With all the recent discussion about how hockey bloggers and the MSM interelate, we've come to realize that much of this debate has been framed by members of the MSM who do not read or write blogs, as well as by a select group of bloggers who've received unprecedented access to their teams. We were curious how bloggers outside of this group and unaffiliated with the MSM felt about some of the issues being bandied about, so we created a short questionnaire and posted it on Interchangeable Parts. These are the questions:
1. What was your motivation for starting blogging? Has that changed at all in the time you’ve been blogging?
2. What do you think your blog contributes to the hockey conversation?
3. What do you want to get out of the blogs you read?
4. What determines which blogs you read and which you don’t?
5. How important is the issue of gaining press access to you as a blogger?
6. To what extent do you feel accountable for the content of your blog? How concerned do you think readers should be about the authority and accountability of your blog?
7. How concerned are you about the authority and accountability of the blogs you read? Do you find it difficult to judge the authority and accountability of the blogs you read?
8. What value, if any, do you think blogging brings to the NHL?
In the two weeks since, we've received 15 responses (many from HLOG sisters, including CapsChick and Finny who've both addressed similar issues in this space). Links to the responses can be found at the end of this post:
IPB Blogging Questionnaire
Many of us here have very strong opinions on the topic of hockey blogging. If you are interested in answering any or all of the questions we've posed, we'd love to hear what you have to say. (We'll cross-post your answers, too, if you'd like your thoughts compiled with the rest of the set. Email us at interchangeablepartsblog [at] gmail [dot] com to let us know if you'd like to do a cross-posting.) We've seen a few trends develop in the answers that have come in so far, and we're intrigued to see if a broader sample size will reveal these trends continuing.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
The Great Blogging Debate
Sunday, December 02, 2007
HNIC Spotlights Bloggers
Last week we had an interesting discussion going about bloggers and journalists and all that good stuff, with a lot of good points made. It's a tricky subject but one I think bears revisiting from time to time, especially since all of us have such varied experiences as bloggers.
Clearly Hockey Night in Canada producers read HLOG, because they descended upon Verizon Center this past week to take a look at this whole crazy blogging thing, airing the results in their pregame show earlier this evening. Take a look:
As someone who has benefited and will probably continue to benefit from the Caps' progressive policy towards bloggers I'm not convinced as to whether or not I belong in the press box. But I certainly appreciate the opportunity and try to make the most of it when given. I view it as a privilege, not a right, and I think there has to be that distinction made to some extent...if only so the "real" reporters don't step on your feet and elbow you in the stomach in the media scrums.
For me, it's tricky. On the one hand I like to be able to bring interesting quotes and perspectives to my readers. I like getting to see the players up close and personal, hear their opinions beyond just the sound bites you get on the news or in the paper, watch how they interact with one another. On the other hand, I enjoy being a fan and watching the game with only that perspective, cheering when appropriate and showing emotion when they lose. That's impossible to do in the press box and it's one of the main reasons I haven't applied for a press pass more often.
I will say that in my brief experience, the people who want to have this kind of access from the blogging world are more likely to treat it with respect. I've never seen bloggers acting any differently than the established media types, and again I question, seriously this time, the basis for Pothier's comments. If anything, from what I've seen they're more engaged, more interested in what the player or coach has to say and often more likely to ask the question no one else will ask.
That's not saying that bloggers are smarter or better than the mainstream media. We simply work without restrictions. Reporters work on a deadline and have limited space in which to print the facts, while we can explore any number of topics at any given time and that frees up the line of questioning a bit.
And to that end, there should be guidelines and rules - there's a reason the Caps don't give out credentials to every blogger, and those of us who have been credentialed know where the line is (for the most part) and are invited to ask questions of the media relations staff if we're unsure. It's a learning process on both sides and the road is likely to be bumpy at first, but the Caps have done a great job in laying the groundwork for what could be the future of hockey coverage.
I think once it gets a little more formalized and once the novelty has worn off for bloggers and the team itself, we'll start to see just how much is gained or lost by allowing this kind of access. It'll really be interesting to see how the NHL can work with the internet and the people who provide it's multifaceted content in the future. The fact that on HLOG alone we have the most wonderful spectrum of bloggers and hockey fanatics, each with their own style and voice tells me that the potential is endless.
So...thoughts?
Friday, November 16, 2007
Fan Blogging -- What's the Point?
Ever since the Fan House article on the Isles Blog Box, we've been increasingly interested in the role of fan bloggers. After reading the Christian Science Monitor article on the Caps bloggers by Gare Joyce, we found ourselves contemplating the issue further. Not long after penning this essay as part of an off-line discussion of fanblogging, we saw Earl at BoC post this and Finny post this. Suddenly, this seemed worth publishing here. What do you HLOGers think?
The growth of hockey blogs has come to the attention of the MSM thanks to Ted Leonsis's forward-thinking embracing of Caps bloggers to augment traditional media coverage of his team. Leonsis's efforts have resulted in a revolutionary approach to increasing access to sports journalism for the layperson (see: credentialing bloggers to receive press passes otherwise reserved for traditional media), a revolutionary approach to covering sporting events that would otherwise be ignored (see: the World Championship widget), and a revolutionary approach to covering sports teams that would otherwise be ignored (see: the Bloggers Box on Long Island). However, there's a revolution in web-based communication Leonsis has ignored -- Web 2.0.
Several major newspapers have recently run columns profiling the Caps bloggers (The Washington Times, the Christian Science Monitor) but the advantages of blogging that have been presented are limited to offering non-traditional writers the chance to try their hand at real journalism, and offering fans faster access to information than they get from traditional newspapers. These advantages speak about information traveling one-way -- from the writer to the reader. At no point have Mr. Leonsis or the Caps bloggers emphasized the essential two-way conversation that makes blogging such a dynamic element of Web 2.0. The importance of the opportunity for fans around the world to meet fellow supporters of their team (and in the case of a niche league like the NHL, their sport) should not be overlooked. The objective of many bloggers isn't to gain entrance into the exclusive club of sports journalism -- it's to engage fellow fans in conversation. Conversation relies on information traveling two ways, a trend that is seen far more often on fan-run blogs than on more traditional journalistic blogs.
A lively community has been forged in the hockey blogosphere through linking and comment threads. This community does not hold itself to journalistic standards, does not have a greater collective goal of credentials and press passes, and does not answer to any authority but its own fandom. This is the voice of the fans and it is as important to the future of the game as any blog credentialed by Leonsis. When the MSM takes the time to report on the state of hockey blogging, they are not getting the full story by neglecting to take fan-blogging into consideration. Moreover, traditional, journalistic blogs are not utilizing the true revolutionary power of Web 2.0 if they are neglecting to take the voice of the fan into consideration when attempting to embrace a new form of mass communication.
