Despite the fact I have a blog, I can’t say I’m a blogger. I have a blackberry. I use it for texts, emails and phone calls. That’s it. Oh, and the occasional game of crib. I have an ipod shuffle that someone had to load for me. A techie I am not…much closer to a luddite.
To be honest, I’m not sure if anyone cares what I have to say or if anyone is reading my blog..it’s only 3 weeks old. I know I have the freedom to write what I want…so long as it’s not spewing hate or inciting violence. As I muddle my way through the blogosphere, I find this article fascinating. The Oilers and other NHL teams do not accredit bloggers and they want the teams that do…to stop. Read this…it’s a great talker.
What is a blogger? Someone who has a website and rambles personal thoughts? Are they a journalist? Is everyone with a ‘blog’ allowed a free pass to an Oilers season? Are there more qualified bloggers than others? I’m not sure if every Tom, Dick and Harry with a blog should be allowed in the locker room, having access to the players. I think the team and its officials should be held accountable for their actions but I think there are already a lot of qualified people there to do it. Most bloggers comment on what they read in the media anyway.
The Oilers probably want more control on the people who comment on their performance. The bloggers are not accountable to anyone, but their readers. Team management doesn’t have a general manager or publisher to call if they don’t like what they hear or read.
Not everyone who applies for accreditation to Oilers games gets it. Should the big bloggers like David Staples be allowed and the smaller ones forbidden? My colleague Ryan brings up a point. He says if someone tapes a news event on their handicam…is that video of less value, less legitimate than video taken by a traditional news organization?
From sports to theatre…these bloggers know how to make waves. That brings me to the big blogger vs actor blowout of last week. A local blogger posted theatre reviews on her site. An actor got upset about what he read and posted an ugly response, saying (among other things) the blogger is not trained to write reviews and shouldn’t. That response was then blogged and tweeted and facebooked. The actor got death threats.
A blogger should have the freedom to write about sports teams and the things they see on stage. The blogger, in question, didn’t get free tickets to get into the shows (she bought season tickets). And honestly I can most times relate more to a layperson’s review than a trained professional who can talk above my head.
Blogs are relatively new…I guess when you compare them to traditional newspapers, TV and radio. By my mumbled thoughts, you can see I’m struggling with this. I have a few blogs i follow. My favorite is Perez Hilton. Redneckmommy makes me laugh, gasp with shock and often cry. David Staples has a good sports blog. As with everything, we will struggle with this new form of technology until it becomes even more mainstream…a day that the Oilers and a certain actor are not looking forward to.
You’ve hit it on the head by bringing up Edmonton Journal Oilers blogger David Staples. If he’s allowed access to the team the Oilers aren’t actually banning bloggers, they’re simply being selective. Which is fine, I’m sure they get plenty of requests for accreditation. But then the team should state only employees of traditional media are allowed in. Which would get dicey when a new magazine started up and asked for a pass to the press box.
I also don’t think everyone one with a blog, or website, or podcast, would be applying to cover a team like the Oilers. RedneckMommy probably wouldn’t, a blog about the arts likely wouldn’t.
Yet I would guess every traditional newsroom in the city (newspaper, radio, tv, possibly magazines) applies and receives permission to cover the Oilers. Even if they don’t cover the team on a regular basis. Yet, a “blogger” could be there each game, after every game, between games, write just as well and find themselves watching the games on TV.
To me, as the NHL’s accreditation of bloggers clearly shows, this is about people understanding (or not) where their audience is getting information from. And understanding that titles such as “blogger” and “sports writer” are simply titles and might not predict the quality, or quantity, of coverage to come.
August 26th, 2010 at 11:16 amI’m sure blogging will gain mainstream appeal or respect when people figure out the rules of the game, but right now it is the MMA of social media. Full contact and bloody. So far, it seems the one who withstands the most blows is the winner, but man are there a lot of people throwing punches. I’ll have more respect for bloggers when in addition to demanding their rights, they also concede they have responsibilities to more than just the people who agree with them.
August 26th, 2010 at 1:18 pm