2015 National Pro Fastpitch Best Ever

The NPF Draft for 2015 was the best NPF draft ever and probably more entertaining for both the live audience and the TV audience than ever before. GrandmaOnDeck was on the center mezzanine with a fantastic view of the stage, big screen and all of the audience seats. I even had firsthand view of the TV Cameras at work and the men working the consoles for the TV production.

The event started before the Program went live on TV with instructions for the audience as to gift give- a –ways, #hashtag tweet instructions, and sending pictures. CBS Sports Network would show selected ones.  The audience loved this one. During Commercial breaks, gift give-a-ways were to be done by drawing tickets.

NPF VP-Development Gaye Lynn Wilson was introduced. Barbara Jordan and Bernie Gunther, The TV Hosts were introduced followed by introduction of sponsors in the VIP section, NPF Sponsors, 8 special current NPF players, team owners, general managers, and coaches. The Commissioner, Cheri Kempf was introduced to welcome the crowd.

The big screen lit up and the CBS Sports Network Program began. The draft selection process was thoroughly stated. The excitement in the audience built up. The softball dreamers in the audience had a chance to select a picture placard of an NPF Team of their choice. They waved the placards energetically when a draftee was selected to their favorite Pro-Team team.

What made this draft different?

The Availability of League sponsors gave the program the feel of community.

#Short comments by TV Host Barb Jordan about benefits the draftee would bring to the NPF team while a video of then in action was shown. It was good to see their skills and how they would fit in .

#Interviews of Pro Players, team owners and general managers gave the program added interests and color to overall Draft appearance. It gave the audience a chance to see that the player’s, are smart, beautiful, and highly skilled at what they do.

#Placards and special designed tickets and event posters were upbeat and classic. It gave the audience an automatic souvenir for signing.

#Tweeting, picture sharing, and meeting the 8 Professional Players for ball or placard signing gave the audience a chance to participate. In fact, GrandmaOnDeck got all 8 Pro-players signatures.

#The Reception afterward, provided The Pro League staff, team owners, general managers, coaches, players, and interns to meet and share with Sponsors and special guests ,pro –league players and community leaders to share some good food and conversation.

 

 

SM-Know When To Turn It Off

There has to be a balance between face-to-face interactions and social media ones. We find ourselves so wrapped up in social media at times. While it is great to connect with people all over the world who have interesting things to say and share, there is nothing like the good old face-to-face conversations to keep social skills up.

To avoid being a social media addict know when to turn it off. Here are some tips.

Keep personal accounts separate from business accounts

Don’t use personal profiles for business profiles.

Schedule your usage and stick to it.

Pick your social media sites and stick to it. The fewer the better

Know that you have to turn your smartphones off and interact with humans on a regular basis.

Schedule some personal time to read a book, take a walk, or volunteer in the community.

If The Shoe Fits Wear It

There are so many online organizations formed today that it is so easy to join. Maybe you joined because it looks good on a resume or listed under skills on Linked but is that all there is. Maybe you joined because you can’t make it to meetings. The Internet lets you check in at any time to see what is shared on the organization page.

All of the reasons you list involve the time issue. Sure joining online groups are mostly free of fees. They are free except the price of your time.

After a while, you find the online organization page has very little participation by its members. Why is that? The time issue shows its head again. Busy folks find it hard to spend time posting. Without online discussions, the page becomes boring. You want to be able to connect, share and learn so you look for another organization to join.

Unfortunately, the free membership status disappears and monthly fees are being required. To add to the cost is the price of your time. The cycle of technology keeps changing and soon you are sucked into a lot of time on the Internet.

Evaluate the value of the membership benefits of any organization. Does the group satisfy any of your needs whether it is business or personal? Do you have enough time to participate? Can you afford the added expenses to your budget? Is it better to find websites written by like-minded people to learn and grow?

Before you get sucked up on spending money and time on the Internet take the time to research and find the organization that best suits you.