HLOG - The FAQ

So here at the HLOG, we seem to love our acronyms but that’s not what we’re all about!

Q: The H-Wha?
A: The HLOG is simply the Hockey Log or the Hockey Blog. It also stands for “Hockey’s Ladies of Greatness”. See? It’s multi-functional.

Q: Okay fine, but what is it?
A: It’s a hockey blog like all of the other ones you accidentally find when you enter “ (insert name here) + girlfriend” or “Chris Pronger rumours” into Google. Occasionally, you’ll find one that that you actually like and will read on a regular basis. The only difference is that this blog consists of all female contributors, most of who have been running our own individual blogs for awhile. We feel that there is a strong female fan base for hockey out there and we’re hoping we’ve got something unique to add to the hockey blog-o-sphere. We have weekly topics and creative challenges that hopefully inject a little fun that differs from the usual news and game analyses although posts are not limited to those.

Q: Do you have a mission statement?
The purpose of Hockey's Ladies of Greatness (HLOG) is to promote the female fan perspective of the game of hockey, exude and exemplify a positive perception of the female fan (aka "fangirl"), and to encourage its members to write and post thought-provoking, insightful, and appropriately amusing posts. We aim to provide readers with team-specific and player-specific information from the point of view of different fangirls around the league. We pride ourselves on our diversity and our respect for the game, the league, it's players, and one another as HLOGsisters and fellow fangirls.

Q: Sounds awesome! Can I join?
A: Assuming you’re female and love hockey, of course! We’re always looking for new contributors and like our mission statement said, we’re trying to collect all of the female hockey bloggers out there like monopoly estates. Before that happens take a look at the side bar to see if your team is being represented. We like to cap the limit at two bloggers per team to make sure everybody’s fairly represented and that there’s no log-jam.

We don’t require that you run a blog separately if you want to join, although a basic command of the English language would be ideal. Of course, a working and in-depth knowledge of hockey is more than a pre-requisite. When we do have new joiners we require that you contribute at least every two weeks to keep everybody active. You’ll notice that we sort of have a laid-back yet semi-obsessive attitude when it comes to hockey here. The ladies of the HLOG are extremely passionate about their hockey teams and use their blogs as an outlet for that passion.

Q: So…is there some sort of audition process?
A: If you’ve taken the time and decided “Hellz yeah, sign me up!” then I’d first tell you to highly reconsider the use of “z” at the end of “Hell”. Once that’s amended and you’ve decided you want to join up then send our admins (Jordi, Sherry, HG and Finny) an e-mail declaring interest! In this email, we ask that you provide a writing sample. You may do so by either providing a bloglink so we can sneak a peek at your stuff or you may write a response to the current topic posted on the main page and email it to us. We will confirm that we have received your application, and from that point, we will review, discuss, and notify you if we need anything else or if you're in like flynn.

Q: Are you girls puckbunnies?
A: Our very own Hockeygirl has addressed this issue over at her own blog, so to keep the story short: no. We love our hockey and we know just as much about hockey than any male out there. We have absolutely no interest in sleeping with these guys and our conversations go deeper than the juicy details of their personal life and their prowess in bed. But honestly, being red-blooded females, we feel that there’s nothing wrong with commenting on a person’s relative hotness. Frankly, the reasons we have self-proclaimed crushes on some of these players aren’t because they’re fine physical specimens of human beings. I mean have you seen some of these guys’ mug shots?

Q: So you guys are new wave feminists then?
A: We’re females who like to watch sports and talk about sports. I don’t see what’s feminist about that.

Q: Can I submit a topic or creative challenge idea for you guys?
A: Of course! Fire off an e-mail with "Weekly Topic Suggestion" in the subject line and our challenge team will take care of it. We’re always looking for new ideas and such. After all, we’re here to serve you. And us. But mostly you.

Q: I have a blog, can I be added to your great blog list?
A: Sure! Forward your link to our admin monkey and you will be added accordingly.

Q: What is the Friday Five?
A: You guys have probably seen it on other blogs where people answer five random questions on Friday. It’s just an effort to get to know the contributors behind the HLOG a little better. Hockeygirl will post five random questions every Friday and the contributors responses can be found in the comments section.

Q: How do I contact you ladies?
A: If you have a general question, e-mail us at hlogadmin (at) gmail (dot) com. If you have an inquiry for a specific contributor just put in who the message is for in the subject line.

Q: Anything else I should know?
A: Our administration is made up of:

Jordi – Supreme Overlord. She thought this whole thing up.

Hockeygirl – Formerly head of the topics, creative challenges, and Friday Five, HG oversees all HLOG operations alongside Jordi and makes suggestions for all areas of improvement for HLOG.

Sherry – Webmonkey. She’s the one who does silly administration business like layouts and the other miscellaneous silliness such us the links list and promotions. If you have a link you’d like to see on our Hockey Blog Countdown, she’s the one to contact.

Finny – Secretary. She's the behind-the-scenes OCD Google Doc & Spreadsheet quirk that tries to keep some semblance of order happening in HLOGland. She keeps track of member posts, team rotations, meeting minutes, creates all forms, and dishes out emails to the appropriate members.

Your general gripes, comments and concerns are directed to the admins. They are also the ones you have to bribe, blackmail or impress to join this wonderful club.

Other than that, please enjoy your stay. We're all about having fun and possibly griping here.