Dan Tudor

by Sean Devlin, Front Rush

Are you looking for a better way to show off your school’s facilities to recruits?

We found a really cool app that can help.

There is a new app out on the iPhone and iPad called TourWrist (tourwrist.com) that allows you to take full panoramic pictures of, well, anything and share them via email, on the web, facebook, twitter, or other social media sharing websites (or even your school’s website!)  All that you do is download the app (free) and follow the directions. Its as simple as spinning in a circle and taking a couple of pictures. After a few minor adjustments, your combined panoramic picture is uploaded to the web and available to be shared.

Here is a quick example of our office…
http://frontrush.com/web/landing/assortment/front_rush_office.html

So take the above example and apply it to your facilities. Do you have a great soccer stadium? TourWrist it. Your locker rooms just re-done? TourWrist it. Great engineering building? TourWrist it.

The social implications are cool too. All of the pictures that you take can be embedded directly into Facebook or shared via Twitter. By the time this article is released we will probably do the exact same thing and share our office picture on our social networks.

Sean Devlin, the technical genius behind the Front Rush recruiting management system, is one of the featured speakers at the upcoming National Collegiate Recruiting Conference.  He’ll have more to share at this must-attend event…don’t miss it!  Click here to register.

by Sean Devlin, Front Rush

Here at Front Rush, we do a lot of traveling and over time we have found that there is absolutely one thing we cannot live without:

Noise cancelling headsets.

You know, the earphones with the huge “ears”? They not only look cool but are absolutely a level above their ear plug counterparts. Why? Well they cancel out all of the background noise…like the hum of an airplane, or the buzz of traffic going by, or water running behind you. They cancel out this noise so that any audio that you are playing comes in crystal clear.  We find that this piece of technology is one of the least utilized by college coaches, but offers tremendous up-side for the coaches who make them a part of their daily work life.

The obvious application is when you are traveling and on the road, or on a plane but we also have found them great for productivity around the office. While working, we like to wear them to clear out distractions and interference as we keep our coaches updated with the latest and best technology that powers our web-based recruiting management system.

But at this point, you might say your current earplugs that came with your iPhone or Android work just fine. Well, once you use noise canceling, you will never go back. They are amazing and the best way to test what I’m telling you is to ask if any of your players have a pair and try theirs. If not, you can test them at your local Best Buy or electronics store.

So how much do they cost? Well the high-end can get a bit expensive, as is the case with most of today’s technology. My favorites are the Bose QuietComfort headphones, which go for about $300 bucks. There are also the Beats by Dre (Dr. Dre) and they can go north of $300. But there are less expensive versions like the Sony Noise-Canceling Headphones which are about $50, and do a pretty good job as well.

Whichever direction you go, we very much recommend using noise canceling headphones when you are on the road. They look great, they feel great, and they make your audio super clear.  And if you need to focus in and get work done at the office, they aren’t too bad either!

Front Rush has developed college sports’ leading recruiting database management system, and it’s used by thousands of the top coaches around the country.  Why is it so popular?  Click here to find out…you’ll be glad you did!

by Sean Devlin, Front Rush

Last week, Apple made their iPad 3 announcement and like any good tech enthusiast, we were glued to our screens.  Also, like every tech enthusiast, we are on the waiting list to get one.  With that said, we wanted to do give you our initial impressions so that you can decide whether or not this new version of iPad should be in your future:

• The first great thing is not the fact that the iPad 3 was announced, but that the iPad 2 is now only $399. The iPad 2 is an amazing device and if you have been debating on getting one for some time, but concerned about budget, now is the chance to gobble it up.
• Don’t have an iPad?  Get an iPad 3.
• Have an iPad 1? Seriously consider the iPad 3.
• Have an iPad 2?  Well, are you worried about connectivity at high speeds? Do you need a crisper image? Are you just a tech geek? If the answer is “yes” to any of these then you should consider the iPad 3. If the answer is “no” to all, then you will be extremely happy with your current device and not missing out on a whole ton.
• What is soooo great about this new device?  Well first off, it has Apple’s retina display which basically means that the picture will look very crisp and sharp. Secondly, you can get it with 4G LTE.  This just means that you can use it on cellular networks (AT&T / Verizon / a slew of others in Canada) on their fast connections.  It records at 1080p HD Video, too. This means that videos and pictures that you take on it, will be very clear. You can use it as a hotspot (on Verizon) which means that it can be your portable internet that you can connect other devices to. It has “Dictation” which is a water-downed version of Siri (for those iPhone owners). This allows you to talk to your iPad to take notes, write an email, etc. Lastly, it still has great battery life. Even with all of the new specs, the battery life is listed at about 10 hours.

So what are the costs?

16GB is $499, the 32GB is $599, and the 64GB is $699. The GB is just how much stuff you can store on it. You only need a 32GB or 64GB if you are storing tons of stuff like video on it.

The 16GB with 4G cellular is $629 plus a cellular contract, the 32GB with 4G cellular is $729 plus cellular contract, and the 64GB with 4G cellular is $829 plus cellular contract.

Hopefully that clears a few things up, Coach.   See you in line!

Front Rush is the national leader for technology and recruiting organization services designed specifically for college coaches.  Their landmark recruiting organization contact management system is #1 with college coaches.  Do you use it?  Click here to find out why it works.

by Sean Devlin, Front Rush

Have you been checking your Other inbox?

Have you missed any important messages sent to you?

Well, its definitely possible due to the rules around Facebook’s “Social Inbox”.

Here’s the story, Coach:  Over a year ago, Facebook made some changes to their messaging system that put rules into place for receiving messages from other people on Facebook. The logic was very simple: If a person is your friend, or friend of a friend, then messages that they send you on Facebook will show up in your messages section. If a person is not in the group above, then their message will go into your “Other” folder. The problem is that nobody seems to check their “Other” folder and you are not notified the same way as your primary inbox. So as a result, many messages sent to you go unread.

If you are a division that allows for messaging to and from recruits, then it is very possible that you have some pending messages from recruits that are weeks, or even months, old. If you are in Division III, where Facebook messaging is not currently permitted, its still worth checking out because their certainly could be some personal messages that you wish you would have seen.

The reverse is true as well. Again, NCAA permitting, messages that you send recruits (on Facebook) will go into their “Other” folder if you are not currently their friend or friend of a friend. Its kinda like the whole spam thing. So it is a good idea to ask recruits to check out that folder as well.

Here’s how to check out your “Other” folder:

• Go to your messages section in Facebook by clicking the icon at the top of the page.
• Then in the navigation on the left, there will be an option for “Other”.
• Click on that, and see if you have messages that you’ve been missing!

Coach, we’re here to help with this or any other technology need you may have.  You can always email me personally at sdevlin@frontrush.com with any questions.  And, if you’re ready to take a look at what our cutting-edge recruiting management message tool does better than anyone else, I’d be happy to tell you about that, too!

Did you know that Front Rush is consistently the lowest cost, full service web-based recruiting management program?  It’s true!  Contact Brad Downs at bdowns@frontrush.com and let him explain what some of your competition already knows – that Front Rush has revolutionized the way they are able to manage their recruiting lists!

by Sean Devlin, Front Rush

We recently purchased a Kindle Fire, which is Amazon’s contribution to the tablet market. We wanted to know if it was capable of doing what no other tablet has done yet, and that is to be a viable alternative to the iPad.

What we found out is that its intent was not really to be an iPad “replacement” but really to be an Amazon stand alone product.  But even then, it was difficult not to compare the two.

So let’s get the big things out of the way: The price point is $199, which is a very aggressive starting point. But at 199 bucks you don’t get a camera, mp internal microphone and it has a much smaller screen. To stick with the iPad comparison, the first iPad did not have a camera, and the smaller screen actually has a few advantages. The smaller screen makes it more portable as it can fit into smaller places (like your pocket). It also allows for single hand operation which is really nice as you can hold the device with one hand during the times that you are just reading. Note that you still have to use two hands to navigate the device.

The Kindle Fire is fully integrated with Amazon services so if you are a coach doing a lot of travel and are reading a lot of books then this device makes it easy to get to them. The navigation is intuitive and the flow of the device is smooth so you don’t get the sensation that you are carrying around a cheap knock-off.

At this point the negatives start to come in:

• At $199, you also don’t get 3G connectivity so if you don’t have wifi, you don’t have internet access. You also have less apps to choose from relative to your iPad counterparts.
• The device itself is awkwardly heavy. Often times a heavy device feels like a sturdy device, but the Kindle Fire just feels heavy.
• The smaller screen’s advantages also have disadvantages and that is purely real estate. It is much easier than reading compared to a phone but again the comparison to the iPad comes in, and reading compared to an iPad is more difficult.

So would we recommend this to coaches?

Well…at $199 it is interesting from a budget perspective. Its smaller screen has some potential for portability as it would be easier to carry onto the field. The problem is the lack of camera and the fewer amount of apps as well as the intent of the device.

The goal of the Kindle Fire is for Amazon to sell more books and services through its own stores. They actually are losing money on each device sold with the idea that they will make up for the difference by selling more books and other Amazon products. So it will be interesting to see what future models of the Kindles look like which is where our recommendation lives:  We would recommend holding off on the Kindle Fire and saving up for the iPad.

Potentially, in the future, the Kindle Fire will start to show up on courts and fields nationwide. But for now, its just not there.

Something not up for debate?  Front Rush, and the invaluable recruiting service they offer to college coaches.  If getting your recruiting organized and communicating more effectively with your prospects is something that sounds smart to you, we highly recommend Front Rush.  Let them explain what they have done for hundreds of college programs – and what they can do for you.  Click here to get more information.

by Sean Devlin, Front Rush

Over the past week, our staff here at Front Rush has been using the new iPhone 4S and just wanted to share our thoughts and the possibilities for recruiting.

The overall impression with the device is that it is the best iPhone yet (as advertised by Apple). Its a bit wippier than previous generations, and provides a few interesting functionalities. It definitely surpasses any Blackberry and very much sets the bar for future Android devices.

So let’s talk about some of the functionalities that are cool for recruiting:

• The most prominent addition to the iPhone is the introduction of Siri. Siri is a voice activated assistant that allows you to send emails, search google, set alarms and a bunch of other cool stuff simply by asking. So for example, prior to going to bed, I will ask Siri “please wake me up at 7:30 am” and Siri will go ahead and do that for you.
• Another interesting application in recruiting is note taking. When taking notes on a recruit, you can simply speak your notes instead of having to try to type them out on the small keypad. Its a bit awkward talking to a phone and because you have to speak out loud, so hopefully you are in a location where others can’t hear you. But if you can get beyond these two points, then the time saving is remarkable. Notes are taken exactly at the pace of your voice and the accuracy is close enough that you can figure them out later, if necessary . It also gives you the ability to not have to look at your phone while taking notes.
• However, sending emails via Siri is not yet the best option. Siri is accurate but not 100% and so if you choose to dictate an email for Siri to compose, then you will have to double check the message prior to sending. We have found that there are usually enough mistakes that it would have been nearly as fast to type them out ourselves.
• Another interesting addition is iMessage. iMessage has the look and feel of a text message except it does not actually rack up your bill. Its the equivalent of Blackberries BBM for iPhone users. What’s interesting about this is that when two iPhone users communicate, they are not charged for individual text-messages. As a result, one of the reasons for the ban of text-messaging in recruiting (expensive text-messages for recruits) seems to hold a bit less water.  The NCAA will need to rule on whether or not the same rules apply to this new technology as text messaging.
• The camera on the device has been improved dramatically (at least by spec). It is now an 8MP camera that can shoot 1080p HD Video. The quality is good enough that the idea of carrying a second camera is becoming more and more obsolete. We were however a bit surprised that we could not easily tell a side by side comparison of a photo taken with the 4S vs the 4 but admittedly it was not in an environment that would have been a great testing ground.
• The last big item to point out is the iCloud service which allows for wireless sync. What’s nice is if you use Siri to remind you of an event on a certain date, this will show up on the calendar (on your device) and then wirelessly sync to the calendar you have on your mac. It takes the hassle out of connecting devices to sync them.

Overall, we really like the iPhone 4S. We generally don’t recommend doing the upgrade if you currently have an iPhone 4 and want to save your contract extension discount for a future release.  But if you or your department do the upgrade, you will be perfectly happy.

Sean Devlin is the technical guru behind the wildly popular Front Rush web-based contact management recruiting system used by thousands of coaches across the country.  You can email him with your technology questions at sdevlin@frontrush.com, and visit their website for a complete view of why they’re the nation’s go-to leaders in recruiting technology.