Reflections on Online Project module

When we started this module, my expectations weren't too high. Using the Internet day-in and day-out, I just thought there wasn't anything new to learn about really. I thought I would get bored with it. So, I wasn't too thrilled to start off with.

How wrong I was! I heard of blogging before, but finally getting the chance and being given and shown the initiative how to do it, was great! There is a difference between hearing of features and then actually actively using them yourself! I think I haven't written more text in six weeks or at least haven't enjoyed it as much ever before. I guess, that is because we were able to choose our own topics of interest with our own opinions in contrast to the other modules where we have to write essays on topics that are given to us, we don't necessarily have much of a clue of, and have to do much more research and have to provide a load of references with it. 

I especially enjoyed writing the Football Features as I explained in my Reflections on it. I could write 100 blogs on the sport but had to keep control of myself. It was difficult for me to make my mind up, what to post and what to leave out, as we obviously had a limit of how much to post. For example with the match report, I had originally planned to write it all in one but when I noticed how much material I had, I made two blogs of it, the Match Summary and Match Report. 

The opposite it was though with the summary of the weekend's action. I originally thought of making two separate blogs, one with my predictions and reactions to the results and one with the best and worst bits. But when I came to think of it, I thought that to do four out of the five features we had to do all on football, it would be too much on the weekend's action, with hardly any room left for any other features. So, I compromised and put them both in one Weekend Summary feature.

Another part of the Online Project that surprised me, was the Group Project. As I said in my Reflections on it, I was positively surprised in this case, too. Beforehand, I just didn't have a clue about what to do and who would join me on it. But, with Amy's idea my day was saved and I really enjoyed writing about different comedy features and ideas. So, sometimes you are given the ideas and can do more with them than you would have thought previously.

The module also made me realise that my interest and passion in writing and sports has never been stronger. Not all modules do that. That's why this module is definitely one of my favourites, making this semester the best so far for me.

All in all, it was good fun and I learnt more with it than I expected beforehand. It just underlined and confirmed that you never know everything. I am aware now how naive I was, thinking I knew something just to realise and have my eyes opened that this was not the case. But, I guess, as long as you still have those moments of realisation, you are learning and making progress. And that is always good. 

(image provided by the Wedding Dimension website)

Reflecting on the Football Feature

I enjoyed this Football Feature project the most because I could concentrate on a topic that interests me most, that is my passion.

With football, you never run out of material, be it coverage of individual teams or matches, individual players or managers, depending on what is the latest breaking news. Week-in, week-out, there are new matches and clashes, new headlines and material to work with. You can never run out of material to cover! 

And as I always say about sports news in general, it is the only news that isn't dominated by bad news (latest abuse and murder cases, explosions and death tolls in conflict areas, job losses and poverty stats in effect of the credit crunch, etc. etc.). 

As I mentioned in my Feature Idea blog, too, I am a regular follower of football blogs written by various former players and pundits on the Sky Sports Opinion page and was led by their example with my ideas and how to realise them.

There is a short personal background story to this passion of mine: 

I have enjoyed football all my life and started writing about it at a young age. When I was about nine, I had an infection to my brain and lost my memory temporarily. Especially my long-term memory was affected. I started writing down the weekly Premiership results, stats and facts about the top league's teams and especially focused on my beloved Liverpool. I collected everything about them. I started writing down the stats and facts of every match I got to see live of my holy Reds with a little personal match summary at the end of each of them, too. I just always wanted to be up to date and remember the state of the football affairs. 

Now, over ten years later, I could fill a little football library with the stuff that has accumulated over the years. But I still haven't lost my passion for the sports nor to write about it, quite the opposite. That has brought me on onto the career path of becoming a journalist. I want to turn my passion into my job. That is why I am sitting here, doing the course, trying to get my foot in the door. 

So, I hope this explains why I have enjoyed this week's feature blogs the most and can't wait to take it over as my job!

(images taken from: top left: chosengirls.ning.com; bottom right: scribblepad.co.uk)

Football Feature: Reflections

What would Christmas time be without football?!

Having grown up in Germany where football takes time out over Christmas and New Year since the 1986/87 season (yes, it’s true!!!), I know there are actually places where they celebrate the holidays without a single game! 

Thank god my parents have Sky Plus! I could not even try to imagine what Boxing Day and the New Year would be without the main meals and matches of the season! It is the most decisive period of the season! Whoever ends up top of the Christmas tree/table and has a happy New Year ends up the happiest end of the season, too, nine times out of ten!

When the Germans blow their final whistles of the year, the English season just kicks off to its peak time with big - if not the biggest and most decisive - matches like title defenders Man Utd against contenders Chelsea (11/01/2009) and Arsenal versus top-of-the-table Liverpool (21/12/2008, can’t wait!). 

Other juicy delights from the current top seven: Seventh place Everton against second Chelsea who keep the chase close at the top with only one point separating them from top Liverpool at the moment (22/12/2008); Champions League place face-off between Aston Villa and low-in-form Arsenal (26/12/2008); high flyers Hull against Aston Villa who want to consolidate their chances of competing in Europe next season (30/12/2008).

These amongst many other fixtures may, and most probably will as always, prove the most decisive of the season – at the top and bottom of the table.

As a Liverpool fan, I obviously have the Reds on my Christmas and New Year wish list for glory and as champions, but apart from that, I wish all teams and fans a juicy, festive and happy Christmas and New Year! Christmas and football forever!

(image taken from lakenheath old boys blog)