So I Can't Sleep...

Dammit I can't sleep, so in between watching SportsCenter and working, I have decided to talk about my recent trip to Mississippi for the Christmas holiday.

All in all, I have to say it was a good trip as I got to see my mother, whom I only see once a year, as well as see my Uncle Lewis and Aunt Vernetta who I haven't seen in about 4 years or so. Wish I could have seen more people, but we were on a short time line so I didn't get to make the rounds that I had originally hope.

As far as food and Southern Cuisine goes, there is nothing quite like it. My mother was on hand to fill my belly with macaroni casserole, potato salad, shrimp, fish, ham, turkey, rolls, greens, and sweet potato pies. Keep in mind I was only there for less than 36 hours, so as you can imagine, upon my return to Tampa there was indeed a gym visit in my future.

I really wish I could give a valid reason for not going home more often than I do, but I can offer none, other than admittedly being married to my job. One thing I will try to make it back at least once a year...in addition to family of course, is to have an opportunity to eat at Ward's. If you haven't heard about  this place, it is like heaven in the form of Big One Combo and a Root Beer Float!

As a result of my not being home for so long, I truly felt like a tourist in my own home town, as so much has changed with regards to the landscape and certain areas of town. When the hell did Oak Grove become a big city...lol, someone tell me that! 

As far as Hattiesburg goes, They restored parts of downtown, and my old neighborhood has a highway running through it, which was a complete shocker, as last time I was there that highway was nowhere near completion.

I didn't recognize allot of things, but one thing I did notice, was that all of the local businesses seem to be in tact. Of course you have your big chain stores and restaurants as you do anywhere, but in Hattiesburg, the family business will always remain, and that is good to see in this day in age.

All in all, it was a good trip and I look forward to the next one. Hopefully i will be sooner than later...

Jerm's Top Ten Signs He is Getting Old

Been having a few humbling experiences lately, and I think they are signs of me getting old, so I wanted to steal a page out of David Letterman's book and put together a top 10 list of signs that tell me I am getting old...

1. You go to the eye doctor for a routine eye exam and walk out of the door with a prescription for glasses...
2. The guy at the door at the club doesn't even bother to ID you...
3. People refer to you as Sir...
4. You start reminiscing with co-workers about how fun "Field Day" was back in elementary school...
5. You start using the phrase "Man I Remember When He/She Was Born" all too often...
6. Your writing a blog post about the signs of aging...
7. When it takes you at least a half hour to stretch before working out...
8. When you start referring to people younger than you as "kids..."
9. Your body cringes when you see kids in college now who you know were born in 1990 or later...
10. People actually say to me... "Damn You Are Old..."

Okay those are all things that have happened to me recently and make me believe that it is all down hill from here...

Reflections From Jerm...

Been a minute since I last wrote. Lot has gone on here in the past few weeks. The biggest thing that has happened is that I finally realized that I am not a robot and can't go for years without taking some time away from work without it starting to take its toll. So I sit at my computer right now knowing that I have a vacation day tomorrow as well as on Tuesday and I can take some time out and just rest up. Its amazing how your body can tell you these things. A few years back my body told me it was time to step back from a previous un-named job by not letting me keep food down. Soon as I left that Job, I was fine. Now my body is telling me that I need to take a break, in the form of fatigue and just an overall feeling of blah-ness.

This probably won't be a one time thing either as I am trying to put together a few trips over the course of the next few months so that I won't continue to overwork myself. Now of course, for any of you that know me, you know that I can't really just take myself away from work completely. SO I will schedule these trips and term them...working vacations, if there is such a thing.

Well thats pretty much it for today folks. The lesson for today is to pace yourself...

Life is Precious...

What an odd past few weeks its been. First Farrah Fawcet, followed by Michael Jackson, Ed McMahon, Steve McNair, Billy Mays and recently Arturo Gotti. There have even been a few more instances of local famous people here in the past few days passing on as well. Kind of makes you wonder how precious life is and how we should do our best to live life to the fullest. You just never know what the following day awaits you I guess.

One of those even hit a bit close to home as Steve McNair was born and raised in Mt. Olive, Mississippi just a few minutes from my place of birth in Hattiesburg, MS. Collins, Mississippi, the town my father's family hails from is even closer to Mt. Olive (as shown in the map below). I have even heard on more than one occasion growing up that we were related somehow, but I have nothing other than proximity to back that claim up.

My heart goes out to those family members and friends of those recently deceased. I know all too well what its like to lose a family member that is very close to you, with my father having past away unexpectedly when I was 17. Its always a harsh lesson to learn about life when something unexpected happens like that, but you have to take comfort in knowing that often times, they are in a better place. I spent the first month or so after his passing asking questions about why this had to happen to myself and my family, and how I would go on without him.

One day it just hit me that my father was not the type that would want me to sit around, mope and mourn about the fact that he wasn't physically there with me. I had to go on and live my life and attempt to be a man that he could be proud of. I'd like to think thus far I have accomplished that, but still have a ways to go before I can put myself in the same category as him.

In short to all of the children that these people have left behind, for what its worth I understand your pain all too well, and encourage you to move ahead and live your life just as you would if they were still on earth with us. They will never be truly gone, as they can live on through you and your memories.

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There Will Never Be Another Like Michael Jackson...

It was a sad day this past Thursday when news broke that Michael Jackson had indeed left us. I don't know about you, but I will never forget where I was or what I was doing when I first heard, and there are millions of people around the globe who will say the same thing. In the coming days weeks and months, you will hear tons of speculation about the way Michael left this earth and who was responsible, and so forth. I for one would like to remember Michael and the way he lived his life, and all of the joy he brought to so many though his music, philanthropic efforts, and the impact he left on all of us.

Some people reading this blog post might wonder why I have focused so much attention and time on this subject over the course of the last few days. On Friday i did an all day hourly tribute to Mike and some of his greatest hits, and spent the better part of my weekend reminiscing about legend that is Michael Jackson. Truth is, some of my most fond memories with my brother and sisters were with Michael Jackson's music. I have vivid memories in my head of when we all used to stay up late at night to watch Friday Night Videos, greatly anticipating seeing what Michael was gonna do next, and what amazing dance music choreography he had up his sleeve.

There we were up way past our bedtime just the four of us all laying on one couch trying to keep each other awake so we wouldn't miss anything. It was significant, because as close as we were, we were not all the same age, so this was one of the few opportunities where we shared significant amounts of time together. Every Friday Night like clockwork we were there in our pajamas, and when we all fell asleep, my mother would come to the den in her long john pajamas and make us all get up and go to bed.

Another instance was when Mike was making one of his comebacks and the video to "Remember the Time" was debuting on BET. This was a big moment in my household as we all got together that night and as a family sat there and watched the world premier of this video as we ate dinner. Again this was significant, because we really didn't eat dinner together, or at least not as a family that often. It took Michael to bring us together and that means something to me.I also remember my cousin Keith doing his best impression of Michael and he would actually approach girls with this MJ like facade, and to our amazement, it worked well for him.

As far as my personal life goes, one of my favorite Michael Jackson songs is "Off the Wall," and I can remember that song getting me through many a bad day in college. I often listened to that and the Thriller Albums when I am having bad days, just because Michael's music can always put me in a better mood. Even if you didn't dance, you could just sit there and marvel at his brilliance and musical ability.

Some people may not admit it, but they owe their musical success to Michael Jackson, because no matter what your tastes, be it country, pop, R&B, or whatever, MJ was the inspiration behind it all. He perfected the art of the music video, the on stage performance, and was a model for the music industry on so many more levels. I think we can all admit that at some point in our lives we attempted the moon walk. I know I did, and probably a few other Mike moves that I had no business doing. I will always keep that MJ play list on my IPhone when I feel the need to dance, laugh, or cry. Thanks for the memories Mike and you will no doubt be missed by many.

So Close... Yet So Far... Bradley Strikes Again...

So after my last blog following the initial group stage ass-whoopin that the US suffered at the hands of Brazil, the team finally decided to look between their legs and show us that they each indeed did have a pair by going on a run that no one expected, not even me I must admit.

Who would have guessed that the boys would have fought back and beat a good Egypt team 3-0, but also to turn around and take out # 1 ranked Spainby a score-line of 2-0 to setup an improbable finals rematch with the same Brazil team that made the US look like club soccer team less than a week prior.

What I wanted to see all along was a better effort from our guys and for Coach Bradley to start getting the best out of his star players for once. While the players started to step up and prove they were worthy of the occasion I don't think it was due to any speech or advice that coach Bradley may have given. I really think the players didn't want to be the laughing stock of yet another international tournament and at that point, just decided to take it to another level. With that mindset, the team made it to the finals against the footballing juggernaut know as the Brazilians.

One thing I didn't want to see from a tactical standpoint was for us to sit back and try to weather wave after wave of Brazilian attack like we did in the second half of the Spain game. Seen that far too often and if there is anything I know about watching the Samba Kings, its that you have to go at them if you want to walk off the pitch victorious, and even then its still a tall order. I don't know of any team in the world that is good enough to sit back and absorb attack after attack from a group this talented.

I watched that first half of soccer and was honestly inspired by the effort put in by the US team. Not just the two goals that we scored which were both well worked, but just the effort in which we we able to take the Brazilians out of their game. You could see it in Robinho as well as Kaka's face that they were frustrated with a lack of opportunities to really trouble us, and when they did make into our defensive third, were thwarted by the defense or great saves from Tim Howard. Despite what I saw a few people say on Facebook, both US goals were good ones. Spector's cross into the box was clinically finished by Clint Dempsey, who at some point decided to go on a goal scoring run in the last few games. The US second goal, was nothing but a text book counterattack finished off brilliantly by Donovan.

Then came the second half and it was a completely different story. I can't really fault Jay Demerit on that first goal, as he did close down the space, but that was just a brilliant play by Fabiano, nothing more nothing less. You can't do much about it when a guy receives the ball with his back to goal, and without even looking up turns, fires, and puts it into the side of the net. Brilliant goal, plain and simple. After that, I think the rest of the way was purely a failure by Bradley and his staff to make the proper adjustments, or just make every effort to keep the Brazilians on there heels like in the first half. We employed that sit back and relax tactic against Spain, and rode our luck that the defense was able to come up with some big saves, but you can only employ that tactic for so long before you get punished. Even after the game all Bradley could talk about was how that goal hurt us, which indicates to me that he had answer for it. News flash coach, you are playing Brazil...did you really expect a shutout? Great teams and great coaches find a way to win, they don't make excuses at every chance.

What troubles me is something that we have not only seen in this tournament but in World Cup Qualifying as well. Bradley and his staff can't seem to be able to make necessary adjustments when the team gets scored on. Granted, we shouldn't plan to get scored on, but it does happen, and when it does you have to adjust your tactics and just deal with it. We saw it against Costa Rica, Italy, and twice against Brazil where once we gave up a goal, the game was turned on its head and we never really recovered. Imagine how different the games against Spain and Egypt would have been had we given up at least one goal? Based on recent results, we would have capitulated and the coaching staff would not be capable of making those adjustments. That's what separates this coaching staff from the likes of some of the worlds best. I mean seriously, someone explain to me what the hell Sacha kljestan and Bornstein are doing coming on for two of our most dangerous players in Felihaber, and Altidore. Bornstein is not at this point a world class calibre player, and all Sacha Kljestin had done in this tourney is lose the ball and get sent off for an woeful red card. Did i mention that Bornstein is not even a midfielder by trade, which is where Bradley had him playing. Explain to me why Jose Torres can't get a look. This guy plays in Mexico and is battle tested. Against Costa Rica a few weeks ago he was the only player on the filed who seemed to not be fazed by the occasion and was a bright spot on the evening. He should have been on the field, him and Feilhaber both. Jozy did look tired in the end, but to think that either of those guys is an able sub is laughable.

I am proud of the way we fought back to get back into this tournament, but I can't help but think about how we could have lifted the trophy with better coaching. Its obvious to me that after watching this tournament, that there are good and dare I say it potentially, world class players on this roster, but they have to be put in the right situations to succeed. We are not as deep as Spain, England, or Brazil, but we can probably put 11 guys on the field and compete like we did the last few games.

We made allot of progress in this tournament, but I won't settle for second place, especially since I know we can do better. I think Landon Donovan said it best after the game when he said “Hopefully, but we’re at the point where we don’t want respect, we want to win. There’s no guarantee that we ever get back to a final game like this so it’s disappointing.”

I only hope Sunil Gulati was listening, because if he was, then he has to realize that if we want to win next year's World Cup, then we need a new mindset as a soccer nation. And yes I said win dammit, part of moving forward is expecting to win the tournaments, not just show up and not get embarrassed.

Was That Really Necessary Tampa Police Department...

This post is in place of the normal "Lessons Learned" blog post as I kind of need to vent about something that happened to me last night. If anyone was paying attention to my Twitter and Facebook status last night then you already know what this one was about.

Last night around 1 a.m. I was walking home from having a few drinks with a friend on her birthday. For clarification purposes when I say a few drinks, I mean one drink. Since I literally live 3 or 4 blocks from the strip where all of the Hyde Park night spots are I decided to walk back, as it made no sense to take a cab or drive. As I am walking I notice a police car circle me a few times and I didn't think anything of it, as I just figured it was a normal patrol and I kept on walking. As I am but a few steps from Fremont Ave, where I live, I notice a truck pull up behind me with the lights flashing on bright. At this point I am thinking to myself that it is some drunken idiot just driving around South Tampa heckling people, so I continue to go on and mind my business. The truck continues to follow me and as I hit Fremont Ave, the truck pulls out in front of me and the window rolls down.

Now I am thinking okay, what the hell is going on, when the truck stops and a female Tampa police officer gets out of the passenger side of this unmarked pickup truck and begins to question me like I have done something wrong. Her actual questions were:

1. Where are you coming from? My answer...Cheap on Howard
2. Were you working there or were you a patron? My answer...patron
3. Did you do any drinking? My answer...yes I had one as we were celebrating a friends birthday
4. Where are you going now? My answer...Home
5. Where do you live? My answer...right across the street here at Post
6. May I see your drivers license? My answer...sure

The part about all of this that really irks me is that they really didn't have any legitimate reason to stop me. Last I heard it wasn't a crime to be walking around in a neighborhood on a Saturday evening, especially considering that this is a walking neighborhood with at least 6 bars within 100 yards from me. Also, when asking the questions, the officer had this accusatory tone in her voice like had done something wrong. I get the impression they wanted me to talk back or protest why they had stopped me just to give a reason to either arrest me or something of that sort. I was tired and just wanted to get home so I cooperated and went on with my evening.

I hate to play the race card, but I can't help but wonder if that was in any part, the motivation for stopping me. Running my driver's license wasn't necessary as I showed no signs of impairment and and the fact that I told you where I was walking should have been good enough. Even if I was drunk, at last I checked there was no crime for being drunk and walking home. Did I "fit a description" or something? Not a lot of 6'0 250lb black dudes running around South Tampa causing trouble, unless I missed that article in the TBTimes or the Tribune. And also, did it really take three of you standing around me to answer those questions. There was the officer who got out of the car, the one in the truck who ran my license, then the cop who pulled up three minutes later. I know I am a big dude, but I am not that opposing and I posed no threat.

Maybe I am making more of this than what it is, but nonetheless it still bothers me. As a tax paying citizen I would like to think that the police can better spend their time tracking down and finding real criminals, not college educated, employed citizens with no criminal records. Or maybe I am asking too much?

I know I Keep Talking About This But...

I know I keep talking about this but it really is sad to be a US Soccer fan at this moment in time. The recent string of qualifying games, plus this awful string of performances at the Confederation's Cup in South Africa make me ill. I don't even know where to begin with where to place the blame, as there are allot of people to point fingers at, but I think it has to start with the head coach and his staff.

I truly believe that BOB BRADLEY HAS TO GO. From a tactical point of view, I have seen better organization on my Sunday league team than I have seen from us in recent weeks. I think Jamie Trekker said it best in his blog that the Americans were a formless, shapeless mess, an amoeba of men on the field." I know that there is talent on that team and it seems like at any time there are just 11 guys out there on the field running around with very little knowledge of what they are as a unit. On some level it pays to be fit and to be able to out last your opponents, but what good is that fitness if you are always chasing the game. You can't honestly watch us play and figure out a style of play, and that lies at the coaches feet. At least with Bruce Arena there you knew were gonna go out there work hard and play for the opportunistic goal, but now it doesn't even seem as if we have that.

We are not a defensive minded team like the Greeks, we are not a possession team like the Spaniards, and sadly we don't even look like the Egyptians who are a very hard working team, which used to be our trademark. The last few games defensively we have given up an early wasteful goal, and more often than not, not been able to recover from the early goal. Had it not been for the heroics of Tim Howard, the scorelines in each game would have been far worse. Sunil Gulati as President of the US Soccer Federation has to take a good hard look at where we are now and where we need to be if we are to ever challenge for a world title or at least not get embarrassed in South Africa next year and beyond.

As I said I know there is talent on this team, but good coaches know how to get the best out of their players and its obvious that this is not the case with Bob Bradley. A good example of that is Clint Dempsey. I watched him play allot this year on television for his club Fulham n England and his performances were that of a player who knew that he had to fight every minute of every game in order to stay on the field, as a bad performance would see him relegated to the bench. His runs were good, he works hard, and there was even a well worked goal or two from time to time. When you watch him play for the US, the same level is just no there. While he still works hard, his runs are often misplace, he never seems to get close to the target, and he constantly gives away possession in or around midfield. If he were to give a similar effort for his club, Roy Hodgson would have him playing for the reserves. Signs of a player that knows that no matter how badly he plays, he will still get picked. Which brings up my next point about why Bradley continues to select Damarcus Beasley for national team duty when its obvious his best days are behind him. How awful does he have to play in order for the coaching staff to realize this?

I just don't think that Bradley has yet to grasp an understanding of coaching this team away from the comforts of home on US soil and in the friendly confines of CONCACAF. In MLS and on home soil you can probably get good performances from Donovan when he is deployed as a striker, due to the weak competition, but put him against a quality defender that forces him to play with his back to the goal and he will struggle to find the ball. He is at his best when he gets the opportunity to run at defenders and use his speed. A part of me hopes that Egypt mops the floor with us tomorrow as that is what it will take for Sunil Gulati to make a change. We as US soccer fans deserve better. And if you think I am crazy, lets just take a look at the US Women's National Soccer team. We don't just expect those girls to go out and have a decant showing at tournaments, they are expected to win each and every tournament they are involved in and I think its time we took the same approach with the Men's team. Greg Ryan actually had a string of good performances and an overall good record when he was the women's national team coach, but a few bad decisions that contributed to a 4-0 loss to Brazil in the 2007 World Cup and Ryan was out on his ass. This was a guy who as coach from 2005 to 2007 compiled a 45-1-9 record as coach, yet he was on his on the unemployment line after that tournament.

In short I think we have gone as far as Bradley can take us, and its not too late to make a change. We are going to qualify simply due to the fact that we are one of the top teams in CONCACAF, but if we want to avoid the embarrassment of the Confederations cup for this time next year at the World Cup, then a change has to be made. There are a few qualified candidates out there with the experience and know how to take us to the next level. Juergan Klinsmann and Gordan Strachan to name a few.

Lessons Learned for the Week of 06.08.09

I have always had this particular lesson on my mind, but it was more apparent this evening as I hung out with my goddaughter and her younger cousins this week as well. I AM NOT READY TO HAVE CHILDREN...

I was having a conversation earlier this week with a co-worker who is pregnant as she told me that the average child goes through about 7-10 diapers per day! Now this is a lot of poop, not to mention a good amount of money spent on diapers.

The screaming and the constant energy is just unbelievable. I just don't know if I could deal with it at this pointing in my life, as I have a hard enough time taking care of an 11 month year old energetic puppy, so try and imagine me with kids. I have so much respect for those with kids, because between the crying, constant attention, worrying about their health, I would be a nervous wreck.

Now I am not by any means saying that its a bad thing to have kids, as I truly believe it to be a blessing and their are allot of great parents out there, but still, I know I am not ready for that. After tonight and allot of shrill cries, I know I still need a few more years to mature...oh yeah and a wife as well, but I don't want to rush either of those.

So mother if you come across this blog post, then that is the reason that I don't have kids... oh yeah and that whole wife thing.

I Have My URL, How Bout You...

Alright so I am a big dork, as the highlight of my weekend will most likely be staying up late and getting my Facebook vanity URL. I am the proud one and only owner of http://www.Facebook.com/JeremyFairley. I was going to add another URL for my work Facebook page at http://www.VisitTampaBay.com/Facebook, but it didn't seem to work as our page has less than 1,000 followers. We will however be able to get the URL after June 28, which I was angry about at first, but it made sense to me after reading this article...

Now the coolest part to me was when I Googled my name and my Facebook page with my new URL showed up above the fold on the SERP(Search Engine Results Pages), and that got me thinking. It's amazing to see how fast this process happened, and to see the impact of this will have on the organic side of SEO. So if you ever feel like you have no presence on the web, just upgrade your account and get your vanity URL and with the popularity of Facebook plus the keyword term related to your name, in theory you should pop up.

As you can imagine, all of the worlds top brands were I am sure part of the rush to grab the URLs to beat the Squatters to the punch in their attempts to effectively have more control over their brands. I checked a few of my favorites and they are already setup. The down side to all of this is that Facebook users as can pretty much cancel any ideas of anonymity as you are that much easier to find, given the popularity of Facebook and the ease by which user profiles show up in those search engine results.

That's all I got tonight though, check you later!

Jerm's Lessons Learned for the Week of 06.01.09

This week is more of an observation than an actual lesson learned, but an experience nonetheless and that is what this series of blog posts is about.

I was at a work conference this week and many of the sessions that I was in on were regarding "Social Media" and its effective use in our industry (Tourism & Destination Marketing). Allot of the participants were unsure as to how to go about having a presence on these sites, in particular Twitter and Facebook. Now I am by no means an industry expert, and the remainder of what you will read in this post are my opinions purely based off of the success that Tampa Bay & Company have seen in our use of the two sites. Consider that your disclaimer i guess.

For the most part I oversee the content on our social media outlets, but our PR department contributes a great deal as well. I had started with Facebook, as I was more familiar with the tools and interface and it just seemed like the easiest thing to do. With regards to Twitter, I was like allot of other people out there in that I was just trying to figure out why the hell to even bother. Then a good friend started harping at me about how I needed to get onto Twitter and as much as I tried to ignore him, he kept at it. Then one day I was like, you know what...what the hell lets give it a shot and see where it takes us. So there you have it people, we owe it all to the Great Paul Brand for waking me up!

With regards to both Facebook and Twitter, there is one central theme that goes along with what you will always hear me say...Content is King. I started both our Facebook and Twitter accounts for the first time around November, and just because I was more familiar with it, made more updates on the Facebook end than I did Twitter, and then eventually tailed off of both as I wasn't sure that it was worth my time to contribute to either of them. As a result, we had very few followers in the beginning, which means very little interaction with the audiences on both sites. For us, the answer was to just start doing more with it and contributing content on a daily basis...yes I did say daily, and in some cases every few hours or so. Once we started doing that in early March, when we only had 160 or so followers, we started to see the number of followers plus interactions and questions increase, and as a result we have well over 1100 followers. Not as much as many CVB's out there, but progress nonetheless.

Rather than give more long detailed. boring paragraphs on my tips to succeed on these sites, here are my key ones. Again, please remember that I am no expert, just someone who tried a few things and saw some good results. Here goes:

• Content - You knew this one was coming. Why have the account if you are not going to have any content on it. Remember that these social media sites are search engine friendly and are being found in searches across the Internet. So if you have one, then post content often. If you have a blog, or issue any sort of content that has an RSS feed, then you can have those feeds automatically publish to your Twitter or Facebook accounts using sites like Twitterfeed, and Hootsuite, to name a few.
  

• Who's Publishes the Content - This one was discussed allot. Our case is rare in that we have a PR department that contributes, as well as myself who is a complete dork about these things and spends all his time doing them. My best advice is to find someone that is passionate about it and sees the value. Don't just assume you can bring in a bunch of interns and that will solve the problem. Yes, college students may be more in tune with this audience, but there maybe someone in your organization just as capable of doing a better job on a more consistence basis, because unless you hire the inter, they won't always be there to contribute.
  

• Control - This one can be tricky. For the most part, I oversee the actual content along with the PR team to make sure that we contribute a message that is consistent with our corporate message. That doesn't mean that we just simply regurgitate a corporate message though. We make the interaction very personal and make the effort to make it conversational in tone. We also don't send every message through a channel for approval as that would take forever and be counterproductive. Even when we have interns or other staff posting, we have faith in them to always post good content, and nothing controversial. If you ever find yourself in a position where you are unsure if they are doing that, then maybe you need to refine the process of choosing who in your organization is charged with this responsibility.
• Why? - Here is a question asked often, and while there are many points to make, I will only make a few. First off, the reach for these sites is enormous. They have audiences worldwide, so its a tremendous opportunity to get your message out the to a mass audience of people. For brands, just because you are not on there talking about you, doesn't mean that someone else isn't. You don't want to have to learn a hard lesson like the people over at Domino's Pizza did. Another big misconception is that Twitter and Facebook are jest places to tell people when you went to the bathroom and and how long you were in there. If you think like that, then you are already a step behind. As I said earlier, these sites, in addition to others are amazing communication tools, not to mention the fact that they are free to use!

Well that is it for now, but if you are an organization or individual and are looking for tips to get your social media sites up and running, these are just my opinions on how to do so. I only mentioned Twitter and Facebook, but its a pretty consistent theme across all of them.

I Think It's Time For Bob Bradley to Go...

I think the title says it all on this one. After watching that shameful performance the other night versus Costa Rica. I know there are tons of people out there that say its on the players as well to perform, and to a certain extent I agree, but it just seems like we are a team lost and at times unmotivated. We saw the same type of game vs El Salvador where they went out there all casual and almost got their ass whooped had it not been for a tiring El Salvador defense and rally by the US in the second half. The difference is that this Costa Rica team was allot better than that and were able to come out in the second half and attack us.

At first I was a Bob Bradley fan as it seemed like he really was focused on playing attacking football, but now I don't know what the hell we are doing. The team has no sense of itself or identity. Are we an attack minded team, a possession team, a counterattack team, or a defensive minded team? Who the hell knows, as it just seems we have been going out there and knocking the ball around, and against Costa Rica, we didn't even seem to do that right. I have to question some of Bob Bradley's lineup changes on the evening as well:

• Damarcus Beasley - I at one point was a big fan of his with his energy and ability to give defenders fits with his pace and energy, but lets face it, he hasn't been the same player since his injury. That is evident by the fact that he can't even get on the field for his club team Rangers FC in Scotland, so why the hell is he even in camp much less the starting lineup? I thought Heath Pierce did a better job when he was put out on the left flank a while back. I think Beasley is done and needs to come back from Europe and get some regular playing time in MLS, and then earn his way back to the US National Team picture.
• Marvell Wynne - Way too young to to be put in a situation like that in on the right side of defense, not to mention the fact that he is just not the finished product right now and doesn't have the necessary experience to justify that selection. Jonathon Spector was more than capable of filling that spot, and he wasn't even given a spot on the bench for some reason.
• Landon Donovan - I have always said that Landon Donovan is our most dangerous player but only when he is in a position where he can run at defenses and wreak havoc. That is not going to happen when he is playing as the lead striker with his back to the goal. If you are going to use him in the 4-3-3 then play him wide where he can still run at defenses, but his best position is either on the wing or sitting behind the two forwards where he can run at defenses, or trail the play where one of the forwards can lay the ball off to him. That forward role may work for him with the LA Galaxy, but its never done him or the team any good against international competition.
• Jose Torres - I thought he was the best player on our team in the first half of the game. The atmosphere didn't seem to effect him and his passes were good and he moved the ball well. Then amazingly he was replaced at half time by Sacha Kljestan, which made no sense to me. Playing in Mexico, he is probably better equipped to come into a game like this and play well, and I thought it was an injustice when he was replaced.

I think its time that US Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati, take a good hard look at where the direction of this team is going and if we can get where we need to be with Bradley at the helm. I want to win a World Cup and I am 100% sure it won't happen with Bob at the helm. We need a coach with big game club as well as international experience, not to mention fresh tactics. A coach who will demand the best from his players at all times and hold them accountable when they don't perform.

There is still time to make the change and bring in a new coach with a new outlook in time to salvage this qualifying campaign and for the World Cup next year. I have no doubt that Bradley can get us out of qualifying, but not out of any qualifying group in World Cup play. It's time for a change...

Conan O'Brien on the Tonight Show...

I finally got a chance last night to watch Conan O'Brien in his new host role on the Tonight Show after having missed the opening episode on Monday night. Anyone that really knows me is aware that I was a big fan of Conan when he was doing the Late Night show, so I was happy to hear a while back that he was gonna replace Jay Leno.

I did however, have a concern that NBC was going to make him alter his style of humor as the Tonight Show is more of a grown-up audience. After watching last night though, my fears have been eased as he brought the same style of comedy that made his previous show such a success. Same funny monologue as always before, and he even managed to bring Andy Richter back as his announcer, which was good to see. For those of you who don't recall, Andy was his co-host for the first few seasons on the Late Show, but left shortly thereafter to try his hand at Hollywood. Apparently he didn't appeal to mainstream America as he had a number of show flops and a stint or two on the big screen. I am glad to see him back though as he does a great job of being that funny sidekick and his sens of humor is similar to Conan's.

I am pretty sure that I won't see allot of the Late Night characters like Camel Toe Anny, The Masturbating Bear, and The Horny Manatee, but based on what I saw last night, I know they can keep the laughs a coming as I was on the floor laughing for most of the show. It will be interesting to see if everyone feels the same though and he keeps the ratings up. Guess we will have to wait and see.

Jerm's Lessons Learned for the Week of 05.25.09

So this is the first installment of my weekly lessons blog segment. At the end of each week I plan to write write a post that details what I learned that week in my personal life as well as work. The interesting part in this will be to see if I can actually keep up with this each week and be sure to post.

So this week's lesson learned is a hard one. I can promise you that these will not always be this deep or thought provoking, but this week's lesson is a good one to start with.

This lesson deals with life, and the decisions that we all make. I always try to life my life to the fullest and never look back on situations wishing that I had done something differently, but something happened this week that really made me think and question how the decisions that we make today, can in some cases come back to haunt us.

For those of you who were not aware, I am applying to my Alma Mater The University of Tampa for my MBA. Part of the admissions process that each applicant must go through is to do a formal interview with the Director of MBA Program, as well as the Director of Graduate Studies in Business. Throughout the interview I was given a difficult line of questioning with regards to my background and the reasons why I wold be a good fit for the program. Midway through the interview, the issue of my transcript is brought with particular emphasis on my lack of quantitive and math based coursework in college, in edition to the grades that I received in my Microeconomics class.

Needless to say, it was a painful reminder of the mindset that I had when I was younger. My thought process was, Economics... when the hell will I ever need that? Or how bout the classic...College Algebra... no one ever uses that stuff, so I proceeded to not care about either area as I figured I would never need them. Hell I don't even think I bought the book for that Econ class! I never thought I would ever use it, so I just wrote it off and either didn't take the coursework, or in the case of Micro Economics, proceeded to half-ass my way to a barely passing grade. Good job Jerm...

Needless to say we continued the interview, and I did get the impression that my lack of math based coursework won't necessarily bar me from admission, but it was indeed food for thought about the decisions that I made when I was younger. Now I won't give you the impression that the entire interview was hopeless, as they still believe that I can come into the program and blend in well with a group of diverse individuals as well as bring something to the table. The issues regarding my background in those aforementioned areas was to make sure that I can in fact, handle the coursework, and not kill myself in the process.

Other than that, I would have to say the interview went extremely well and I am hoping to find out this week if I was indeed admitted. As I walked out of the interview, I did find myself ruing those poor decisions I made back then and cursing myself for not being more focused. On the other hand, I guess it took this particular experience to point this out to me so, I am thankful to the faculty for bringing it up.

You always have to try and find the silver lining and I guess that is mine. Somewhere in all of this I have to recognize the opportunity to right the mistake that I have made in the past. If you leave this blog post with nothing else, then remember that just because you may not perceive something to be of benefit to you at a particular moment, doesn't mean that you shouldn't put forth the effort and take value from it anyway. You never know when you may need to call on experience at a later point in life.

Well, gang, there is my Rev Run moment for this week. Later peeps...