GoUSABid lays foundation for U.S. Soccer and World Cup

While the eyes of the world will turn to South Africa this week for the start of the World Cup, the USA Bid Committee has been working hard to ensure the eyes of the world will be on the U.S. come 2018 or 2022.

For a study on a website and an initiative done well, simply take a look at GoUSAbid.com, created by the USA Bid Committee. It is a separate entity from the U.S. Soccer Federation but it is working on behalf of the USSF.

The goal of the committee is to get FIFA to award the World Cup to the U.S. in either 2018 or 2022 (FIFA will award both in one round of bidding, an unusually efficient approach). The goal of the site is get people actively involved, grow their fan base, increase their database of names and capitalize on the surge in interest that comes with a World Cup.

GoUSAbid.com is a well-designed, well-planned, well-executed effort. It has already prompted more than 450,000 people to sign a petition to bring the tournament back to the U.S. (which hosted the tournament in 1994), a decision FIFA will make in December.

Of cricket, Google TV and altered playing fields

As the masses dissect Thursday's reveal of Google TV -- and Mark Cuban's blog has an interesting take on it -- the debate is on about how successful it will be. While not everything Google has touched turns to gold, it consistently has been ahead of the curve. Its recent foray into broadcasting live sports is the most recent example.

YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, just concluded broadcasting cricket around the globe to unparalleled success. YouTube carried the Indian Premier League's third season, broadcasting the league's 60 matches live. 

YouTube's IPL channel reportedly got 54 million video views. To put that into perspective, NBC got 45 million video streams for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. According to the New York Times, 40 percent of the IPL viewers came from outside of India.

It was the first time YouTube carried a major sporting event. It won't be the last. Google has already indicated it will pursue other sports to broadcast live, and other events such as concerts. India has a population of nearly 1.2 billion. Getting 54 million streams for the IPL was just a first step. Sports that attract global audiences -- think soccer, cycling and field hockey -- may be next up.

Can Smart TV change a culture of coach potatoes?

In its continuing bid for world domination, Google has set its sights on Internet TV. The company is expected to debut what it's calling Smart TV -- software for Internet-connected TVs -- at a conference on Thursday for software programmers in San Francisco.

Google is partnering with Sony, Intel and Logitech in an effort to create an interactive television experience for viewers.

"The revolution we're about to go through is the biggest single change in television since it went color," Intel Chief Executive Paul Otellini said.

There's no doubt that Internet TV seems like the next evolutionary step for mass consumption.

The question is, will it succeed?

Scope of National Broadband Plan is commendable

The National Broadband Plan unveiled Tuesday by the FCC is a far-reaching 376-page proposal that has considerable merit and laudable goals.

The plan, mandated by Congress, would span 10 years and would reshape the country’s technology priorities. At its core, the proposal would attempt to increase high-speed Internet access across the country -- and increase the speed by which it’s delivered ten or twenty fold -- lowering costs to households and making broadband affordable to rural communities. A byproduct of those goals would position the U.S. as a world leader in broadband infrastructure, which would create jobs and businesses along the way.

As I said, it’s ambitious. And it’s sure to get caught in the crossfire of lobbyists from both the television and telecommunication industries, not to mention -- regardless of your politic leanings -- it is likely to get bogged down in the morass of Washington over the next decade.

But perhaps two of the plan’s key goals will help the business and political worlds unite.

Wireless revolution gains steam at Vancouver Games

The one statistic to note coming out of the Vancouver Games is the evolution and maturation of wireless.

As reported by PaidContent.org, the number of mobile page views increased to 87.1 million in Vancouver from 34.7 million at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. The huge increase came despite it being a Winter Olympics, usually far behind the Summer Games in terms of interest.

Additionally, video streams on mobile phones increased to 2 million in Vancouver from 301,000 in Beijing.

It is a strong sign of how powerful a platform mobile has already become and the trend is headed nowhere but up. Every organization without a plan to incorporate wireless into its content strategy should heed those numbers.