Blogs getting more mainstream acceptance

by Ed Valentine on Mar 22, 2008 8:11 AM EDT in News Comment 13 comments

We all know there is a difference between the role of an accredited mainstream journalist, and a blogger like myself.

Yet, despite Bob Costas recently calling blogs "a high-tech place for idiots," many in the mainstream are showing increasing respect for what folks like myself do.

Some of you already know that the other day ESPN baseball writer Rob Neyer pulled a huge chunk of a piece I wrote about George Steinbrenner for 'Bugs & Cranks' and commented on it.

That was huge, not only for my ego but for the credibility of serious sports bloggers everywhere.

Another huge thing took place during the past week. The New York Times' football blog, 'The Fifth Down,' invited the folks from Blogging The Boys, SB Nation's amazing Dallas Cowboys blog, to fill their space for a week.

Incredible! Kudos to the folks at Blogging the Boys for the accomplishment.

By the way, two of my favorite pieces from their week with 'The Fifth Down' directly involved the Giants.

One is simply headlined 'Tony Romo or Eli Manning?,' and I'm sure you can guess which quarterback they side with. Another is an early comparison of the Cowboys and Giants looking at which team should win the NFC East in 2008.

Check them out, and congratulations again to the folks at Blogging the Boys.

I just want to know one thing -- since I'm the New York blogger when is it my turn to appear in the Times?

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Unlike the manic, annoying 'boys fans who

commented in BBV last season, the blogger is a calm rational sort who presents well-thought-out scenarios with but a dollop of fan bias peeking through around the edges. There's no question that the choice between Eli and Romo is a close call at this point in their careers and that fan enthusiasm for a specific team can push the decision either way. That said, I'll take Eli.

by george cronin on Mar 22, 2008 9:46 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

oh yeah, that guy

i remember reading bloggin the boys after the giants win and it seemed like even those readers were sick of his romo-love. god that game was so great.

by DieEaglesDie on Mar 22, 2008 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'd take

Romo for the regular season, Eli for the postseason. But since you can't do that, I'd rather have Eli: running backs and defense can carry a team to the playoffs, but eventually your QB is gonna have to win a game or two in the big dance. Eli's proven he can do that, Romo hasn't.

by cjmulrain on Mar 22, 2008 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This is the same progression that ...

..."news" blogs went through over the past few years. Many of them were thrust into the limelight because the actually ended up having an effect.

(warning - this entry is pretty "meta" and has no relation to the Giants, football or sports in general - it is about blogging. If that bores you, don't read.

www.dailykos.com (as an extreme example) has a lot of power. When Kos puts out a call to support a candidate, that candidate gets money and volunteers. Ultimately, the "respectable" news media could not ignore the effect of the blogs.

Go back to the 1700's - printing presses were not incredibly expensive, and just about any yutz or his brother could publish a newspaper, then go out on the streets and peddle it. Over time, presses got bigger and more expensive, and then came TV - and the power to disseminate information became concentrated in elites. The conversation became one way, in which "experts" told us what to think.

The web, and blogs have allowed us to go from a lecture to a discussion. This is a HUGE threat to the elites. (read The Power of Many or Crashing the Gates)

It is also a threat to their revenue stream. I own a business, I advertise a lot more in blogs than in print. It is less expensive, better targeted, and more effective.

There will probably always be some kind of print media - after all, we need something to take to the bathroom with us - but the size and power will diminish greatly

- ok end meta

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by NYERinSF on Mar 22, 2008 1:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Blogs

I don't know if the rest of BBV Nation cares, but this is a discussion that means a lot to me. You are right -- it has gone from a one-way conversation to a discussion in which fans now have a place to lend their opinions. I am hopeful that I am on the ground floor of something that will catch up to the power news/political blogs have now. If you didn't know it -- the guy who runs The Daily Kos is also the founder of this network of sports blogs. So, want to buy and ad on Big Blue View?

by Ed Valentine on Mar 22, 2008 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

well...

Not really my target market.

I found you from Daily Kos - I have advertised both there and with Mother Talkers -

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by NYERinSF on Mar 22, 2008 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just kidding

I figure you would have done it already if it was.

by Ed Valentine on Mar 22, 2008 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm with you

I think blogs are great. I find I get most of my information these days from blogs. The key, of course, is to separate the respectable blogger from the crazies, of which there are quite a few. This site and Metsblog.com are where I get the majority of my information about my 2 favorite sports teams, and both of them share some common characteristics that make them very reliable in my view:

both are written by former journalists (not that a non-journalist can't write a good blog, I just find that journalists tend to be better writers)
both frequently cite to newspaper articles, but also give their opinion on said articles
both are written by level-headed fans, who can acknowledge flaws while still remaining positive about the team.

Blogs are especially useful for people like me, who move away from their hometown and don't have access to the same traditional news sources. 15 years ago, most of my information about the Giants and Mets would have come from the sports pages of the Washington Post, which might have included a small blurb about the game if I was lucky, or just a box score if I wasn't.

by cjmulrain on Mar 22, 2008 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Crazies

There is a category of bloggers I call 'haters.' I have little use for them because they don't give any information and they don't really create any discussion. They exist solely to rip people. Those blogs are a waste of time. If you can give people a place to go and rationally discuss their team, even during the off-season like we are doing here, that's a good service. It's what I'm trying to do, anyway.

by Ed Valentine on Mar 22, 2008 5:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

what about the just plain crazy ones

Like KSK?

by queler on Mar 23, 2008 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

KSK

I don't read KSK. As ar as I'm concerned there's no point, no real value. I know it's popular, but it's not my style.

by Ed Valentine on Mar 23, 2008 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

blog rage....

I enjoy contributing and debating issues on this blog. When I first started looking for a forum I spent a little time at one of the other blogs but was taken aback by the incredible amount of name calling and downright rudeness.

To me, if you wouldn't say it face to face, don't hide behind your anonimity to be crude.

I look forward to again communicating with everyone here this year and would like to once again congratulate Ed for putting so much effort into its success.

by giant fan since 57 on Mar 23, 2008 7:07 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Very Refreshing

to read some thoughtful blogs in the Times from the cowboy fans. Expecting a barrage from the terrible troll,most of their assesments were right on the money. Of course it's a lot easier during the off season.
That said, though Romo has all the potential in the world, I'll stick with a SUPERBOWL MVP anytime.(still feels good to say that)

by big blue wrecking crew on Mar 23, 2008 10:56 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs