We’re prepared to come at readers with blog blitz
Have you blogged your readers today?
It sounds obscene, but it’s a question I find myself asking nearly every day.
The sports department at The Spokesman-Review has entered the blogosphere, where the words flow freer and the space is infinite.
We actually first stepped foot in this relatively new medium about two years ago, but we just dipped our toes in. We now have five blogs written by S-R sportswriters, although, truth be told, we entered into this space kicking and screaming. Sportswriters are traditionalists – even young ones.
Well, this is a new day. Newspapers have immediacy now. Using all those resources that help us produce a newspaper every day we can now publish instantly. Here’s the best news for readers: It’s free! All you need is a computer and hunt-and-peck typing skills.
If you haven’t been reading Steve Bergum’s Zags Blog this week, you missed out his reports concerning Ronny Turiaf. Early Thursday evening, right after he chatted with Turiaf’s agent, he posted a story revealing that Turiaf would sign a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.
If you haven’t been reading Glenn Kasses’ All Cougs, All the Time Blog, you may have been one of the last to find out that standout wide receiver Michael Bumpus was dismissed from the university because of poor grades. Kasses posted that story early Wednesday evening. You can also go to Kasses’ blog to find links to stories about the Cougars and the Pac-10.
If you haven’t been reading Vince Grippi’s Prep Report, you missed prep news from all over Washington. Grippi does a great job of sending blog readers to stories of interest from papers throughout the state. He also mixes in insightful commentary and takes advantage of the infinite space to grind his teeth a bit.
Dave Trimmer’s EWU Sports Blog gives readers a ride through the Big Sky every week. He keeps up on everything that’s been written about the Eagles and the Big Sky. Jim Meehan is the latest to test the blog waters with his Vandals Blog and has taken to it like fish to water. He’s making me wonder why I had to bribe him into it in the first place.
Idaho prep writer Greg Lee will make his blog debut in the near future. Meehan and Lee can’t possibly fail. They work in the Coeur d’Alene office just a few steps from Mr. Blog, D.F. Oliveria. These two grasshoppers will be learning at the feet of a blog legend.
The sports department hasn’t been doing a good enough job of letting readers know where to go on our site for all the latest news on their favorite team. That’s going to change. In the meantime, put these sites on your favorites list.
spokesmanreview.com/blogs/vandals
spokesmanreview.com/blogs/prepreport
spokesmanreview.com/blogs/wsu
spokesmanreview.com/blogs/ewu
spokesmanreview.com/blogs/zags