College Football Playoff: The New BCS
By Cheval John
We are half way through the college football season and things are getting more interesting.
The committee for the newly implemented College Football Playoff (CFP) released their projected four teams that would make it in.
The teams that were projected this week were Mississippi State, Oregon, Florida State and TCU.
Though this is a small step in the right direction for a long overdue playoff system in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), it still has a long way to go.
What this playoff system does is benefit only the teams that are in the big 5 conferences (SEC, ACC, Big 12, Big 10, and the PAC 12) because the committee only focus on those teams that have a tough schedule and have a quality win against an opponent.
It also shows that even a convincing win against a quality opponent in their respective conference does not mean much.
For example, Baylor was ranked No. 7 in the committee’s poll.
Didn’t Baylor come back from 21 points to defeat TCU 61-58 on a last-minute field goal a couple of weeks ago?
Shouldn’t that comeback win have any validation on what type of team Baylor is?
Not in this type of playoff system.
What this shows is that you must win every game in your schedule and have a convincing win against a school that is in the big five conferences.
Also, you must make sure that if you do lose, that it should happen early in the season and not late in the season because that could come back to hurt your playoff chances.
Maybe, the top professional sports leagues in North America should model the CFP.
That way, it could give teams with pedigree like the New York Yankees or the Los Angeles Lakers a chance every year to win a championship.
What are your thoughts on the College Football Playoff system?
Video Courtesy Of Baylor Athletics
There Is No “I” In Team
By Cheval John
Thank goodness you are not Kaelin Clay.
The senior wide receiver made what is possibly the bone headed play of the year that caused his team, the Utah Utes to lose against the Oregon Ducks 51-27.
The Utes had a 7-0 lead and had all the momentum going for them when quarterback Travis Wilson found Clay wide open down the field for what would have been a 78 yard touchdown pass.
However, Mr. Clay was so focused on celebrating the score that he dropped the football a yard shy before crossing into the endzone.
With a heads up play by Oregon’s defense, they pick up the football and returned it 99 yards for the touchdown and tied the score up at 7 after the extra point.
From that moment on, the Ducks steam rolled Utah en route to an important win that kept them alive for one of the four spots in the College Football Playoff.
The lesson from this: Always be a team player because it is not all about you.
Your actions can either elevate a business, organization, etc. or bring down them down very quickly like Mr. Clay’s foolish action brought down his Utah team against Oregon.
What are your thoughts on that wild play between Utah and Oregon?
Video courtesy of ESPN via BBA News
Introduction To Podcasting
By Cheval John
As promised in my last post, “The Process of Writing A Book,” I will be sharing each chapter of the book “8 Lessons Every Podcaster Needs To Learn.”
This will be my way of letting the readers of this site get to see my writing process in creating a book and also I want to be as real and transparent as possible.
I want the readers to be a part of the book writing process and share their feedback with me on whether this book will be beneficial for those who are looking to create their own podcast.
So without further ado, here is the “Introduction” to the book.
Podcasting has made a resurgence in the last 10 years.
It was a once forgotten medium because the technology was only available on computers.
After Apple created the iPod in 2005, many flocked back to podcasting because they believed that they could reach a wider audience.
They are signs that podcasting will continue to grow in the near future.
The reason is because Apple has led the way in innovation again with their new product, the Apple Carplay.
Carplay allows anyone to connect their iPhone to their cars.
It was released this year on selected car models like Ferrari, Honda, and Hyundia and will be available on all newer models with the rest of the big name brands in 2015.
One might think this is all great, but what all this have to do with podcasting?
The answer is everything because the iPhone has given people the capability to download their favorite podcasts and listen to it anywhere.
That means that if you are small business owner, freelance writer, a college student who are trying to showcase their expertise in order to land their dream job, etc, starting a podcast will allow you to reach your target audience and establish your credibility.
And it gets even better with Carplay because podcasters are able to reach people who have to commute to work on a weekly basis.
So you might still wonder why I should journey into podcasting when the medium is the 11th social media platform used by 6% of marketers according to the 2014 industry report by Social Media Examiner?
The reason is because that same report has indicated that 21% of marketers are going to create their own podcasts this year and 24% are thinking of the possibility of having a podcast.
So if you are convinced and are ready to have your very own podcast, I salute you.
As you are thinking about what platform will best fit your podcasting needs, the third chapter, “Start A Podcast” in my first book, “8 Things You Need To Do Before Quitting Your Job” explains what platform will work for the newbie podcaster.
When you come to the decision on which platform you feel comfortable with in creating your podcast,
more questions will enter your mind like how do I secure my first guest?
Should I reach out to that A-Lister or should I start local with the people I know?
This book, “8 Lessons Every Podcaster Needs To Learn” will be the step-by-step guide to grow your podcast the right way.
It is based on the lessons I learned the hard way while hosting my very own online radio show/podcast, “What’s The Word?” on BlogTalkRadio.
My hope is that you will avoid the same mistakes as a podcaster and that you will grow your personal brand and establish yourself as a thought leader whether you are a business owner, freelance writer, college student or even an employee.
Let the lessons begin.
Video courtesy of Cliff Ravenscraft
The Process of Writing A Book
By Cheval John
I had made a commitment that 2014 was going to be a break out year.
Along the way, I had a strong desire to write a book because it was a worthy challenge.
I can see why that is.
According to a New York Times article by Joseph Epstein, 81% of Americans dream of writing a book.
Only a few fulfill their book writing goals and I wanted to be among them.
So I made a commitment to Suitcase Entrepreneur, Natalie Sisson in her workshop that I was going to have a book written by the summer of 2014.
I was able to fulfill my promise and released the book, “8 Things You Need To Do Before Quitting Your Job” in April of this year.
Though it was a huge accomplishment to become an author, the book did not do well because I failed to do a book launch and market the book.
I even got a brutal feedback by a publicist who said that the book was not ready for prime time.
To make sure that I do not experience that failure again, I decided to take part in Nina Amir’s “Write NonFiction In November Challenge.”
A person who takes part in the challenge will have to blog their manuscript of their book and get it finished by November 30th.
Though I am a couple of days late to the challenge, I can get the book done because I have already written the manuscript on paper called, “8 Lessons Every Podcaster Needs To Learn.”
I will be starting the challenge tomorrow with the introduction of the book and you will be seeing “chapters” every Thursday, Friday and Saturday in addition to the posts relating to sports and travel.
I feel that it will be fun to let the readers see the process of writing a book and also leave their feedback on the book.
Have you ever thought about writing a book?
First Lesson In Podcasting: Start Locally
By Cheval John
This is the first “lesson” chapter of my second book “8 Lessons Every Podcaster Needs To Learn.”
I am blogging this book as part of Nina Amir’s Write Nonfiction In November challenge.
The post “The Process of Writing A Book” explains why I decided to join in this challenge.
You can see the introduction of the book, “Introduction To Podcasting” right here.
If you have a desire to write a book and want to join me in this challenge, then head over to Mrs. Amir’s blog to find out more about blogging a book.
Without further ado, here is the first chapter.
When many people are first starting out, they are tempted to reach out to the most recognizable person out there.
The logic is that the recognizable guest will “drive” many listeners to the show.
It is very reasonable if you want to start your podcasting journey on the right foot.
However, this is the wrong approach.
Many of these big name people will not even give you a second thought because your are not big enough, especially if you are just starting your podcast.
They will feel nervous because they do not know what to expect.
That is why it is important to start locally because your potential guest already know you and trust you.
If you built that relationship with the people who are prominent in your area, then it will be easier to approach them to be one of the “firsts” guest on your new show.
And once your podcast gains traction, it will be easier to reach out to the “big name” people because they will see your track record and nine times out of ten, they will accept.
When I was in preparation to launch my show, “What’s The Word?,” I reached out to a “prominent” person and she accepted the invitation.
Three days before the show was set to launch, she sent me a message saying that she was not able to do the show because she had to focus on her new clients and wished me luck.
Though I was bummed, it was a blessing in disguise because it allowed me to reach out to the people I already knew at my alma mater, Sam Houston State University.
The show launched a few weeks later and from that moment, I had many “well known” guests on the show.
So if you want to have a great start to your podcast career, it is really important to start locally.
What are your thoughts on podcasting? Leave your comment below.
Video courtesy of Nina Amir.
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