Social Networks: Is the NCAA, NBA, and NFL too harsh or are the athletes to blame?

The use of Facebook and Twitter has skyrocketed in the past years. Millions of people log onto these social networks every day. Just about everyone participates in this new era of social networking, from children to business professionals. So, why is it a big deal if professional and collegiate athletes use them?

College athletes who use social networks have probably been using them since they were in high school. You can post just about anything you want to on these social networks- music, games, pictures, notes, etc. The page is meant to reflect who you are as a person. The NCAA has a strict set of rules regarding social network postings. For this reason, athletes should be more aware of what they and how their fellow peers posts could reflect poorly on their lifestyle choices. There have been numerous accounts where athletes have been suspended due to a violation of NCAA rules because of inappropriate postings on Facebook and Twitter. Many coaches are now trying to regulate their athletes’ use of social networks, and are going as far as banning their players from the use of these social networks.

In today’s world, the use of social networking is common place in every arena of life. Professional athletes use both of these websites to inform friends and followers of ongoing and upcoming events. There have been incidents in both the NBA and NFL of players using Twitter during half time. Due to those occurrences, both associations have issued a policy banning Twitter use before and after the game. Even though the NCAA, NBA, and the NFL are fully aware of athletes using Facebook and Twitter, they question the necessity of these postings and continue to observe and regulate athletes' use.

Social networking, undeniably, is growing at an exponential rate. It is the athletes' responsibility to be aware of what is posted about them on their accounts, as well as fellow teammates. If properly used, Facebook and Twitter can be an excellent networking tool. Inappropriate postings can cause repercussions to the point of dismal. As a result, if the athletes choose to have an account on either of these social networks, it is ultimately the responsibility of the individual athlete to uphold a professional image. A Mature player will realize their behavior reflects not only the image of the individual, but also of their respective university and team.

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Can businesses survive Obamism?

Has the White House "lost its way" along the "Yes we can" brick road?

During President Obama's State of the Union address to the country last night, many things were said that ruffled the feathers of some small business owners. Some were delighted to hear his comments. And many more will eagerly anticipate what concrete actions will follow to bring to pass what the president has promised.

Many Americans who supported Barack Obama in the beginning of his term are now coming to question his decision making ability and intuition. This is not a bash on the president or the White House. It is simply meant to be an opportunity to refresh our mind set. Can small businesses really pull through with the potential health care bill and lack of concern for unemployment?

According to the Wall Street Journal, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R., Ohio) stated, "The American people were looking for President Obama to change course tonight, and they got more of the same job-killing policies instead." Obama acknowledged that not enough had been done for the unemployed of the country. Although admitting a problem is the first step in solving, does this mean anything beneficial will be done to change the situation?

After the speech, much was left unsaid, uncommitted to, and unaddressed fully. It is now time for skeptical business owners to take a stand and fight apathy. In order to win the "war on capitalism" as it seems, business owners must stay informed, aware, and more importantly innovative. The age to come for America is going to be one of new channels and mediums for advertising, production, customer service, and more.

Check out this article and determine for yourself whether the change in the White House that was promised has been a change for the good, or worse along with what is to come.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748703410004575029642919149072.html

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YouTube used as platform for advertising campaigns.

YouTube continues to becoming a great tool for advertising agencies. Now companies can test the popularity of an advertisement without having to pay a cent.

Now, in case you don't understand the vastness that is YouTube.com - let us put it in some perspective. As of October 2009, YouTube serves over 1,200,000,000 videos per day/worldwide. That's at least 11,574 views per second, 694,444 views per minute, and 41,666,667 views per hour. YouTube has a 40% share in the US multimedia entertainment market and accounts for 60% percent of the videos watched online.

Jack Link's Beef Jerky has taken advantage of this opportunity by posting their commercials on YouTube about 5 years ago. See what happens when you search 'Sasquatch' on Google - You'll find Jack Link's "Messin' with Sasquatch" commercial to be one of the top 5 entries (these ad's were created by Minneapolis advertising agency Carmichael Lynch). After receiving over 4,000,000 views on YouTube, Jack Link's started to run these ads on television. Here's one of the very popular commercials:

However, this strategy may not work with all marketing campaigns. Part of the success of this video can be attributed to it's comedic nature. We will see this happen in a reversed process after the Super Bowl this year. Many of the popular, funny commercials that are shown during the game will make their way onto YouTube and will continue to flourish and be effective long after the game is over. Here's an example of an advertisement that was run during last year's game and continues to have success on the Internet:

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Time: the ONLY thing worth more than money...

The world today completely revolves around one thing: money.

In some people’s lives, their sole pursuit and definition of success is found in how much money they make. Money is a requirement for all the necessities of life: water, clothing, food, and shelter. Life seems to evolve more around money than it does the air we breathe.

In business, money is what we exist for. It's what we compete for. It's what we die for. But we are making sacrifices of many things, even our lives, for an idea called money. For what reason when there is something worth so much more? TIME.

To put it in perspective, we wake up according to time and we schedule according to time. We cannot control time; time has been before us and will exist after us. TIME is Money! People live for money but then NEED time. People give MONEY but we don’t give TIME; it is too valuable. We only have 24 one hour segments of time every single day. We are not sure if we will have those same opportunities again tomorrow.

Which is more important in your life and business?

“Those who find true success find it when they have TIME to enjoy it.”

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