Ronaldinho – Olympic Museum

The Olympic Museum in Barcelona is one every sport fan has to see. From basketball to gymnastics you’re bound to find something relating to the sport you enjoy. As a huge Barcelona fan, the item that stood out to me the most was Ronaldinho’s boot.

Ronaldinho was born, Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 1980. He is often linked to Barça’s success. Ronaldinho not only scored 70 goals with the team but he also led them to victories and titles. He is also known for being the one to take the great Lionel Messi under his wing. Messi has said that Ronaldinho was more or less of a mentor to him; he often tried to copy his style of play. Lionel Messi was only a teenager when he first came to Barcelona, and Ronaldinho helped him settle in. Although Barça’s success isn’t owed only to Ronaldinho, we can agree that with his skills and talent, he played a big role.

At the time of his signing I was only 10 years old, and just starting to like Barcelona. He not only managed to become my favorite player but he managed to become, my idol, my inspiration, and the reason for me to start playing. I wanted to play like him, be like him, and do everything he did. It was no surprise to me that Messi felt the same way. When I first saw his boot, I had so many emotions. It was the thought that he used those same boots to score his many goals bringing Barcelona many victories, and bringing me pride and happiness.

Exploring New Social Networking Sites

When we think of social networks, the big ones that come to mind are Twitter and Facebook. Little do people know how many new social networks sites are being created and launched.

I found and joined two new ones and I’m sure there are many more. My biggest concern when joining new social networking sites is “How in the world do they work?” We are used to Facebook and Twitter that when we first join the sites they can be a bit confusing and overwhelming.

Both of the ones I joined, I came to find out later, were created by the creators of Twitter. They have launched Branch and Medium, two sites in which you can use Twitter to sign it. Branch lets Twitter users invite others into conversations, that don’t show up on everyone’s Twitter Timeline nor does it have a 140-character limit. Medium is like Pinterest. Users can publish a collection of articles, pictures, or other types of media so other users can see and rate it. 

I still haven’t completely figured both out, but wasn’t it like that when Facebook and Twitter first started? Its only a matter of time before we all switch from Facebook to new social networking site like how we once did from Myspace.

Tumblr Terms and Conditions

As I read through the terms I was very surprised with the content. Contrary to other terms I’ve read from different social networks  this one had the rules written and then had an explanation below for if anything was unclear. In that explanation, it seemed like the one who wrote the terms was actually speaking to YOU, the reader. And everything I read, is everything I expected, there was nothing shocking, or anything I didn’t like. They even used a bit of comedy. “You have to be at least 13 years old to use Tumblr. We’re serious: it’s a hard rule, based on U.S. federal and state legislation, even if you’re 12.9 years old. If you’re younger than 13, don’t use Tumblr. Ask your parents for an Xbox or try books.”

Facebook changed their terms to say that images uploaded to Facebook and Instagram belong to them, and at some point they said they could even sell them if they wanted to. Tumblr states that if a user uploads their own images, they grant Tumblr permission to make that content available, meaning others can reblog or it can appear on other users’ dashboard. “When you upload your creations to Tumblr, you grant us a license to make that content available in the ways you’d expect from using our services (for example, via your blog, RSS, the Tumblr Dashboard, etc.). We never want to do anything with your content that surprises you.” No hidden surprises on Tumblr. they’ve made it clear that what you upload to Tumblr is yours. “We’re thrilled to offer our support as a platform for our creators, and we’d never claim to be entitled to royalties or reimbursement for the success of what you’ve created. It’s your work, and we’re proud to be a part (however small) of what you accomplish.”

The more time I spend in this city the more I feel like this is the place where I might belong. I came here thinking all I wanted to do was go to the Barcelona games and that’s about all Barcelona could offer. It’s not that I didn’t know about all the history, the culture, the beautiful language, or the countless beautiful buildings, I just didn’t want to open myself too much to this city because I knew I was going to completely fall in love with it. And when the time came to leave I wasn’t going to be able to do it, that’s what I was afraid of. I guess it’s a bit too late now. Maybe one day I’ll come back and live here but right now I’m just going to focus on the time I have here. Yesterday my roommates and I went to yet another Barcelona game, and each time I walk into that beautiful stadium it never ceases to surprise me. The Barcelona game against Getafe was at noon. The last time Camp Nou had a game at that time was in 1965 but I don’t know why. Out of all the games I’ve attended, this one was my favorite. It was more family oriented. I think the best thing about going to Barcelona games is seeing  people from all ages, backgrounds, etc, coming together to show their support for this amazing club. We are all coming together to enjoy a game, a sport, that to me isn’t only a sport but a way of life.

Audience vs Public

In class, we discussed Rebecca Blood and her ´audience vs public.´ The first being that the audience is less active. For example, those watching a play are called an audience, sure they clap or laugh whenever something is funny or good but that’s it. They just sit there enjoying what’s put infront of them. After the play is over, they go home and go on with their regular life. A public on the other hand, they are more active, a public is more like a group of fans. A group of people that do more than just watch whatever project you’ve come to show them. They show support and even defend you when you need it. Its those people who are on the lookout for your next project, those who talk to you and give you feetback. Normally, people would rather have an audience than a public. Can you tell which are fans and which is just an audience?