Comments on: Blogging vs Traditional Media – This time its personal

By: Mark Evans

Mark Evans — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:05:35 +0000

mark,
as a journalist and a blogger, i’m not going to argue with your thesis. i do think, however, the role of the media will evolve as blogs move more into the mainstream – just as newspapers evolved when radio emerged, and newspapers and radio had to change when TV came on the scene. people want to consume information, and blogs are another vehicle to do so. they can co-exist. in terms of the contraction of traditional media, you’re right nothing stays the same. but it doesn’t mean newspapers can’t take advantage of the new tools being developed.

By: Jarrett Campbell

Jarrett Campbell — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:05:09 +0000

Mark, This entry really hit home this morning. I am currently blogging the US National Soccer Team’s training camp here in Cary, NC in preparation from the world cup over at http://www.trisoccerfan.com.

The camp is closed to the public but US Soccer allowed me to report on camp. But when they read my articles the first day, they were a little upset at the level of detail and personal opinion included in my blog which blew my mind. I mean, I watched the exact same thing the traditional media were watching and was privy to the same information, but (a) because I live soccer and (b) because I have no constraint on column inches, deadlines, style of writing, etc. I could (and did) report anything and everything I wanted.

I was told that when they open practice to the media they have an implicit understanding of what will get reported, although they never communicated any of their desires for privacy about camp to any of the reporters there. To me, this sounds more like an indictment of the traditional media — that the soccer team has come to expect traditional media to be fairly lazy and conforming in the types of story and detail that they publish after a practice session.

I’m working with US Soccer to make sure I get to continue my coverage of camp but it’s pretty clear that they don’t consider bloggers part of the “real media” and the easiest thing for them to do would be to deny me access to the camp which is closed to the public, only open to media. Hopefully it won’t come to that because I’ve had thousands of readers telling me how much more they appreciate my coverage than that of the traditional media on the same topics. There’s definitely a readership market out there for what I’m blogging and US Soccer would be denying their hardcore fans — the ones that spend thousands of dollars a year following their team, the access that they both want and deserve.

Mark, as a blogger and someone involved in professional sports, what is your opinion on a situation like this?

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:05:09 +0000

AMEN Mark. You got ripped royally. I bothers me that on sport talk radio…and this was a topic a few days ago from all ESPN hosts…that because you have 1.6 billion you therefore can afford it…blah blah blah

That is unacceptable logic!!!

I loved your post on whining the other day. Yes, you shouldn’t have gone on the court (not sure your motives) and doing that seems to open the door for others to say you are such & such…but again, your blog is YOUR blog and you should be able to express YOUR opinions.

When you get together as NBA owners, are there such rules & regulations about this?

Do you think NBA owners assumed there was a code of ethics regarding the sanctity of refs and expressing your opinions?

Ironic you own the Mavericks…because you have a maverick personality…which I’m sure makes other owners uncomfortable. You would think they would “get it” unless they inherited their wealth.

I teach 4th grade Mark and I am amazed at how little the world of elementary school is from the big business world. I have 10 year olds that are more mature than most adults in my class…no hyperbole intended…I’m dead serious!

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:05:05 +0000

Always keep your blog on my Firefox toolbar and there is a lot of validity in what you just said. I was at a leadership conference at Princeton in 1999 in which a group of visionaries from Northwestern said: “Old media model: company creates content. New media model: consumer creates content.” It is only now coming to fruition, but more importantly as a mix of both, not one or the other. I can’t stress enough how important it is for understanding in libel law, copyright infringement, journalism basics — the things the average blogger takes for granted. Someone needs to teach bloggers in those areas and I feel strongly about this; a J101 Blog of some type could be very successful. There are some serious concerns but it is a fait accompli that information flow evolves in this way, and those who succeed will participate in the flourish. You are going to have a new generation like my youngest son not discerning at all between “traditional media” and bloggers, perhaps until they go off to college to understand the precision required in delivery of facts and opinion without malicious intent. Let’s just say the word “allegedly” isn’t used nearly enough in the blogosphere, where there is an innocence of invincibility…so far. So much still to be seen as this grows. Also, please visit the MLBlogosphere at http://www.mlblogs.com to see an example of value for a subscription-based blog, with official league marks/logos and more importantly links from every page on league/club sites with billions of uniques per year looking for relevance in blogging. There’s a cool fusion happening in baseball and it’s growing fast, have a look. One of our MLB player bloggers once said: “The best part is that I can blog whenever I want” — you were right on in saying the same. Thanks again, and good luck the rest of the NBA playoffs.

Mark
http://mlblogs.mlblogs.com

By: Sante J. Achille

Sante J. Achille — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:05:05 +0000

Hello Mark and members of this community,
I feel that blogging is yet another face of the Internet as a media we still have not fully discovered. From a technological point of view blogs have been around forever: this is old hat technology that dates back to the late 90s – ther’s nothing new about blogs or RSS (feeds).

What I feel is changing are people, their attitude, and online activities: more and more people are online longer and longer, and bring along their habits, personality and ways of life. Today’s DSL allows a growing worldwide population to consume information, be informed and freely express opinions that politicians and corportations would rather aviod hearing…

I feel there will be more waves of empowering technology that’s there just wating for us to discover it and how we can put it to use in our everday life. Just like blogs

Considerations from somone who has been living online since 1995

Sante

By: David Houle

David Houle — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:05:05 +0000

Mark-

You are right on with your post about blogs being personal and MSM being about share price. I am sure it will be soon confirmed when some MSM outlet silences comments from one of their ‘in-house’ blogger and the blogger stands up. It will happen, if it hasn’t already, which will only prove your point.

As a blogger (www.evolutionshift.com )I always try to write posts that are thought provoking and original, but whether they always succeed or not, it is completely up to me what gets written. Ultimate freedom of the media. By the way, thanks for your inspiration, the vast majority of existing blogs came on-line after you started your blog.
David Houle

By: microzila

microzila — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:05:05 +0000

i love blogging …it gives me a chance to express myself threw pictures …and if its a free blog suported by ads my pictures may be up for 50 years as long as i get visitors to support those ads …and i can see the traditional media being threatened by the coverage of the adds on blogs reaching millions …but blogs also give the people from the traditional media a playground to do what they cant do at work

By: http://financenstuff.blogspot.com/

http://financenstuff.blogspot.com/ — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:05:05 +0000

Mark you bring up an interesting point. Made me think that we are more likely to find the “truth” in blogs. However, I am afraid the fact that blogs are personal makes them more easily manipulated by big money through intimidation, brainwashing, etc. Ultimately, this medium too will go the way of other mediums, controlled by big money.

By: Jim Kukral

Jim Kukral — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:05:05 +0000

Mark, for someone who “gets” blogs as well as you do, I can’t understand why you haven’t called me yet :0

http://www.markcubanpleasecallme.com

As for the reporter from the DM News, I told him, I’m not the guy who’s been bothering you, you got be pegged all wrong.

By: KCHockeybuzz

KCHockeybuzz — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:05:05 +0000

So true, Mark.

Will the Mavericks soon have a rival up I-35 in Kansas City?

Kansas City taxpayers approved a new arena, now will it be NBA or NHL franchise that is the major tennant in that arena?

Who knows, the KC media has hardly covered it.

When they do, they make mistakes like when a local sports talker said, “Pittsburgh already has a new arena scheduled to be built.”

I was sick of the misinformation in the local media, so I became a “citizen journalist” and started following other teams’ arena sagas in my blog, http://www.kchockeybuzz.blogspot.com.