I found this video of our Professor, Alex Brown, on ESPN!!!

Alex Brown on ESPN

Wikipedia Wrap-up

Throughout the semester I have been updating 4 wikipedia articles on Racquetball, Beer Pong, the Yankees, and Entourage. After all is said and done, I can say that my work added major changes to 2 of my articles and minor to no benefit to my other articles.
The articles that I seemed to really contribute to were the racquetball and beer pong article. In both of these, i added insightful information and gave in depth information that was lacking previously. Since none of my posts have been deleted, I take this as positive acknowledgment from the Wikipedia community. In the end, the articles seemed much more useful to readers which gives me a feeling of satisfaction.
The edits on the article on the New York Yankees had no effect since all my edits were deleted. I realize now that the topic was too difficult to work with since the information there was already extremely in depth. There are also a huge amount of users constantly updating the page and keeping it pretty much the same at all times.
My Entourage edits stuck for the most part, but again, there was already a ton of information about the show and its characters that any edit made by me were small and insignificant.
I thought this was a great project since I never knew how to edit Wikipedia before. I also learned the whole concept behind it and think that its pretty cool how its the users that create all the content and watch over the other users.

Saw this on TV...pretty funny

Slashdot

I just ran into this article "Google's Data-Storage Fuels Privacy Fears" on slashdot. Since we have been discussing this issue quite a bit in class, it was interesting to see more about this topic being written. It seems this has become a huge issue with Google and has lead people to worry about the internet giant. I personally do not want anyone storing information about me and therefore will not be signing up for Google's new service.

Wikipedia Edit # 12

I made my last Wikipedia edit about The New York Yankees. I updated the situation with recently acquired Roger Clemens. I gave a little more depth about his contract and the amount he is to be paid and also gave up to date information about when he will be joining the team.

Porter's Blog

I recently commented on two of Porter's blog posts. The first comment I made was about Dealcatcher. Porter explained the reason this site succeeded and how investors are able to see their ROI. I agreed with Porter that Dealcatcher can stay profitable for a long time by showing large companies the true returns, which other sources of advertising are not able to do.
The next post I commented on was about the article "Good Relationships Should Impact Your Bottom-line" that Porter found. Since I am looking to enter into a sales position when I graduate, I found this article to be quite insightful and realize that building lasting relationships is the most important step in being successful in this field.

Caitlin's Blog

I commented on 2 of Caitlin's posts. The first one was about the article she found, "Gaming Is For Grown-Ups," I thought this was an interesting article about how gaming has changed. Most gamers nowadays are adults and they spend a ton of time weekly playing games. I thought this article was interesting since a lot of my friends spend time playing games, especially the new Nintendo Wii.
The next post that I commented on was about the article "CD Music Sales Down 20% in Q1 2007." I recently wrote a paper about this issue and realize what a serious problem this has become. Illegal downloading of music and videos has tremendously effected this market and has had detrimental effects to the music industry as whole. My biggest concern is that these problems will lead to fewer new artists since these issues may cause a lack of interest in future musicians.

Wikipedia Edit # 11

I made my final edit to the wikipedia article about Racquetball. In the offensive shots section, I added an important shot that was missing called a "Z" shot. I explained the importance of the shot and method of using it. For those that play racquetball, tiring out your opponent is half the battle. The "Z" shot, if done properly, causes your opponent to run around the court trying to follow the balls path.

Wikipedia Edit #10

I made my third update to the Wikipedia article based on Entourage. I decided to add a little bit more information and history about the character Ari Gold, who is Vincent Chase's agent, on the show. I added more information about Ari's relationship with his boss Terrance and the problems that develop between the two during the second season. I explained how both men were at odds over who held the power over the agency which leads to Ari's termination following the exposure of a coup being planned by Ari.

ClickZ

I came across an interesting article today about SEO's and Wikipedia. The article entitled Should SEO's Care About Wikipedia, discusses the issue of whether SEO's should care about Wikipedia even though links from the site no longer count towards increasing your link equity. At a search engine strategy conference the issue was raised and several reasons for caring about Wikipedia were brought forth. First is that some listings on Wikipedia generate more traffic that than first page rankings on Google. Another reason was is that Wikipedia can deliver thousands of dollars of free traffic toward a website. Also, Wikipedia often converts better than Google pay-per-click traffic. Finally, Wikipedia's high-quality traffic can be equal to or better than that of most search engines. I thought this article was interesting since we have been using Wikipedia all semester and have also discussed in-depth of the importance of Search Engine Optimization. This article brings both issues together and shows how relevant the topics we have been studying in class are today.

Wikepedia edit #9

I just finished my second edit for the wikipedia article about Racquetball. I added some more information to the section about equipment used in the sport. There was already a description for "required" gear and I added a small section about extra gear that is not required, but can help improve ones game. I wrote about the racquetball glove, which gives players a better grip of their rackets. I also mentioned special racquetball shoes that have firm grip and traction on the wooden floors of the court and the importance of sweatbands due to the heavy demand on one's body required to play the sport.

Wikipedia Edit #8

I updated the article about Entourage in reference to Turtle who is one of the main characters of the show. I felt the description about his character was lacking and decided to expand a bit more on what kind of person Turtle is and his importance in the show. I explained how Turtle is usually the one that finds the good in every situation and how at times his insight and personal connections were beneficial to the group.

Wikipedia edit #7

I made my second edit to the article about Beer Pong and added some important information about the process of "Re-recking." There was only a small reference about reracking in the article which simply described what this rule is in a few sentences. I took it upon myself to describe the process in more detail and explain the importance of it. I explained how choosing proper racks can make or break a pong team. I explained how in order to be successful, shooting skills were simply not enough, you have to have your head in the game as well.

Wikipedia edit #6

I just made my second wikipedia update on the article about the New York Yankees. In the article, I added the current status of the Yankees this season and some insight into why they are in the postion they are today. I gave a brief explanation of their current record and standing in the American League Division and expressed the issues surrounding the team's pitching staff, as well as the recent transaction for the "Rocket," Roger Clemens.

ClickZ

While looking through some articles posted on ClickZ, I came across one article that seemed very relevant to our recent class discussions. The article "Right Media Buy Pits Yahoo Against Google's DoubleClick Exchange," which can be found here, discusses how Yahoo has recently purchased Right Media, an online ad exchange. This news coming shortly after Google's recent acquisition of DoubleClick, escalating the war between Yahoo and Google in this new theater. Yahoo is expected to pay 680 million dollars for the company, and is hoping for 70 million in generated this year from the company. Some analysts believe that due to Right Media's deeper entrenchment in this market, that Yahoo may actually have the upper hand. However others believe that the giant that is Google, will swoop in and simply overtake Right Media. This article seems important, since it appears that this area in marketing is certainly entering its boom stage.

Wikipedia Edit #5

I recently edited the wikipedia article about Beer Pong. The article listed several shooting techniques, detailing the method and advantages of using each one. I noticed however that one technique had not been listed, the missile shot which I have noticed is used often. I took it upon myself to add this shot to the list and accompanied it with a thorough description for players to use if they decide to attempt the technique.