Twice in my career, I have interviewed for the top communications position at my alma mater, Texas Tech University. (The first time, several years ago, somehow I came in #2. Incidentally and sadly, that is the same high mark in the national rankings achieved by former Red Raider Coach Mike Leach.)
I have been vocal over the years because my school interviewed me, asked for ideas, took notes, didn’t hire me and then implemented some of my ideas, regardless. LOL.
I used to be bitter.
Today, I think I am forever grateful that I didn’t get the job. You see … I can’t imagine dealing with the nightmare of negative public opinion surrounding Texas Tech right now. The “Guns Up” university now is the butt of jokes around the country for a self-inflicted head wound — firing the most winning, quirkiest, most famous head coach in the school’s history.
Don’t get me wrong. I still dranks the red/black Koolaid, and I will support new Coach Tommy Tuberville and the next ragtag band of South Plains overachievers … but this mess doesn’t look good for the school — not in the public eye, nor in what I have read of the impending court battle. This Mike Leach is not only a genius coach … he himself is an attorney … and it appears he used his Pepperdine law prep to make his stand as administrators at Texas Tech tagged teamed against him.
Although I didn’t press the issue with my contact from Texas Tech, the firing of Mike Leach was summarized in this way. “You don’t tell your boss to ‘F.O.'”
Well … no … and a good boss doesn’t back their best employee into a corner …
I won’t get into all of that — the courts will … And, if you wish to, here’s an excellent piece from Double T Nation:
Anyway … Because I love Texas Tech football (the classic underdogs) and I am addicted to social media … for me this week Lubbock, Texas was like the center of the universe.
You see, after Tech fired the guy (Mike Leach) who put them on “60 Minutes,” in The New York Times, on the cover of Texas Monthly, on page 1 of USA Today, etc. … a movement began. In a matter of days, the Team Leach page on Facebook sported some 65,000 members … or “pirates” as many are calling themselves to honor their fallen leader’s popular fascination.
Team Leach is an excellent public affairs/new media case study — vocal, instantaneous, mostly positive, more organized than a flash mob — propelled by the Internet, motivated by justice. As a blogger, it got my attention. Potentially, the social media aspect could be more significant than the football fiasco.
So, when I heard about a Team Leach rally, I booked a hotel room in Lubbock, and pointed my Pingmobile north. By the way … if you have not driven the stretch of road from Abilene to Lubbock, you should. There are thousands (I didn’t count as I texted and drove … that would be unsafe …) of huge, towering, space-age windmill turbines. On an overcast day, with a little sun peeking through for highlights … it looks like an invasion right out of “War Of The Worlds.” Pretty trippy.
Speaking of windmills, Tech just announce a deal with the Pantex nuclear facility near Amarillo:
Small wonder. Texas Tech is not only smack dab in the middle of Tornado Alley … it is about as windy a place as you will find. Ha … and that is why, when PingWi-Fi was looking for a place to hold a media stunt for our official launch, we contacted Texas Tech University in 2008. Our media-centric idea was to blog around the clock, from TTU Memorial Circle, fully powered by wind energy … until the wind or our hot air ran out. TTU passed us around to a few departments, but was not interested. They did however refer us to a local windmill museum, which rather than see any media value whatsoever if we were successful, offered to rent their facility to us. We took our high-tech tools elsewhere — a “tiny” somewhat well known T-Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot — the San Francisco International Airport hosted the launch of PingWi-Fi.com instead.
PingWi-Fi SFO Media Launch
Oh no … I’m not bitter .. LOL … But is there a theme here .. One in which freethinking, outspoken types do not flourish in Lubbock??? Okay, okay …
I digress …
Anyway … the Team Leach rally seemed perfect for PingWi-Fi — a real mindmeld of two of our passions — Tech and tech. How could we maximize our impact in covering the event After we put on our thinking cap (geek beanie with propeller), we decided to rush it and try video streaming of the event for our first time.
Overnight, PingWi-Fi set up and tested a new channel on Ustream, allowing us to “broadcast” events to the world, via a Web connection.
But …. Therein lies the problem. After spending hours to set up, test and “soft open” our streaming channel — one hour before the event our channel was running! Then, we ran into issues with Wi-Fi on the Texas Tech campus. The Wi-Fi! Can you believe that?
Almost as prominent as the TTs on Texas Tech is the AT&T brand all over the university. The new AT&T Jones Stadium expansion towers over the Lubbock turf, with its sponsor’s logo visible all along University Avenue — over by Spanky’s where I had fried shrooms for old time’s sake. Good food .. NO Wi-Fi! Sorry Lisa, no score. Ha. Another point of contention … An old acquaintance now owns that sandwich shop. I salute her for being featured in a Tech publication a few years back because she bought and enhanced the sandwhich shop. “Sour Grapes 201” — when my previous blog was in USA Today, The Washington Post, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The Miami Herald and other media around the country … the Tech same publication was not interested in my story. No … I am still not bitter.
Back to AT&T …
If you look at the photos of the TT press conference — ala Tommy Tuberville — you will see AT&T logos and Texas Tech logos on the photo backdrop. My point? AT&T pretty much “owns” or rent a big chunk of what was at one time the biggest (acreage) campus in the United States. So, how in the world could Texas Tech have a lackluster Wi-Fi network?
(I admit that I assumed there was probably a customer friendly AT&T Wi-Fi network on campus. And we all know what assume does to “u and me” …)
Well .. Maybe not lackluster … but it certainly is not my BFF … For those who are pre-registered and can get on the system, it probably performs quite well. But … getting on is the issue. I headed to Tech’s Memorial Circle for the Team Leach rally with my video camera, a couple of laptops and even a special Wi-Fi antennae to increase my range. BUT … I could not get on the network … even with the username and password graciously provided by the Tech PR team. (If only I had more time to read the full page of instructions … my bad.)
Prior to the event, someone said in passing that the Tech Wi-Fi network was not exactly user friendly. I took note, sort of, but never dreamed it probably would take 10-15 minutes to get up and running. I encountered similar Wi-Fi networks on my first coast-to-coast Wi-Fi blog … yah, back in 2004! This is 2010! How can this be?
Well .. Needless to say my degree from Texas Tech was not from its storied school of electrical engineering, but I can usually hold my own when it comes to getting on a Wi-Fi network. I have done so in 55+ major U.S. cities at a few thousand hotspots. But, in Lubbock, Texas … Streaming PingWi-Fi ? Sacked!
Thank goodness Team Leach wasn’t depending on me to stream their event. One of their team members, positioned beside me, had the video up and running on LiveStream … using a Verizon air card. Score one for 3G.
So … the debut of streaming PingWi-Fi will come later. Hopefully, I am finished ragging on my school for a while … and I look forward to Texas Tech football 2010.
Congratulations to Team Leach organizers. In the wake of a horrible, media-grabbing disaster of biblical proportion … their event drew about 500 people on campus — a combination of students, alumni, townspeople and spokespirates. On line, the video stream attracted a few thousand viewers on a work day … and their cause continues to grow on line.
To the surprise of many … the Team Leach message was overwhelmingly positive. Team Leach was vocal that it supports Texas Tech … but it also supports honor and accountability at all levels. And the pirate horde of the Red Raider Nation is also prepared to support the new Captain TT.
Oh … one last bone to pick. Many years ago, I dreamed of playing basketball for Texas Tech. I’ll say it … I “had game.” My team twice made it to the high school regional playoffs, hosted in Lubbock on campus in the old Texas Tech coliseum, under the nose of then TTU basketball coach Gerald Myers. Ha … never even got a letter of interest. Tech did however recruit a guy from a neighboring town in the Texas Panhandle about that time. He had had three inches on me, so in spite of my higher shooting percentage (according to sports clips from the day) … it was probably the right decision. Also he had a haircut that looked like Rod Stewart … but I don’t think that was significant in then Coach Myer’s thought process. Any way … my buddies and I went to see this new Red Raider play roundball … so many years ago, in one of his first times on the squad. He played a few minutes in the game. The one time he got the ball, open, he threw up a shot from the baseline, in the corner … the place where I used to shoot. His shot? It hit the side of the backboard and bounced out of bounds … No. I’m not bitter … LOL.
And to end on a positive note. I did get to experience Tech basketball 2010, during my quick trip … The United Spirit Arena is a far cry from the dark, echoing drum of a coliseum in which I dreamed of playing. I watched the Red Raiders play Missouri. Although the score turned out wrong, there was one excellent item featured on the scoreboard during the game — free software.
Texas Tech has just launched a new, free application — TTU Mobile, a suite of applications that allow the handheld user to find and bookmark courses, navigate the campus, stay updated on schedules and news of all Red Raider teams.
Know what I sayin?
