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University of California Ultimate Frisbee
Social Network Project Proposal!
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By Mark Kolojejchick-Kotch!
TA: Jonathan Mendez!
Section Thur. 5:15-6:15 !
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Purpose:!
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Growing up I have found great interest in the relatively new sport called Ultimate
Frisbee. Throughout both my middle and high school years i began to pick up and learn how to
play the sport. During the 11th and 12th grade years of high school I help found and was a
captain of my high schools Ultimate Frisbee team introducing me to a wonderful and fun
community where “love of the game” and passion for the sport could be found, helping connect
various groups of individuals into a larger community. The purpose of my project is to create a
new social networking site that allows for UC students from a multitude of campuses be able to
connect with each other through the common interest of Ultimate Frisbee. Creating a larger
community within the UC Regents system and showing off how exciting this up-coming sport
can be for anyone.!
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In-Depth Description: !
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Within any given community we can always draw connection to each other. These connections
have lead to great advancements in our times as well as make
way for a large understand of the world around us. This deeper
connection and vast wealth of knowledge owes a lot of its
advancement to the invention and creation of the Internet.
Through Social Networks such as Facebook, MySpace, and
Twitter the internet has been a place for profound connection not
just in our local communities but also fostering the creation of a
global community where the world can connect through common
Interest. This Social Networking platform is the perfect
environment for communities that are not geographically close to
still have a relationship that is convenient.!
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The sport of Ultimate Frisbee has risen in the past few years creating a need for a large
community to be foster. Now while governing bodies and agencies for the sport have already
been installed the community itself still needs fostering. Ultimate frisbee is rapidly becoming one
of the most popular collegiate and recreational sports in the UC Regents system. Because of
the sports popularity the need for a community specific to the UC system is apparent in order to
create a larger community within the system to promote the sport and encourage participation. !
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With the University of California Ultimate Frisbee network being created a larger
community with fast information could be created uniting all the UC campus to each other and
promote camaraderie between teams. Societal norms live many things evolve in order to
represent a new generation. Sports and how they are presented to the public are no different.
As with modern times many of the ways that we are receiving information has changed
mediums from newspapers and local community centers to that of an online format. Social
Networks have now become the new breeding group for fast and up to date information on
many topics. Because of the environment of a social network doesn’t, as Barry Wellman in
“Computer Networks as Social Networks” writes, fit a normal social model but instead “Work,
community, and domestic life” have largely shifted towards social networks (Wellman). This
change in where social practices are taking place has created a need to advance the Ultimate
Frisbee community on the internet catering towards the society practices seen today. With the
sport being able to be presented on an online format it would become easier to grow the
community as a whole and be able to reach more people who are using this online format. !
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The site specifically deals with the sport of Ultimate Frisbee throughout the UC
campuses. This creation of a Social Network devoted specifically towards Ultimate Frisbee
would be in most cases a “Mediated Network”. As a specific topic is engaged the community
and the network itself are going to control the types of media that is transferred and other
interactions among users. Danah Boyd elaborates that this mediation comes from “the spaces
and audiences that are bound together through technological networks (Boyd). In this way
information about Up-coming tournaments and games would be exchanged along with passion
for the sport. The network will also be used to help build teams with others that are at same skill
and passion levels along with create a place where media such as action photos of games
being played are exchanged. !
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Overall the project will create a larger
community within the UC Regents system that will
be guided by the users and be there to promote a
certain ideal and philosophy towards Ultimate
Frisbee. The network will be a place to help
manage and create teams and find other likeminded people all who play Ultimate Frisbee.
Because of Ultimates rise in popularity the network
would be the next step in being able to reach a
larger audience and build a better community that
isn't just one school but instead a larger system of
schools that is the UC Regents. !
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Tasks Needed to Be Accomplished:!
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• Programming - A programmer will be needed in order to write and implement coding for the
basic functions of the website.!
• Support - A tech support assistant will also be needed in order to ensure the best possible
experience for users and support in case site runs into any unexpected troubles. They will
also help maintain severs needed in order for site to function properly.!
• Design - this will be the my primary task as head designer of the project. the goal being to
create a website that is easy to manage and navigate creating a user friendly experience. !
• Marketing - Connections with athletic departments will need to be set up on each of the UC
Regents campuses allowing for a large community to be established and maintain. !
• Testing - Throughout the development of of the project testing will be needed in order to be
sure that the best quality of the site and experience can be created and maintained. this will
be one of the other tasks that I as the grant recipient will be responsible for. !
• Tutorials - Once the site is “Live” a tutorial will be given in order to help new users become
comfortable with the product and also with the support
being received!
• Post- Production: Once the site launches it will be my
primary responsibility to help maintain the site as well
as find and keep new information running through the
site properly and insuring that a well organized team is
helped put in place to further maintain the site. !
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Funds Required:!
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In Order to make the project of University of California
Ultimate Frisbee Network a reality I will be asking for
1,000 dollars. 700 dollars will be used in the creation of
the site and for hiring staff to help create the project and
make it a reality. the other 300 dollars will be used in
order to help maintain the site as well as provide payment
to staff. !
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Works Cited!
Boyd, Danah. (2007) “Why Youth (Heart) Social Network Sites: The Role of Networked Publics !
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in Teenage Social Life.” MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Learning – Youth, !
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Identity, and Digital !
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Media Volume (ed. David Buckingham). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. !
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Wellman, Berry. "Computer Networks As Social Networks." COMPUTERS AND SCIENCE. Vol. !
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293. (2001): n. page. Web. 3 Mar. 2014. <http://homes.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman/!
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publications/science/science.pdf>.