Social Networks and Potential Pitfalls for Recruits

Just about everybody is on one social network or another, if not all, these days. It is a great way to reconnect and/or stay connected with people. Facebook and My Space lead the charge with 150 million and 115 million users, respectively.

Being able to upload photos, videos, comments, etc. or being tagged in a video or photo is cool and fun. However, more and more colleges are using social networks, not only to communicate with prospects, but to do research and keep an eye on them as well.

The internet alone can be image damaging for athletes. Michael Phelps and Matt Leinert anyone?

However, when it comes to college recruiting and potentially $100,000 in scholarship money, student athletes need to very cautious about what is posted on their profiles.

I currently work with a college kicker who is graduating and hoping to get a shot at the pros. When I became his "friend" on facebook, I had the ability to look at his profile and all of his photos. I came across several where he had been tagged by others while attending a Halloween costume party. In several of the photos, he was holding a beer. He is over 21 and legal to drink alcohol, but I don't think that he would want NFL teams seeing photos of him partying...

Both NFL and Colleges want to recruit athletes with integrity, good character, etc. The internet in general, makes it easier for everyone to find and see people.

If you are actively using your social network profiles, exercise caution in what you post and be aware of what others may post about you. Ultimately, you shouldn't have to worry about if anything is posted or not about you if you are an upstanding citizen. However, high school athletes are still young and make mistakes from time to time. Believe or not, I made a couple in high school.

When those mistakes are made, just make sure that they don't find their way onto the internet...Here is a good article on this topic.

Be smart on the field, at school, at events and online.

Recruiting and Social Networks

The NCAA has been working hard to keep up with the advancement of technology as it relates to communication avenues and their bylaws.

For a few years, phone calls from coaches were not allowed during Non-Contact period. However, coaches could sent text messages. Those were before the unlimited texting plans came out. I heard stories of prospects' parents getting phone bills for hundreds of dollars...

More and more, college coaches are relying on social networks to do their homework on prospects as well as communicate. As we join more social networks with cool new applications for communicating, I suspect the NCAA will continue to make amendments to their bylaws to ensure that coaches are not finding "loop holes" to contact student-athletes.

With the meteoric rise of Facebook and others like MySpace, the ability to message people using their internal email platforms has become popular yet cumbersome at the same time. I find myself trying to remember if I sent a message through standard email or through one of the social network sites. Who is contacting me, where and how? It reminds me of the scene from the movie, He's Just Not That Into You, with Drew Barrymore when she mentions that she has to go around checking all of the different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies is exhausting.

Well, the NCAA has adapted accordingly. The NCAA Division I Bylaw 13.4.1.2, states that, "e-mail is not limited to a traditional e-mail service provided by an institution, Website or Internet service provider. Therefore, it is permissible for an athletics department staff member to send electronically transmitted correspondence to a prospective student-athlete using a social networking Web site's (e.g., MySpace, Facebook) e-mail feature. All other electronically transmitted correspondence including, but not limited to, text messaging, Instant Messenger, chat rooms or message boards (e.g., a user's wall) within a social networking Web site or through other services or applications remain impermissible.

For example, a coaching staff member with a MySpace or Facebook account may send electronically

transmitted correspondence to a prospective student-athlete's MySpace or Facebook account using the e-mail inbox feature located on that user's profile page. However, a coaching staff member may not send electronic correspondence to a prospective student-athlete via the comments feature on MySpace or the wall-to-wall feature on Facebook."

It goes on further by adding that it is permissible for a prospective student-athlete's name and/or picture to appear on an athletics department staff member's profile page of a social networking Web site to identify the prospective student-athlete as a "friend" of the athletics department staff member. Institutions should note that the identification of the prospective student-athlete as a "friend" on an athletics staff members profile page confirms only the institution's potential recruitment of that individual. However, institutions are reminded they may not make any public comments about the prospective student-athlete's ability, the contribution that the prospective student-athlete might make to the institution's team or the likelihood of the prospective student-athlete's signing with that institution.

The fact that colleges can contact you through social networks is good in that it provides another avenue for contacting prospects. However, it is a reminder to be careful about what you are posting to your social network profiles...College coaches are out there looking.

The Importance of Video in the Recruiting Process

In a recent survey, 100% of all college coaches responded that video is VERY import when evaluating talent. Especially when first assessing the athlete. Now check this out, in another recent poll only 2-3% of student-athletes have video readily accessible online for college coaches to view.

College coaches like to coach, but part of their job is to recruit and find athletes that fit their program. That involves looking at video, traveling, etc. The cost of traveling has affected every college program. The smaller programs don't have the budget to travel and visit all of their prospects. What do they do? They rely on video. What is fast becoming the best way to view video? Online.

Having video online is one of the most efficient means for coaches. DVDs and VHS tapes have been the norm for many years. However, the time it takes to open the package, then the case, insert it into the computer, wait for it to upload and then finally view ONE person can take up a lot of valuable time for coaches. Let alone that it clutters their office. They often trip over the stacks, get mad and throw them in the trash.

I am not saying that DVDs are not valuable. They are, but only if they are personally requested by a coach. There are two types of video from a coach's perspective:

• Unsolicited videos (those that many athletes just send out to colleges with their "fingers crossed")

• Solicited videos (those that a coach has specifically requested and are looking for it to come in the mail)

Why not make everyone's job easier and effective with an online video profile. Their are many great features that online video profiles can provide.

For athletes:

• The ability to constantly update your video

• Not having to produce additional DVDs and mail them out

• Sending emails with links to your video profile

• Tracking profile views by coaches

• Affordability

For college coaches:

• Easily managing player videos

• Viewing video quickly of athletes

• Creating watch lists of favorite athletes

• Searching for athletes that meet their requirements

• Receiving notifications when athletes sign up

How do you get video? There are many options to getting video.

• Your coach (if they film your games/matches)

• A parent (caution, the video can get shaky if they get excited while watching you perform)

• A friend (buy him lunch for every match he films)

• A professional videographer (you can split the cost with other teammates)

Video is critical to getting your "foot in the door." It is worth the time and effort to film your performance and post it to an online.

How are you going to do to separate yourself from the competition?

Marketing Yourself to Colleges

You have signed up with the NCAA Eligibility Center and identified you top 15 schools that you would like to attend. Now you have to let them know that you exist. Marketing yourself is vital if you would like to get on colleges' radar screens. If you are as good as Reggie Bush, stop reading this because you are good go. If you NOT Reggie Bush, you need to be positioned so that you separate yourself from the competition.

Where to start? First of all you need a resume. Now a days, having an online presence is vital. Many college coaches use the internet to get introduced to student-athletes. It is 1000x easier for them to view online profiles then to have to worry about getting paper cuts when opening your mail. Secondly, you need video. Having video is key in helping coaches during the recruiting process. In a recent poll taken by ActiveRecruiting.com, 100% of the coaches polled answered that video was very important. Next, you need to present your resume in a way that is user friendly for coaches. College coaches want to efficiently view your resume. If you make it hard for them or have incomplete/inaccurate information, chances are they will scratch you off their list.

The reality is that there are several student-athletes that they could recruit who are on a similar skill level as you. Again, what you need to do is set yourself apart from the competition. How are you going to do that? Work smarter. Work your way to the front of the line.

Take advantage of technology to spread the word that you are their "Answer." Every college sports team has a web page. Besides D1 Football and D1 Basketball, you can easily find contact information, phone numbers and email addresses, for coaches in most sports and divisions. They want to be contacted.

Yes, the NCAA has restrictions on when they can contact you. However, there are no restrictions on when and how often you can contact them.

• Start with an email to the coach

• Copy and paste a direct link to your online resume

• This puts them one click from being introduced to you and viewing your video

• Follow up with a phone call (Student-Athletes make the call not the Parents)

• When you reach them, chances are they are in their office and in front of their computer

• Direct them to you video profile

• Utilize this call to serve as an interview

• Be confident when speaking with them

• Keep calling until you reach them

My soccer coach used to tell us, "Keep shooting on goal. Eventually, you are going to score." I believe that this advice can be used in recruiting as well. There are hundreds to thousands of college programs out there. There will be several that will be a good fit for you academically as well as athletically, if you are willing to be flexible.

Sending DVDs can be helpful, but most coaches throw them away so they won't trip over them in their offices. These are called "unsolicited" DVDs and a waste of money. Think about the cost to produce and mail out DVDs to hundreds of schools? If you do have DVDs produced, wait until a college requests them.

With an online video profile, you can consistently update your video without having to produce a new DVD. Signing up to an online recruiting site that allows college coaches to search by filters can only increase your odds of being discovered. However, you still need to be very pro-active in getting your name out.

With the cost of gas, many colleges will cut back on traveling. However, they still need to recruit. Help make their jobs easier and increase your odds by working wisely in promoting yourself.

No one is going to market yourself better than you and/or your parent. If you are serious about playing college sports, then be prepared to do whatever it takes...

Recruiting Realities

There have been many good articles written on recruiting over the years. However, in the New York Times, there were several about college recruiting and scholarship money. The series of articles definitely highlighted the somber tails that some student-athletes experience. Like anything else, we usually only get to hear or read about the top 1% who have success.

I believe that there needs to be a shift of thinking in the college recruiting process, both by parents and student-athletes. As athletes we have pride. Sometimes that pride serves us well and other times it can hurt us. Most of us expect or hope for scholarships to play in college. Parents definitely hope for it and think that we are the next best player since Tom Brady (Coincidently, he was a 6th round draft pick.)

Yes, college tuition is getting more expensive every year. Therefore, we feel that it is important to get a scholarship. I know that I was looking to get one to help my parents. (I was also hoping that if I got a scholarship out of high school, they would buy me a Suzuki Samurai with wood paneling on the side.)

Neither happened. I ended up "walking on" at the University of Virginia and driving a beat up Ford Pinto with no A/C. The summer after I graduated high school, I received a call from Liberty University with an offer for a “full ride.” I respectfully declined.

It should not be about “show(ing) me the money.” I understand

that there are some people that cannot go to college for financial reasons

unless they get an athletic scholarship.

However, for this discussion, the shift in mind set should be focused on the benefits of playing college sports. Athletics offer more long term benefits then tuition alone.

Pursuing sports in college can increases acceptance opportunities. Once there, just a few of the traits you learn are:

• Time management

• Discipline

• Team work

• Self-Motivation

• How to deal well with pressure

Those skills and a college degree will ultimately land you with a great job when you graduate. Many employers look first to student-athletes for the above mentioned traits when hiring. If fact there is even a website geared towards hiring student-athletes out of high school: http://www.athletes4hire.com.

Read the series of articles in the NY Times .

Good luck!