by Sean Devlin, Front Rush
Looking for a technology wish list for the new year?
In case you are, we’ve put together a list of things to do (budget permitting of course) that we recommend now that is 2012.
Dump Internet Explorer
Its time to get rid of the blue ‘e’ that you click when you access the internet. This ‘e’ is Internet Explorer, Microsoft’s browser and we recommend that you move on to a more formidable, speedier way of browsing the web. IE has dramatically fallen behind its competition and its only still used because it is the default browser on most computers as well as the incumbent from years past. Instead, the alternatives are Google Chrome (http://google.com/chrome) and firefox (http://firefox.com)
Trade in your Blackberry for an iPhone or Android
This past year was a bad year for the Blackberry devices. RIM (the company itself) has laid of thousands of people, its market share has taken a huge hit, its revenue and profit are struggling, its tablet was a bust and they are delaying the release of their next generation devices until the end of 2012. There are rumors circulating that they will be bought out and overall the shareholders are really unhappy. This trend is going to continue deep into 2012 and devices like the iPhone and Android (and even the Windows Phones) are going to widen the gap. Blackberry had its time but now it is a casualty of innovation and developers are not interested in building apps for it as its users are leaving them in large numbers for its iPhone and Android counterparts.
Buy a Tablet
Tablets were enormous in 2011, and they will continue to be so in 2012. The ability to have access to your data directly on the field/court and not have to lug your laptop around with you is a big development for you as a coach. Applications/Recruiting Apps are going to improve and more will be built in the next twelve months. There will be a focus on these devices from all developers. Right now, we recommend getting an iPad however the Kindle Fire is selling like Crazy and 2012 hopefully will be the year that a few solid Android tables are built. Regardless, a new version of the iPad is expected and that alone will stir things up. Tablet usage is definitely going north, and you need to keep up with this growing trend.
Join Facebook
Most coaches (and most people in this world) are on Facebook but because of NCAA rules in Div III, some are coaches hesitant. Its very possible that the rules toward social networks are going to change this year and even if for some wild reason they don’t, its important to be a part of Facebook even if you can’t use it to communicate with recruits. Why? Well recruits are there now, and they are going to be there for awhile and to understand their conversation, you need to be in the mix. So even if rules don’t permit you to contact recruits via Facebook, then create an account and just bop around. Understanding the language of Facebook is a stepping stone toward understanding the language or your ideal recruiting demographic.
Get a Second Monitor
Are you using a laptop at the office? Then buy a second monitor. You can get one for around a 100 bucks and attach it to your laptop in under 30 seconds. Having 2 screens is technologically life changing. Whenever we add a second monitor for a new employee here, they are overwhelmed with the productivity increases simply because of more screen real estate. Its a cheap investment for a huge performance upside.
Front Rush are the people that thousands of coaches look to for cutting-edge recruiting contact management. Have questions about what they can do for you? Or, do you have a technology related question you want to ask? Email Sean Devlin at sdevlin@frontrush.com anytime…they’re here to help!