November 2009

golf 01The sights and sounds of summer are arguably the best of the year. Ask most anyone and they will list summer as one of their favorite times of year.

If you ask why, you will get a variety of answers. Some will cite the long, sunny days filled with enjoying time at the beach. Others might mention backyard cook outs with family and friends. Still others will bring into the conversation an occasional round of golf.

The game of golf is unique in that there is something in the game for everyone. You can start playing when you are young and enjoy it until you are in retirement years. As long as you are able walk a few feet and swing your arms, you can play golf (not necessarily well, but you can still play).

[click to continue…]

About Frank Agin

Frank Agin is the founder and president of AmSpirit Business Connections, an organization that empowers entrepreneurs, sales representatives and professionals to become more successful through networking and developing stronger business relationships. He is the author of a book entitled Foundational Networking: Creating Know, Like & Trust For A Lifetime of Extraordinary Success, and the co-author of LinkedWorking: Generating Success of the World’s Largest Professional Networking Website, which is one of the first books to set forth a strategy for being successful with social media websites.

Web | More Posts (3)

{ 0 comments }

Read More

Matt Crevin from Voice of the Box, interviews Frank Kleha of the Atlanta Falcons. Frank is a 23 year veteran of the Falcons front office and talks in detail about his role. Plus learn what it takes to land a job in pro football operations. This video is the first of an interview series with sports industry professionals that will be featured on Sports Networker. Let us know what you think.

About Matt Crevin

If you are passionate about pursuing a career in the sports industry and want to discover how top level insiders got their start, connect with Matt today. Matt provides a unique look into the careers of many sports industry executives, revealing their success stories, advice and techniques you can put to use as part of your search strategy. Collaborate with Matt and start listening, learning, creating and executing your own action plan! Equipped with business background and sports insider’s knowledge, Matt is ready to share his passion and knowledge with you! He delivers to his individual clients a unique process and format which gives sports industry hopefuls a unique look into the numerous career opportunities available in the sports industry and more importantly how to position yourself to break in.

Web | More Posts (19)

{ 0 comments }

Read More

network-solutions-logo-historyThe domain name industry has come a long way in the last 20 years.  In the early 1990s, an individual needed to write in and request a domain name and there was a limit of five names.  A few years later, Network Solutions came on the scene and you could register a domain name, but had to commit to a two-year registration fee of $70 – it was so primitive back then that they would even allow you to register names and they would send you an invoice for the domain.  There was no obligation on the invoice, so if you didn’t pay it, the domain would back into the pool of available names.

[click to continue…]

About Tim Evans

Tim Evans is the CEO of Athlete Web Design, a web design and internet marketing firm for athletes and sports professionals based in Chicago. Tim has been online since 1997 and is an expert in the domain name sales, acquisitions, and monetizing realm. This expertise in domain names has evolved into helping athletes and sports professionals with a virtual presence online through official websites for athletes / sports entities. Twitter: @athlete E-mail: [email protected]

Web | More Posts (5)

{ 0 comments }

Read More

NHLIn full disclosure, VaynerMedia assists the National Hockey League with their online and social media presence. Therefore, to be fair, I will not be assigning the NHL letter grades as I have done for the NBA and the NFL, rather I will leave it to you, the reader, to decide the league’s grade. Please leave your grades/thoughts in the comment section below.

In recent years, people have argued whether or not the National Hockey League can still be considered one of the four major sports. Compared to football, baseball, and basketball, hockey has suffered considerably in terms of popularity. While hockey has kept its die-hard fan base, the average sports fan doesn’t seem to be interested. Now, through social media, the NHL is finding a way to rebuild themselves and to tell their story. They are trying to get creative and attract a new audience, and regain the visibility they once had. So, how are they doing?

[click to continue…]

About Sam Taggart

Sam is a Creative Strategist for VaynerMedia, a social media agency based in New York City. Sam previously worked as an Account Executive for the New York Jets as well as the New Jersey Nets and spent time working with former NBA player Jalen Rose as well as NFL safety Kerry Rhodes. He now focuses on creative strategy across VaynerMedia's portfolio. You can follow Sam at http://twitter.com/gosam & visit VaynerMedia at http://www.vaynermedia.com.

Web | Twitter | LinkedIn | More Posts (49)

{ 7 comments }

Read More

250px-Bowl_Championship_Series_logo.svgBCS.

Sometimes that’s all you have to say to launch a storm of criticism about today’s way to select the best team in college football.

Just ask Bill Hancock, last week’s newly named executive director of the Bowl Championship Series. To be sure, Hancock is no Johnny-come-lately. He was the first director of the Final Four who helped grow that event to its immense stature, and in my brief interactions with him, found him to be one of the nicest individuals in college athletics. None of that would save him from what Sports Illustrated’s Andy Staples called “one of the worst jobs in the world”, or an interview with Dan Patrick during which Hancock answered with scripted rhetoric and at times, seemed truly befuddled.

[click to continue…]

About Gail Sideman

Twenty years of public relations experience, including 10 in NCAA Division I sports information during which she received national awards for her work, have helped Gail Sideman emerge as a nationally-respected publicity professional in sports, social media and publishing. She is also a veteran support staffer of sports television crews for events that include the NFL, NBA, MLB, NCAA regular and postseason and others. You may learn more information about Sideman's business at www.publiside.com or follow her at www.twitter.com/PUBLISIDE and www.facebook.com/gail.sideman.

Web | More Posts (39)

{ 0 comments }

Read More

hootsuite

The NYC Sports Networker Summit and HootSuite.com have teamed up to make the #NYCSports Summit an even greater event!  HootSuite will feature a live Twitter feed streaming during the event. They will also be covering how to market and measure your social media efforts online.

HootSuite, the professional Twitter client, allows users to manage their entire Twitter experience from one easy-to-use interface. With HootSuite, users can manage multiple Twitter profiles with multiple editors on each, schedule tweets, track statistics, RSS their content, and more. Vertical columns and drag-and-drop functionality contribute to HootSuite’s intelligent, intuitive layout. HootSuite makes it possible for users to schedule updates to Facebook, LinkedIn and Ping.fm, and manage Twitter lists.  Since launching in late 2008, HootSuite has become one of the world’s most popular Twitter clients.  Watch this cool video tour of HootSuite below:

Along with HootSuite becoming involved in the event, there are a few other reasons why it is crucial to attend (check out the video below). Take this opportunity to connect with some of the top sports executives on the planet.

{ 0 comments }

Read More

bubba watson

Recently Digital Royalty brought clients Discount Tire and PGA Tour player Bubba Watson together to create a social media endorsement built on natural integration. The results?  Positive sentiment, engagement and conversion. Still intrigued? Case studies like the one in the video below will be presented by co-host Digital Royalty at the 2009 Sports Networker Summit in NYC.


About Amy Martin

Amy Martin spent eight years living the agency life working with clients such as the Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix Coyotes and the the Super Bowl XLIII Host Committee. She recently spent three seasons with the Phoenix Suns developing and monetizing their digital media platform. During her time with the Suns, she was responsible for concepting, pitching, executing and measuring digital marketing partnerships (sponsorships). Digital Royalty, Amy’s Digital Integration and Social Marketing agency, focuses on developing strategies to help corporate brands, professional sports leagues, teams and athletes build, measure and monetize their digital universe. She has developed a proprietary Return on Influence (ROI) measurement formula to demonstrate the value of social marketing. Her most recent example of social media success is the growth of Shaquille O’Neal’s digital brand via social media and implementing measurable strategies which have resulted in securing major endorsement deals.

More Posts (7)

{ 0 comments }

Read More

Tim EvansI am constantly amazed at the lack of presence a number of high level professional athletes have online.  Many of the players are missing out on a bigger opportunity to have a great website, and drive fans to their hub, however, a lot of them don’t even own their domain name.   I’ll share more reasons on this in a later post.

Athletes, in general, seem to not care about web design, owning their domain name, or branding their image online.  Do you agree or disagree on this?  Let me know your thoughts on who is doing it right, and who is doing it wrong online.   I’ll let you tell me what you think they are missing out in the comments section below.  Check out what Tim Evans from Athlete Web Design has to say in this video, and make sure you check out his site to see what he has done for other pro athletes.

athlete designWant to learn more?  Athlete Web Design works with athletes and sports professionals to build custom designed websites to build and promote an online brand.  Check out how they could help you here, or follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

{ 1 comment }

Read More

The Sports Networker Summit – NYC  is being held December 7th at the Roger Smith Hotel.

This exclusive event has limited seating available and will feature some of the brightest minds in the sports industry.  (Twitter hashtag for this event is #NYCSports)

Your Hosts:

Lewis HowesLewis Howes is the founder of the Sports Executives Association and SportsNetworker.com which helps him connect sports executives around the world both online and through live events.  Lewis is a previous two sport collegiate All-American, and is also the NCAA All-Division Record Holder for the most receiving yards in a single football game (418 yards, currently an unofficial World Record. Read the full bio here.

Amy MartinAmy Martin is the founder of Digital Royalty, a Digital Integration and Social Marketing agency, focused on developing strategies to help corporate brands, professional sports leagues, teams and athletes build, measure and monetize their digital universe.  Current clients include Shaquille O’Neal, UFC, White Sox and other sports, athletes, entertainment and corporate brands.  Read more about Amy here here.

Featured Guest Speakers:

tom jollyTom Jolly is the senior sports editor for the NY Times.  He is part of a major news publication that is adjusting to the “difficult market” and to the needs of the readers by developing multiple online and mobile platforms and integrating social media everywhere.  Learn more about Tom here.

Ben Sturner

Ben Sturner is the founder and CEO of Leverage Agency.  Sturner has taken his multi-million dollar business from a small start-up in his New York City apartment to a premiere agency that has secured deals for clients including: “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” AVP Pro Beach Volleyball, KFC, Gillette, Progressive Insurance, Southwest Airlines, Reebok, Comcast, Anheuser Busch, Fremantle Media, Mark Burnett Productions and NBC’s Prime Time Celebrity Apprentice, Reveille, Radical Media, as well as other top-tier brands.  Read more here.

michael diLorenzoMichael DiLorenzo is the Director of Social Media Marketing & Strategy for The National Hockey League.  After 18 months as its Director of Corporate Communications, DiLorenzo (@umassdilo) was recently named director of social media marketing and strategy for the National Hockey League (@NHL). He is now responsible for activating NHL fans through social media services such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace.

brian cubanBrian Cuban is an attorney for Mark Cuban Companies and nationally recognized speaker in the areas of social media and hate speech on the internet.  He writes extensively on these subjects on his widely read blog, The Cuban Revolution.  Brian recently made international headlines when he took on social media giant Facebook with regards to hate speech on their site.  He has appeared on Fox News and has been invited to speak at numerous prestigious locations.

jim bankoff

Jim Bankoff runs all aspects of SB Nation, the fastest growing online sports network.  SB Nation boasts over 220 individually branded, fan-centric web communities, each focused on a specific professional or college team, league or sport.  A fifteen year veteran of the online industry, Jim developed and led dozens of the most popular websites on the internet including AOL.com , Mapquest, Moviefone, AOL Music, Netscape and AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) as an Executive Vice President at AOL. He initiated and oversaw the drive to open up AOL’s content and services onto the web and was the first executive of a major portal to embrace professional blogging with his acquisition of Weblogs Inc. and development and leadership of sites such as TMZ, Fanhouse, BloggingStocks and Engadget.

Drew Cloud

Drew Cloud is currently the Vice President of Ticket Sales, Service & Retention for Madison Square Garden Sports, overseeing the efforts for the New York Knicks (NBA), Rangers (NHL) & Liberty (WNBA).  Cloud now has now spent 15 plus years in the industry and developed a well-rounded background, featuring roles in the sports marketing world with International Sports Marketing and Major League Baseball Alumni Assoc., marketing partnerships and ticket sales with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (MLB) and Tampa Bay Mutiny (MLS) and most notably sales management and leadership roles with the Phoenix Suns (NBA), Mercury (WNBA) and US Airways Center.Lou Hernandez

Lou Hernandez is the director of public relations for the Chicago White Sox.  In his role, Hernandez is responsible for philanthropic, business and marketing communications for the Major League Baseball organization, along with publicity for player charitable initiatives and off-the-field efforts, and most recently the team’s social media efforts.

The Summit will focus on these main sports and social media topics:

1:30  Opening Session

Opening remarks with Lewis Howes and Amy Martin.

1:45  Sports Sponsorships and ROI

Learn how social media is playing a role in sports sponsorships and innovative ways to measure the value.

2:30  Ticket Sales, Service, and Retention via Social Media

Tips on how to increase tickets sales, fan loyalty and retention via social media channels.

3:00  Converging Social Media and Traditional Media

Identify ways to leverage your influence and increase exposure by converging all mediums.

3:50  Social Media Marketing and Measurement

The keys to increasing brand awareness, acquiring new fans and measuring your social media efforts.

4:50  Closing Session

Closing remarks and final thoughts from Lewis Howes and Amy Martin.

5:00  Open Networking

______________________________________________________________________

Additional speaker announcements and Summit information will be made soon for this elite Sports Networker Summit – NYC event.  We have limited sponsorship opportunities for this event: contact lewis (at) sportsnetworker (dot) com to learn more.


Register today to ensure your spot, only 80 seats are available. We look forward to seeing you December 7th!

{ 5 comments }

Read More