Change of plans:
my final research paper will be about the Manchester United Football Club website www.manutd.com
Following the already famous 'Schijf van 5' (give it up for Eggo!) I will give a construction of the outline of my paper and by doing so, hopefully things will become clear
Short Intro: Manchester United is of England's biggest footballclubs. It has an enormous amount of fans worldwide and ManUtd comes in first or second every year in the wealthiest top something for footballclubs (mostly because of marketingstrategies in the Middle East)
Short Intro: Manchester United is of England's biggest footballclubs. It has an enormous amount of fans worldwide and ManUtd comes in first or second every year in the wealthiest top something for footballclubs (mostly because of marketingstrategies in the Middle East)
1. Motivation:
The reason why I chose this website is..
Well, first of all it was my second choice, but my first choice would have been a bit too difficult to fit into the assignment. But even so.. I'm a massive ManUtd fan, been that for a long time and I am a daily visitor of the website. When you go to the site it's amazing how things you would have never come up with yourself can be related to football (and more specifically ManUtd). Insurances, loans, creditcards, mobilephones etc. Manchester United is the most popular football club worldwide, with a huge merchandise and marketing department and this is reflected on the site where fans from all over the world have their say about the club
2. Object:
The reason why I chose this website is..
Well, first of all it was my second choice, but my first choice would have been a bit too difficult to fit into the assignment. But even so.. I'm a massive ManUtd fan, been that for a long time and I am a daily visitor of the website. When you go to the site it's amazing how things you would have never come up with yourself can be related to football (and more specifically ManUtd). Insurances, loans, creditcards, mobilephones etc. Manchester United is the most popular football club worldwide, with a huge merchandise and marketing department and this is reflected on the site where fans from all over the world have their say about the club
2. Object:
Having some English friends and going there on a yearly base I know how different football is being treated. It's nearly a sort of religion...the love for a footballclub is just as big as the love for your own mother ;) it's a culture on its own and far different from here. But besides this, football has also become more and more a business, which could mean that the true attraction of football has somewhat disappeared against a marketing and advertising background. Given these facts, the website of ManUtd is a interesting paper topic and I would like to investigate how this culture and advertising are being reflected on the site.
My object therefore will be: The fanculture on the ManUtd website created by both fans an advertising.
I do believe that the advertising that is very present on the site is a co-creator of the fanfeeling that is being spread across not only England, but across the world.
My hypotheses is that the construction of the site is built in such a way that it will attract new and maintain old fans.
3. Theory:
Dealing with a website it is unevitable that you have to look at the layout and interpret whatever you see. By doing so, I will try to relate this to the cultural aspects of being a football (ManUtd) fan. I will therefore describe what this CULTURE is in the first place and from there relate this to the layout and textanalysis. What is it exactly that the website offers? To what extend is there room for fans/member to participate?
Aspects that will certainly cross my path will be: marketing, identity, taste, fandom
4. Methods:
As I already mentioned above (theory) I think my main analysis will be textanalysis. A website gives you a perfect opportunity to do so. Besides the textanalysis I also want to combine the findings with with interpretation methodes. Why do fans chose to participate on the site? The website asks fans/members all the time what THEY think of certain things, thereby giving the members an sense of belonging to a special community. The fact that you have to register to become a member to enjoy all the privileges that normal visitors cannot increases this feeling even more.
I will also have a look at the ManUtd dvd on which every aspect has been documented (from the players to the deal with Vodafone to their going to the stockmarket etc)
So I hope the methods mentioned are accurate in this research paper
5. Relevance:
Athletes and sportsteams have gained a sort of 'Hollywood' status over the past few years. No doubt the internet has had a big hand in it. By analysing the website of the biggest football club in the world I think it is interesting to place the outcome of the paper in the discourse on this particular starstatus discussion. Furthermore, it will be interesting to see how the culture aspect of this football club is being increased by such a thing as a website and therefore this will hopefullybe an addition to the fanculture discussion
** Literature: (list still not completed)
- Boyle & Haynes: Power Play (Sport, the Media & Popular Culture) Pearson Education Limited, Harlow: 2000
- www.manutd.com
- www.vodafone.com
- http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue2_2/mcinnes/
- http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue2_10/oconnor/
- http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue4/valauskas/
- http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue3_3/agre
- http://www.palowireless.com/advertising/articles.asp
- http://www.website101.com/Internet_Advertising/
- http://www.emediaplan.com/Internet/OnlineCommunityCreation.asp
- http://advertising.about.com/cs/onlineadvertising/
My object therefore will be: The fanculture on the ManUtd website created by both fans an advertising.
I do believe that the advertising that is very present on the site is a co-creator of the fanfeeling that is being spread across not only England, but across the world.
My hypotheses is that the construction of the site is built in such a way that it will attract new and maintain old fans.
3. Theory:
Dealing with a website it is unevitable that you have to look at the layout and interpret whatever you see. By doing so, I will try to relate this to the cultural aspects of being a football (ManUtd) fan. I will therefore describe what this CULTURE is in the first place and from there relate this to the layout and textanalysis. What is it exactly that the website offers? To what extend is there room for fans/member to participate?
Aspects that will certainly cross my path will be: marketing, identity, taste, fandom
4. Methods:
As I already mentioned above (theory) I think my main analysis will be textanalysis. A website gives you a perfect opportunity to do so. Besides the textanalysis I also want to combine the findings with with interpretation methodes. Why do fans chose to participate on the site? The website asks fans/members all the time what THEY think of certain things, thereby giving the members an sense of belonging to a special community. The fact that you have to register to become a member to enjoy all the privileges that normal visitors cannot increases this feeling even more.
I will also have a look at the ManUtd dvd on which every aspect has been documented (from the players to the deal with Vodafone to their going to the stockmarket etc)
So I hope the methods mentioned are accurate in this research paper
5. Relevance:
Athletes and sportsteams have gained a sort of 'Hollywood' status over the past few years. No doubt the internet has had a big hand in it. By analysing the website of the biggest football club in the world I think it is interesting to place the outcome of the paper in the discourse on this particular starstatus discussion. Furthermore, it will be interesting to see how the culture aspect of this football club is being increased by such a thing as a website and therefore this will hopefullybe an addition to the fanculture discussion
** Literature: (list still not completed)
- Boyle & Haynes: Power Play (Sport, the Media & Popular Culture) Pearson Education Limited, Harlow: 2000
- www.manutd.com
- www.vodafone.com
- http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue2_2/mcinnes/
- http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue2_10/oconnor/
- http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue4/valauskas/
- http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue3_3/agre
- http://www.palowireless.com/advertising/articles.asp
- http://www.website101.com/Internet_Advertising/
- http://www.emediaplan.com/Internet/OnlineCommunityCreation.asp
- http://advertising.about.com/cs/onlineadvertising/