The popular vote edged the judges in some contests, the judges overruled the people in others, the competition heated up in some brackets, and just rolled along in others, as we saw the first half of Round Two of #TFC12 play out on Friday. A breakdown of all the day’s action is coming, but first: today’s matches.
Round 2: Day 2 Matches
Look for a short post later today announcing the Sweet 16 judging panels. The judges for today’s matches are as follows:
North (@attackerman is the one seed):
- @aelkus
- @Ali_Gharib
- @jeffemanuel
- @RBStalin
- @SecurityScholar
West (@SlaughterAM was the one seed):
- @HayesBrown
- @HerbCarmen
- @johnsonr
- @shephardm
- @timmathews
Usual reminders: the panel’s judgment will count for 50% of the vote, with each judge representing one-fifth of that total. So don’t forget to vote: in a close match, as history has shown, the popular vote can overrule a split judging panel. Judges and voters alike are urged to be as objective as possible when assessing contestants and are encouraged to look at metrics such as: knowledge base; quality of argumentation; innovative thinking; humor, snark, facility with quips, and charisma; and responsiveness to followers. Contestants’ full bodies of work on Twitter are fair game, but any work outside of Twitter should not be considered, and once again everyone is encouraged to make their decisions in their own way.
Round 2: Day 2 Results
EAST
(1) @abuaardvark vs. (8) @drjjoyner
Judges: 3-2 for @drjjoyner (60% of judges’ vote)
Popular vote:
@abuaardvark: 113 (69%)
@drjjoyner: 50 (31%)
One seed @abuaardvark advances to the Sweet Sixteen. Despite losing three out of the five judges’ ballots, his commanding lead in the popular vote is good enough to advance.
(4) @allthingsct vs. (12) @stcolumbia
Judges: 4-1 for @stcolumbia (80% of judges’ vote)
Popular vote:
@stcolumbia: 114 (72%)
@allthingsct: 44 (28%)
Popular underdog @stcolumbia sees his miracle run continue, as he advances to the Sweet Sixteen with a decisive victory over Australian counterterrorism expert @allthingsct.
(3) @adamserwer vs. (11) @naheedmustafa
Judges: 3-2 for @naheedmustafa (60% of judges’ vote)
Popular vote:
@adamserwer: 96 (51%)
@naheedmustafa: 91 (49%)
Canadian @naheedmustafa rolls over Mother Jones journalist @adamserwer, and will represent Canada (a.k.a. America Junior) in the Sweet Sixteen.
(2) @joshuafoust vs. (10) @stephaniecarvin
Judges: 3-2 for @joshuafoust
Popular vote:
@joshuafoust: 88 (49%)
@stephaniecarvin: 91 (51%)
A narrow win in the popular vote for @stephaniecarvin, but she loses on the expert judges’ decision.
SOUTH
(1) @dandrezner vs. (8) @USEmbPretoria
Judges: 5-0 for @dandrezner (100% of judges’ vote)
Popular vote:
@dandrezner: 112 (70%)
@USEmbPretoria: 47 (30%)
U.S. embassies throughout the world celebrated as @USEmbPretoria shattered the glass ceiling by becoming the first American embassy to advance to the prestigious second round of TwitterFightClub. Unfortunately, an even taller glass ceiling remained just past the first one, and @USEmbPretoria’s run ends here.
(4) @DaveedGR vs. (5) @InkSptsGulliver
Judges: 4-1 for @DaveedGR (80% of judges’ vote)
Popular vote:
@DaveedGR: 97 (55%)
@InkSptsGulliver: 78 (45%)
In the designated Chap Hop Match of the South bracket, two bitter rivals faced off in a duel that became ugly immediately, and degenerated from there. @DaveedGR emerges the victor, but neither man is unscathed after this vicious—and very nearly ungentlemanly—match.
(6) @evanchill vs. (14) @astridhka
Judges: 3-2 for @astridhka
Popular vote:
@evanchill: 75 (48%)
@astridhka: 81 (52%)
The Cinderella Story of 14 seed @astridhka continues, as she advances to the Sweet Sixteen by winning both the popular and also judges’ votes.
(2) @blakehounshell vs. (7) @dianawueger
Judges: 3-2 for @dianawueger
Popular vote:
@blakehounshell: 126 (61%)
@dianawueger: 81 (39%)
In a match that is closer than close, @dianawueger wins 60% of the judges’ vote… but @blakehounshell wins 61% of the popular vote. Congratulations to @dianawueger for a great run and a loss to a popular opponent. @blakehounshell advances to the Sweet Sixteen, but this highly popular 2 seed must surely feel vulnerable at this point.
East Bracket:
@hilango
So far, Twitter Fight Club has exceeded my expectations, representing the height of dignified discourse on the internets. The men have behaved like real gentlemen and the women have behaved like true ladies. Round 2 can only bring more joy.
Fight!
@abuaardvark vs. @drjjoyner
As always, @abuaardvark was a strong source of news and insight throughout the day. Also, he has a dog. (I’m not entirely sure why the contestants keep thinking small animals will engender sympathy. Obviously, building a platform on dogs risks alienating the cat electorate, not to mention the livestock people.)
@drjjoyner was even more productive, bombarding my feed with news stories. Also, it didn’t hurt that his avatar was a picture of two children. Granted, we can’t be sure @drjjoyner didn’t pull a @chrisalbon here, but I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Kids trump puppies.
My choice: @drjjoyner
@stcolumbia vs. @allthingsct
This could have been an interesting fight. But like some other contestants in this competition, @allthingsct didn’t even bother showing up. For shame! Was it fear of the harmless-looking-but-skills-of-a-ninja @stcolumbia that kept her from stepping up to the mic? Maybe dingo hunting season began this week in Australia? Or perhaps someone sent @allthingsct a fine single-malt in the hopes of distracting her? We can only speculate. Mystery down under!
My choice: @stcolumbia
@NaheedMustafa vs. @AdamSerwer
I suspect the knife fight between @DaveedGR and @InkSptsGulliver zapped the power out of the rest of the competition in round 2. There was some pretty lackluster dueling on Friday, with @AdamSerwer trying to stoke anti-elephant sentiments and @NaheedMustafa failing at Star Wars references—neither of which impressed the judges (I think). Both contestants served some good articles throughout the day, but @AdamSerwer’s output was significantly higher. Finally, his tweets on the Trayvon Martin tragedy put it beyond reach.
My choice: @AdamSerwer
@StephanieCarvin vs. @JoshuaFoust
@StephanieCarvin once showed me a picture of her cupcakes. They were Star Wars-themed. For Valentine’s Day. And most impressive (sorry!). But this is Twitter Fight Club, and pastries don’t win you trophies. Besides, @joshuafoust’s constant tweets of “easy” dinners would humble most amateur chefs. No, here we demand blood—not butter.
@StephanieCarvin made a preemptive strike at our sense of honor by announcing she’d be jetlagged. Us judges are not easily swayed by such sentiment (career help is an entirely different matter, and libelous claims that such collegiality would in any way, shape or form alter this judge’s perception of said contestant will be met with harsh rebuke and stern warning of sanctions). Instead, we consider this contest on purely measurable variables in the most objective way possible.
Curiously, both contestants incorporated food in their strategy. This is a bit baffling, since talk of food makes me hungry, which in turn makes me grumpy. That aside, @StephanieCarvin powered through the jetlag to tweet about pirates (yarr!), DSK (ewww!), and mammoth inbreeding (ehhh?). All in all, good stuff and she engaged with the ‘readers’ throughout the day. @JoshuaFoust was not as productive, though kept in touch with his tweeps from Canadia. Tweeting about bacon should have given him the victory, but since I can’t have any, he won’t.
My choice: @StephanieCarvin
@katiedemann
Since I have little chance of being as funny in my judging as @brettfriedman or @RBStalin, I have to go with short and sincere. This is the second time I’ve judged this fine quadrant, and the decisions have not gotten any easier…
@abuaardvark v @drjjoyner. Both with doctorates, both smart and engaged tweeters (despite @drjjoyner’s near-constant stream of “New at OTB”), but only one advances in my bracket: with his Kanye references, dog’s presence on NPR, and mockery of tweeters without proper Avatars, @abuaardvark moves ahead. Plus, I have him winning it all in my bracket, so no way I’m shooting myself in the foot when my actual tournament bracket died on day 1.
@stcolumbia v @allthingsct. While I give @stcolumbia a lot of credit for being so involved in our insular, irritating natsec universe, I give the match to @allthingsct for her body of work on twitter over the course of the last however many years I’ve been following her. I always learn something, whether I agree with her or not, and her perspective is well worth reading.
@naheedmustafa v @adamserwer. Two of my very favorite tweeters up against each other! And they’ve been so enthusiastic and fighty! Crap. Decisions. What to do? I’m taking the coward’s way out and tossing a coin: @naheedmustafa.
@stephaniecarvin v @joshuafoust. Stephanie’s put up a good fight against the heavily favored Foust, who hasn’t delivered me any home-cooked food as I demanded in my first-round vote and has expressed indifference toward the vaunted #tfc12. Foust is basically the definition of Twitterfighter. But Stephanie was a janitor for four years (really?) AND she RTs puns about bananas having appeal. Puns win it every time. @stephaniecarvin.
@neilbhatiya
This was a fun bracket to judge, as it contained some of my favorite Twitter people (I followed @JoshuaFoust back when his feed was double-super-secret). This was also an entertaining series of contests to jobs because so many of the tweets on competition day referenced cute animals and, hell, who doesn’t love cute animals?
These are also some of the most informative feeds on Twitter. Just lately: @AdamSerwer has been all over the Trayvon Martin case for Mother Jones; @allthingsct has provided important commentary on the Toulouse killings; @abuaardvark, @drjjoyner, @joshuafoust & @stcolumbia have been great sources of commentary on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, especially on Syria; and who isn’t entertained by @NaheedMustafa’s #CommuterChronicles, proving that Canada can be as annoying and disgusting as the United States (cf. mayonnaise on French fries).
Since all of these people are close to each other in terms of engagement, quality information, and contributing to the general utility and fun of Twitter, I decide to judge them by a combination of the best tweet they could muster on or around the competition day (Friday, March 23rd) and my overall opinion of their Twitter prowess. In some cases, the tweet was decisive, in others not so much. Without further ado:
(1) @abuaardvark v. (8) @drjjoyner
Best tweet from @drjjoyner: Let me guess: One per page? RT @FP_Magazine: Amazing images from 2011s best military photography http://t.co/1Iz3PFiO
Best tweet from @abuaardvark: Sorry to disappoint, but despite his star turn on today’s radio program my dog was not invited join me and @nprscottsimon tomorrow.
TWEET VERDICT: @drjjoyner
FINAL VERDICT: @abuaardvark
(12) @stcolumbia v. (4) @allthingsct
Best tweet from @stcolumbia: In a time of rapidly shifting baby avatars, my consistently awesome dog is a rock of stability.
Best tweet from @allthingsct: Arrived home to find my cat who I had left with parents is obese. I need a cat fat farm. He’s like 10 kg.
TWEET VERDICT: @stcolumbia
FINAL VERDICT: @stcolumbia
(11) @naheedmustafa v. (3) @adamserwer
Best Tweet from @naheedmustafa: ok no. i’m confused. i’m not competing today. Am I? I can’t read. Whaaat?
Best Tweet from @AdamSerwer: In Game Change, there’s an endnote in invisible ink revealing that @NaheedMustafa introduced John McCain to Sarah Palin
TWEET VERDICT: @AdamSerwer
FINAL VERDICT: @AdamSerwer [as a Marist grad, it stings to advance the fortunes of a Vassar grad, but that’s how the merits add up]
(10) @stephaniecarvin v. (2) joshuafoust
Best tweet from @stephaniecarvin: Gerard Depardieu to play Dominique Strauss-Kahn in French movie. Could DSK play Diepardieu in aeroplane incident film? http://t.co/k2HLMvfA [almost gets no credit for misspelling Depardieu after spelling it correctly just nine words prior]
Best tweet from @joshuafoust: Here is what it looks like to cook lemon-vanilla pancakes over applewood-smoked bacon. http://yfrog.com/h73m7ahj [foodie tweets will get you far]
TWEET VERDICT: @stephaniecarvin
FINAL VERDICT: @joshuafoust
@petulantskeptic
(1) @abuaardvark v. (8) @drjjoyner
Things to know about this matchup. One of them follows me, the other doesn’t. One of them routinely interacts with me, the other doesn’t.
On the other hand, one of them writes important research papers for CNAS explaining why everyone on any US cable television network who ever said anything about intervening in Syria is an idiot (I’m paraphrasing). This one also works for the listicle factory known as Foreign Policy, though as far as I know is not personally involved in creating listicles.
One of them is a former Army officer. I’m an Army officer. Joyner wins. For a (1) seed Marc Lynch really ought to know that he needs to work the judges more.
(12) @stcolumbia v. (4) @allthingsct
Trombly’s avatar is a Rhodesian ridgeback. I have a Rhodesian ridgeback as well (though mine is more adorable than his [more pictures available upon request]). I’ve known Trombly since he was just another random blogger prodigiously toiling away in [relative] obscurity (I say relative because even on a per word basis, far more people read his words than mine). This is Twitter Fight Club, not some contest in which judging should be impartial. Trombly wins.
(11) @naheedmustafa v. (3) @adamserwer
Neither one follows me. Since I started paying attention to them Naheed seems the more interesting, plus I like voting for underdogs. Naheed wins.
(10) @stephaniecarvin v. (2) joshuafoust
One of these people wore an ascot on Al Jazeera. Anyone who does that would probably ruin me if I didn’t vote for them. Beyond that though, Foust is one of the most legendary Twitter Fighters in the Twitter Fight Sphere, even though he may have lost a step and some of his ambition with age (Twitter years are like dog years, so it’s not inconceivable that a lot changes in a year). Foust used to be one of the most pugnacious pugilists in the Twitterverse, though these days he tends to play a more tactical game holding his immense depth of snark and knowledge in reserve for only those opponents truly worthy of a volley. While I may miss the old, more rambunctious Foust, no one can keep up that level of intensity for an entire Twitter Fight career. Like an old, wise, ascot wearing boxer he has learned to win with his intelligence as well as his fists. Foust wins.
My apologies that I didn’t write y’all a story, in lieu of that I give you:
*** BONUS JUDGING ***
The people running this show tell me this won’t count [Ed: it doesn't], but I don’t care, I’m going to do it anyway.
(6) @evanchill v. (14) @astridhka
Seriously. Evan is a Bears fan. In my first round ballot I speculated that he would totally be able to handle losing. Then after he (despite my vote) won, he confirmed my suspicions. He’s a Bears fan… for them losing is like having a glass of milk to you and I. Then, on the other side of the matchup you have one of the most insightful Horn of Africa tweeters, and also a woman of immense and fantastical taste in television shows (e.g. Friday Night Lights). I don’t know who does the seeding for this stuff (or how they let people like @jstrevino in) but Astrid is criminally underseeded and, since the judges have mysteriously, decided that I can’t judge her half of the bracket I’d like to cast a public vote for her (even if those same powers that be decide that this is meaningless [Ed: it is]).
@speechboy71
In the 1-8 matchup, one’s heart has to go out to @abuaardvark as all his NCAA teams were banished from the tourney (first the Packers and now this) but @drjjoyner is a tweeting machine - respect must be paid. A vote for @drjjoyner
12) @stcolumbia v. 4) @allthingsct - If you don’t tweet, you don’t win. A vote for @stcolumbia (even if I could do with a little less IR theory)
A tough match between @naheedmustafa and @adamserwer with equal levels of snarks and unsubstantiated accusations. But I have to give my vote to @Naheedmustafa; she went against national type in demonstrating that Canadians can be as harsh as Americans in - a significant accomplishment and one that earns her this judge’s nod.
10) @stephaniecarvin v. 2) joshuafoust Neither much impressed with their tweeting, but Foust bought me lunch and I can’t vote for 2 Canadians in a fight club. @joshuafoust gets my vote
South Bracket:
@BareftStratgist
I have to admit I knew very little about #TFC12 before being invited to judge in round 2, beyond new cat & baby-themed profile pictures and liquid refreshment bribes (by the way…still waiting on that Scotch folks). After digging in and watching the judging styles of my more creative and articulate predecessors, I saw there wasn’t much new material for me. Particular props to @brettfriedman for his phenomenal USMC/Star Wars-inspired epic.
Which leaves me really only a 4-metric system for evaluation (to spare those non-military types, I won’t get into which are Measures of Effectiveness and which are Measures of Performance – but feel free to hit up @jon_jeckell if you’re interested).
The four metrics I used were:
1) The likelihood that this story resonated with the contestant – a powerful determinate of both an analytic mind and their geek-quotient.
2) The contestant’s twitter description – a synopsis of their knowledge and level of snarkiness you can expect.
3) The best picture on their twitter account – a symbol of their wit.
4) The contestant that had the best final tweet of the day – let’s face it, who has time to follow every great tweet from the folks for 24 hours? S/he who is best, last wins.
Formalities out of the way –
|
@dandrezner |
@USEmbPretoria |
| Based on his obsession with zombies – think the contestant felt vindication for much of his adolescent life. | Since it’s the official twitter feed for an embassy, I’m guessing it never role-played as a kid… |
| “International relations professor, politics junkie, blogger, zombie expert seeking intellectual company on the web. No freaks.” | “United States Diplomatic Mission to South Africa” |
| Rejected subtitle was, “Get Off My Lawn You Punks!” | Oh, Khaya. |
| “An interesting @jbplainblog point about exactly how elections have consequences: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/new-world-bank-chief-shows-that-elections-have-consequences/2012/03/23/gIQASnLuVS_blog.html” - in which the author quotes the contestant…good strong self-promotional exit. | “Foreign policy and national interests: China, oil and the Sudans: http://wapo.st/GMNpYh (Washington Post) |
@dandrezner obviously comes out ahead in my completely logical evaluation system. While @USEmbPretoria is ever-informative on African issues, official organizations are at a handicap for humor and personality.
|
@InkSptsGulliver |
@DaveedGR |
| Based on the amount of snark and pictures of booze on this contestants twitter feed, it’s guaranteed he had an adolescence filled with horrid experiences involving role playing. | Way too cool for an imagination - @DaveedGR was the formidable debate team kid, not the backroom gamer. |
| “Ink Spots is a blog dedicated to the discussion of security issues across the spectrum of conflict & around the world. I’m a cog in the mil-industrial machine.” | “Author of Bin Laden’s Legacy.” |
| Feeling pretty confident I’m the only straight man here tonight. | |
| “@KeithB18 I’m not sure he can explain how the Spurs always have some terrible rookie scoring 18 by banking in threes and shit.” | “I’m off Twitter for the evening. I’d like to thank my friend, the virtually unreadable @InkSptsGulliver, for a great match.” |
This was an extremely tough call. Both contestants overflow with snark and confrontation. They both obviously know how to play the TFC game…throwing shots at each other all day. While @DaveedGR is the favorite, @InkSpotsGulliver does better on most of my evaluation criteria. Based on the final tweet-suckerpunch by @DaveedGR, though, he gets my vote. Well done gents.
|
@evanchill |
@astridhka |
| As a Bears fan, he lacks imagination… | Definitely not…too extroverted and engaging. |
| “Al Jazeera English online producer, Wisconsin raised Chicago Bears fan, Radiohead listener, middle initial C. evan [dot] hill [at] aljazeera [dot] net.” | “aid worker in the Horn of Africa.” |
| ” Carlos Latuff turned this one around within like six hours. Someone tell this man to take a break once in a while.” | Only works on @petulantskeptic, I’m afraid… |
| “@austin_riggs My bracket is just ridiculous right now,” | “Somali PM is asked who’s the real parliament speaker, essentially says, “This gov’t is over in August; who cares?” http://is.gd/QKSvTb |
This was another tight contest, though for different reasons. Both contestants are prolific in their serious coverage of their areas – amazing lack of snark. Both are very engaging and are in constant discussion with others on Twitter. Again, it comes down to the final tweet – and @astridhka’s strong finish with a little humor took her over the top.
|
@dianawueger |
@blakehounshell |
| I can see @dianawueger pandering to poor gamers, but, like @astridhka, she’s too extroverted and engaging for this story to resonate. | Quick, witty, imaginative, and worldly…can see him as running the show. |
| “Writing about small arms, slightly larger arms, foreign affairs, natsec, & facial hair. I love a well-turned phrase.” | “Managing editor of Foreign Policy magazine. Opinions my own. RT ? endorsement. Buy my book! http://amzn.to/u6uNL6” |
| “”Hoodies don’t fit in today’s society” says man with horrible 1970s pedophile mustache.” – retweet from @Wonderella | “GOP primary bad for ratings RT @memeorandum: Television News and the Incredibly Shrinking 2012 Campaign http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/03/22/television-news-and-the-incredibly-shrinking-2012-campaign.html |
By far the toughest contest of the day. As one of the progenitors of TFC, @dianawueger knows how to throw it down, while @blakehounshell is one of the anchors of NatSec/FoPo on Twitter. Their pictures alone should push them both through to the next round, but alas:
While the last tweet is less than decisive for either contestant (@dianawueger’s is amusing, but merely a re-tweet and @blakehounshell’s only a quick direct to an informative piece on politics), @blakehounshell’s hat tip to Playgirl’s Geraldo edition pushed him ahead. Add to that @blakehounshell’s likely abilities at role play and game theory (not to mention his gigantic and cult-like following on Twitter), and he cruises to victory. Well played, @blakehounshell.
TL;DR version:
@dandrezner
@DaveedGR
@astridhka
@blakehounshell
@EricMartin24
1) @dandrezner v. 9) @USEmbPretoria
Not a lot of heat from this contest pitting the #1 seed (Dan Drezner) against the plucky #9 seed (USEmbPretoria). Both sides kept themselves at an exceedingly boring, if civil, distance for the duration of the day. However, as @DaveedGR was kind enough to highlight a few days ago, I am perfectly willing to consider “fair judging & impartiality gifts” from contestants, and Drezner at least had the good sense to follow me. As a result of that gesture, my thus-enhanced open mind led me to the conclusion that @USEmbPretoria didn’t do enough to upend a #1 seed.
Vote: Drezner.
5) @InkSptsGulliver v. 4) @DaveedGR
Watching these two go at it yesterday was reminiscent of just about every day on twitter, ever. Fighting trousers were donned, wigs powdered, gloves were cracked across ruddy cheeks…the usual. When the dust settled, @DaveedGR scored points for profile pic pugnacity, but lost some for his savaging of my first round judging lapse and his refusal to change his name to either Maximum Fighting Power Jones or Count R. Terrorism (a suggestion that earned Gully points of his own). Further, as a member of The Progressive Realist network, Gully does enjoy certain priviliges with certain judges which on a normal fighting day would seal the deal for the Inked one…but then came the bombshell announcement that Gully’s blog-mate @JasonFritz1 was actually endorsing DGR.
(An audible chorus of harumphs ensued, chins were stroked, brows were furrowed, tabulations were re-tabulated)
That revelation, and the highly strategic #FF from DGR, pushed the needle every so slightly in favor of Maximum Fighting Power Jones.
Vote: @DaveedGR, in the toughest decision of the day.
6) @evanchill v. 14) @astridhka
Like the @dandrezner v. @USEmbPretoria match-up, these contestants could have taken a cue from Inky and DGR and mixed it up a bit more. @astridhka went so far as to call @evanchill an…”excellent journalist.” Yeah, that’ll leave a mark. For his part, @evanchill launched such heavy artillery as “goody two-shoes aid worker” coupled with a misspelled username. Not exactly the stuff of legends here.
In terms of sympathy votes, @astridhka’s loss of 4 hours’ worth of work to an Excel freeze-up tugged on my office dwelling heart strings. But I’m not sure it was enough firepower to overtake the favorite.
Vote: @evanchill
7) @dianawueger v. 2) @blakehounshell
This duel features a match-up of two people that I’ve actually met in the real world, and consumed alcohol with. So that’s something I suppose.
@blakehounshell did his best to keep a “positive” tone, embracing “bold ideas” and characterizing his opponent as negative. His most effective tactic was clearly the deployment of pictures of his adorable 5 day old son. That, and a DGR inspired #FF (though, as @dianawueger pointed out, the #FF didn’t accompany an actual follow. Ahem. Points nullified). Despite his pledge to keep it positive, the judges would have liked to see a little more fight out of the newly minted father.
@dianawueger on the other hand put forth a tantalizing offer of free scotch for the judges - the global currency of awesome. Also, veiled threats about inclusion in #TFC13. Devastating. Miscellania: bedazzling references, owls, correcting the editor and more barbs landed than absorbed.
Normally, that would tilt the contest toward @dianawueger, but @blakehounshell has two aces up his sleeve:
1. As a new father, he earns my sympathy vote for the lack of sleep he will suffer over the coming months. That, and his impending realization that for the next 18 years or so, he will never really have a “day off.” Weekends? Vacations? Those words are hollow.
2. Blake and I used to blog together at American Footprints waaaaay back in the day when he wrote under the handle praktike. That’s gotta count for something when trying to pick a winner in a matchup between two people that deserve to move on.
Vote: ever so slight nod in the direction of @blakehounshell. Also the toughest decision of the day.
@mvallonesta
When I was contacted by the organizers of Twitter Fight Club about judging, I was a little hesitant to do so. Not because of any concern about my ability to be objective, but more regarding my ability to match the humor and wit seen on previous rulings (preview: not going to happen). That being said, I’m more than happy to be here and will lay out my voting below. I look at two criteria when evaluating participants in Twitter Fight Club: quality of material presented and quantity of tweets. Quality of tweets should be seen in both the user generated content and the quality of provided links. Quantity of tweets is pretty self-explanatory, though more weight was given to unique content then retweeting. As tempting as it is to look at external factors (articles, papers, books, Klout scores, shameless pandering to the judge, etc.), the rules of the competition focus on activity during the time period in question.
Matchup 1: #1 @dandrezner v. #9 @USEmbPretoria
@USEmbPretoria draws a tough matchup with one of the three remaining #1 seeds in TFC. Despite limited familiarity with @USEmbPretoria prior to the start of TFC, I’ve been very impressed by both the quality and quantity of the twitter feed. Many governmental twitter feeds fail on both of these measures, managing to infrequently post banal talking points that have all the personality of linoleum. With tweets ranging from explanations of African Union activity to the Judicial Service of Ghana, there’s something for almost everyone. It makes for interesting reading and is well worth following.
@dandrezner’s feed doesn’t quite match @USEmbPretoria for quantity of content, but I believe there’s an edge in quality. Some of the articles provided proved to be exceptionally interesting and topics included as diverse topics as comparing college football to the Hunger Games and how to get into grad school (as someone who just finished applying that was particularly appreciated).
Result: A surprisingly close match-up, but I give the vote to @dandrezner based on quality of entrees. @USEmbPretoria is definitely worth a follow though.
Matchup 2: #5 @InkSptsGulliver v. #4 @DaveedGR
This was a difficult match to follow, not because of any failings on participants but because of the sheer volume of tweets. To say that these two participants attempted to flood the zone with tweets does a disservice to the phrase. If you haven’t looked at the exchange they had on Friday, go back and do that now, I’ll wait. … … Actually, scrap that, it would take a good solid hour to work through all of their tweets, we’ll continue on. While the length was rather daunting, the back and forth was extremely enjoyable. For better or worse, it was incredibly effective at distracting from me from my attempts to be productive.
Looking back at the two feeds now, it looks like @DaveedGR was the more prolific tweeter- how he managed that given that he was on a plane for part of the day is beyond me. To his credit, @InkSptsGulliver observed a pause during the flight before resuming hostilities. This is part and parcel with a longer-running twitter feud/admiration fest between the two. The quality of both Twitter feeds was impressive, ranging from discussion of Mavericks basketball (which is described as ‘bad’, clearly they haven’t seen the Celtics this season) to follow-up on the Toulouse shootings. For further details, @noahchestnut has a fairly comprehensive overview of the morning portion of their match-up here.
Result: It’s difficult to determine a winner in this one, but I think I have to give my vote to @DaveedGR for sheer numbers. Both feeds are excellent and well-worth reading, so @DaveedGR gets the nod for quantity.
Matchup 3: #6 @evanchill v. #14 @astridhka
I didn’t follow @evanchill prior to Twitter Fight Club and clearly this was my loss, his reporting appears to be always interesting and insightful. @astridhka I’ve followed for some time and remains a top-quality twitter feed focused on the HoA. The rankings indicate a bit of a mismatch, but the actual competition proved to be pretty close.
@evanchill clearly wins in terms of quantity of tweets, but quality of tweets is harder to discern. @evanchill’s feed provides coverage around the globe, ranging from Syria to Kandahar to US domestic politics. @astridhka remains more focused on Africa, but this focus allows for some very interesting analysis/links on activities there (particularly given events in Mali).
Result: @evanchill wins on quantity and the quality of both feeds isn’t significantly different enough to overcome that, meaning this round goes to @evanchill
Matchup 4: #7 @dianawueger v. #2 @blakehounsell
This was a difficult competition to rule on as both contestants have top-notch feeds that I’ve followed for some time. And both brought their “A game” to the table on Friday. While there wasn’t a done of engagement between the two, there was sufficient back-and-forth to make it interesting.
@dianawueger had a solid day of tweeting both for quantity and quality. Topics ranged from bedazzler technology to Swiss water-safety to Trayvon Martin. She also gets points for linking to one of the cutest pictures of baby owls I’ve ever seen. If the link to the scotch ice cream concoction she had posted earlier this week had made an occurrence, that likely would have secured a nod.
@blakehounsell provided an impressive day of tweets, including interesting links and analysis. Topics covered included Mali, fall-out from Greg Smith’s Goldman op-ed and the on-going 2012 GOP primary. Also, surprisingly, links to Conan O’Brien’s coverage of Obama’s world bank pick.
Result: If this were simply focused on national security tweets, @blakehounsell’s volume of tweets would be the clear winner. As it is more expansive, the range of topics discussed by @dianawueger make me pick her in an upset.
@trdeghett
1) @dandrezner v. 9) @USEmbPretoria
Both of these tweeters put out great content. The embassy has the honor of being one of the few non-individual twitter feeds that pulls off a personal feel, but Drezner made a good showing with today’s tweeting on Obama’s World Bank pick and more.
It’s a close race, but I vote for @dandrezner. Hope to see @USEmbPretoria come back around next year.
5) @InkSptsGulliver v. 4) @DaveedGR
This fight got ugly quickly with @InkSptsGulliver starting out the match by accusing @DaveedGR of being a fictional character and @DaveedGR returned fire by challenging Gulliver for allegedly being a boring and unreadable blogger. @InkSptsGulliver lost points with me by pulling @JasonFritz1 into the fray and Jason’s subsequent endorsement of @DaveedGR was a major boost. Ultimately, though, I wished that they had spent a little more time being their usual informative selves on Twitter, and since @DaveedGR did that the most of the two…
My vote goes to @daveedgr.
6) @evanchill v. 14) @astridhka
@evanchill has a lot going for him in #TFC12 and I only just started following @astridhka’s feed, but she’s definitely worth it. It’s hard to top Hill’s follower count and his Al Jazeera ties, etc… but @astridhka’s no slouch. Hill gets extra credit for asking for the vote in Arabic, but @astridhka wins the day with her consistent, informative and opinionated Africa tweeting.
My vote goes to @astridhka.
7) @dianawueger v. 2) @blakehounshell
This just is not a fair match-up to have to judge: I rely on both of these two tweeters for their solid expertise and for the wit they bring in 140 characters. Hounshell’s comprehensive world news tweeting and his RTs with snarky/pithy commentary were matched up with @dianawueger’s usual stellar mix of snark and weapons-tweeting (plus a discussion of Somali pirates and guyliner).
I vote @dianawueger.
@WThomasWebb
Today was truly the day-of-days to be a Twitter Fight Club 2012 judge. As the day progressed, upsets could be felt waiting in the wings and the body blows of rhetorical heavyweights did not disappoint. Would the witty 1-seed professor, who squeaked by the charismatic 16-seed, earn his ranking against a US embassy? Could a TFC sponsor upend a FP Magazine editor and popular Middle East expert? Did the aid worker mobilize the good-will she tries to sow against an Al-Jazeera producer? Best of all, the far-too-early-in-the-bracket prize fight between precocious partisans @InkSptsGulliver and @DaveedGR drew not just the crowds en masse, but the jeers and cheers of an audience enthralled.
[Are you not entertained!?]
(1) @dandrezner v. (9) @USEmbPretoria
Both contestants followed your humble judge once the matchup and judges were announced. Each contestant is a must follow if you’re not already (albeit, you probably are). This one was actually one of the closer matches of the day. Each contestant tweeted a plethora of important, topical, and timely articles. Further equalizers were @dandrezner’s having to catch a flight and @USEmbPretoria’s time-zone disadvantage. Even their nice-fight was on display, with the academic giving up a #FF to his bureaucratic adversary and the latter plying me with his chic flag avatar, in contrast to the child-puppy-kitten avatars currently trending.
Both sides stuck to what they do best, only one side did it better. @dandrezner’s “So you want to get into a Ph.D. in political science Ph.D. program, Episode II: Attack of the Postgrads was the lynchpin of the competition. Influenced by a request from our intrepid oraganizer @caidid, his series on PhD admissions is a must read, and shows the power of Twitter’s interconnectivity. This isn’t to say @USEmbPretoria isn’t a shining light in a cesspool of poor embassy feeds, and I know next year our South African mission will be contender to be reckoned with.
Point: @dandrezner.
(5) @InkSptsGulliver v. (4) @DaveedGR
Articulate adversaries. Forsworn friends. Rambunctious rivals. Alliteration abounds amongst articulate attritionists, aiming at ameliorating anger. @DaveedGR gave the lie immediately, as I had just arrived at work. Witty and unhindered, he launched a rhetorical broadside at @InkSptsGulliver to which the blogger was able to respond to intermittently. Soon the pace quickened on both ends, leading to a what I could only be taken as a Pyrrhic victory by either side. For the sake of brevity, check out this story one the morning’s fireworksby ‘Noah Chestnut’. With such banter, how do I even begin to vote? Here’s the major difference: Daveed weaponized his feed for the day’s fight, up-armoring and dedicating the day to destruction. On the other hand, Gulliver stuck to what he does best: asking young people to get off his rhetorical lawn, bitching about the NBA, and giving Daveed a few good body-blows 140 characters at a time.
In the end, I side with Gulliver, only on the basis of his human display. Any man who can go toe-to-toe with @DaveedGR and then rage against the Spurs has proved his worth.
Point: @InkSptsGulliver
(6) @evanchill v. (14) @astridhka
This one became easier as the day went on. @astridhka engaged and kept up her expected humor, while @evanchill couldn’t bring himself to hit the follow button. A early #FF and a few jokes just wasn’t enough to overcome the charms of his opponent.
(7) @dianawueger v. (2) @blakehounshell
Diana ran away with this one. As with Evan, Blake went with the #FF, but didn’t follow through on his own recommendation. The TFC sponsor and tireless editor of a band of blogging misfits found time to work and serve up some great laughs during a match I thought would be much closer. I sympathize with Blake’s new child, but sympathy has no place in war. None. Ever. Ever ever.
Point: @dianawueger