100% Reason to Remember the Name

While Louisiana legend ascribes colorful former LSU head coach Dale Brown with a version of it, P.T. Barnum is often credited with the famous line: "I don’t care what you say about me, just spell my name right."

On New Year's Eve Eve, the circus came calling in Brown's old home town of Baton Rouge, albeit on the northside at Southern University.  The Jaguars broke the NCAA record for best start in a Division I basketball game by holding hapless Champion Baptist College scoreless while racking up 44 unanswered.  It led to a 116-12 final score.

Last night, Southern and Champion made the ESPN ticker during bowl games.  Dominated a light evening of college basketball with the hysterical, er, historical note.

Oh the humanity.

At what price fame?  Fox Sports, ESPN, Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated, et al, had their fun with this.  Southern got some better local pub -- considering a Google for the university also brings up some investigations into the law school today.  While many are making fun of Champion (lots of how can you be a Champion . . .) there is growing complaint about Southern, notably that they should not have taken advantage of a non-NCAA team or that the game and record are not legitimate.

No one starts out to have this result, but let's be honest -- everyone knows what is going on.  Southern played teams who wanted them for practice; why do we fault the Jags for same.  Let's not act like this is a product of the 21st century money-driven horror show of college sports.  This was going on with regularity in the 19th century.  Colleges played all-star teams, local high schools, business colleges, schools for the deaf, military bases, their own alumni.

Champion Baptist gets 7,000-plus notes in Google's news today, and they trended hard on Twitter last night.  SB Nation's Mid-Major Madness had a little perspective on both sides.  The Topsy score was 56, so to the plus side of sentiment.  Tweet of the day goes to Gary Parrish at CBS:  "You know what’s coming next season, right? Champion Baptist at Grinnell College. Book it."  Lost in the mix is at their own level, CBC was a national champion among other Christian private schools.

At the end of the day, this is takeaway.  USA TODAY sports writer Dan Wolkin who grew up in Hot Springs admitted he had never heard of Champion.

Now he has.

Off-Topic Post Script: Take a moment and read through Micheal Turney's excellent tracing of the origins of the P.T. Barnum quote from the first link above.  A good read that once again proves my Harry Truman approach to America: The only thing new in the world is the history you don't know. As a Post-Post Script: Enjoy #5 on this link to Truman's value of history.

MF's Tweeting Yourself to Unemployment

On this day of the latest version, I can't beat what Mental Floss did today.  Enjoy their recap and share with your friends, staff and students.

Now within that, on #6 and #12, I recall also the infamous Red Cross drunk tweet. Or frankly, @ArkRazorbacks' FU on a stolen phone. Bad tweet doesn't always lead to dismissal if handled well.

Then again, on the other 14 - and today's edition from South Africa and yesterday's rehash of the KU professor - sometimes you can't.  And they can cause you legal trouble both before - the Astoria, Ore., teen's hit and run - and after - a California young man seeing his charges upgraded.

Kansas Raises the Bar on Social Liability

An update on earlier notation that David Guth would become the next battleground for academic freedom and social media regulation.  The Kansas Board of Regents voted unanimously to give its campus leaders, quoting from The Chronicle, the ability“to suspend, dismiss, or terminate from employment any faculty or staff member who makes improper use of social media.”

Remember that Guth was suspended for his comments about NRA members after the Navy Yard shooting.

Let's remember, Kansas already had a very broad hate speech policy and that it had on the books the statement that social media was covered under that guideline.

This makes it crystal clear.

Facebook's Sports Play

For a long time, college athletic programs put their majority focus into Twitter.  As a 2004 adopter, myself among them.  Over time and new responsibilities, I've gotten a stronger sense of the need to be in both spaces -- Facebook and Twitter -- but with the right content and the right timing (in other words, yet another time to say delink your damn accounts).

Facebook's aging demo plays well toward alumni, parents and influencers -- especially outside the urban markets -- but it has not been a big factor in sports.

Until this week.  Yes, Facebook lost out on SnapChat in a bid to get younger, but it just vacuumed up SportsStream.

The product creates a second screen using the streams from Twitter, official team data (live stats) and visuals from InstaGram and others.  Sort of automating the kind of live blogging many do with tools like CoverItLive.

Paul Allen believed in the concept, and now the Zuck is on board.

End of the Internet, or Anonymous Posting?

When the big guns come out, must be something to it. The DMCA's "safe harbor" on copyright was the last time Google, et al, united.

Now they come to the rescue of TheDirty versus "that cheerleader".

Sarah Jones became the subject of postings that she claims were false, and she has sued.

The People vs Larry Flynt? Maybe. But the fear that a loss for TheDirty (home of Anthony Weiner, well, you know) could put liability on all online "news" groups.

How about that? Some old fashioned got to have a name and an address, maybe even a call back number, to put your letter to the editor out there.

Right after the Ed O'Bannon suit, this could be the most important legislation impacting college sports.

Kodak Moments for the 21st Century

No surprise to the regulars of the blog, I'm a huge fan of the GoPro.  A first-gen owner, I've used them for years.

60 Minutes featured the founder of GoPro Nick Woodman.  If you don't get what GoPro is about, and how you MUST use them, watch the story.  Aside from a traditional American success story, it's a visual presentation of all the memes associated with GoPro.

At the close of the piece, Woodman says something profound regarding both the camera and the way people relate to it.

"It's a marketer's dream.  It's all based off authenticity. Our customers doing interesting things around the world and they're so stoked . . . . that when they share the video, they often give us credit.  My GoPro ski trip.  My GoPro day at the park with my kids . . ."

That's when it hits me.  When George Eastman changed the way we captured the world in still photographs, the late 19th and entire 20th century were dominated by the Kodak moment.  That became synonymous with a heartwarming event, saved forever in celluloid.

The 21st century equivalent? When I GoPro my fill-in-the-blank.  And thanks to the technology I can both be in the moment and preserve it in motion.

Why all that?

To say this: replace GoPro with your university name from Woodman's quote.  Is that how graduates view their experience, their learning, their transformation while at your university?  Do they send you photos and emails from their lives around the world?  Staying connected to where they learned their skills, or built their social networks?

If they do, your "brand" shall increase.  If they don't, you're just issuing credentials and certificates.

Find a way to engage through the authenticity of your unique experience.

Tarkin Doctrine Finally Fails Olympics

Or maybe I should make another SciFi reference by saying the International Olympic Committee has decided to stop Fighting the Future.  New guidelines that recognize both the nature of (and the benefits accrued from) social media.  At Sochi, social is in.

A good read from USA TODAY about the shift that allows those who are accredited media to use their information and stills to report and promote.  It is another step forward after London where the Five Rings recognized that those who "would not profit" could do the same.  Video is still off limits, but in a rights-holder world, most can accept that.

We have come a long way from Beijing.

The opposite from Oklahoma State earlier this month as a clash between the media relations office and student media becomes nasty he tweets, they tweet battle over who "broke" the news of what would happen at an athletic department event.

Reminds me a bit of institutions that still won't credential born digital or participatory media.

Oh, and if you don't get the Star Wars reference in the headline . . .

Bad Behavior Equal Time

Much space devoted to athletes and others doing stupid things on social, sometimes with career changing consequences.  Today, let me share a little equal time for the fans.  Courtesy of Matt Ferguson of the Arkansas State Scout site, enjoy some slices of Bad Tweets Theatre.

It's not quite when the father threaten the family with gun violence over the outcome of a game a couple of years ago, but the rants over the Missou kicker's miss are getting there.

The Un-Anonymous

Perhaps like zombies, the undead, we should consider those who put WAY too much faith in analog concepts of secrecy in these digital days as the unanonymous.

Latest cases in point:  From On the Media's new side feed, the story of a former NSA staffer (no, not Snowden) getting live-tweeted as he was on the phone riding the train.  Turns into a double bust.  Please click link to read -- don't want to give away the surprises, but promise you won't be disappointed.

The other is the unsavory tale of former high school coach and athletic director Barry Gebhart.  He was arrested by Rogers police in a digital honey pot -- officer posing as the 14-year-old girl that Gebhart thought he was safe swapping photos and lewd suggestions with.

(A moment of disclosure: I do have a child still at FHS)

Among the details: Gebhart was using Whispers to cover his tracks and his personal smartphone to stay off the public school network and computers.  Oops -- GPS in the phone helped link the texting and emails to his office at Fayetteville High and his home address.

The arrest record and details -- Gebhart admitted to the events and has resigned -- are across Arkansas media, but we'll give the link to our friends at Fayetteville Flyer.

Which part of the mantra didn't you pick up: No more secrets.

Anonymous? I Think Not @NatSecWonk

Let us begin with another chapter in the saga of social costing people jobs.  Jofi Joseph is gone from a federal post in the White House when revealed as the person behind the snarky @NatSecWonk Twitter feed.  Jump over to MSN News for the whole story, but let's just Cliffs Note it:

Joseph saw things.  He gave his unabashed opinion about them.  You can't do that in politics unless, to paraphrase in the Billy Joel, you spend a lotta money.

Come on, Jofi.  You work inside the U.S. govt.  Do the letters "N", "S" and "A" ring a bell, NatSecWonk?

Tea Party Tigers?

I caution all sides to take care with their rhetoric over the Grambling football team - and let me take some runs to conclusion of the varied sides of these events.

At the start of collegiate athletics, it truly was a volunteer, student oriented sport in which teams opted in and out of seasons. The was no guarantee that teams would show for contests.

Of course, the modern era carries with it certain obligations. This is what the administrators of universities and conferences will imply.  The national media will split between student rights and what is right for the school.

And there is the rub.

Eddie Robinson is likely spinning in his grave . . . furious at both sides of this equation. Coach Rob would not have tolerated the level of insubordination from his team. Discipline was a hallmark of a Grambling man.  For that matter, neither would have the Tigers legendary basketball coaches.

But before invoking the soul of one of America's coaching legends, he would have never let his players endure some of the treatment they have received. Grambling without the era of Robinson has fallen into disrepair. If the photos and health reports are to be believed, this is a rough situation.

Standing up for principle - I'm sure that is how the football team sees it.  Even if it cost Jackson State a homecoming.  Hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue.  Even if it threatens a bedrock institution of the SWAC, of HBCUs - the Bayou Classic.  That annual game at the Superdome with a national NBC broadcast audience is millions on the line.

See where this is headed?

The Republicans "shut down" the government - mainly caused great inconveniences - because the Democrats and the President wouldn't negotiate.

So the players have shut down the Tiger football program - because the administration won't meet their demands. Clean uniforms, modern accommodations.

Which moral side can you take based on your feeling about the last month of politics? Does that make them the Tea Party Tigers? Or the John Carlos and Tommy Smith of their generation?

Ah, what of those lofty goals of amateurism.

Don't go there too fast. Because these young men signed scholarships to perform as college football players in return for education.

So they are obligated to play.  To represent Grambling.

Why?

Because the are schedules. And contracts. And television. And revenue generation on the line.  Without the financial engine of football, there is very little else in college sport portfolios that can finance the other teams.

Well now, somewhere in California, Ed O'Bannon is smiling. In the Midwest, the Drake Commission is grinning ear to ear.

You say those boys HAVE to get on the bus? HAVE to play the game? Because of their obligation?

Sounds like one legal brief away from uncompensated employment. Perhaps a labor dispute over working conditions.

Every case is unique, but let's suppose that Grambling disciplines the players in some way. Will that squelch the movement? If they don't, what happens with the next Rutgers basketball team situation?

Are You A Brand of One?

The start of October has been filled with frustration for many.  For some, it is difficulty with financial aid systems at one university.  For another, it's a horrid start to a football season.  For way to many, it is the blind actions of politics - from the Second World War memorial in DC to furloughs on a campus near you.  For me, an incredibly frustrating encounter with the U.S. Army and our ROTC.

So all that to say this (thinking of the Army):  Are you a brand of one?

Scott Stratten is a refreshing "unmarketer" and his message is simple.  There is no such thing as branding.  Your customer determines what they think of you, and one interaction at a time that reputation either goes up or down.

Take an hour.  Watch (or listen) to this all the way through.  When it is over, ask yourself:

Do you students get attention they deserve from service areas?

Do you make your media jump through hoops regularly?

On your interactions with the public, are you moving the brand up or down one person at a time?

From time at Northwestern State, I can testify to what this means.  Students who complained about troubles with the student record system and refunds that we interacted with -- and publicly --  on the official Facebook page were more informed, less likely to continue to rail (once we explained) and some became our advocates (stepping in to threads to say . . . did you contact the Facebook page for help?).  It didn't solve the problems, but it did take some of the sting out.

You All Thought I Was Crazy

Since 2010, I've said in presentations, in meetings and among staff, the goal of big data and mobile is to get to customized experience.  My example of this in digital signage always was -- if I walk by a sign in a mall, based on my Facebook and other profiles plus my phone giving away that it's me, I'll get an ad for someplace in the mall they think I'm interested in.  If it's a young female, she gets Victorias.  I don't know, I get Barnes and Noble (best case; more likely some other "old person" option).

Well today: This note about a start-up in Little Rock.  They are doing high end computer based marketing.  Like . . .

UPDATE: I talked briefly with Rod Ford, the CEO, who explained how the company was built on software developed in an earlier failed tech startup and is to be expanded to enhance marketing. It's already in use on 12 college campuses, where large TV screens can recognize if, say, the person walking buy is a young male and instantly throw up a pizza special or a new pair of Nikes that would attract the potential customer.

Tip of the hat to Arkansas Times' blog for that.  My bold and underline for emphasis.

What I didn't need AT to tell me . . . why Little Rock?  Hello.  Acxiom?

Brand Thought for the Day

Courtesy of Bloomberg News, a story about the new "most valuable" brand: Apple.

Mark Gimein makes a profound and heretical statement about what makes Apple so valuable as a "brand":

Our products have everything you need straight out of the box. They’re easy to use. They don’t crash. In other words, Apple sells the brand by selling the product. 

Gimein and I concur -- shocking idea.  Do something right.  People will remember it.  And today more than ever before, they tell their friends.

Gimein reminds us in the piece that no matter how platinum the aviation brand of Pan Am was in the 20th century, they are nothing without an airline today.

There are Homers Everywhere

The story about a Montana football player appearing before the judge on minor charges of destroying a sign carried an interesting subtext.

Always good to see the judge presiding in his team colors logo chair.

Hipsters Begin to Age

It comes for all of us.  Who would have prepared us for these two stories:

The History of the iPhone

Google at 15

Any day now, don't you kids remember when we had to use our finger prints to use our phone . . .

What's Good for the Fortson is Good for the Guth

The debate over David Guth's tweet and Kansas' reaction swings quickly to the First Amendment.  A passionate defense of Guth's right in today's Chroncle.

I wonder if we see a growing trend of acceptance of/tolerance for bad behavior in the social world.

Take Courtney Fortson's case.  The former Razorback point guard made the following tweet:

He was punished for violating team rules (perhaps other issues weighed in beyond the tweet) and missed a large number of games -- publicly for his bad tweet.  For those unfamiliar, some of Fortson's teammates were accused of a sexual assault, thus the significance of the "drunk girl" reference.

This was 2009.  And he still makes SI's top 20 and another digital publication's top 15 for worst all-time athlete tweets.

Here in 2013, Guth made this tweet:

If we believe that Fortson -- as a university representative -- is held to a higher standard, does Guth not have the same responsibility?  Or have both men been cruelly wronged?

I believe this to be a First Amendment issue.

As in, rights of association, the extension the courts have made of the right of assembly.  A group can choose who it will or will not associate with.  Does Guth or Fortson's individual ability to say whatever they want in whatever format they choose trump the right of the assembly to remove them from the group for their speech they find offensive?

Discuss.

J-School Prof Disciplined for Tweet

Remember the name David Guth -- even money says he's the next battleground for First Amendment.

Guth stirred the ire of the NRA with a tweet after the Washington Naval Yard shootings, and in turn, University of Kansas has put Guth on administrative leave.

This post is not to take a side on the tweet.  It's to ponder the point: can you discipline an associate professor for their point of view.

The Chronicle gave the first note, and here's the link to the Kansas City Star story referenced.

And, for the curious, here's the link to KU's social media policy.  Clearly, KU is taking the path I've advocated for many an athletic department.  To quote from the KU PDF:

Social media is included in speech, so the same rules apply regarding hate speech

and other similar issue

Guth didn't violate a social media policy as much as he violated existing speech guidelines (or, to use my athletic analogy, "team rules" which cover general conduct regardless to whether it was online or in person).

Pixar's 22 Rules

The best "here click on this web link" advice I've received in months.

Especially #2 and #22.

Seriously, no explanation needed -- trust me this is not a waste of your time.

To Each Platform According to its Needs

Perhaps a little Marx to start the day, but while reading over some recent Facebook versus Twitter comparisons the basic concept of creating the right message on the right platform remains true.

Hashtags, in particular.

That's a genuinely Twitter function.  When Facebook emulated, many wondered what the impact would be.  At least one report out now says, it's a "zero" impact.

Digging into the numbers, I'm more struck by the small base numbers.  Sure, that's some dramatic differences -- 1.3 to 0.8 against on Facebook and .0069 to .004 for on Twitter.

Personally, Facebook is a prose composition.  Twitter is a hip text world.  I've been concerned that bringing the hashtag into FB looks a little "desperate" to be cool.  Sort of like more than two hashtags gets annoying on Twitter or multiple exclamations on FB.

Look at the numbers again.  The Facebook forwarding is next to the decimal point.  Twitter?  Not so much.

Reminds me of a similar look by Facebook claiming how they had as much, if not more, raw traffic related to second/third screen interaction with television shows.

Well sure.  There are simply more people on Facebook.  We see that here at Arkansas State (15K-plus on FB to 9.5K on Twitter), but they are different audiences.  Same was true when I left Northwestern State (12K to 1.5K).  Only place we saw opposite was the early years running UA athletics where Twitter dominated . . . but only until we got serious and launched Facebook.