Kevin Maguire's Web Site

Welcome to my page!

I'm a junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and I created this website for Deb Aikat's JOMC 50 class. I am originally from Newtown, Pennsylvania in the northeast suburbs of Philadelphia and remain the only child of two incredible parents.

Currently, I am a majoring in public relations in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. That is a statement that means basically nothing because in my head I change what I want to do almost monthly. However, the opportunity to be at UNC-CH is extra special to me because I was never a good student in high school and spent two difficult, but memorable years at Drexel University in West Philadelphia.

Like I said, I haven't decided exactly what I wish to do with my life after school, but I am pretty sure it will involve sports, whether from the pr side or in a more traditional newspaper journalism role. I treasure my time interning for the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team for last year and in this summer to come as much as anything because it has showed me what people have always told me -- to do what you love. More on the Sixers to come...

While I am not sweating school I enjoy reading classic fiction and the Philadelphia Daily News Sports section, playing ball with the University of Skills (UNC Intermediate CHAMPS 2001), running, spending time with my family, friends and girlfriend (who will remain nameless in an attempt to not be linked to this weak introduction).

This website includes my top five favorite websites, my resume, some brief samples of my work, some research on J.D. Salinger and some pretty decent links.

ESPN.com has been my most frequently site since I first learned that the internet existed. The graphical user interface allows viewers to browse through breaking new stories, commentary, photos and more about thousands sports topics. Player profiles, team schedules, video highlights as well as nightly and past boxscores are all available and downloadable in seconds. This site, created by ESPN, is probably the most accessed sports site on the web and will be for quite some time to come.

Philly.com is the mst comprehensive site dealing with Philadelphia. This user-friendly site gives visitors the option to read the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News (who sponser and maintain the site) online for free. That feature, invaluable to people who can not physically access the paper (me), is similar to other major online paper sites (ex. nytimes.com or washingtonpost.com). However, this site also allows people to browse other local papers, read up-to-the-minute local developments, check countless regional organizations' information through easy to navigate links and much more. It is the first thing I check each morning and will forever be set as my home site.

CNN.com is a favorite of mine and many other "media junkies." The site, provided by CNN is the leader in online news outlets. Stories seen on the site are up-to-date and credible -- perfect for for web browsers. A visitor can find out the latest information on President Bush's foreign relations or view archive file footage of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is set up with several, effeciently used tables to effectively display numerous top stories, web polls, video clips and much more.

Sixers.com is a personal favorite for two reasons. First, it tells me everything I need to know about my Philadelphia 76ers. Second, I have worked in the communications department for the Sixers for a while and have contributed to the site several times. This site, created by the Sixers and maintained with some assistance from the NBA and NBA.com is one of the best designed and most comprehensive professional team sites on the net. A visitor can view up-to-the-minute scores, check the upcoming schedule, read about team-related community efforts and buy tickets (well, right now, playoff tickets!)

Okayplayer.com is a web site created by the Roots, an organic hip-hop group from Philly who wanted to provide a platform to advance new-age hip-hop, R+B and soul groups. The site has become extrememly popular with fans of this music and culture and boasts a thriving chat room community where "okayplayers" discuss topics ranging from newly-released albums to recent local shows to characters from old "Fat Albert" cartoons. The site's best feature is its pages devoted to site news, chat rooms., on online store and, most importantly, the groups' homepages (equipped with Real Player audio bites and even videos). This site is one of the most creative on the web and is a must-see for all fans of this music genre.

Contact me at guire@email.unc.edu