Angelo Fernandez vs Internet Studio

For this web site review I’ve decided to check to go over Rotoworld in detail and talk about the way they run their site.  First off Rotoworld is a site dedicated to only these American sports: Basketball, Football, Baseball, Hockey, Nascar, Golf and College Football.  So right off the bat you know their content is limited to only these but they’re very good at their coverage for these sports.

Their logo and branding are pretty well known for anyone who follows sports or fantasy sports online.  They’re often mentioned or referenced in ESPN, Yahoo and other sports articles.  What they do better than anyone else out there is get you the information first.  They don’t have as many in-depth articles or valuable insight as some other publications but they will be the first on the scene.  The appeal, obviously, is that you get the information before anyone else does.  Most sports agencies have reporters or broadcasters who cover events nationwide which is great because everyone has a little knowledge about every sport so they have a broader view on sports.  Their thoughts and opinions will be more valued because of their general knowledge of the sports landscape.  But Rotoworld on the other hand is made up of mostly beat reporters whose job is to cover a specific team local to where they are from every angle.  These are the people who hear of rumors before trades and other information is released to the media officially.  By doing this you limit the overall knowledge of the journalist but he has greater insight to that team and what’s going on.  By putting together a large team of individuals who know these teams inside and out you create a network of journalists who are always on site and at the ready to report on what happens when it breaks.  This way if there isn’t a national broadcast at a certain event and something happens they’ll be there waiting to report it.  The site also has a handful of journalists who’s main job is actually to write articles based on all the information the site and their sources give them.  Their articles don’t often show the behind-the-scene angle or why players are doing what they’re doing but they fill you in from more of a on the court standpoint.  My suggestion is that if you want details on players the second something happens to them, especially for fantasy, you should use Rotoworld to stay ahead of your competition.  Two gripes I have with the site are all the ads that are present, but luckily they’re all off to the side so other than the loading time they don’t bother you too much.  And the other problem is the way their sports tabs at the top of the page work, if you mess around with it you realize sometimes the menu that pops up covers information and isn’t very user friendly.  But other than that it’s very accessible and great for up to the minute information you’re looking for.  Over the last few years they’ve also done a great job of changing as technology has advanced.  They feature a mobile function if you’re checking from you phone and widgets so you can get updated.  The key about the widgets is that you can specify it to update you on specific teams if you want and not all the information from say basketball which could be overwhelming and useless to you.

Proof of the difference of speed vs content is shown between the recent trade between the Mavs and Wizards.  On Rotoworld is was written on Feb 13th at 5:41 pm that the trade was official but that was basically all that was written.  It took ESPN until Feb 14th 11:58 am to write that it was official but it came packed with information about why the trade happened, what had lead to this decision and which team/players benefited from the action.  For me, neither site is better and they should be used together to stay on top of the sports scene.

Sorry but I’m bilingual not trilingual.  I have no idea what CSS means, stands for and vaguely have a familiar idea what it is by nature of it being brought up so much in my classes.  The language of computers isn’t one I know very well but I hope to become fluent, or at least survive in a room full of experts.  But for right now I couldn’t pick out CSS from anything, don’t know what each letter stands for, don’t know a screen reader is and have only heard these terms uttered in classes this semester.  I’ve learned about where and why the internet was invented initially and where it’s gone from there but I couldn’t tell you how it works exactly.  I believe that CSS is what makes the web page look what it looks like.  Or I guess it provides a template, style and connects the pages in certain sites together.  It seems to be an important visual tool that changes the way things look.  I do know what browsers are and have frequented many different kinds, but again most of that was done this semester.  I’m slowly learning what all of these things mean, how they’re used and why they are being used in hopes of being able to use all of this for myself and my own web site.

I’d love to say that shouldn’t matter, and that I need to make a web site that I like.  But then again, why would I be putting it on the web?  There’s got to be a balance between what I want and what others want to see.  What I want is a web site about marketing campaigns and ads.

Now I’ve done my research and seen plenty of sites that cover these subjects so my work is cut out for me.  But my site will start out as mostly a blog about ads and marketing campaigns.  I’ll upload the posters, videos, slogans, etc . . . and then I’ll explain what about it is good, bad and what I would have done differently.  To not be boring, I will search far and wide for new, old, popular, underground, artsy and modern examples.  Variety is key when it comes to online content.  Along with my critique I will explain why I feel a certain way and even show examples of my changes, whether it be a short video or a rough sketch showing what I would liked to have seen.  I’ll be having guest bloggers do the same things I’m doing but with their own perspective and opinions, clearly marking off whom is writing which pieces.  To further separate myself from any other site online I’m going to cover mostly American and Latin advertisements and marketing because I’m bilingual and I can reach out to a larger audience.  I’ll cover everything in it’s original language and then translate it so everyone can understand it as I mean them to and not some translation software which often has errors.  Also there is a huge void for web sites for Latin American’s to visit.  I hope to be a site where they’ll feel welcome as anyone else visiting the site, unlike the sites which only talk about Latin issues or purely cater to Spanish speaking clientele.  I want anyone, from any walk of life, to come across my site and feel welcome.  I want to have content that isn’t geared for any specific race, gender, creed, ethnicity etc . . . I just want the people who love marketing or have curiosity for ads to enjoy the experience on my web site.  For an added user experience I want to have a part of the site where other users can also make their own versions of whatever I, or a fellow blogger, critiqued.  This will keep my users at my site longer and this “youtube” of advertising and marketing ideas and interpretations will help me and others get inspired.  We will be able to then give each other feedback and explain what changes we like and didn’t.

Working Together (Image from http://thegoldguys.blogspot.com/)

I hope that through hard work and help of other users I can make some noise in the marketing/advertising community.  Through building up more popularity and buzz I’ll be able to get more connections with artists when they release new stuff and be able to interview and do podcasts with people from around the world important to the marketing and advertising movement.  I want to attend forums and events, taking photos and recording what I see and hear to later post on my website.  I want my site to incorporate what the big businesses are doing, say whether they’re right or wrong, give my own version of their campaigns and lastly have the users give me feedback and their own ideas.

This will be a great place for anyone to come and see ads in any language, although mostly Spanish and English.  They will be able to give their own two cents or even try their hand at making their own version of it.  Artists and other people hoping to make a name for themselves will have a platform to show their work and have constant interaction and feedback with other artists and consumers as well.  The large Latin community which has few sites to visit will have one where they can see ads that relate to their roots and ones that relate to where they live.  It will also be a wonderful place where managers, CEOs and presidents of companies can come and look for future employees or interns for their companies.

I went through the sites and blogs I look at the most and thought Illroots was one of the better run sites I visit.  I had never really paid much attention to how it was organized, branded or any of that until I had read and listened to all the branding pieces we had done for this class.

I’ve been going back to this site for years now because they keep coming out with great stuff.  They do a great job of branding with the obvious logo on the top of every page.  When you download music, pictures or videos from the site it has the image title but illroots along with it to remember where you got it from.  When links get taken down they usually post new links that work which is really helpful.  It’s really easy to search for whatever you want how you want on this site, very user friendly.  They have links to lots of other related blogs and they use those other blogs to share information and get news on other artists and information as well.  It’s a great way to stay on top of everything when you have similar blogs willing to share information so everyone stays in the loop.  They have advertising on the site but it never impedes what you’re doing, there’s no waiting for an ad to end so you can to what you want.  The blog itself is mostly about music and interviews with artists but they keep up with what’s new and who the next big artist will be.  I’ve heard artists before they blew up and some that never made it big but are still killing it underground.  There are of course some bad posts, in my opinion, but overall it’s great.  Everyone has their own style and more often than not they give me what I want.  For anyone who likes rap and hip-hop I suggest you check this site out.

The diversity of the music they offer is great because when you think of hip-hop you tend to narrow down exactly what you’re talking about.  But they offer some well known artists covering other songs like Boyz To Men covering Goo Goo Dolls Iris on the Jimmy Fallon show.  And a great example of an underground artist is Jay Electronica who performs two of his songs live.  They, in my opinion, are some of the best songs out there.  I personally have youtubed the cd versions instead of live.  But I can’t stop listening to them, just keep looping them while I do hw and write this blog post.

I had never realized up until reading a few personal branding articles that everyone has a personal brand whether we know it or not.  We tend to “brand” each other and assume we know what someone’s about after we first meet them.  Then we go on to build on the foundation of what that person is in our eyes.  This doesn’t mean it’s impossible to change how people view you but it’s much easier if you have your personal brand in place the first time around.  This doesn’t simply mean that i walk around with my logo or selling who and what i am to anyone i meet.  It’s to say that you never know where opportunity will come from.  Will it be a recommendation from your teacher?  A contact through another student in your class?  What about somebody who comes across your blog or website?  It’s important to always be prepared, know what you want to do and let as many people as you can know about it.

This should be how big you want your brand to be

Why you ask?  Because connections, both physical and technological, are the gateway to being successful nowadays.  If i were hands-down the best at whatever i did in the world that wouldn’t necessarily mean that i would make the most money, have the most fans or even be recognized as the best in my field.  In todays world you have to extend your brand as far as you can, think global because that’s what everyone else is going to be doing.  Why would you limit yourself to people who live around you when you can come in contact with people around the world who share your passions and have the ability to propel your career.  I know you may be thinking that this is directed towards someone other than you, he must be talking to those other people because this doesn’t affect me at all.  But you’re wrong.  You have to use all the technology available to you now to your advantage.  By building your connections you have more people to vouch for how great you are at your craft and why you’re invaluable to whomever is gonna hire you.  You have to use all these connections to spread your brand and help you sell yourself.  Interviewers nowadays are asking for facebook accounts, twitter accounts, blogs and any other piece of the internet where you’ve left a mark.  Be sure to have that brand of yours ready to blow them away.  You don’t want to think about them hiring you, you want to brand yourself so well that you’re choosing an employer that is best for you.

Still confused?  Here’s a great article that should help anybody get started with their personal brand.