Recent posts in my Euro2008 Category

July 3, 2008

How was it for you? The Chipwrapper & Fansivu Euro2008 review

With Euro2008 over, and Spain worthy champions, I thought I'd take a quick look at how my two Euro2008 web prototypes fared during the course of the tournament. I built Euro2008 Fansivu, which attempted to track in real-time user-generated content which featured references to Euro2008. I also made a Euro2008 edition of Chipwrapper, my newspaper search engine service. Euro2008 Fansivu When I decommissioned Euro2008 Fansivu on Monday morning, the final page showed the strengths and the weaknesses that the...
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July 1, 2008

Watching Euro2008 on Zattoo in the heart of the BBC

As you may have spotted in my post about last week's TechCrunch / BBC debate at Broadcasting House, I attended it with one eye on what was going on in Basel. Thanks to wifi in the art deco Council Chamber where the debate was taking place, I was able to stream the first Euro2008 semi-final between Germany and Turkey silently on my laptop. The thing that struck me was that I used Zattoo to watch the game. At 7:40pm,...
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June 29, 2008

Reaching their goal? Marketing the Euro 2008 'Score for the Red Cross' campaign online

Tonight Euro2008 reaches a climax, with Germany facing Spain in the final, and tomorrow it will be time for me to retire Euro 2008 Fansivu and the Euro 2008 edition of Chipwrapper. Both have been carrying banner adverts for the tournament's official charity campaign - "Score For The Red Cross" I just wanted to write a little bit about how difficult that was to set up. Now, I'm not knocking the Red Cross here - they've raised nearly €0.5m...
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June 19, 2008

Euro 2008: The websites - League table

Euro 2008 is now down to just 8 teams, but over the last two weeks of matches I've been surveying the websites of the original 16 finalists. There weren't any major surprises there. It seems that the larger and more prosperous nations had the best websites - and the big three of Germany, France and Italy seemed to be dominating in the online world in the way they have so often done in the past on the football field....
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June 18, 2008

Euro 2008: The websites - Russia & Greece

As the Euro 2008 group stages have progressed, I've been reviewing the websites belonging to the Football Associations of the nations taking part. With today being the last day of group games it is the turn of Group D, and Russia take on Sweden tonight, whilst my old stomping ground Salzburg hosts eliminated Greece against quarter-final bound Spain. Russia and Greece are in the spotlight for my final Euro 2008 site reviews, two languages that stretch my ability to...
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June 17, 2008

Euro 2008: The websites - France & Italy

Since the Euro2008 draw was made, probably the most keenly anticipated fixture has been tonight's replay of the epic 2006 World Cup Final between France and Italy - but few could have predicted that at the end of tonight there was the certainty that one would be eliminated from the tournament - and the possibility that both could go. I've been conducting a review of the FA websites belonging to the countries taking part in Euro2008, and today I'm...
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June 15, 2008

Zattoo (slight return)

With the climax of the Euro 2008 Group phase rapidly reaching its end, I thought it might be an idea to look again at Zattoo, the streaming TV service that gathers together all of Britain's terrestrial channels into one broadband player. What intrigues me about the service is the potential clash between sports rights holders, broadcasters and Zattoo. A month or so ago I used the example of the UEFA Cup Final, where Zattoo's streaming of ITV1 was, to my...
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June 14, 2008

Castrol's Euro 2008 Performance Index not performing on Google AdWords

As part of their sponsorship of Euro 2008, Castrol have developed a website which produces real-time performance statistics during the matches. Here, for example, are the figures from the Netherlands' obliteration of France last night. It looks like a very nice site - even if they can't spell 'defence' the European way. There is a downloadable Castrol widget for the tournament as well. It is built using Adobe's AIR, so in theory it should be cross-platform. I didn't download...
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Euro 2008: The websites - Sweden & Spain

In my series of posts looking at the national association websites of the teams involved in Euro 2008 I've so far looked at the sites that belong to Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Romania and Switzerland, Portugal, Turkey, Germany and Poland. That means I've not looked at any teams from Group D yet, and, if my ticket application had been successful with UEFA, I would have been back in my old home Salzburg preparing to watch defending European...
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June 12, 2008

Euro 2008: The websites - Poland & Germany

At the conclusion of tonight's Euro 2008 matches we will be exactly halfway through the group stages of the tournament, and with one co-host already eliminated, anything other than a victory against Poland tonight could see the same fate befall Austria in Group B. On Matchday 2 I reviewed the websites belonging to the Austrian and Croatian Football Associations, before their opening fixture in Vienna. Today I'm looking at the other two teams in the group who are all...
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June 11, 2008

Euro 2008: The websites - Portugal & Turkey

The second round of matches in the group stage of Euro 2008 gets underway tonight, as I continue my review of the FA websites belonging to the nations taking part. On Saturday I looked at the teams in Group A's opening fixture, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. Today I'm looking at the two who make up the rest of the quartet, Portugal, who are playing the Czech Republic in Genève, and Turkey, who face the Swiss in a 'must...
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June 9, 2008

Euro 2008: The websites - Romania & the Netherlands

The 'group of death' gets underway at Euro 2008 today, pitting World Champions Italy, against World Cup Runners-Up France. Based on their qualifying record, however, neither of them earned a top seed spot, which belongs to the Netherlands. The Dutch open their campaign against Italy in Bern, whilst in the earlier game France take on the other team in the group, Romania, in Zürich. I've been looking at the websites belonging to the national associations taking part in Euro...
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June 8, 2008

Euro 2008: The websites - Austria & Croatia

Euro 2008 kicked off yesterday with an opening match between Switzerland and the Czech Republic in Basel, and another game between Portugal vs Turkey in Geneva. Obviously I watched the games, but I've also had an eye on the websites of the football associations in the competing nations. Today's programme of games sees co-hosts Austria start their campaign in Vienna with a game against the team that ultimately knocked England out of Euro 2008 contention - Croatia.   Austria We...
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June 7, 2008

Introducing Euro 2008 Fansivu

Euro 2008 Chipwrapper isn't the only footie related website I've been working on getting launched in time for this evening's kick-off between Switzerland and the Czech Republic. I've also made Euro 2008 Fansivu. It gathers together comments from Twitter, new blog posts, and photos from Flickr that mention the tournament. They are all available on one page, or you can subscribe to a feed of each different type of content. The different content types update on different frequencies. Blog...
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Euro 2008: The websites - Switzerland & the Czech Republic

After years of organisation and planning, Euro 2008 kicks off tonight in Switzerland. England, of course, after the debacle of their final qualifying match against Croatia, will not be there. The last time England failed to qualify for a Euro finals was in 1984. In a way, that might make for a more entertaining tournament for me to watch. I remember enjoying the World Cup in the USA in 1994 precisely because every goal didn't involve me instantly trying...
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June 5, 2008

Euro 2008 host cities on the web: Basel

This is the last of a series of articles looking at the official information made available on the web by the eight host cities that make up the venues for Euro 2008. So far I've written about Salzburg, Klagenfurt, Innsbruck and Wien in Austria, and Bern, Zürich and Genève in Switzerland. The tournament is now only two days away, and will open with a match between Switzerland and the Czech Republic in the eighth city staging games - Basel....
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June 4, 2008

Euro 2008 host cities on the web: Genève

I've been writing a series of articles looking at the official information available to fans visiting Euro 2008 from the eight host cities in Austria and Switzerland. So far I have covered Salzburg, Klagenfurt, Innsbruck, Wien, Bern and Zürich. Switzerland is a multi-lingual society, and today I'm looking at a city variously know as Geneva, Genève or Genf. Genève Genève will be hosting the matches in Group A that do not feature the host nation Switzerland, meaning it can...
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June 3, 2008

Introducing the Euro 2008 edition of Chipwrapper

Last year I produced a special version of my Chipwrapper newspaper search engine to celebrate the Rugby World Cup, and so it only seemed natural to follow suit for this summer's big football event - Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland. Today I've put live the new Euro 2008 edition of Chipwrapper. As ever, Euro 2008 Chipwrapper comprises of a search engine, some feeds and some other bits and bobs to help you find content about Euro 2008 from...
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June 2, 2008

Euro 2008 host cities on the web: Zürich

Over the last week or so I've been looking at the official websites of the host cities of Euro 2008, which starts on Saturday. So far I've covered all four of the Austrian venues - Salzburg, Klagenfurt, Innsbruck, Wien. Yesterday I featured the first Swiss venue, Bern. Zürich will be featuring France, Italy and Romania in matches from this year's 'group of death', and today I want to look at how fans from those countries will be able to...
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June 1, 2008

Euro 2008 host cities on the web: Bern

I've been writing a series of articles looking at the official information being made available by the eight Euro 2008 host cities. So far I've looked at four venues - Salzburg, Klagenfurt, Innsbruck and Wien. Euro 2008 isn't the first time that the tournament is being co-hosted. Belgium and the Netherlands jointly hosted the tournament 8 years ago, and during Euro 2000 I went to matches in Amsterdam, Liege, Bruges and Brussels. Euro 2008 won't be the last time...
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May 30, 2008

Euro 2008 host cities on the web: Vienna

In 30 days time the winners of Euro 2008 will be receiving the Henri Delaunay trophy in the Ernst Happel stadium. Before the whole tournament gets under way, I've been writing a series of posts looking at the official information being made available online by the eight host cities. So far I've looked at three cities in Austria. Salzburg, where I used to live, as well as Klagenfurt and Innsbruck. Today I'm looking at Austria's capital city, where the...
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May 29, 2008

Euro 2008 host cities on the web: Innsbruck

I've been doing a series of posts looking at the online information available about the host cities at Euro 2008, which kicks off in just over a week's time. So far I've covered Salzburg and Klagenfurt in Austria. Today it is the turn of Innsbruck, where Spain, Sweden and Russia will be playing matches as part of Group D. Innsbruck The official Innsbruck city site has content about the tournament in English and German. There is also a site...
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May 28, 2008

So what *was* on TV the last time England didn't reach the European Championsip?

Today England embark on their warm-up campaign for not playing in Euro2008 with a friendly against the USA. It got me thinking (again) about the last time England didn't feature in a European Championship Finals. Actually, when it comes down to it, England have a pretty dismal record in the Euro finals. Although at the time it was considered disappointing to exit the quarter-finals on penalties against Portugal four years ago, that and the semi-final appearance in 1996 are...
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May 27, 2008

Euro 2008 host cities on the web: Klagenfurt

I was looking yesterday at the information available online about Salzburg hosting three games at Euro 2008. If my plans to get tickets had gone right, as well as two matches in Salzburg, where I used to live, I would have been going to see Germany play Croatia in Klagenfurt. As part of a series of posts looking at the information the Euro 2008 host cities have made available online, here is what I would have found if I'd...
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May 26, 2008

Euro 2008 host cities on the web: Salzburg

If the random number generator employed by UEFA in their ticket ballots had been calibrated a bit differently, right now I would be in the last stages of planning my trip back to Salzburg in Austria to see some matches at Euro 2008. I put my ticket application in before the final draw was known, and, as it turned out, I would have had tickets to see two matches featuring my adopted homeland of Greece. But it wasn't to...
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November 23, 2007

Not qualifying for Euro2008 - as it happened in Greece

I already had one Euro2008 slap in the face when UEFA didn't grant me any tickets to return to Salzburg to watch a couple of games staged in a place where, this time last year, I was living. And then there was the Croatia game. The comedy of errors here in Crete was nowhere near as bad as Scott Carson's competitive debut, but I thought I should share. According to the Athens News, Greek channel ΝΕΤ were showing the...
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