Tweeting Soccer

I chose to tweet about a Spanish Soccer League game between Barcelona and Getafe (a city very close to Madrid). While it may sound random that I chose to watch and tweet about Spanish Soccer, the truth is that the Spanish league has a greater audience in El Salvador, than does the local league. The quality is that much better.

The game can only be seen by people who have a certain cable company (which I don't) and it was during lunch time, so I decided to go to a restaurant to watch it. I was posting messages during the second half.

The experience was exciting, but also a bit stressful. At certain points, the game was moving so fast that I would still be posting a comment, when the next play happened.

I had done a live tweet before, but I had done it about a "gathering" with a political leader. The soccer game certainly required more speed .  What made it even harder was that, in order to understand what was going on, I needed to watch the screen.  Thus, when I looked down to type, I had to be make sure that I wasn't missing out on something important (I was tweeting on my Blackberry. Since I was at a public space, I felt it was more comfortable than on a laptop. However, it did mean that I couldn't type and look at the TV screen simultaneously.)

Lessons Learned:

• If you are going to tweet about a fast moving event such as a soccer game, know that you probably won't enjoy the game as much as if you were just watching.
• Don't plan to order and eat lunch while watching and tweeting a game (it can get complicated and messy).
• Although typing on a Blackberry might be a little slower than on a laptop, using a Blackberry lets your tweeting be more discreet, avoiding making anyone else or yourself feel uncomfortable.
• Check to see which Hashtags that are already being used can work for you (I didn't do that and had to guess what would be likely Hashtag ).
• When tweeting about a soccer game, it is hard not to let your team preference show (my original intention was to be a neutral reporter, but when I started I realized that it would be much more fun and more realistic to make my comments as a Barcelona fan).

While both can be used to report an event, using Twitter and using a blog produce two very different results.  Tweets require the reporter to be more strategic: messages have to be short, once they are sent they can't be edited, and they are simultaneously "competing" with thousands of other tweets.  Blogs on the other hand, allow for more detail and fluidity.  Twitter worked great for a soccer game.

Screen shot of my tweeting.

Below, the Tweets I sent during the game:

• #Real Madrid is about to start their game... They are one point above #Barcelona in the championship 
• Except for #Piques' Red... #Barcelona played a great game 
• Goals by #Messi, #Villa and #Pedro 
• #Barcelona had possession of the ball 66per cent of the time 
• Annndddd.... The game is over.... #Barcelona wins!!!! 3 - O 
• The extra time has begun.... The referee says 3 minutes... 
• #Barcelona is back to dominating the game... One minute remains 
• OMG!!! Getafe should have scored... The player was alone, but he kicked straight to the goalkeepers hands 
• #Barcelona fans can relax .... 9 minutes remain and the score is 3-1 
• Foal.... Getafe gets a Red and now both teams are down to 10 players 
• Getafe has changes completely!!! That goal changed their play 
• #Xavi is replaced with Busquette... Its not clear why. 
• Villa is replaced with Milito ... #Barcelona needs to replace the defense they lost.. 
• The punishment: a penalty.... And it gets in... #Barcelona 3 - Getafe 1 and #Barcelona is left with only 10 players! 
• #Pique gets a red, he's out 
• The goal was the result of 2 mistakes... The goal keeper and the defense 
• #Barcelona 3- Getafe 0....
• Goooooooooaaaaaaalllll...... Pedro scores.... 
• The Getafe player deserved a red card, but he only got yellow 
• But #Messi is fine.. 
• #Messi suffers from a foul as he was approaching the post... That was a strong blow.... 
• It looked like #Barcelona was going to score, but it was an off-side anyway 
• Uff... Great save #Barcelona 
• Excellent work Villa and Messi, great first half 
•  

Wi-Fi Hot Spots in Chapel Hill

Like any good college town, Chapel Hill offers several options for students who want to get out of their dorm rooms and the library and are looking for a place to work online. Take a look at the Wireless Access Points on the map below.



See Wireless Access Points in Chapel Hill on a larger map

Live Blogging: The Experience

I’m really glad to have been led to get through my first blogging experience as an assignment for a class. I think it’s a great way to share information with people who for any reason were unable to attend. I know that, had it not been assigned, it would have taken me some time to gather the courage to do it.


Overall, I thought it was an interesting and different experience. I feel that live blogging during an event certainly takes away from your experience as a member of the audience: it is difficult to participate while typing what is going on.  It is likely that you will miss some details as you struggle to record the previous comment and you have less time to observe the protagonist(s) which could cause the experience to feel less personal.


On the other hand, the ability to live blog an event is an empowering tool for a journalist (professional or citizen). For instance, the event that I blogged about was held in a small room and thus only the first 25 people to sign up were allowed to attend. I know that a lot more people would have wanted to be there, so it was motivating to think that in future events, I can actually let people know that I will be live blogging and they won’t have to miss out completely. It also makes the event accessible for people who couldn’t attend for geographical reasons or because the schedule didn’t work for them.

Getting through my first live blogging experience taught me a lot and made me realize that if this is a tool I want to start using, I need to practice lot. I’m sure I’ll continue to discover how to improve my live blogging skills, however in this first time I did learn several lessons that I will try to apply in the future:

Lesson # 1 – Aid yourself with a Specialized Software for Live Blogging

On the days prior to the event, several classmates had commented on Wordpress’ tools for live blogging. However, I use Blogger and couldn’t find anything on it meant to facilitate live blogging. I was a little nervous about having enough time to submit blog entries and start new ones as the event was going on. So I decided to give Coveritlive.com a chance. I don’t know whether it is the best live blogging software out there, but it certainly made the experience much easier than if I hadn’t used it. I look forward to future occasions when I actually have an online audience and can use the tools for interacting that it has.

Lesson # 2 – Get familiar with the Software before hand

Another thing I’m glad I did was to play around with Coveritlive.com before going to the event. This helped me save time and make use of more of its tools and features. For instance, I probably wouldn’t have had time to learn how to add links, if I hadn’t taken the time to figure it out before hand.

Lesson # 3 – Always Bring a Charger

Not much to say about this, except that I wish I had done it. My laptop is on the heavy side, so I try to avoid carrying any additional weight (the charger, in this case).

Unfortunately, the battery ran out and I had to switch to paper towards the end of the event. Had I had an online audience, they probably wouldn’t have been very happy with me.

Lesson # 4 – When possible, Live Blog in the language of the event.

I was unable to find an event to blog about that was in English, so I asked if I could go to one in Spanish. Although I was given the option to blog in Spanish, I decided to challenge myself and write in English. The problem is, each comment requires extra mental steps. If it’s in the same language, you only have to:

1. Listen
2. Analyze (optional)
3. Write

When you are translating you must:

1. Listen
2. Analyze/understand (not optional)
3. Translate
4. Write

Lesson # 5 – Let the Speaker know that you will be Live Blogging

This lesson might not be necessary if the audience is large enough for you to go unnoticed by the speaker. However, in the one I attended there were only 25 of us and the speaker. It was a U-shaped set up and I was sitting across from the speaker, which meant he saw me type non-stop as he was speaking. It made me uncomfortable because he probably thought I wasn’t paying attention. I regret not letting him know before he started speaking. He was an online journalist, so I’m sure he wouldn’t have minded at all.

Lesson # 6- Establish your purpose for Live Blogging that particular event.

Any reason to live blog can be valid, but knowing what you hope to achieve with the activity can lead to better results. Important things to consider are:

• Who your audience is?
• Do you want to interact with the audience?
• Do you want to inform?
• Do you want to entertain?
• Do you want to promote something?
• Are you trying to persuade?
• Do you want to simply narrate to your audience what is going on? Or do you want to include your opinion?

Answering these questions before hand will help make the style of the blog more consistent. As I went back to revise what I had written, I realized that my blog had a little bit of everything: some observations, some commentary, and even a couple of jokes.

I plan on seeking future opportunities to live blog, hopefully feeling confident enough to invite people to follow it online. I will make sure to apply the lessons learned and be on the lookout, for I’m sure that I have many more to learn.

Live Blog: Writer's Workhop with Rodrigo Baires

Get Involved Section

               Back to the Extra Mile                                           Back to Ale Boza´s profile

If you want to help Ale collect more bottles or if you want to support the Carmelite Missionaries in any other way, please send an email to ale.boza@creo.org.sv.

The email should include your name, age, and how you wish to help.

Thank you!

              Back to the Extra Mile                                           Back to Ale Boza´s profile

Carmelite Missionaries in El Salvador

       Back to the Extra Mile                                           Back to Ale Boza's profile

Ale explained that the Carmelite Missionaries are a Catholic religious congregation that originated in Spain in the early 1860s. Today they have Chapters in many countries around the world through which their nuns do great act of kindness. Read more about their history at the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate Web Page.

Almost 60 years ago, the Carmelite Missionaries first arrived in El Salvador from Spain to do charity for the country’s poor. When they first arrived they helped out in the San Salvador General Hospital. Later on, they moved to they settled in Soyapango in northern San Salvador and started building what is now known as Obra Social El Carmelo.

Obra Social El Carmelo is a charity complex where the nuns offer services to the less fortunate for a very low cost (or for free if the person is unable to pay). Today, the complex includes:

• Complejo Educativo Católico El Carmelo – a elementary, middle, and high school, with 1,210 students from the area. On dicember 2010, they will be graduating their first senior class. Browse through pictures of the school on their Facebook profile.
• A clinic
• A church
• An adult education centers for:
• Bakery
• Hair styling
• Cloth making
• A nutrition program
• A thrift shop – the thrift shop is a way the nuns make money to continue their services and it also makes good clothes and goods accessible for their beneficiaries. 

                      Back to the Extra Mile                                  Back to Ale Boza's profile

Interview with Ale Boza ... About her Experience...

             Back to the Extra Mile                                    Back to Ale Boza´s Profile

Why do you go through all the trouble of collecting the bottles? What do you get from it?

I get satisfaction from thinking that I’m helping one more child will go to school.

About how much time do you dedicate to this project per week?

I’d say about five to six hours. But this project has a multiplying effect. There are hundreds of people putting in a few minutes a day, to help me out.

What is your vision for the future of this project?

I hope that one day the nuns will be able to educate all of these kids for free, so that their parents can invest that money for their future. ($54 dollars in El Salvador is about half of a monthly minimum wage).

What is your favorite part of the process?

There is so much trash in this country and I enjoy seeing all that plastic being recycled, and its for a good cause… its double win!

How did the nuns react the first time you brought them bottles?

They were extremely thankful… and the first time I didn’t collect that many bottles. Every time I go they thank me and hug me!

Have you had the chance to meet the children at the school? How was that experience?

Yes, the kids always have a smile on their face. Soyapango is one of the scariest areas of the city, but those kids always look neat and have a bright face. The school is like a safe place in the middle of a jungle.

What are other things that you would like to do for the nuns?

I think that what the nuns need most right now is a sustainable income to keep their projects going. But I definitely want to concentrate my help on their school. These kids are our future and I don’t want to see the progress done so far go to waste.

I understand that your grandfather first took you to visit the nuns. How has your grandfather influenced you?

My grandfather has been one of my greatest role models. He is the kind of person who will take of his shoes if somebody else needs them. He is the most caring, loving, altruistic person I have ever met.

                  Back to the Extra Mile                                    Back to Ale Boza´s Profile