Vlog

the link to our video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy7Rwjxs0bU

The sun is shining for Facebook

Imagine the following situation: you are studying a boring paper, while sitting on a table in a hot room and the temperature outside is around 30 degrees. It is clear that everyone wants to be outside: the pool, beach or park are better options than reading that boring paper. However, you have to do it, otherwise you will fail the exam. During studying, you take a quick look at your Facebook profile and what do you see? More messages and updates than usual!

Is there a tendency between sunny weather and updates on Facebook? When I look to my profile, there is a significant tendency: in the best week of 2011, I updated more messages than usual and in one of the rainiest weeks of this year I only placed two updates.

What kind of messages do you see when the sun is shining? 'chilling at the Dutch beach', 'drinking a couple of beers in Rotterdam', 'playing some football in the park' or: 'enjoying the weather'. In all the updates is a clear similarity: they are describe the weather conditions. What kind of messages do you see when the weather is rainy or cold? Nothing about the weather conditions, only when they are extreme.

Despite you should think that people will go enjoy the sun when it is good weather outside, people want to show their friends that they are in the sun. In my opinion a weird trend, because it gives a colored image to a person.

Oh and don't worry about me: I took my school stuff outside as you can see on the picture ;)

Social Media and Sports

The introducing of one of the most influential social media 'tools', Twitter, changes the world on a couple of aspects. Famous movie actors (John Cleese, Elijah Wood, Robin Williams), directors (Ducan Jones, David Wain, Kevin Smith) and singers (Britney Spears, Paul de Leeuw, Snoop Dogg) use Twitter to inform other Twitter users about their daily life. World famous sporters are also active on this social medium, which bring the sporters closer to their fans. However, is the dissappeared distance between sporter and supporter a positive effect?

The sporter with the most Twitter followers worldwide is Lance Armstrong. The seven time Tour de France winner is followed by 2,801,195 people and give them updates about his foundation, his life or his sports activities. Another famous sporter on Twitter is Alberto Contador, who twitters his messages in Spanish and English so that all his fans understand him.

Carlos Puyol, Cesc Fabregas, Leroy Fer (all soccer players), Robert Gesink, Robbie McEwen, Laurens ten Dam (all cyclists), Shaquille O'Neal, Paul Pierce, LeBron James (all basketball players): are there still sporters without Twitter?

Despite the accessability to the life of famous sporters, twittering sport people are, in my opinion, unwelcome. Fifteen years ago, when I first visited my favourite football club Feyenoord Rotterdam, I saw my idols on the pitch. Through the years I watched games of players like Pierre van Hooydonk, Robin van Persie, Solomon Kalou and Dirk Kuyt and wanted to know everything about them.

However, since Dirk Kuyt has a Twitter account, I found out that I don't like that. A 'twitpic' with Dirk eating his favourite meal, Robin van Persie with his little son: I don't like it at all. A sports idol or hero: I want to keep them away, far away. That's why I want to do a request to all my sport idols:

PLEASE STOP TWITTERING!