The attack of the blogs
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Feb 06, 2007 
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The Washington Post did a story today on the growing number of Nationals blogs.
You can expect the same with the Yankees. I’m averaging about one e-mail a week from fans who are starting blogs on the team. I know several other beat writers are starting them, too. There were four media blogs on the team last season and there could be six or seven this season.
It’s all good, I think. Newspapers are rushing into new media ventures in an effort to remain relevant. Some will succeed and others will fail, but at least there is an effort.
I predict that one day soon every person who post on sports and political forums will just link to their blogs rather than actually typing out full posts.
~~~The Washington Post did a story today on the growing number of Nationals blogs.~~~
Well, then, it’s time for the Journal News to do a story on Yankees bloggers, no? [wink]
You know I’m always good for a quote!
Lol, at least that would be better than the random posters who speak fake bad English, like “Yankees did had great offseasons, I are looking forwards at 2007.”
“The Attack of The Blogs” sounds like the title of a future movie, the kind of thing Robert Rodriguez would do. And if we continue expanding at that rate, we could achieve Blog OverSaturation. Maybe people will start reading a newspaper again.
I think the most interesting story would be how the LoHud Yankees Blog has evolved. It sets the standard for baseball blogs and the vision and credit for that goes to Peter.
So Peter…
What were the reasons for starting a blog?
What were your expectations going in?
You have remained dedicated to the blog by constantly providing lineups, in-game updates, etc. How much extra pressure does that put on a beat writer?
Has blogging changed the way you look for news?
Has blogging changed newspaper coverage?
Why do daily newspaper bloggers get all the chicks?
I’ve seen other Yankees blogs and none of them are as easy to read as yours. Easability will play a key factor. You’re my fav Yanks blog out there.
For my Yankees info, I switch primarily between LoHud and Rotoworld. You get to the point and don’t try to be all poetic about everything, which I like. Can you recommend any other like yours, Pete?
Steve: I did that story back in 2004.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/w.....logs_x.htm
Todd: To briefly answer your questions:
What were the reasons for starting a blog? I felt like it could be a good addition to the stories in the paper. Plus I was interested in being more of a presence on the web. I also liked what guys like Alex Belth were doing.
What were your expectations going in? I really had no idea. It was a few days before I got any comments or e-mails but by April we seemed to have a good audience.
You have remained dedicated to the blog by constantly providing lineups, in-game updates, etc. How much extra pressure does that put on a beat writer? It’s extra work, not extra pressure. But the work isn’t that hard and if people respond, it’s worth it.
Has blogging changed the way you look for news? Has blogging changed newspaper coverage? No and No. The stories for the paper are a distinct thing and I write much differently for print than I do on the blog. I assume people who find the blog know baseball and the team. I can’t assume that when I write for the paper. In terms of looking for news, I’m looking anyway. This just gives me a chance to present it faster and with a little opinion.
Why do daily newspaper bloggers get all the chicks? Wait a second, we do? I need to get on that list.
Peter – thanks for the link. I came blogging-along a year later – - story of my life!
The Mainstream Media is dying a quick death. Check out the circulation problems at pretty much every big paper. They’re going to become niche soon enough.
Jake: Never happen. Where do you think TV, radio and bloggers get their info in the first place? In some form, newspaper-style journalism will have a place in society for a long time. It’s just a question of how we make the transition.
To my way of thinking, how somebody reads my stuff if not important. Only that they read it. My paper is presenting news in daily newspapers, in magazines, in weekly newspapers, on line, etc. Just a matter of finding the right routes.
Hey thanks for posting other good blogs too. Its sometimes hard to find good blogs and you have to look through a lot of bad ones to get to them.
Other than this blog, my favorite blogs are Bronx Banter, The Jets Blog, Fire Joe Morgan, and of course Deadspin. Kissing Suzy Kolber is good for a lot of laughs too.
Peter — I agree. Until bloggers professionalize, conglomerate, or are absorbed by “old media”, they’ll continue to take the outsider viewpoint which in large part is in reaction to or informed by the insiders like yourself. The onus is now on you (the collective you — the beatwriters — not you, Peter Abraham, the very good beatwriter) to give us enough inside info to prove your continued value. Right now, too few are doing so. (Again, not you.)