Tonight's panel is about the World Cup and what soccer tells us about the world.

There are a variety of ways to express your support for a soccer team or player. You can wear a jersey, paint your face, go to a bar to cheer for your team, cry when they lose,  drink when they win, curse at the TV when your team stumbles. The list is long, but you get the picture.

For this World Cup, there is nothing as exciting as being there in South Africa. So what's the next best thing?

My guess: social media.

During the 2010 World Cup, for the first time you can stream the game on your computer and chat with others while doing so. You can follow updates on Twitter and join other social media sites.(For a history of “The World Cup’s Social Media Evolution”, read this Mashable article.)

My personal favorite use of the web for World Cup commentary is fan-made videos. I like the videos because they are generally accessible for both viewer and creator. It’s a cheap way of expressing your love of the game that allows you to share more than just a cheer.

There are number of video genres being posted by fans to show their support and devotion to a player, a team or the game. Here is my list:

The Historical Scene
In this short clip, you get to see a clip from a game that shaped football history. Clips like this bring you moments you may not have had the opportunity to watch if it weren’t for the web (don't forget to thank the Internet).

Example: The Hand of God

During the 1986 World Cup quarter-final, Diego Maradonna (Argentina) scored against England using his hand but the referee didn't call it. If you can’t see what happened clearely, you can view this photo.

The Tribute
In classic fan video style, the fan creates a mashup of a team’s games or history. The tribute has different subcategories. The main difference from one video to the next is usually sentiment. It goes from the action packed to the utterly cheesy.

Example: Here are two tributes to Pele (Brazil).

In this version, we're introduced to what we can assume is Pele's early years followed by his ascension to super star. All this is accompanied by a saccharin track. Despite being overly sentimental,  it still works.

This version is a more action-filled, upbeat tribute. It's all beats and goals. 

Something very different
Some fans are more creative than others. They don't use real footage.

Example: England vs USA

This is the Lego version of the game (While this is a video from The Guardian, I think it still fits in the fan interaction category)

This example while less inspired, is still an example of the following of the game. This is a video game montage using EA's Fifa game.

What kind of fan videos do you like?