Anyone who knows me knows I am a rugby NUT and an All Blacks tragic. So I’ve been following the Rugby World Cup action very closely over the past few weeks. The thing is, I’m finding this particular RWC season to be almost unbearable from a media perspective.

First it was the media coverage following the All Black’s 41 to 10 win over Tonga. The New Zealand media were bad enough, claiming the All Blacks played poorly and that the 41 point victory wasn’t decisive enough.  Which prompted me to ask Twitter:

“If a 31 point win margin *fails as a decisive victory* then how many freaking points did the #allblacks need to win by?”

Then there was the Wall Street Journal piece, written by someone who clearly doesn’t know anything about rugby (“New Zealand – nicknamed the All Blacks due to their attire” – REALLY?), claiming that the All Blacks “failed to inspire” and that “the win wasn’t sufficient to reassure fans”.

Of course, there have been the expected digs at the All Blacks team by the Australian media, about how they were going to choke, just like the last World Cup and Aussie television news anchors having a good old chuckle at the done-to-death sheep / Israel Dagg jokes wheeled out by the sports reporters. Commentators Andrew Slack and Ken Sutcliffe for Channel Nine in Australia clearly find it difficult to hold back their bias when it comes to their coverage of Wallabies matches. But in my opinion, there is a clearly defined line between light-hearted fun poking and outright racist commentary.

Today, New Zealand’s TV3 stepped over that line, in my opinion. With their One Eyed Kiwi Commentary of today’s game between the All Blacks and the Wallabies, I think 3News have sullied New Zealand rugby with their offensive, juvenile and racist pre-match banter. I wanted the All Blacks to win as much as anybody, but that promoted commentary was simply embarrassing.

Think I’m over-reacting? Here are some extracts:

• “Well here we go… the big one, the All Blacks totally dismembering our Aussie cousins from across the ditch and marching on to hand a hiding to the limpet mine-carrying nation in the final.”
• “Refresh your browser occasionally. We’ll warn you when video is up with the words ‘VIDEO UP’ (even an Aussie could follow that)”.
• “…here’s some friendly folly fire at the convicts from the island.“
• “The first Wallaby has been seen inspecting Eden Park.” (accompanied by the picture above of a giant convict carrying a rugby ball and chain).
• “What do you call an Aussie with half a brain? Gifted.”

And on it goes, with more crude anti-Australian jokes thrown into the mix. Based on his tweets, the content appears to have been written by a post-grad journalism student called Michael Oliver who is apparently about to be employed by TV3.

Now my main problem with this is not so much the content, as juvenile as it is. You can see this type of immature trolling on Twitter or Facebook about any big sporting event. No, my problem with this lies in the way it is presented on the 3News web site. It is published as *official* RWC content. There is no banner or byline indicating this content is written by a guest blogger or a student. The content is simply presented as endorsed coverage of what is likely the most important game of the World Cup, on the site of the official media sponsor covering the event.

I am concerned that the content will be viewed as offensive, if not outright racist and by allowing it to be published, TV3 is endorsing those views. As an Australian, I was quite offended, even though I (mostly) live in New Zealand and am a hugely vocal supporter of the All Blacks. I can only imagine how Wallabies supporters would feel upon reading that. And the petty limpet mine (Rainbow Warrier) reference is really quite a controversial and dangerous topic to bring up with so many French media representatives in NZ right now.

What’s worse is how proud the author is of his field day approach:

@mj_oliver : I’m manning tonight’s live updates for 3News.co.nz. We’re gunning for the most parochial commentary known to human kind. #RWC2011 Link to tweet

@mj_oliver: Sanctioned trolling. I love my future job. http://www.3news.co.nz/One-eyed-Kiwi-VIDEO-LIVE-UPDATES-All-Blacks-Vs-Australia-semifinal-2-RWC-2011–highlights/tabid/1534/articleID/229706/Default.aspx Link to tweet

With millions of international viewers studying New Zealand closely right now, can TV3 really afford to be seen as endorsing such potentially racist drivel? I don’t think so.

TV3 have a very strict policy when it comes to comments left on their site:

• No comments that seek to cause offence on the grounds of race, sex, sexuality, religion, age or ethinicity will be tolerated
• No comments that are obscene, offensive, pornographic, vulgar, profane, indecent or otherwise illegal
• No comments that are defamatory in nature

Right. But that apparently doesn’t apply to their own contributors?

I left the very first comment on the page, politely expressing my concerns, but for some reason, @3newsnz seems to be only publishing positive comments. When I tweeted Mr Oliver about this, he claimed he didn’t have control over comments.

What do you think? I’d love to hear your comments. And unlike the team at 3News, I’ll actually publish them.

POSTSCRIPT 1: Since I started writing this blog post, TV3 have put up a pseudo disclaimer in red text on the page. It reads:

“Thanks for tuning in to tonight’s completely biased commentary. It was all in good fun, and no offence to our friends across the ditch was intended. The Wallabies weren’t allowed to play, and that’s entirely due to their opposition being on another level.”

Yeah, that’ll fix everything.

If you’re interested in how I got started in this crazy SEO industry or what 3 things I think you should look for when hiring a SEO company, you might want to go check it out.

For some years, I used to do SEO work for a large Australian-based hotel chain. They have recently approached me to see if I could take over search engine optimization duties again for three hotel sites. However, my cup runneth over right now and I’m not currently taking on any new clients.

The client has asked me to recommend some SEO experts – preferably Australian-based – who could possibly take on the task. If you have a minimum 5 years SEO experience and (ideally) have worked on sites in the hospitality industry, I’d like to hear from you. Please use the Ask Kalena button and send me your details and a link to your site/resume and I’ll put you in touch with the client.

Thanks!

It all started back in February after the second earthquake in Christchurch. We moved away from New Zealand to Darwin, Australia to get away from our munted house and the ongoing trauma of aftershocks. But instead of finding things easier, I found things more difficult. I couldn’t concentrate for long periods. I would find my mind wandering at the slightest distraction.  Until as recently as last week, I found myself checking the Geonet site every few hours, just to see the number of aftershocks Christchurch was experiencing and watching as many YouTube vids of the earthquake coverage as I could.

Basically, I think #EQNZ stole my blogging mojo.

Where I was once pumped about blogging and full of energy every day, I now arrived at my desk feeling burnt out and lethargic. Last year I was writing 3 or more blog posts a day for different sites, whereas lately I can hardly pump out 1 post a month. Before I was excited by changes to the search industry and keen to talk about them, whereas now I’m more annoyed by changes because they mean more work for me.

I’m not sure if I’ve been suffering from some sort of post-traumatic stress or if I am actually just burnt out, but it’s been a really tough few months.

Earlier this year I was offered an opportunity to write for the best-known and respected web site in in my field – my own column in fact – focusing on social media, which I love. But I just couldn’t get my act together. I found the idea too challenging. Too daunting. Too exhausting. And I was scared. Scared that my writing wasn’t good enough and terrified that I’d lost my blogging mojo.

Well enough is enough. Screw the earthquakes and the drama. I’m physically out of the disaster zone and it’s time I mentally removed myself as well. It’s time to lose the attitude and take my seat in the big leather blogging chair again. Time to find my mojo and make the effort to blog EVERY day from here on in. I figure with your encouragement and lots of caffeine, I can do this.

I’m back baby!

Although smaller on the richter scale than the 7.1 in September and lasting less than 10 seconds, this 6.3 earthquake on 22 February caused widespread damage and 182 fatalities because it was much closer to the city and very shallow at 5km deep.

According to scientists, the ground accelerated at more than twice the force of gravity – the highest ever recorded during an earthquake in New Zealand and a force that no building is EVER built to withstand. The quake also happened to hit at lunchtime, when thousands of people were out and about in the city.

My beautiful city is completely unrecognizable, with our iconic Christchurch Cathedral lying in ruin and the collapse of many buildings in the CBD causing death, destruction and horrific injuries. The epicentre was less than 1km from my house as the crow flies – in the port of Lyttelton – a few metres from the day care centre my son used to attend.

Needless to say, my house was pretty trashed, both inside and out. My husband and I were home at the time of the quake and could only watch helplessly as plate-glass windows shattered, doors fell off frames and concrete walls tumbled outwards while the floor beneath our feet slid from side to side.

The feeling is hard to describe, but it was as if a clumsy giant had mistaken our house for a toy snowglobe and was shaking it as such. I was sitting in the dining room when it hit and I have matching bruise strips across my thighs from where I was repeatedly thrown up and down in my chair against the dining table. Just one or two plates remained in the kitchen cupboards after the quake – everything was upended onto the floor – food, crockery, glassware, the lot.

We had yet to learn of the deaths and devastation in the CBD, but my husband and I knew immediately that it was going to be bad. With a wrecked house, a scared 7 year old and having already put up with the stress from the first quake, followed by 6 months of aftershocks, we looked at each other over the shattered crockery and agreed that we were done. The decision was made to leave Christchurch and move back to the solid ground of Australia, my country of birth.

Within a week, my husband secured a new job in Darwin, so we packed up what was left of the house, left the keys with friends and boarded a plane to Australia on 10 March. We are among the lucky ones with a portable business, enabling us to live anywhere in the world. But many of our friends and colleagues must remain in Christchurch and endure whatever hardships the next few years will bring.

As far as Jordan Consulting Group / Search Engine College goes – it’s business as usual. Most of our staff telecommute and I am working from temporary premises here in Darwin until we can locate a suitable office space. Very enjoyable temporary premises, I might add (see picture).

We’ll be facing some big challenges over the next few months, but hopefully some even bigger opportunities.

Thanks for all your emails and continued support during this transition phase and I hope to be back to regular blogging duties shortly.

I don’t want to go into detail, there are hordes of media here providing that. But put it this way: my city has pretty much collapsed and I can see the quake epicentre from my house.

Will try to recommence posting regularly when life returns to some semblance of normality.

Thanks for your patience.

I’d also like to say thanks to my trusty guest bloggers Andy and Pete who have been helping me answer Q and A’s when I’m inundated.

I’m taking a well-deserved week off from writing duties, but will be back in the New Year with lots of tricky search engine questions to answer and juicy industry gossip.

See you all in 2011!

I jumped on Twitter about 20 minutes after it happened, as did many people throughout Christchurch and the rest of New Zealand. But what amazed me was that some Christchurch tweeps managed to jump onto their Twitter account DURING the quake itself and tweet from under their tables and doorways.

The fact that people were putting their Twitter addiction above their personal safety is a bit alarming, but it’s also an incredible endorsement of Twitter and brings home the impact of social media as a whole on our psyche.

I think back to the last earthquake I witnessed first-hand, the 1989 Newcastle, Australia earthquake (which was only a Richter magnitude 5.6 by the way, making this week’s earthquake 15 times stronger!) and the only connection I had to other people affected by the quake was over the neighbor’s fence until the power came back on a few hours later and the TV reports started dribbling in. Phones were jammed, information was scarce and nobody seemed to really know what happened for hours and hours.

The ability for us to receive news and summon emergency resources instantly is one of Twitter’s best, albeit accidental, advantages. It goes beyond the boundaries of social media and becomes a vital communications tool. Even with all the clever applications that have been developed using the Twitter API, the impact of Twitter’s original functionality in emergency situations like the Christchurch earthquake cannot be underestimated.

I’ve been collecting the first 3 tweets from people after (and even during!) the quake. Emotions were running high, so the f-bomb features in some. If you’re a prude, you might want to look away now. I have linked to the actual tweets as well so you can see their time stamps.

First Tweets After Earthquake at 4.35am, Saturday 4 September 2010:

From: @kalena

• QUAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (http://bit.ly/davzRM)
• Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck 7.2 earthquake 30 km from here. We are camping in car right now (http://bit.ly/aEtwO4)
• Quite a bit of damage to our house I fear. Glass breaking, lots of things falling as we ran out. What a horrible way to wake up #earthquake (http://bit.ly/bvkdCO)

From: @polarbearfarm

• Holy crap. This is the big one! giant earthquake!  (http://bit.ly/cuULLq)
• Jesus christ that was scary! Power out everywhere. 4:30 am here! Big earthquake! (http://bit.ly/aEtwO4)
• Damage, boundary fence down http://yfrog.com/mwsavkj. (http://bit.ly/aERIvO)

From: @swiftynz

• My god that was a big earthquake!!! #CHCHQuake (http://bit.ly/c79Bk7)
• Fish have made a bid for freedom, tank has a huge hole (http://bit.ly/cgt1Hl)
• @libbydallison @richzilla @alastairboyes I’m tweeting from the doorway (http://bit.ly/dzGMCB)

From: @kylierichardson

• :( lots of broken stuff at our place including my great grandmas vase #chchearthquake (http://bit.ly/dkQ1UA)
• Streetlights all out by our place. At home power ok #earthquake (http://bit.ly/9mvO0e)
• @Stockhausens scary stuff! Ok though (http://bit.ly/cnOw3s)

From: @zurtle

• Um, like was there an earthquake or something? ;-) @RosieNZ is having massive aftershocks quivering in her doggy boots (http://bit.ly/aVBhA8)
• My TV fell over. Unimpressed. (http://bit.ly/aDiaDO)
• RT @BreakingNews 7.4 prelimary magnitude earthquake strikes New Zealand 4 miles from Christchurch – USGS http://bit.ly/cipHXC (http://bit.ly/aaICHo)

From: @lilGin

• And the one day I don’t charge my phone we lose all power. Fuck you Murphy and your laws! #earthquake (http://bit.ly/cTYp4u)
• My living area/kitchen smells like a mixture of peaches, pickles, some sort of vinegar type substance. #earthquake (http://bit.ly/d7H5H2)
• Bet people are wishing they had thought about how to “get thru”. I am. We don’t even have batteries! #earthquake (http://bit.ly/cISpTa)

From: @serenity22

• just got power back in Riccarton/Ilam #nzeq (http://bit.ly/aoH1ge)
• @MsPraxis  – all ok, no damage to the house apart from some hairline cracks in ceiling. bit of breakage, nothing major. shocks still coming (http://bit.ly/bf7oG0)
• had to go find the old fixed line phone to save the cell (http://bit.ly/cpg84W)

From: @crashhelmet

• Jesus. Huge earthquake (http://bit.ly/b1q6oY)
• RT @kalena: New Zealand Christchurch hit by a Magnitude 7.4 earthquake: http://wp.me/pSkHj-cO. (http://bit.ly/cker9z)
• Surreal day after the earthquake. My poor town is a bit battered and bruised. So glad no fatalities. A miracle really. (http://bit.ly/bIIU39)

From: @benkepes

• Earthquake – long and rolling…. (http://bit.ly/dv3TPl)
• @scottjpalmer @nztechtweet @PolarBearFarm @rachel_a crazy long here in Waipara…. (http://bit.ly/aLsZji)
• @ZoliErdos not sure – lasted a good minute though. power out down the road in the city (http://bit.ly/b7IC4R)

From: @kevinnz

• Christchurch it’s still rock and roll! Make sure your family is ok #quake (http://bit.ly/d7ChN7)
• Repertory theatre bricks all over kilmore street #eqnz (http://bit.ly/ce107c)
• Garage is a mess. Oh no not the bike #eqnz http://yfrog.com/nav2xoj (http://bit.ly/dqlO4y)

From: @Aupajo

• Survived #earthquake. Everyone all right? (http://is.gd/eXbRS)
• Oh, and just like that were back to making blasé tweets. (http://is.gd/eXbRR)
• Sweet Cthulhu, not the bagels. http://yfrog.com/6bjbqoj (http://is.gd/eXbRQ)

From: @kiwiscotsman

• Massive earthquake. Powers out. Apparetly it’s the west coast. Everyone ok? (http://bit.ly/9ABC5l)
• Hope everyone is ok. (http://bit.ly/9jaamQ)
• Who in chch has power and where are you if you do (http://bit.ly/aWCav6)

From: @bronmarshall

• Holy cow what a way to wake up! (http://ht.ly/2Anvp)
• Only just got Internet back up pantry a mess, lots on the ground centered right under us basically fuck (http://ht.ly/2AnvJ)
• Another after shock (http://ht.ly/2AnvS)

From: @Craig_Forster

• 7.4 earthquake. I’ve never run so fast to get Luka up (http://bit.ly/9Nqs7U)
• Power still out. Aftershakes still rattling us. Anyone need help? (http://bit.ly/cdeGIS)
• With the power out I can’t open the garage to go anywhere I Might stay at home and stab any looters (http://bit.ly/bJH8OB)

From: @rachel_a

• That was the most massive earthquake! (http://bit.ly/btKl9D)
• Another aftershock. Half the china cabinet gone #earthquake (http://bit.ly/aLixQg)
• RT @ShakingEarth New Zealand Christchurch hit by a Magnitude 7.4 earthquake: http://wp.me/pSkHj-cO (http://bit.ly/bJ1rQh)

From: @mrsgooding

• OMG. Strong earthquake in Christchurch! Power is out! Can still feel aftershocks. Scary! Stay safe everyone!
  (http://twitter.com/mrsgooding/status/22902588202)
• @WendyDavie it sure is! Never experienced anything as massive as this #Christchurch #earthquake!
  (http://twitter.com/mrsgooding/status/22902783019)
• @TimothyNewman massive quake ever! Still having aftershocks! Bloody scary! Your family with you now? Power is out! Ack! (http://twitter.com/mrsgooding/status/22904101844)

From: @kiwichrish

• OMG. Shit’nnn (http://twitter.com/kiwichrish/status/22902721476)
• Aftershock. Rolling sensation…. (http://twitter.com/kiwichrish/status/22903645979)
• Ok… Lots broken, power out, ups’s beeping. Welcome to nz (http://twitter.com/kiwichrish/status/22903555865)

From: @NatashaUtting

• wow… I think that was the biggest earthquake I’ve ever felt. Where was the epicentre? (http://twitter.com/NatashaUtting/status/22903547063)
• aftershocks! No power here and wireless down. Tweeting from phone. Shit that was bad in a lockwood! (http://twitter.com/NatashaUtting/status/22903691623)
• @Motmunter is there actually damage to your house? You got power over there? (http://twitter.com/NatashaUtting/status/22903830515)

From: @matt_dempsey

• Major tremor sth island NZ. Chch (http://twitter.com/matt_dempsey/status/22902506494)
• Aftershock (http://twitter.com/matt_dempsey/status/22903637332)
• Still aftershocks after 1hr. Chch quake (http://twitter.com/matt_dempsey/status/22906299983)

From: @Motmunter

• Where the fuck did that come from? Are you all alive? Everything on the floor. Cracks in the wall… (http://twitter.com/Motmunter/status/22903193027)
• Surprised we have power and twitter (http://twitter.com/Motmunter/status/22903508490)
• best quake ever. Ever. There goes Another big aftershock. Everyone freaked out. don’t like the structural damage to house @kittenypentland (http://twitter.com/Motmunter/status/22903690532)

From: @kcolbin

• @rachel_a Thanks, girl! You ok after this morning’s adventures? (http://bit.ly/b6kFLq)
• Power back on now. Holy moley, that was scary :(  (http://bit.ly/bWFghd)
• @rachel_a Dang, I should go to Fava! Good idea! We’ve got power back now, had been cooking up a storm in our campervan :-)  (http://bit.ly/csQL5q)

More will be added as they come in.

What were your first 3 tweets after the quake? If you want to contribute, please @reply me links to them at @kalena with #firstthreetweets as your hashtag or simply add links to them in the comments below.

The quake measured 7.1 on the Richter scale and was only 10km deep, making it the most destructive earthquake in New Zealand since the 7.8 quake that devastated Hawkes Bay back in 1938.

Unbelievably, there has been not a single loss of life. This has been put down to the timing of the earthquake, when very few people were in the city centre where most of the damage occurred.  Most of us were in our beds, sleeping peacefully, only to have our slumber completely shattered by our houses twisting and turning under our feet and objects falling onto us in our beds. It was, without a doubt, the single most terrifying event in my life.

So many people have escaped injury, even as their houses have crumbled around them. We were lucky in that our cement block house remained completely intact and structurally sound, despite cupboards flinging themselves open, books falling off shelves and cabinets toppling over. As we woke up to the devastation to friends’ houses and beautiful historic buildings of our city, we became so very aware of how lucky we were and how grateful to still be here to talk about it.

Aftershocks are still rocking the city every hour or so and each one brings down more parts of already damaged buildings. But as a whole, our city is SO VERY LUCKY. It could have been so much worse if the earthquake had occurred even a couple of hours later. I write this post mainly to let people know I am ok, my family is ok and our businesses continue to run. For Search Engine College, it’s business as usual, although students may experience delays in assignment grading as Internet access appears to still be sketchy. Blog posts here will resume shortly also.

A very big thank you to those of you who have emailed or tweeted me messages of concern. I’m so touched, particularly by those complete strangers who have been long term readers of my blog and just wanted to reach out and let me know they were thinking of me – I really appreciate it.

I have been tweeting about the quake since 20 minutes after it happened and I’m not alone. With no power, water or radio, Twitter was our lifeline to the outside world after the quake. To me, one of the most interesting aspects of the disaster was the use of social media. I’ve been collecting the first 3 tweets from people after the quake and they’ll be the subject of a future blog post. What were your first 3 tweets after the quake? If you want to contribute, please @reply me links to them at @kalena with #firstthreetweets as your hashtag.

[UPDATE : Read the First Tweets After the Christchurch Earthquake]

Meanwhile, below are some earthquake resources that you might find interesting:

Christchurch Earthquake Resources

Earthquake Photos:

• http://www.crashbang.co.nz/quake040910/index.html?ref=nf
• http://www.flickr.com/groups/eqnz/

Aftershock Maps:

• http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10671497
• http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz
• http://www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/quakes/recent_quakes.html

GeoNet Earthquake info:

• http://www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/quakes/3366146g.html (detail about the big one)
• http://www.geonet.org.nz/news/article-sep-4-2010-christchurch-earthquake.html
• http://www.geonet.org.nz/news/sep-2010-darfield-earthquake/gns-science-response.html

Latest Updates:

• http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10671408
• http://canterburyearthquake.org.nz/

Personal Stories:

• The Press Earthquake Story Map
• In the Aftermath of the Earthquake by @kcolbin
• Journal of an Earthquake by @benkepes
• A Family Diary – Surviving the Christchurch Earthquake by @mrsgooding

How You Can Help:

• Buy This Quake Tshirt. $5 from every sale goes to the Canterbury Red Cross Earthquake Appeal
• Donate $5 to Christchurch City Mission’s Earthquake Appeal: http://bit.ly/asyfzX
• Other ways to donate: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/promotions/news/article.cfm?c_id=500848&objectid=10671104

Thank you

This debilitating condition is often misdiagnosed and this can result in years of unnecessary pain and stress that simply increases month after month until a correct diagnosis is made. My condition worsened after pregnancy and eventually led to major surgery, followed by months of recovery. If I’d been more aware of the early symptoms of Endometriosis, I would have saved myself years of agony and would probably have avoided major surgery altogether.

I’ve recently been informed about an online support group for sufferers of Endometriosis, where volunteers and sufferers write about their experiences with the condition and participate in group discussions to help others suffering from Endometriosis symptoms. There is also the Endometriosis Global Forum. I just wish I had known about these sites years ago.

There is no cure for Endometriosis. The disease can recur at any time and up to 15 percent of women who have had a hysterectomy can experience the disease again post surgery. I didn’t know that until I read these forums. Not even my surgeon told me.

If you or someone you care about is living with Endometriosis, or suspects they may have symptoms, please take a moment to point them to these sites. Your suggestion could literally change their life.

Thank you.