I was expecting a response from one of my typical male friends who generally reply to my sports related tweets. If I was lucky, I was hoping a couple of sports fans on Twitter would appreciate my amazing hashtags that pay homage to the Pacers team that constantly beat up on my Knicks throughout the 90′s. Less than five minutes after I submitted my Tweet, I was surprised to see a response from an unexpected Twitter account.

The official Twitter handle of the Indiana Pacers, who has over 75,000 followers responded to me! Since I don’t really care who their starting lineup is, I was initially dissapointed that they didn’t make any reference to my great hashtags. I was further dissapointed to find out that their team is one of the least followed franchises in the NBA.

I’m not a glass half empty kind of guy so I will count my blessings in this social media situation. It is extremely cool that an NBA team responded so quickly to a general inquiry from a fan. I had no interest whatsoever in the Pacers vs. Magic series but now find myself rooting for Indiana, all because of social media!

Jason Parks is the Owner  of The Media Captain. The Media Captain, LLC specializes in Corporate Video Production as well as online media and marketing.

Please do me a favor and share this video with friends, family and loved ones so Gus “Golden Pipes” Johnson can accomplish what God put him on this beautiful earth to do. Commentate “March Madness” basketball.

Gus Johnson proved during college footballs conference championship weekend that he is the most valuable man in all of college sports. When nobody cared about the championship games on the first weekend in December, Johnson’s brilliancy behind the microphone single handedly enticed people to tune in… We can only pray that Gus Johnson not only wins the Heisman Trophy since he is the MVP of college football, but we also hope that the executives at CBS will bring Gus Johnson back in time for March Madness. #GusJohnsonForHeisman

***Jason Parks is the Owner of The Media Captain, LLC. Call 614.571.5242 for creative online media and marketing expertise.***

That’s right, during the bout, UFC President Dana White tweeted, “WTF!!!! Fighting in that will be illegal after tonight! Anyone want to grapple with Hallman?” Referring to the fighter’s Speedo-looking trunks. In-fight tweets, brutal honesty, humor and ticket giveaways all make @danawhite a must follow on the microblogging powerhouse site, Twitter. With over 1.7 million followers, White clearly has a grasp on social media, which has set the UFC apart from all other professional sports leagues.

The UFC is a Powerhouse on Twitter!

While the NBA leads the pack with 13.7 million social media followers (Combined Facebook fans & Twitter followers), the UFC ranks second with 6.9 million, followed by the NFL with 6.4 million, the NHL with 2.6 million, NASCAR with 2.5 million and the MLB with 2.2 million. The UFC is just a baby when you compare their existence to the other professional sports leagues. When it comes to social media, however, the UFC’s young mentality clearly plays in their favor.

The UFC first decided to live stream preliminary fights for their fans on Facebook on January 2, 2011 for UFC Fight Night 23. When the UFC’s Facebook page received a whopping 130,00 “Likes” during the fight, the decision for Dana White to use social media instead of the official UFC website for the free online streaming of future bouts was a no-brainer. When mainstream media wouldn’t give the UFC the time of day, Dana White gave fighters the simple instruction, “I want you to Twitter your asses off.” The UFC is currently the fastest growing sport in the world and signed a massive television contract with FOX, in addition to their deals with SPIKE, Versus and of course their pay-per-view events.

There is a direct correlation between the UFC’s heavy involvement in social media and their incredible growth. While we don’t expect @nflcommish Roger Goodell to talk trash to @ochocinco leading up to the playoffs, it will be interesting to see which league president/commissioner will follow in the footsteps of @danawhite and start taking powerful initiatives with social media.

Jason Parks is the Owner of The Media Captain 
Visit http://www.themediacaptain.com/ for the social media scoop!

ESPN Missed the Initial Coverage of The John Surma Press Conference

Last night at around 10:00 PM EST, one of the greatest sports scandals in all of history reached the pinnacle of suspense. John Surma, the Chairman and CEO of U.S. Steel Corp., and the Penn State University Board of Trustees Vice Chairman, announced that legendary coach Joe Paterno had been fired. The press conference, in which Surma fielded questions from reporters, was one of the most compelling sports media events of all time. If you were watching ESPN when the news broke, I’m sure that you were just as disappointed as I was that the “World Wide Leader in Sports” had no video feed from the presser, but only scrambled audio.

After fifteen minutes, ESPN finally picked up the video feed from a local news station. By that point, many viewers had already switched over to CNN, who was televising their live coverage of the press conference. ESPN’s coverage was so lackluster that one of their own reporters, John Buccigross, tweeted during this historical sporting moment, “Great coverage by CNN.” Buccigross later deleted this tweet.

As John Surma fielded angry questions from the media (who seemed more like fans) about the firing of the 84-year-old coach, it was obvious that students were going to riot on the campus of Penn State University. Despite this predictable event, ESPN had no video coverage on campus directly after the Joe Paterno dismissal announcement. Instead, they interviewed Matt Millen, a former Penn State player from the 1970’s via telephone for close to ten minutes.

Riots on Penn State Universities Campus

On the contrary, CNN was capturing tens of thousands of Penn State students bombarding the streets in anger over the firing of their iconic coach. The fact that these Nittany Lion students were rioting over the fact that Joe Paterno did not tell authorities that their defensive coordinator was molesting young children made this chain of events even more compelling. Jason Whitlock from FoxSports.com summed up the historical evening with the following statement, “This is white-kid version of black folks celebrating OJ verdict.”

In one of the most monumental evenings in sports in history, ESPN failed miserably with their coverage of the Joe Paterno firing. They missed the video announcement that Joe Paterno was relieved of his duties after 46 years of coaching, they conducted phone interviews with irrelevant guests (Reece Davis), and they missed the initial riots on the campus of Penn State University. The media Mecca in Bristol normally thrives in breaking sports news. Last night CNN beat them at their own game.

Jason Parks is the Owner of The Media Captain, LLC
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Let’s start off with my camera case. I could never publicly say this at an airport because I might get arrested but the Pelican case which I take carry-on for every flight (I can’t risk not having my camera if my luggage gets lost, which it has!) straight up looks like a bomb. Because of this, a lot of people stare at me for long periods of time and ask me some interesting questions. During a layover at Chicago Midway, tension was high at the airport because it was September 11^th. An elderly lady calmly approached me to ask what was in the case. I replied, “a video camera.” The woman was quite persistent as she followed up with, “Can I see your camera.” The combination of laziness and jet lag I decided to answer with a somewhat rude response of, “no.” She immediately took the offensive and went on to chew me out saying I should not carry around a case that looks like a bomb on the 10-year anniversary of 9/11. I told her that you will be hard pressed to find someone more patriotic than myself but unless she buys me a camera case that looks less like a bomb and ships it to my apartment by next weekend, I will continue to travel with my current case. Story #2: When leaving from Port Columbus International, another elderly women (do you see a pattern here?) tapped me on the shoulder to get my attention as I was listening to my iPod. I took my headphones off and she asked, “Are you carrying antique horses in that case.” I normally have quick, witty responses to questions but I had no clue what the hell she was talking about. So I asked her “what are you talking about.” I guess since her granddaughter collects antique horses she thought that’s what I had in the camera case. Close but no cigar.

As I mentioned above, Columbus International Airport has been my home away from home over the past year. The great thing about CMH is that there never seems to be more than 45 people at the airport at once. On the other hand, this is probably why there are no direct flights from CBUS.  Out of the 26 flights that I’ve been on over the past year, only 4 have been direct and even fewer have had Wi-Fi. When flying to Myrtle Beach, I had a layover in Atlanta. If you are familiar with Atlanta’s airport, you should be aware that their airport is bigger than the entire city of Columbus and its surrounding suburbs (sarcasm, but it’s huge). I had 15 minutes to catch my flight to Myrtle Beach after my plane landed. My sister, Stefanie, was on the Myrtle Beach flight and expressed concern about me missing the plane. While most people would be nervous in this situation, I viewed it as a competition and was quite excited. I replied to Stef, “I’m making this flight, 100%” I felt that the combination of my speed and determination boded well for me in this situation… I straight up sprinted from Gate A to Gate D (complete opposite side of the airport) while hopping on the airport tram and made it to my gate in 13 minutes. The Delta 747 to M.B. was waiting there for me. I patted myself on the back only to realize that the door wouldn’t open to enter the plane. A Delta associate informed me that the door could not be opened within five minutes of departure time.  The plane was still there though, I couldn’t fathom this! With sweat dripping down my face, I told her that I’m sure someone has a key that would open the door. I argued that I was there within the five-minute mark. My smart-ass comment certainly didn’t help my case and once I realized I would miss my flight, I lost my composure, and for some reason, blamed my sister for “not holding the plane for me.” Good argument on my behalf, right?

I’ve also sat next to some interesting people on my flights. Heading to Phoenix I was seated beside an attractive blonde in her mid twenties, which I was pretty excited about. When I opened a turkey sandwich that I got from Au-Bon Pan she expressed her disgust with people who bring food on the plane. She didn’t understand how people could eat in such a “germ infested area.” I don’t really care about germs and after that conversation, I didn’t care much for her either. I’ve also sat next to an entrepreneur, who started a 100 million dollar company when he was 18-years old, a man whose job is to entertain stockbrokers and take them out to the nicest dinners and clubs in town, a mother of five who was going to Las Vegas for a “getaway” with her friends and a man going to Houston who started off our conversation by saying, “I bet I’ll be having a better weekend in Houston than you.” Intrigued, I asked, “Why is that?” He told me that he was visiting his girlfriend, the “most beautiful girl in the world.” I told him that he was right; he would certainly have a better trip than me. He proceeded to show me the picture of his girlfriend. In my mind I said, “Inner beauty is what really counts, right?”

Over the course of the year I’ve been fortunate enough to interview and meet UFC Fighters, NASCAR Drivers, and hundreds of aspiring musicians throughout the country. When I asked a UFC Fighter if I would last 15 seconds in the Octagon against him, he replied, “Yea, probably… You seem pretty quick and it normally takes me seven or eight seconds to get moving, so I think you’d make it.” This was a huge ego boost for me, obviously.  Would I rather go toe-to-toe for 15 seconds against an MMA star or be on-board for 15 more upcoming flights? I’ll need the next couple of weeks of non-travel to evaluate that question.

Where I’ve Traveled Over the Past 8 Months

• Las Vegas (3 times)
• San Diego
• Darlington
• Charlotte
• Sandusky (2 times)
• Cleveland
• Martinsville
• Chicago
• Myrtle Beach
• Philadelphia
• Cincinnati
• Phoenix
• Houston
• Nashville

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At school, there was no text messaging in class. I passed a lot of notes in those days. In fact, I even knew fancy ways to fold the notes that I wrote to my friends. I used markers in lots of different colors. My friends and I planned our routes to class so we could see each other and pass said notes.

It’s funny to me to see how dependent we have become on the never-ending forms of communication that now exist. Having just one, two, or even three of them don’t seem to be enough these days. We need to be connected in multiple ways at all times. I miss having a day, or even an hour, where no one can get in touch with me. I miss being disconnected.  I miss the days where not answering your phone meant that you were out of the house or unavailable, not (gasp) seriously injured, kidnapped, or dead.

If you’re trying to get a hold of someone these days, your options for communication seem to be endless. Phone call, text message, BBM, iMessage, Email, gchat, ichat, IM, Facebook chat, Facebook message, video chat, Face Time, and the list goes on and on (notice that house phone was not included in my list).

The real question, however, is how do you decide which method of communication to use? The answer, to me, is completely dependent on the situation. Want to talk to your best friend? Text or Gchat. Someone you haven’t talked to in a while? Email or Facebook message. Friends that you don’t get to see very often? Video chat! Your parents? Phone call, for sure. Unless, unlike mine, your parents are technologically savvy and then maybe, just maybe, you can text message them too (lucky!!). Crush? That’s a tough one. I say phone call, but I’m sure many people would disagree.  Boyfriend? All of the above! (Just kidding) For me, mostly phone call, text message and email (while we’re at work).

It’s difficult for me to choose my favorite method of communication from the list above, considering so many of them are so remarkable. Gchat? Yes, love it. I could gchat all day long (and, actually, most days, I do). Video chat? Amazing. I’m still even a sucker for a good old fashion phone call. Personally though, I really love emails. I don’t know why, but to me, an email says that you put in a little extra effort. You really went out of your way to get in touch with me. For some reason, seeing an email in my inbox excites me so much more than receiving a text. Did it really require any extra effort to send me an email over a text? No way. Definitely not. I know that’s not the case, however, my opinion remains the same. My least favorite method of communication? Easy. Facebook chat. I’m not sure why I dislike it, considering all of my friends seem to be on it at all times, but for some reason, I just never really jumped on the FB chat bandwagon. That being said, if that’s how you choose to communicate with me, please do not be offended if I don’t respond. It’s not you, it’s FB chat.

I do miss the days of 3-way calls, passing notes, and showing up at my friends’ houses 90210 style*. Every once in a while, I welcome an hour or two of being disconnected. Despite all of that, I’m typically the first person to respond to an email chain between my friends. I am on Gchat every working hour of the day. I have always had the very latest version of BBM, text message, iMessage, etc. When I said that every once in a while, I welcome being disconnected, the key words were “every once in a while.” I cannot understand how or why people go hours, let alone days without responding to a text or email. Let’s face it. I love being connected.

*For those of you who don’t know what I mean when I say, “showing up at my friend’s houses 90210 style,” I will explain (but shame on you for not getting this reference to my all-time favorite show). In the original Beverly Hills 90210 (not the new CW version, which I will admit I love as well), all of the characters would always show up at each other’s houses unannounced, ring the doorbell, and somehow their friends were always home! Now, I know this is TV and not real life; however, I used to do this when I was a kid as well, and somehow it always worked out for me. These days, you just can’t do this. Not only would that be a huge waste of time if your friends weren’t home, but some might even consider it rude to show up without as much as a text message saying you were on your way.

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I was never into MySpace, so Facebook was my first real experience with social media. I must say that it was great timing for me, too. Facebook enabled me to not only make friends at a school where I was going in knowing no one, but it also helped me follow my friends from home through their college experiences. I knew what they were doing, who their new friends were, and really never felt like I was behind or out of the loop.

For my first semester, or even my first year at school, Facebook was exciting. I was always learning something new about how to use the site and was always coming across new features that were “like the best thing ever!” Now, Facebook is just part of my routine. Wake up, brush my teeth, make coffee, check Facebook. Sitting on the train? Check Facebook. Waiting on line? Check Facebook. Starting school, Facebook was great for making new friends; Now, I use it more for keeping up with the old ones. These days, pictures of babies are posted before they’re even born. I’ve felt as though I’ve been part of planning weddings that I wasn’t even invited to. I don’t have to go out with my friends to know the new inside jokes from the night before. I can watch my friends grow up before my eyes, without having to ever even see them.

My Facebook timeline starts at age 18. Growing up, I had pictures to help me remember the things that happened in my past. Now, kids have videos, comments, likes, relationship statuses, and soon, the highly anticipated Facebook Timeline. Thanks to Facebook, no memories, good or bad, will be easily forgotten. Since opening my account 6 years ago, Facebook has come a long way; I can’t wait to see where the site takes us in the next 6 years. Not only are new changes and advancements being made to the site daily, it is also changing how we socialize, communicate, and even how we grow up. I grew up with play-dates and birthday parties, 3-way conference calls with my friends during the week and sleepovers on the weekends. I wonder what this generation will remember from their childhoods, and how many of those memories will involve the technology and social media that has begun to consume our lives.

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With their emphasis on ensuring customer satisfaction, I can not understand the fact that my recent flight home from Las Vegas marked the tenth consecutive Southwest flight in which wireless internet was unavailable. According to their website, “ We are giving customers with WiFi-enabled devices the freedom to be more productive and to stay entertained while they fly with full access to the Internet, including e-mail, shopping, and virtual private networks (VPN).” Either I’m extremely unlucky in my flight selection or the Loveland, Texas airliner is lagging in offering this important amenity that they have promised their customers. I’m guessing the latter.

The ability to access the Internet on airplanes is critical these days for business travelers, and most likely an important factor in choosing which airline to fly. Instead of uploading videos or checking on an online advertising campaign on this flight, I’m writing this blog with a paper and pen (old school).

Everyone these days seems to own either a laptop or iPad. It is extremely surprising that SWA, a trendsetter in the airline industry, isn’t up-to-date on this obvious technological advancement. JetBlue, in comparison, not only has WiFi but they also have DIRECTV on-board! (JetBlue doesn’t fly out of Columbus International ): Does Columbus really have international flights, by the way?)

It will be interesting to see whether Southwest Airlines will respond to this blog after I post it onto their social media channels (If I had a higher Klout score I’d be more confident). Either way, if Southwest doesn’t start offering WiFi on their flights in the near future, I’m predicting that they will begin to lose customers because of it; myself included.

*Note- This article was posted on Jason Parks’ home wireless connection, not Southwest Airlines.*

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Though the typical use of the hash tag is, as stated above, a method of searching for trending topics, I feel that they have really evolved from this and become a way for Tweeters to make an often ridiculous statement which is meant to be a joke or get across a certain point. Why taking out the spaces from a phrase or sentence and putting the now famous # in front of it makes whatever is being said so much funnier is beyond me, but somehow it works!  If someone were to tweet, for instance, “I miss college!” I probably wouldn’t glance twice. “#imisscollege!” on the other hand, is a whole different story. When I see that, not only do I want to keep reading and find out more, It also makes me think, “sigh…. I really miss college too.”

Before Twitter, no one really paid any attention to the boring ole’ hash tag. Now, this piece of punctuation is everywhere! I’ve seen it in texts, emails, gchat, and pretty much everywhere and anywhere one person types to another. I don’t know about you, but the hash tag has really changed my life for the better. Now the real question is #whenwillhashtaggingbecomecoolonfacebook!

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