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March 16, 2005
A Blogger Q&A
Off Wing reader and UMass-Darthmouth Masters candidate Patrick Gleason is writing a piece about sports blogging, and sent along some questions for me to answer. My responses are below. 1. How long has your blog been operational? Off Wing Opinion went live on February 10, 2002 – so I’ve been going for three years now. I previously blogged at the Route 7 Dispatch from June 2001 to February 2002. For more information, check out my FAQ. 2. Why do you think there is such an appetite for sports blogs at the present time? I’m not sure there’s much of an appetite at all when I look at my numbers – about 400 visits a day – a mere fraction of some of the bigger political blogs. The most popular sports blogs seem to be the ones that combines sports and politics – a format I used to be part of, but left behind for plenty of reasons some time ago. Check out Baseball Crank and A Large Regular to see what I mean. When it comes to pure Sports Blogging, I don't think we've really seen how good it can get, although we're getting some indications with Blogs like Athletics Nation and some of the Blogs that cover the Washington Nationals. The best blogs are the ones that cover a particular topic, and cover it from all angles. Out in the Bay Area, my buddy PJ Swensen runs a blog called Sharkspage, but he does more than cover the NHL team, as he spends a lot of time with the local college squads, and staying in touch with the local ice hockey scene. Once the NHL lockout ends, I'm thinking he'll come back with a larger, and more committeed reader base. 3. I notice you have a PayPal donation link on your site. Have you ever considered text ads on your website to offset costs? What is the typical cost per month to run your blogging website? I accept text ads from a variety of advertisers, and currently charge $10 per link per month for new advertisers. Note: I don’t mean to pry, but am curious as to the investments required (time, research, and otherwise) that go into your blog. It seems like a hard format to continue). That's hard to gauge, because blogging is still a hobby, not a business. Let's just say I spend a lot of late nights and early mornings at the keyboard. My costs are about $20/month for hosting and monitoring -- but most folks can get away with a zero budget. 4. Is this your primary occupation? If not, does your outside work also relate to sports? Blogging at Off Wing is strictly a hobby. And no, my outside work has nothing to do with the sports world. 5. Do you ever get angry or upset when other bloggers link to your work, or are you glad they do as it increases viewership? Links are always good – even if the person doing the linking is disagreeing with you. 6. What is your opinion of blogs that primarily deal with controversial topics(drunk driving arrests by athletes, etc) instead of focusing on more traditional formats? I think Bad Jocks is great. That’s the best thing about blogs, you can follow your passion with few restrictions. 7. How do you feel blogs have and will continue to impact the world of sports journalism, if at all? Sports sections don't seem to get it yet, and I'm not sure they ever will -- both in terms of content and writing style when it comes to blogging. Not everybody can do it, especially after they've been indoctrinated in how to write in that "voice of God," journalistic style. Now, the Boston Globe did purchase Boston Dirt Dogs (which I think is a hoot), but that's presented some challenges for their sports section that they didn't anticipate. Check out Boston Sports Media Watch to see what I'm talking about. One prediction: we’ll see somebody big leave the mainstream media in the next year and use a blog to go independent of any larger operator. If you have talent, the money will be there. For example, I think Bill Simmons could leave ESPN.com, and start his own site without much of a problem. 8. What criteria do you use when deciding whether to read or link to another blog? Smart, original content. That's all I care about. 9. What is your proudest piece of blogging or greatest accomplishment since you started? I think some of my early work on steroids was pretty good, though I've gotten tired of that story angle over time. My Brandi Chastain interview was pretty cool too. But the best part about blogging has been the friends I've made as a result. I've discovered this whole entire network of folks around the country who I have something in common with, and it's pretty cool. I've even been lucky enough to get meet some of them face to face, and I've lived to tell the tale. But here's the funny thing: Some of the posts I'm most proud of, my readers don't give a whit about. And then there are some throwaway posts that attract comments and links from all over the place without warning. That I can't explain. 10. Have you ever been cited as the breaking source in reporting a story? If so, how did that come about? I did some original reporting on the move of the Montreal Expos to Washington, D.C. when I went to a public rally for D.C. baseball – an event that fizzled out pretty quickly. I did break some news that D.C. United were not going to offer a contract to English Soccer bad boy Paul Gascoigne, but nobody picked up on it. For the most part, I stick to commenting on publicly-sourced content. It’s just easier that way. 11. Would you recommend sports blogging to others? Why or why not? I’d recommend blogging to anyone, period. If you’ve got the knowledge and the passion, blogging is for you. And if you try and fail, no big deal. Most blogs never make it past day one anyway.
Eric
12:04 AM
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