archives for those interested: http://www.grantland.com/podcasts/_/sort/bs-report
Web 2.0 has caused many changes in marketing and advertising. It offers new possibilities for companies to promote their products and easily get in touch with the public. Older marketing strategies are now outdated. The biggest positive of Advertising 2.0 is that corporations can immediately reach massive amounts of people. The web is essentially a platform for the exposure of advertising. Companies can buy ad space on frequently traveled sites as well. For the viewer viral advertising can be very influential and gripping when compared to magazine advertisements or lesser seen commercials.
Social Media’s influence on Viral Advertising cannot be understated either. Youtube videos essentially over free ad space, along with the actual paid for commercials shown before videos. Facebook as over one billion users, where else would be better to advertise and reach the public. People can like companies and brands on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter, to remain constantly in touch with the companies’ products or other updates. This also helps because if people see friends with similar preferences promote certain products, then they would be more inclined to purchase the same product in the future.
This relates to one topic covered in my Journalism 2.0 class, the evangelist consumer. These are the consumers that are so obsessed with a product that they try share it with everyone, spreading it all over the web and by word of mouth. For example the only reason I bought an Apple computer over a different brand’s is because I had heard such great things about the laptops from other friends.
There are even various social media marketing software and services companies that offer their tools and knowledge to companies hoping for viral advertising. These companies offer social media advertising advice, as well as platforms for the creation, management, and monitoring of interactive campaigns, which also allows for marketing strategies like contests and give-aways. But as the internet continues to grow I only hope sites don’t become filled with annoying advertisements and frustrating commercial delays.
At this point the Eagles’ playoff hopes are gone, so I’m all for giving younger players more playing time and opportunities to improve and gain experience. It also allows for the Eagles to truly evaluate the depth and talent of this team. The injuries to Vick, McCoy, Celek, Jackson, and four starting offensive linemen forced the Eagles hand in playing their youth, but it still makes sense, especially with the chance of receiving a better draft pick. But with that being said, at 3-9, the Eagles needed this win. The players, coaches, and fans, all needed this win. As a friend commented to me, “More than anyone, you needed a win.” It’s true. I can enjoy football again, finally.
As Brent Celek, who has stepped up as a leader on offense during this tumultuous season, said in a pregame speech that the team had to play with heart and dignity. Reid also hoped to ignite some fire in a team so down after an 8-game losing streak. But the effort was truly there on Sunday against the Buccaneers. The team played with heart and dignity, and a sense of respect for the team. The Eagles won’t simply give up on the season. The Bucs needed this win as they’re in the playoff hunt, but Philly still looked like the more determined team.
This time the two rookies in the Eagles backfield switched roles in carrying their team. Bryce Brown was held to 6 yards in 12 carries. Tampa Bay has a great run defense, and they showed it yesterday. But their pass defense is also one of the worst in the league, and this was evident as Nick Foles had an incredible day. 63% completion percentage, 381 passing yards, 2 TD’s in the air, and one on the ground. Who knows if he is the franchise QB the Eagles will at some point, whether it is in this offseason (most likely) or in the years following, be pursuing to replace Vick. Whether he is or not, the game was very encouraging. He led two very impressive drives at the end of the 4th quarter to lead the Eagles to victory. Avant and Maclin had very impressive games as well, both with 100 yards receiving. Avant displayed his great hands on maybe the best catch of the season so far, and Maclin went to his knees barely avoiding going out of bounds before catching the game winning touching with no time left.
What a thrilling comeback it was, down 21-10 with 4 minutes left, the Eagles were able to rally, and the defense finally was able to get off the field and give Foles a chance to take back this game from Tampa. Soon enough it was 23-21, and the Eagles were running, jumping, and yelling in celebration of this long awaited win. Just how badly this team needed a victory is evident in the post game photos at the end of this post. How can you not feel great for Coach Reid due to all the criticism he’s received, along with the tragic loss of his son just weeks before the start of this season. He made some changes promoting Bowles as D-coordinator and bringing back Tommy Brasher as D-line coach, and the defense’s improvement was obvious in this game. Washburn and his love of the wide-9 are gone, and it looks to be the right move.
They also switched Kendricks to WLB, and promoted Chaney to SLB. The linebacking corps in general, as well as the defensive line and backs played much better against the run. Although Martin was able to rush for 100+ plus yards, the Bucs were held scoreless in the game’s first half. DRC played better, as did Nate Allen. Nnamdi needs to improve, and Curtis Marsh made nice plays temporarily filling in form him. Instead it was the special teams who almost blew this game for the Eagles. Kicker Alex Henery, who has been phenomenal all year, finally missed two field goals. One was a 58 yarder as the first half expired, banging it right off left field goal post. The kick easily had the distance, and probably could have been good from 65 if it had the accuracy, he can’t be blamed for that one. Next week are the Bengals, should be a good one.
At 3-9 the Eagles are guaranteed to finish with a losing record. It seems like 75% of the team’s starters are injured. We have set records in past weeks for opposing QB ratings. Multiple coaches have already been fired, with more to follow. It’s stressed that teams need to be strong up the middle in sports– our offense is run by an undrafted center, a 3rd round QB, a 7th round RB, and a 7th round FB. Clearly, lots of disappointing things to talk about, so why not start my podcasting career off now? Andrew Rubenstein, fellow blogger (http://redskinsbarca.wordpress.com/) but rival Redskin fan, joins me in the podcast below to discuss the up’s and down’s in the NFC East this year, the Sunday Night matchup with Philly and Dallas, and Monday Night’s between the Giants and Redskins.
Losses always hurt, especially to the Cowboys, but Eagles fans should be proud of last night’s effort. Unlike Philly, Dallas was getting starting players healthy, and they have wild card hopes to play for. The Cowgirls were favored by 10.5 points heading into the game, but the Eagles gave them their best shot, only losing 38-33, even leading most of the game. Still, a good team would have been able to finish this game out for a victory. But yet again turnovers killed us, and again the defense could not get a stop to get the offense back on the field.
It’s Bryce Brown’s 2nd great game in a row, but another late fumble by Brown killed the team’s drive and momentum. The “big Mo” cannot be underestimated in this league. Still, have to love what you see from Brown after his 2nd game in a row with 2 TD’s and 170 rushing yards. But his lack of experience is evident with his loose ball control and his high fumbling rate. But this should be a fixable issue. Brown’s last start before this year was in high school. He needs some more carries to shake the rust off and become accustomed to NFL defensive talent.
Foles made significant strides since last week’s game. The rookie QB displayed touch, good pocket presence, and he led an impressive drive at the end of the half for points.
He did throw a few near picks like in his earlier performances, and he missed open receivers on a couple of other plays (remember that failed 2 pt conversion? Brown was wide open, he even could’ve run untouched into the endzone as well). Foles looked good though, and he gave the Eagles a great chance to win. By all accounts he’s very intelligent, can read defenses well, and has great anticipation and feel on the field. You can tell he does a good job keeping his eyes downfield and working through his progressional, but he needs to work on looking off defenses, you could see multiple times he’d lock onto a receiver, telepathing his next move to the defense.
Again, the defense was miserable. They could never get a stop. Receivers were left wide open. As Collingsworth stressed throughout the game, the safeties are leaving the middle of the field wide open, and its happening far too often. But Brandon Graham played well starting for Jason Babin. Ryans was solid again, as was really the whole defense for portions of the game. But eventually they just did not have an answer for Dez Bryant and Jason Witten. The play of Rodgers-Cromartie, Boykin, Allen, and Coleman was particularly exposed. Often Philly’s corners played too far off the receivers, giving them too much of a cushion. This was especially clear on Bryant’s 9 yard TD catch against DRC.
On the brightside the Eagles played tough, for divisional pride, and looked the better team for much of the game, despite everything going against them so far this season.
Here’s a postgame interview with Bryce Brown, part hero and part scape goat after the loss.
And on the not-so-brightside, below are some of the pathetic stats the Eagles have managed to rack up this season.
With a 30-22 loss to the Carolina Panthers, the Eagles have now dropped to 3-8. This will be just the second time since 1999 that Philly will end the season with a losing record. As mentioned in this game’s preview, Monday night was about the tales of two different rookies starting in the Eagle backfield, Nick Foles and Bryce Brown, but their tales could not have been much different.
You have to like what you saw from Bryce Brown. He was the only bright spot for the Eagles offense with with 19 carries going for 178 yards and 2 TD’s. Additionally he displayed his soft hands out of the backfield with 4 catches. I expected Brown to have a good game, maybe running for 100 yards, but the one thing I was worried about was ball security. In his backup role Brown struggled with holding onto the ball all year. This ended up killing the Eagles with Brown fumbles ending two significant drives (Brandon Boykin also fumbled on a kick return).
Nick Foles on the other hand did not look like anything special. The rookie QB rarely threw the ball downfield, and in the rare chance he did, he was close to being intercepted. This could be in part due to the Eagles awful pass blocking, but his decision making could definitely improve, and although he did manage to not turn the ball over, it’s almost impossible to win in this league with only 119 passing yards.
Defensively the Eagles looked terrible. They played well for portions in the middle of the game, but the coverage breakdowns were too much to overcome. Cam Newton threw for 306 yards on just 18 completions. He also ran for 2 TD’s. Arguably the best red zone player in the NFL, the Eagles clearly did not game plan well enough for Carolina’s designed runs to Newton. The fact this team is still having so many breakdowns in coverage is both infuriating and mind-boggling. With Nnamdi Asomugha, DRC, Nate Allen, and Kurt Coleman all healthy, there are no excuse for the D’s performance. The defense has too many star players. Beyond the aforementioned Pro Bowl cornerbacks, the Eagles have multiple Pro Bowl linebackers and D-linemen: DeMeco Ryans, Trent Cole, Cullen Jenkins, and Jason Babin. Then they have two of the best rookies at their respective positions, Fletcher Cox and Mychal Kendricks. Different personnel haven’t worked. At defensive coordinator it wasn’t McDermott, it wasn’t Castillo, and now it seems like it isn’t Bowles either (the defense has only regressed since he’s taken over), changes need to be made.
If Brown was the rookie bright spot for the offense, it was Vinny Curry as the rookie bright spot on defense.
The rookie defensive end out of Marshall had 5 tackles, and missed out on two near sacks of Newton. That’s especially impressive considering how few snaps he played compared to other defensive lineman. The Eagles have had an incredible amount of draft picks the last few years, and rarely have any paned out. It’s good to know that at least in Cox, Kendricks, and hopefully Curry, the defense has some players the team can depend on for years to come.
Next week the Eagles face the Cowboys on Sunday night. With all these primetime scheduled games, it looks like the NFL didn’t expect the Eagles to be so terrible either.
President Obama‘s 2008 and 2012 victories were in part due to his revolutionary and extensive use of social media in his campaigns. Despite being rare in declining participation in the public financing system for presidential campaigning, President Obama was still able to receive massive amounts of funding through the collection of a lot of small donations.
Like FDR’s use of the radio, and JFK’s of the TV, Obama was able to take advantage of the social media craze by reaching and constantly informing incredible amounts of voters, particularly through the Internet, and he was able to micro-target, reaching many particular and different groups of voters.
This year Obama had public accounts on 9 different social media platforms, while Romney only had 5. These platforms allow for candidates to give transparency, mobilize voters, and inform globally.
Through Facebook Obama was able to connect with the younger generation, who spend less time watching or listening to the news, and are less likely to trust potentially biased TV or radio shows. Through Youtube Obama could have many hours of free advertising space on his official Youtube site. He even created his own website, a modern, and well-designed site allowing people to join in and support the campaign. People truly had felt represented, and like they were really part of a group. Website members could be given posters and pins to set up their own demonstrations, pulling even more Obama supporters together, and transferring passion to more voters.
Social Media’s influence in politics exemplifies the future need for candidates to address individuals, and not large masses, because each individual person has their own set of interests and worries. We can only expect to see even more social media in the next presidential campaign.
This week’s Monday Night Football matchup features two teams sitting at the bottom of the NFC, with the Panthers (2-8) visiting the Eagles (3-7). The Eagles season is essentially over at this point, but a loss to the Panthers would just be embarrassing. But considering the injuries to the offensive line, to Michael Vick, and to LeSean McCoy, this game will be a tough one.
The Panthers are better than their 2-8 record shows. They lost in overtime to Tampa Bay last week, and to the Falcons, Seahawks, Cowboys, and Bears, by only a combined 12 points, or just one FG on average. They have one of the best receivers in the league in Steve Smith, and have two of the best first rounders in the last two draft classes (Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly, who is 7th in the league in tackles with a game to spare).
Here are some things to watch for tonight versus the Carolina Panthers.
Tonight will be unlike any other Eagles MNF game I’ve experience. There is about as little meaning to this game as possible, unless any idealists are expecting the Eagles to win out and finish 9-7… Instead it would just be nice to get back on track with a W after 6 straight losses. Two rookies are starting in the backfield, and 4 backups are starting across the offensive line. I’m very interested to see the play from QB Nick Foles and RB Bryce Brown. Foles has shown flashes in order to be considered a potential longterm starting QB in the NFL, but the sample size is far too small. With back to back weeks as the starter of this team, and facing a weak Carolina defense, we will learn a lot about the QB that Foles truly is. Brown has had some impressive runs as well. He has demonstrated the powerful downhill running style that a 6 foot, 230 pound running back should possess, but he has also shown the burst and speed that not many RB’s of his size have.
A loss would drop Philly into a tie for last in the NFC, a spot no fan or NFL expert would have predicted before the start of the season, and especially not after the last Eagles MNF game, a win over the defending Super Champion Giants, which gave the team a 3-1 record, and 1st place in the division.
“Més que un club” (more than a club), FC Barcelona’s team slogan, explains how the club is more than just a team or a business. Instead FC Barcelona is engrained in Barcelona’s identity, and the team’s impact is expansive, reaching far beyond “the pitch”. The organization represents the concerns of the everyday Catalan, and the club has supported the region’s social and democratic values throughout history. This is why the club donates 1.5 million Euros to UNICEF’s humanitarian aid programs, and the team now wears the UNICEF logo on its jerseys. The norm for most European football clubs is to instead gain revenue by having the name of a team sponsor on the jersey. The team’s stadium and the most recent El Clásico best help illustrate the meaning of the “Més que un club” significance and the phenomenon of FC Barcelona.
It would be difficult to sit in Camp Nou during a FC Barcelona match and not feel something special—the classic and dramatic team entrances, the crowd noise and passion, the intensity on the field. This is especially hard to equal when considering that Camp Nou holds about 20,000 more people than the average American football stadium. The following interview illustrates just how epic an experience at Camp Nou and El Clásico can be.
The publicity and cost of the Camp Nou construction exemplifies its importance in Catalans’ minds. 60,000 fans were even in attendance for the beginning of the stadium’s construction in 1954. The total costs of the finished stadium totaled 288 million pesetas in 1957, more than three times the initial budget, leaving the club in debt for years.
Camp Nou was inaugurated as the FC Barcelona stadium in September 1957. After an FC Barcelona golden age during the 1940s and 1950s the club’s popularity outgrew its stadium, and there was no more room for expansion. With a capacity of 99,354 Camp Nou is the biggest stadium in Europe, making it an internationally famous building.
Beyond FC Barcelona the stadium hosted soccer games during the 1992 Summer Olympics (when the stadium was modified and grew to a capacity of 121,749), two UEFA Champions League finals, and many other events, including concerts from major musicians and bands like Michael Jackson and U2. Even Pope John Paul II visited Camp Nou in 1982. In the 1998 to 1999 season UEFA awarded Camp Nou five star status. Only four other Spanish stadiums received such high praise. Fox Sports also ranked it as the sixth best soccer stadium in the World, and the best in Spain. This acclaim comes from the stadium’s aforementioned size and history, but also because of its many impressive facilities. The stadium includes almost everything: a medical center, terrace, restaurant, chapel, and even a nursery. Furthermore the FC Barcelona club museum is the second most visited museum in Catalonia.
Camp Nou’s size and the club’s popularity make the stadium a platform for national and international exposure. This opportunity can cause some games to become politicized, as was evident in the most recent El Clásico on October 7th. FC Barcelona has by default become what would be deemed the national team of Catalonia. For Catalans it would almost be considered anti-Catalan to be a bigger fan of the Spanish national team or of Real Madrid than of FC Barcelona.
As Barcelona’s central defender Gerard Pique described prior to the game, “The games between Barcelona and Madrid increasingly resemble Catalonia against Spain”. Spain’s economic crisis sparked an increase in Catalan nationalism, and the separatist feelings from it have spread across the wealthy autonomous community. This made the match highly politicized, and at 17:14 into it there was a stadium wide chant for independence, which can be seen in a clip in the below video from Camp Nou’s stands. Fans planned for the chant at this specific time because in 1714 Catalonia lost many of its historic rights. The Catalan troops were defeated on September 11 of that year, and the date has become a holiday as the annual National Day of Catalonia. This year demonstrations were made on this day to further voice the Catalan desire for independence. El Clásico came less than one month after these displays.
With the two most talented and famous teams in Spain competing, the passion off the field, and the tension on it, are evident. Ending in a 2-2 tie there was no clear winner of the game, but the Catalans’ commitment to independence was nonetheless made clear. And it was made clear by a voice of nearly 100,000 FC Barcelona fans to a television audience of 400 million people.
Club founder Joan Gamper added more than just soccer to the meaning of FC Barcelona. He added for the club to be pro-Catalan, to actively serve its country. Therefore the club interacts with pro-Catalan political sectors and did not hesitate to defend the identity and autonomous rights of Catalonia. As Club president Sandro Rosell recently said, “When Catalans decide their future, Barça will be at their side. We will always defend our roots and the rights of people to decide their own future.” Because FC Barcelona truly is més que un club.
Blah Blah Blah. I’ve heard enough about Instagram. Credit to its creators, it is a simple to use program to enhance photos while also sharing them with friends, but c’mon, what is with this phenomenon over Instagram.
The Eagles Nest 