As part of our ESPN walkthrough in the shooting of a forthcoming segment, we stumbled upon a telestrator demo that involved the use of Apple’s newly released iPad to control on-screen graphics, overlays, doodle input, shading, etc. If you’ve ever witnessed a sportscaster break down a play on ESPN by freezing the frame, marking up the screen and pointing out details in the shot using a variety of red lines and highlights, then you know what we’re getting at. The tool used to decorate the display is dubbed a telestrator, and needless to say, the multitouch iPad has enabled ESPN to place a bevy of new options into the hands of its hard working analysts. There was also an iPod touch alongside of it for times when an iPad would be too bulky, but the solution generally ran as such: a VNC client was loaded on the iPad (and iPod touch, for what it’s worth), and the outfit’s Windows XP-based control interface was beamed over WiFi for use on the set. That’s it. Staggeringly simple, yet incredibly effective. The in-house network enabled the WinXP boxes and the iDevices to interact seamlessly, with absolutely no perceived lag. We were able to toss an Engadget logo onto a Nebraska freeze frame with ease, and we’re crossing our fingers that it makes the cut once college football season kicks off later in the summer.

The wildest part is that ESPN is actively using the iPad and iPod touch to dictate screens on live telecasts right now. As in, today (Junior). The iPad has been out for just over two months, yet somehow ESPN — a massive corporation that should technically have all sorts of red tape bogging down this type of forward thinking — has managed to not only get a setup working in its labs, but actually get the new setup working and onto shows that we’re enjoying each and every day. Let’s try reiterating this another way: a broadcasting company that is oft hailed for having some of the best graphics and on-screen technology in the universe is using the same tablet that you gave your mom for Mother’s Day to do it. No proprietary hoopla, no overpriced / underpowered PDA from yesteryear — just an average iPad that any Joe or Jane can pick up today and shoehorn into their life. Going from purchase to live-on-the-tele in two months is no small feat, and ESPN deserves a massive amount of credit for being both quick on its feet and ambivalent to the usual pressures of corporate acceptance.

As for the Xbox 360? It’s being used for similar reasons. Put simply, ESPN’s techies have no interest in wasting months and years creating proprietary IP that they could theoretically sell to others in the future. Instead, they’re interested in serving the fan, and serving the fan involves using whatever tools are readily available in order to push the envelope faster than the competition. Each of the Virtual Playbook segments that you see on ESPN relies on just a couple of things: a developer Xbox 360 (slightly modded for integration into a broadcasting company) and a copy of an EA Sports title. Oh, and that same iPad to highlight players as the virtual play unfolds to viewers around the world. Just think about that: instead of waiting eight years for Pixar to create some sort of crazy new graphics scheme to let ESPN build their own plays and discuss them on-air, these folks picked up a $200 game console and started banging away on the code to make it happen.

We were also briefed on a forthcoming motion capture system that’ll allow the network to show how high a skateboarder (and eventually, a snowboarder) is rising in a big air competition… in real time. And we’re not talking about some guesstimating solution; we’re talking about embedding tracking tags onto the bottom of decks and using an array of simple, off-the-shelf object tracking sensors to show how high a skater is going as the trick unfolds. The real kicker? These tags are the same ones used by logistics companies to manage inventory in warehouses, and ESPN’s primary test subject is an unused office chair with tags strapped to the arms. You may laugh, but what this proves is that ESPN is still thinking like a startup and using whatever is at their disposal at the moment to beat the competition to the punch. Can you imagine the progress we’d see if major software vendors, standards makers and hardware manufacturers took a similar approach? Folks, it took seven years for the 802.11n draft to be “certified.” It’ll take ESPN fewer than a dozen months to change the way the world views new heights set by X-Gamers.

Upon talking to those involved with the projects discussed here, we got the impression that the bigwigs basically let the technologists run their own show (within reason, of course). They understand that ESPN wouldn’t be anywhere near where it is without its innovating approach, and by letting the kids in the sandbox play with whatever toys they can get their hands on, the entire network is able to reap the benefits. Somehow, ESPN is able to be nimble in a world that’s too often bogged down by authorization meetings and endless approvals by executives who have no idea what’s truly going on. We can’t count the times we’ve questioned a company on what’s obviously a boneheaded decision, only to be told that focus groups and fancy algorithms assured them that the public would love it. If more companies would stop overthinking things and start having fun, we’re pretty confident that we’d see more innovation, more discovery and less waiting for the next big thing.

SITE REVIEW AND KEYWORD RESEARCH

At the beginning of the SEO process, HRH Media will examine your website to determine how its current design and architecture can be made more search engine friendly. Common features such as duplicate content, session ID numbers, Flash content, or dynamic content can provide obstacles to achieving higher placement in search engines. In our initial site review, HRH Media will identify these and other issues that will require correction during SEO implementation.

Relevant, well-chosen keywords are also essential to successful organic search engine placement. Based on our initial consultation with you, HRH Media will compile a list of keywords that are appropriate both for your target market and for characteristics of your website such as current ranking, site age, links, etc. Using search engine tools and proprietary research tools, HRH Media will identify which keywords offer the greatest potential for unique traffic and return on investment.

CONTENT

SEO content must appeal to two different audiences: search engine spiders and human readers. The professional copywriters employed by HRH Media will create website content that is not only SEO friendly, but also compelling, informative, credible, and stylistically appropriate for your industry and clientele. Our content writers will:

• Add keywords and text to current website pages

Our content writers will revise your existing site content to meet the keyword density and text length requirements of search engine algorithms. This may require expanding the amount of content on any given page. If your website is a new site, your content writer will create original content for the pages that have been slated for optimization. In all cases, HRH Media will strive to maintain the essence of your website and its message.

The content writer assigned to your site may solicit ancillary references and information from you to gain a sense of your industry, products, and/or services. This information will help him or her tailor your website’s content to the appropriate audience using an appropriate tone.

• Create new pages and content

Depending on the current size of your site, HRH Media may need to create new pages for indexing. Content on new pages will contain relevant keywords and text. For sites with very little content or a greater degree of industry competition, we can also write original, 300- to 600-word articles which are keyword rich and related to your products and/or services.

Google XML Sitemaps
HRH Media will create an XML sitemap of your website and submit it to Google. The Sitemap Protocol is a file that lists all of the URLs for your site. This will make it easier for search engine spiders to index your site, particularly if it contains many product pages or URLs that can be accessed only via a search form rather than by following a link.

Article Writing and Submission
The articles that HRH Media creates for your website may be posted either directly to your site to increase its optimized content or to other sites for link building purposes. If you prefer, the articles could be submitted to article directories to enhance natural link development. In such cases, our writing staff would create multiple versions of your article(s) so that the duplicate content filters of the search engines will not filter them out. These articles would then be distributed to more than 500 directories and publications, along with a disclaimer that each article may be published for free as long as your company is credited. Each article’s footer would thus include an author’s name (someone from your company) and a link back to your website.

Google Analytics Installation
Google Analytics is a service that provides detailed statistics about the visitors to your website. It’s a highly useful Internet marketing tool that reveals where your website traffic is coming from, including which search engines, pay-per-click ads, and keywords are driving the most visitors to your website.

Analytics Analysis & Reporting
The advanced analytics analysis and reporting service offered by HRH Media involves a thorough study of the analytics data related to your search engine optimization campaign. HRH Media will use these statistics to improve your SEO performance and modify your keyword list in accordance with the traffic your website receives from both optimized and non-optimized search terms.

INTERNAL LINK STRUCTURE OPTIMIZATION

Optimizing the internal link structure of your website is critical for several reasons. Clean URLs within the source code make it easier for search engine spiders to completely index your site. Improving your site’s internal link structure ensures that each themed page will have more pages pointing to it. Adding or improving a sitemap provides text-based links to key pages and further ensures that all pages will be crawled and indexed by the search engines.

NATURAL LINK DEVELOPMENT & EXTERNAL LINKS

• Directory Submission

In addition to improving website architecture and content, HRH Media will work to boost your website’s link popularity. This part of the campaign will include submitting the site to web directories. After identifying which directories might improve the site’s profile, HRH Media will submit your website to applicable categories in those directories’ databases.

• Text Link Advertising

Once your website has been submitted to the appropriate directories, HRH Media will purchase text link advertisements on well-known sites. These advertisements will boost your website’s exposure and credibility by association. Consumer confidence in your website should increase in proportion to its increased visibility.

• Blog Posting

HRH Media will research and write sponsored blog posts for websites that are appropriate for your SEO campaign. These blogs will display content that is specifically relevant to your website and will link back to your website to increase incoming links.

• Press Releases

Optimized press releases will be written and distributed online to help generate traffic and develop the link popularity of your site. Optimized press releases are often featured for several days in news search engines as the top stories for their given industry or keyword(s). Even after the initial interest in your news story has faded, your press release will remain indexed on search engines, helping to raise the visibility of your company and its products and services.

REPORTS AND SEO PERFORMANCE TRACKING

Before HRH Media begins your optimization, we provide a baseline ranking report to show how your site currently ranks in search engines. Additional ranking reports will be provided every month, and our staff will monitor the performance of your SEO campaign to make sure it is on the right track. Site reviews and optimization adjustments will be performed as needed, and our staff will contact you periodically via phone or email to provide project updates and discuss the optimization. As an optional service, we also offer installation of Google Analytics on your website for detailed traffic reporting.

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