CBSSports.com

Is it possible to find all the sports information one desires in a single website? Some might think so, especially those who are not the most avid sports fans and think a score is a score, so there is no need to read about it on multiple sites.  And yet, the sports aficionado will  remind you that, just like hard hitting news, sports has multiple stories, views, and perspectives that allow a single game to be presented in various forms.

CBSSports.com is just one of countless sites that offers information on all things sports. On the homepage, there are tabs located across the top with options listing all of the sports the site features.  It includes the usual sports, such as MLB, NHL, and NBA, but also has college basketball, college football, and even information on high school sports. 

The first tab option reads "Fantasy."  Fantasy leagues are a common feature of many sports sites, and CBSSports.com is no different. 

These tabs keep the site organized and give it a polished look. Zach Wise, a sophomore at Wyoming Seminary who checks various sports sites daily, says, "It's very organized and easy to follow."  Top stories can be found listed down the right side, and there is a log-in located at the top for members.  Overall, the site appears very straight forward and easy to maneuver. 

When comparing CBSSports.com to other sports sites, Wise says, "They basically all have the same information, but I still check various sports sites, like espn.com, for the different stories and points of view." 

Clearly espn.com is the more well known website, yet CBSSports.com holds up well as far as content.  If there was a drawback to the site, it would be the fact that because it is less well known, the writers working for the site are not always as top notch as you would find at espn.com. Thus, while ESPN has more notable journalists like baseball writer Jayson Stark, CBSSports.com does not feature these famous staff members. Many agree with Wise on his perspective that, "CBS has nobody you can compare to Stark." 

With or without these well known sports writers, CBSSports.com provides yet another view into the world of athletics, and countless dedicated sports fans check the site on a daily basis.

Youngman Talks College Basketball

Spencer Youngman, a senior at Wyoming Seminary, shares his opinions on the NCAA Big East Conference.  Be sure to check out his blog at http://www.thearmpittofsports.blogspot.com/.

Youngman Talks College Basketball by briannawise1

Riding Along With Tyler Linde

Tyler Linde, a sixth nationally ranked horseback rider and senior at Wyoming Seminary, discusses her current riding endeavors as well as her future in riding.

Barbie Foosball Table Worth $25,000

Mia Medico and Louise Lumia, both seniors at Wyoming Seminary, stand with the Limited Edition Barbie Foosball Table, valued at $24,999.99.  It is one of ten tables made, and can be found at FAO Schwartz. 

Useful Tools Not Used Enough

It is simple enough to find something online using Google Search.  Clearly most people agree with this statement, as according to freebase.com, "Google receives several hundred million queries each day through its various services." Google Search was originally developed by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1997, and has since been serving many people at work, home, school, and more recently from the convenience of one's phone. 

However, many of these millions of people that are searching online through Google everyday are not even aware of a feature that could make their process much easier.  Advanced Google Search allows people to narrow their search to avoid unwanted sites. There are search tools such as "But don't show pages that have..." and "Find web pages that have..." that could help make any search more specific. 

Advanced Google Search even takes it a step farther with a section that reads "Need more tools?" Under this category are options such as "Language" and "Results per page" that can limit a search even more if a person so desires. 

In the case of reasearching for an article, Advanced Google Search could be particularly beneficial.  The different search options would help present the researcher or journalist with exactly the information they need, and could help ensure the reliability and credibility of the source.  However, with all of the options the advanced search employs, this could also limit the results that appear, thus restricting the amount of information received. 

Another tool which could be utilized by journalists and students alike is databases.  In fact, the quote featured in the first paragraph of this post comes from a database called freebase.com.  In almost every history class freshman and sophomore year at Wyoming Seminary, students are provided with information on all of the school's databases from Mrs. Lewis or Mrs. Miller, the school's librarians.  These databases are intended to help students write essays, term papers, and simply to research more effectively.  Yet, how many students even use these databases? According to Zach Wise '13, "Pretty much everyone only uses the databases when it is required; usually students just type things into Google for research." 

While the databases can be useful, most people do not take the time to search through them, as instead they head straight for whatever search engine is found on their computer.  Both databases and Advanced Google Search are tools that can help provide information very specific to a particular subject, yet many people still are using Wikipedia as their site of choice.  However, in the case of  journalism, where it is especially important for information to be accurate, databases and Advanced Google Search should be employed much more frequently.

To test out Advanced Google Search for yourself, click here.

Really Simple Syndication Is Really That Simple

It seems as though people are always looking for shortcuts, hoping to find a simpler way to do something.  That is exactly what RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, does for people.  Since their creation in March 1999 by Netscape, RSS feeds have quickly developed into yet another useful online tool. 

RSS is a family of web feed formats which deliver regularly changing web content.  Web feeds help publishers by allowing them to syndicate their content automatically.  They also thus benefit the reader by allowing people to stay readily updated on their sites of interest. As a result, you do not have to sit on the computer clicking from site to site, as all of the content you desire comes up on the RSS feed. 

RSS Feeds are often used by news sites, blogs, and other publishers to keep their readers up to date on information from their site.  Another benefit of RSS is that it can also be read using a mobile device as long as it has an RSS reader, allowing updates to be sent even to a person's pocket, and adding another useful shortcut to the lives of all people. 

According to Connor Scallaet, Contributing Editor and Site Engineer of T3ch H3lp, RSS feeds are useful for many people.  "If I like to visit 7 websites daily for my news, an RSS feed takes all seven websites and posts all of their articles, incuding rich metadata, in one place for me, and may provide a more dynamic interface for reading news other then sites.  Examples of this are Flipboard on iPad and Pulse on iOS."

Though many people are not consciously aware of the work an RSS feed does, they are commonly used by many people and make checking favorite websites much easier.  Scallaet says, "So it solves the problem of checking lots of websites and it keeps you updated by taking loads of feeds and putting them into one place." 

When Netscape created RSS feeds, they did so because they "wanted to use an XML  Extensible Markup Language [XML] format to distribute news, stories and information."  This was successfully done, and RSS feeds have become a staple in the lives of many.

Looking for more information on RSS feeds? Check out "Syndicating Web Sites with RSS Feeds For Dummies," by Ellen Finkelstein and Chris Pirillo.

Tweetaholic

            Admittedly, I was very skeptical when I first heard about Twitter.  At the same time, though, I was curious. I wanted to know what so many people could possibly find fascinating about learning their friend went to the mall, or some celebrity they will never know is about to go eat pizza.  So, after being told countless times that I "needed" a Twitter account, I decided to cave and make one.  I must say, right after making my account, I immediately joined ranks with countless others claiming to be addicted.  Reading that Spencer Youngman, a senior at Wyoming Seminary, is watching a Syracuse basketball game, or that Khloe Kardashian is on a plane to New York City has become a part of my everyday life.  I even downloaded the Twitter app on my iPhone, which is probably the most used application I have.
            Ironically enough, as much as I love reading the tweets of others, I have only ever posted under ten tweets, since I find it hard to believe that others will find what I have to say to be fascinating.  I am still unsure of how I feel about posting tweets myself; however, I am quite content with simply reading the tweets of others for the time being. 
            After admitting my fascination with Twitter, I have heard many people joke that all Twitter is good for is stalking the lives of others.  However, in June of 2009, Time magazine provided an explanation for why so many find learning a person is going for a run is interesting. The article's title, by Robyn Twomey, claims that "Twitter Will Change the Way We Live."  Twomey writes, "And yet as millions of devotees have discovered, Twitter turns out to have unsuspected depth. In part this is because hearing about what your friends had for breakfast is actually more interesting than it sounds. The technology writer Clive Thompson calls this 'ambient awareness': by following these quick, abbreviated status reports from members of your extended social network, you get a strangely satisfying glimpse of their daily routines.  We don't think it at all moronic to start a phone call with a friend by asking how her day is going. Twitter gives you the same information without your even having to ask."   Read the whole article here.
            This well planned and clearly stated assertion turns the "stalking" aspect of Twitter into something much more socially acceptable.  Yet, even if you still are the type of person who does not care about these updates in the lives of others, Twitter serves a wide variety of purposes, from reading about election results at amazing speeds to finding out the score of the Phillies game as it is happening.  Regardless of what you hope to get out of Twitter, I believe it is possible for all people to find something about this website that appeals to them. 

Above are the results of a survey done by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project.  The survey began November 3, 2010, and ran for 21 days.  It shows how often Twitter users check for material posted by others.  The results help show that, for the most part, Twitter addicts are not alone.