What am I? Am I a journalist, a blogger...or just a guy sitting in his underwear? Jibblescribbits raised that question yesterday. It's not a new issue, nor is it an easy one to solve.
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I'm rather new to the blogging scene. Two years ago, I started writing the occasional article for a now-defunct sports blog. At the time, I didn't have the foggiest idea what a blog was; all the talk about pings and trackbacks and the like was completely foreign to me (still is, to an extent). Even though I didn't know what I was doing, I enjoyed it enough to start my own blog last summer. At the time, I thought I would be doing funny generic commentary - you know, Pronger jokes - and that would be about it. Then I started tracking Avalanche stats and adding recaps (that became more and more detailed as the season went on) and now, I guess, I'm "officially" an Avalanche blogger. I've even started reading other blogs - something I almost never did up until a couple of months ago. Today, DSL, J&HL and jibblecribbits are part of my daily reading.
Are we journalists? No, I don't think so. I do take what I do seriously...even if the subject matter is often presented with tongue firmly in cheek. Heck, sometimes I even use spellcheck. And, I put a lot of hard work into it. But, I'm not there in the locker rooms, interviewing players, working my phone for leads, meeting daily deadlines or following standards set by my employer. I write about what I want, when I want. If I want to get crazy and go off on a rant, I don't have to worry about the Denver Post taking down my article. I'm reasonably certain the Denver Post doesn't even know I exist.
Bloggers do have a place, though. I think they provide a tremendous service to the teams they cover. The team's official message board and the Hockey's Future board are both hopping with fans looking to discuss the team on a daily basis - 24/7, 365 days a year. While I don't want (or expect) a press credential, it sure would be nice for the Avalanche to recognize some of the better Colorado fan sites. At least they let a blogger link to their site there - something HF boards don't allow us "non-credentialed" bloggers to do. In my opinion, they are missing the boat. Bloggers - even those who might be critical of the team - only help increase the fanbase for clubs. Okay, I'm sure my meager site traffic does little to increase the fanbase, but that's kind of my point. Help us help you, Avalanche. Hell, give us some recognition and I might just start wearing pants.