There are more than 150 million daily active bloggers around the world.
Blogging makes people happy. It is a big part of their self-expression.
I blog every single day.
Tens of thousands of people hear what is on my mind via my blog.
Bloggers deserve our respect and our gratitude.
They work hard. They generate pixels. Pixels generate interest and higher rankings on Google and other search engines. Higher rankings generate more click though. More click through means more relevance with today’s citizens. And it is good business, too!
Bloggers tell more stories. Bloggers reach every nook and cranny of fan interest. Bloggers are passionate and talented. They care about your franchise.
As long as they abide by published and official guidelines I will always support the blogosphere as well as the mainstream media.
As an aside, if there are 150 million plus bloggers today, ISN’T IT TIME WE RECOGNIZE THEM as MAINSTREAM MEDIA?! Can’t get more mainstream than 150 million people.
Bloggers covering sports teams is like oxygen - get used to it!
Bloggers always welcome here. Thank you. Read this blog story.
@Matt
It’s important to realize that there’s an application process to get a media credential for the Caps. You’ve got to use a real name. You’ve got to have some kind of track record over a period of months where the Caps can assess quality. In the DC market, the Caps get almost zero coverage on sports talk radio and inconsistent coverage in the Washington Post. Space limitations and high beat reporter turnover for the Post limit their quality as well.
I know that this newbie Caps fan would not be nearly as devoted or committed to the team without Japers’ Rink to help me appreciate and understand what’s going on in the games.
I only hope that my favorite team, the Washington Nationals, will learn from Ted’s models about what it takes to bring an underappreciated team mainstream in DC.
I want to share my thoughts on Ted’s Take. Its a long read, but give it a chance and I will be glad to take any feedback that anyone has to offer.
http://www.letsgoblues.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=38:give-us-a-chance&catid=15:jponder#josc6
Thank you.
@Jeff – I am probably guilty of painting with too broad a brush. I’m not saying that there aren’t a number of talented people writing on the internet. I’m just suspicious of any writer that doesn’t have any sort of editorial checks and balances hanging over him. It seems that bloggers aren’t held to a standard of accountability that the traditional media is. I may just be a fan of the “Gatekeepeeper” model of media and information.
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Matt-
I completely agree, despite what I said. There are a lot of bloggers out there that do not follow a code and just spit out opinions without adding the facts.
But within those people are people like me. I am not trying to sell you my blog, but if you read my stuff it is completely accurate in the facts, with a dose of my opinion. I am a senior in college and have studied hard in the arts of journalism. I report information just as much as I give my opinion. I know many other bloggers that are the same.
That is why I think bloggers should be allowed to be general media, but with limitations. I think that the NHL club should do a lot of studying up on who they are giving press passes to, and whether or not they are a reputable person. Interviewing would be a good idea, but I think simply reading some past work from that person is the most important action. You don’t give a driver’s license to someone who hasn’t passed the test, do you?
So in summation, I agree to a certain point.
Out of curiosity, why do bloggers deserve our respect and gratitude? Isn’t it nothing more than spouting off an opinion without being held to any standard of quality or accuracy. I imagine it’s becoming so popular for the same reason that Youtube and reality television is popular; you don’t have be talented or having any training to do it. People want attention and recognition, but they don’t want to have to go to trouble of learning a skill or having someone tell them their quality is substandard. I don’t know how admirable that is.
Thank you Mr. Leonsis. I am a blogger for letsgoblues.com as well as nhlhockeyonline.com. I am very passionate about hockey and I strive to be the best at what I do. It is great to see that a man of your caliber understands how important internet media and the “blogosphere” truly is to professional sports.
Even as a Blues fan, you have my support. It also doesn’t hurt that I am also a huge supporter of the Great 8.
Thank you sir. You get it. The NHL dinosaurs do not. We’ll see if intelligence prevails.
Ted you are the best owner in sports. I’ll take all the Caps coverage I can get.
Ted,
Pretty refreshing to see a progressive attitude among one of the owners. Hopefully the rest of your peers figure out bloggers provide value to their investment.
Mike
LetsGoSharks.com
It is very refreshing that someone in your position has both embraced blogging, but is also appreciative of the time and effort that many bloggers put in to covering their favorite teams or other subject-matter that is important to them. In the changing media landscape, bloggers – particularly those that maintain high standards – are becoming the new source of news.
Thank you, Ted. At least there is hope in other NHL cities. I hung up my skates at the end of last hockey season after over 20 years because, while the team in Calgary organization treats all media with the same disdain, it particularly disses new media and deems them unworthy.