Sound Off: Using Social Media as a Tool

My summer internship with Yahoo Sports Radio is wuickly coming to a close and I think it's time to recognize what has allowed me to be successful in the sports media world; social media.

So many people speak of the evils of social media saying it either kills careers or is useless.  While that is true for those that posts status updates of every time they use the restroom and post nothing but drunk pictures, these social media sites can do a ton of good for your career.

The only reason I got the intetnship was due to my Twitter use.  I didn't start using the website until October of 2013, but was able to make connections on it fast. 

I tweeted into many Yahoo Sports Radio shows and that led to one of the show hosts having me on as a regular guest to talk college basketball bracketology. 

With the bond I made with this host, I inquired to him about internships and helped me get an interview to intern with Yahoo Sports Radio. 

While I had to do the heavy lifting in terms of finances and finding an apartment for the summer, that connection allowed me to live out my dream of working in national sports talk media. 

Social media has also helped me me be a great producer during the internship.  I have used LinkedIn and Twitter extensively to both discover and reach out to many of the guests I have booked for the program. 

These connections are great for both the internship I am doing now as well as down the road when I am looking for jobs in...wow, less than a year. 

I do not know where I would be without social media.  It's how this website's mastermind Ted Leroux contacted me to be a writer on this site and everything has ballooned since.

If this story doesn't tell you how much I embrace social media, just look at the website and check out just how connected I am with these various tools to reach as many people as possible. 

Sound Off: The Home Stretch

With the work I put in at the radio station yesterday, I have officially put in eight straight weeks of work at Yahoo Sports Radio.  While just about every other summer intern is now gone, I have two more weeks left because I do not move in at UW-Oshkosh until September 1.

This is a blessing since I feel like I have not only gotten the hang of being a producer at the network, but I have made some great friendships with my fellow co-workers.

I knew coming in this internship would be a once in a lifetime experience, but I did not know what it all entail.  I am thankful that I put a hold on my regular blogging to focus on the internship because I have learned so much.

It was an eye opener that the producers need to be just as good of communicators as the hosts because everyone is battling the clock in this industry.  If something goes wrong with guests canceling or segments being too long or short, typically everyone gets blamed for it.

Along with everything I did with the radio station, I also took some college classes, making life very hectic since Comcast never installed internet at my apartment (yeah, I'm still bitter.) 

That meant lots of file downloading at the station so that I could work on a few hours of homework every night after putting in a solid days work. 

Though balancing both class work and duties at the station was a pain the the hindquarters, it will be worth it when I graduate on time with a wealth of experience in the industry. 

The final two weeks I will not have to deal with school work as my summer classes have come to an end, thank the heavens.  This means that I will be able to stick more effort into using all the tools I have learned at this internship into making some great radio. 

Another good thing about classes being done is that I can also focus more attention on making changes to the website and writing stories. 

The reason I am in Houston right now is because of the work I did as a bracketologist on this website and as a guest on Yahoo Sports Radio so it only makes sense to continue my blogging. 

With college basketball less than two months away from tipping off and school only about three weeks away from starting, I might as well do as much research as I can now so that I can be even sharper than I was last year.  Oh, did I mention I picked seventh-seeded UConn to the Final Four last season?  (I'm sorry, I just can't resist since so many laughed at me for the pick.) 

I have just two short weeks left in Houston before I make the long trek home to Wisconsin.  I'm honestly unsure how I feel about that since I miss everyone from Hortonville and Oshkosh so much, but I don't miss the cold winters and the lack of anything to do other than bar hop. 

This internship has changed the way I look at the world for the better and I hope to be able to use the skills I learned interning at Yahoo to make Oshkosh's radio station something special. 

Sound Off: Going Flat

I have had many firsts this summer in Houston, both good and bad.  On Sunday, I got a first that I would put into the bad catagory.

I work six days a week at my internship, so Sunday is my errand running day since it is my only day off.  I was driving home from Walmart when my car kind of sunk to one side and the back door of my minivan opened very slightly. 

I had no idea what had just happened and continued driving since I was under a mile away from my apartment.   When I got back, i saw what had happened: a flat tire on the right rear side of the van.

After running out of gas just days earlier, I came to the conclusion that cars hate me.  The odds of running out of gas and getting a flat tire in a 25 mile span are probably as high as winning the lottery. 

I tried putting some air into the tire at the Shell station located right next to my apartment, but I must have done it wrong because the tire didn't inflate. 

I am the biggest idiot when it comes to cars so getting my first flat tire in Houston where I do not have the help of my dad, who is very good with cars, was like putting kryptonite to Superman.  

Every car care center around me was closed on Sunday which left me in a bigger bind.  Not knowing how to replace a flat tire, I had to skip my typical Sunday reward meal at a nice restaurant and stay in. 

I knew of an auto body shop right next to my internship, which is about a one and a half mile drive, and took my car into get the tire fixed. 

I was hoping that since I saw a nail in the car that it could be removed and I could get away with a bill of $25-30 for patchwork, but lack of car luck continued.

It cost $127 to get a new tire on the car and a bit of time taken out of my day to get it replaced.  Hopefully, my next blog will not pertain to how much cars dislike this hardworking young man. 

Sound Off: Running Out of Gas

This far, my intership with Yahoo Sports Radio has been adventurous for a variety of reasons.  I've learned much about the radio industry and met some great people.  Until this point, I had not faced much adversity...until Thursday afternoon. 

What I went through was not related to radio as much as life in general, although my epic journey did occur while doing something for the station. 

As an intern, you typically get lower end tasks to do that really do not pertain to the show and this was one of them.  My job was to navigate through traffic and pick up P.F. Changs for a few of the guys.

There was a good amount going on with the MLB Trade Deadline and I had already done a good amount of guest booking and sound bite cutting for the guys.

The restaurant is only three miles away, but I knew it would take a good 15 minutes to get there due to Houston traffic so I was ready for a very boring trip with tons of horn honking for no reason.

Less than a quarter of a mile into the trip, it turned out my boring drive to P.F. Changs would be very eventful.  My red minivan was not accelerating and the steering wheel began to lock up.

I knew my car was running out of gas but did not know why.  I knew that the risk of this happening was high because my minivan's gas gauge has been broken, but I use odemeter miles to keep track of when I need gas. 

The odometer was reading 274 and my minivan gets about 21-22 miles per gallon with a tank that is at least 20 gallons.  I typically fill up with 17-18 gallons if gas every 325-350 miles, yet my car was failing me at this very in opportune time. 

At this moment I was prepared to take a number one and number two in my pants...at the same time.  I thought about what to do for a split second as I was on a busy road with no shoulder. That means there's tons of businesses with parking lots around and I remembered that I was right by a gas station.

I turned left into that gas station like I was Jeff Gordon and prayed my car could coast to the pump.  While my car didn't quite make it to the pump, it at least made it over the small hump to the gas station parking lot. 

i used the last morsel of gas I had to straighten myself out so that I could push myself to the pump.  I put the van in neutral and began to perform the old offensive lineman drills I did in middle school and high school football. 

i knew proper run blocking form but I could never execute it in high school since I had a short wingspan, was about 5'9, weighed 215, and could not bench 100 pounds.  That is not the case as I am now a trim 160-165 pound hunk of man who lifts daily.

Thank goodness I'm in good shape because I needed every ounce of strength to push my car to the pump and did so successfully. 

I cannot imagine what the people who were watching my display thought, especially when you add the fact that I was ridiculously run blocking my car in a Jean Segura Milwaukee Brewers jersey. 

It cost about $95 to fill up my tank as it apparently used around 26 gallons of gas, much higher than the 20-21 gallons I thought it held.  After that fiasco, i hauled my rear to P.F Changs as quickly as possible, weaving in and out of traffic like I was in a Fast and Furious movie.

I picked up an order that I did not even know was correct or not since it was in the name of someone I did not know, and I made it back to the radio station after a 40 minute trip I will never forget.

Much like all my stories, this one had a happy ending as the order I picked up was correct and I got the food to the guys while the show was on break because of the agility I showed running up three flights of stairs. 

I told the guys the story and we all enjoyed a hardy chuckle at both my expense and at how rediculous my reflexes are.  I was rewarded by the guys with $15 for my efforts and a close call that I can laugh about the rest of my life. 

Sound Off: Built Ford Tough

My internship with Yahoo Sports Radio has allowed me to communicate with many people within both the sports and media industries that I look up to.  From Rick Berry and Emmitt Smith to David Aldridge, I have gotten to speak to a bunch of people that I never thought I would never have a chance at hearing from.

While getting to talk to those guys was nice, there was something missing: face-to-face interaction.  That was provided Tuesday when I got to meet former Milwaukee Bucks TJ Ford as he was in studio with us for a full hour. 

To be honest, I would have never known it was him had our executive producer not introduced me to him.  I always knew that he was a player noted for his quickness and for being a smaller guy, but he is the exact same height I am (5'9.5, yes I count the .5.)

It was surreal to meet him as I used to have his jersey when I was growing up.  Ford never really developed into the player many thought he would while he played at Texas, but it was never due to a lack of effort.

Ford was hampered by injury throughout his entire career yet was the toughest player on the court when I saw him.  The team was a shade below .500 during Ford's three years as Michael Redd seemed to be the only player that could stay healthy for the team. 

With this in mind I was anxious to hear what he would tell the national audience about his time in Milwaukee as well as his college days and playing days after the Bucks.  It was very moving to hear just how much he loved the game. 

He spoke of how he knew that he was running the risk of being paralyzed every time he stepped onto the court due to his spinal issues.  He said that he always asked himself if he would continue playing basketball with his friends despite the risk.

During his career, the answer was yes every time so he thought he might as well get paid for it. 

His conversation on the show also taught me about how much good he's trying to do.  He is living in Houston and doing his best to teach kids life lessons while they play AAU basketball.  He feels AAU has gotten a bad rap and wants to send the right message on the way the game should be for kids. 

Ford wants the parents and their goals pushed out of the way and the focus to be on the kids.  He said that at the end of the day, if the kid wants to be great at the sport, he should be allowed every opportunity to be the best he can.  If it's the parents who want the kid to be great while the child is only pleasing mom and dad, then the wrong message is being sent. 

It was nice to hear a guy I looked up to as a kid remain an idol when I'm older and not turn out to be some classless jerk(take notes Darren Sharper.) 

After the interview was done, Ford was kind enough to take a picture with me and shake my hand. 

While it's awesome to be able to communicate with many of the people you admire through things like text messaging and Twitter, nothing compares to actually meeting them in person.  I hope to meet many more of the athletes and writers I grew up with down the line in this industry.