The Blog Box Fails the New Media Test

Links (19)

Looking At The Blog Box
Published 10/9/2007 by Paul at KK Hockey
... on 10/09/07 at 02:57 PM from Eric McErlain at the NHL Fanhouse, But if you had taken a trip to the Blog Box on Long Island on Saturday night, you would have seen something quite different: A group of fans segregated from the rest of the press who were only allowed guided access to Islanders players and no access to the visiting locker room at all. Most galling of all, many of the box bloggers trooped down to the Islanders locker room wearing Islanders jerseys.... All throughout the SI.com piece, you ll see claims about how this experiment one that comes complete with a couple of academics from a university in Pennsylvania who ought to be ashamed of themselves is some sort of incredible innovation in sports media. That s actually the last thing that this deserves to be called. Instead, we ought to call it for what it is a glorified fan club. That this farce is sponsored by Eklund, the least credible voice in sports blogging today, only makes the joke complete. ...

This Week In: "Oh $%#$, We Messed Up"
Published 10/9/2007 by Kevin at Barry Melrose Rocks
... of the Islanders Blog Box went, but if you're with Eric McErlain on this one... The inaugural blog boxers screwed up how people view hockey bloggers big time. ...

Blogs in a box
Published 10/10/2007 by James Mirtle at james mirtle
... , and basically I think it's a decent enough idea and an encouraging sign that teams are opening up their operations like this. Hockey blog overlord Eric McErlain disagrees : But if you had taken a trip to the "Blog Box" on Long Island on Saturday night, you would have seen something quite different: A group of fans segregated from the rest of the press who were only allowed guided access to Islanders players and no access to the visiting locker room at all. Most galling of all, many of the box bloggers trooped down to the Islanders locker room wearing Islanders jerseys. Call the blog police! Honestly, Eric titled his anti-Blog Box manifesto 'The Blog Box Fails the New Media Test' , which is more of a joke than some hockey fans having the time of their life taking the Islanders up on a unique opportunity. One that involved free pretzels, no less. Now, Eric's been a big part of putt ...

Fan House, Blog Box and Defining Media Credentials
Published 10/10/2007 by Tom L at Sabre Rattling
Our fearless leader and most influential hockey blogger, Eric McErlain posted up his thoughts on the Islanders new ...

Wednesday 10/10 A.M. Quickie:A-Rod, LCS Picks, Leinart, Durant, More!
Published 10/10/2007 by DanShanoff.com at Dan Shanoff
... NHL: The Islanders started their blogger experiment, and I have been waiting for Eric McErlain's take. Here it is. ...

Blog Box Battle
Published 10/10/2007 by Eric at Off Wing Opinion
... October 10, 2007 Blog Box Battle As many of you might have already figured out, I've been spending plenty of time over at FanHouse the past few weeks. My most recent post on the New York Islanders Blog Box seems to have kicked up a lot of dust, including a response from my friend ...

Traffic Jam - Sports News from Around the Beltways
Published 10/10/2007 by Jarrett Carter at (Obsolete Feed)
... Washington Capitals respect bloggers in the press box. (AOL Fanhouse) ...

FanHouse: Wed AM 'Joe Pa's Finger' Edition
Published 10/10/2007 by JCN at John Clifford Ness
... The Blog Box Fails the New Media Test: I was simply treated like any other member of the working press and was granted the same access and privileges -- including access to the visiting locker room if I wanted. Of course, that also meant I had the same responsibilities, which meant staying out of the way of the beat writers who had deadlines to meet, moving if I was blocking a camera angle, as well as making sure I didn't step on team logo on the center of the locker room carpet. And it also meant not cheering from the box and leaving my Capitals hat at home.

A Little Less Cheering For The Nassau Mausoleum’s Blog Box
Published 10/10/2007 by GC at Can't Stop The Bleeding
... compares and contrasts via The Fanhouse. ...

Bloggers, Blogs, and the Blogger’s Box, Oh My!
Published 10/11/2007 by Bubba at Canes Country
... It seems that a variety of opinions about the “box” have recently created an electronic donnybrook of epic proportions which have polarized several in the blogging community! On one side, you have some legitimate bloggers/journalists, like Eric McErlain and Greg Wyshynski who already have full media access with the Washington Capitals. They seem to think that the Islanders are diminishing the value of journalistic access by not only condoning but encouraging the bloggers to act like fans. The selected bloggers are segregated from press row and the professional journalists. They have limited access to post game interviews and no access at all to the visitor’s locker room. Worst of all, the bloggers are encouraged to wear their team colors! Both Eric and Greg are very quick to call the experiment going on in NY a “failure” and a “farce̶ ...

The Ol' Capitals Game
Published 10/11/2007 by Dan Steinberg at D.C. Sports Bog
... has more about the initiative. And speaking of Caps bloggers, writing at FanHouse Eric McErlain explains why Washington's approach to bloggers in the press box makes sense , and why this ...

Thursday Bullets
Published 10/11/2007 at ESPN.com - True Hoop - Blog
... Interesting account of how teams should and should not credential bloggers. ...

Links: Mighty Mouse, Bloggers vs. Mainstream Media
Published 10/11/2007 by Spartacus at 3 Shades of Blue - A Memphis Grizzlies Blog
... Whether it was the financial madness of owners in a post-lockout NBA or a watering-down of the on-court product that has allowed him to stay a starter for more than a decade, Stoudamire has easily surpassed his early goals. He's probably made close to $100 million in his career. He's been in the Western Conference final with Portland and will lead an intriguing Memphis team this year while teaching his eventual replacement, Mike Conley, the tricks he learned from Alvin Robertson, Ed Pinckney and John Salley on those early Raptors teams.I found a very interesting piece on AOL's The Fanhouse today via TrueHoop discussing how some bloggers have garnered press passes to NHL games over the past few seasons. In this post, Eric McErlain (of the great hockey blog ...

What’s A Hockey Journalist To Do?
Published 10/12/2007 by Tyler at NHL Digest- Hockey News and Equipment Reviews
... They seem to think that the Islanders are diminishing the value of journalistic access by not only condoning but encouraging the bloggers to act like fans. The selected bloggers are segregated from press row and the professional journalists. They have limited access to post game interviews and no access at all to the visitor’s locker room. Worst of all, the bloggers are encouraged to wear their team colors! Both Eric and Greg are very quick to call the experiment going on in NY a “failure” and a “farce”. even before it’s first week of existence! While I have the utmost respect for both gentlemen, in my opinion they are missing the boat on this one and are very premature in their conclusions. ...

On MSM Blogs
Published 11/14/2007 by Andy Grabia at The Battle of Alberta
... from teams. He’s also been critical of the New York Islanders and their “Blog Box.” James Mirtle, who runs his own hockey blog as well as writes for the Globe & Mail, has ...

Embracing Blogs: Why The Avalanche Will Be The Last
Published 11/17/2007 by Joe <milehighhockey@yahoo.com> at Mile High Hockey: Front Page Posts
... that they would be creating a "blog box" and provide press passes (with limitations, of course, and with definite critics) to hand-picked but still independent bloggers, the hockey blogosphere erupted in applause.  When Ted Leonsis of the Capitals ...

Excellent Ben Article
Published 12/6/2007 by schnifin <info@behindthesteelcurtain.com> at Behind the Steel Curtain: Front Page Posts
... I think alot of reporters never tell these kind of stories because they're around the Steelers facility all day and so its pretty mundane for them.  But I think the average fan would love to hear about this kind of stuff. As sports blogging becomes more generally accepted I think we will start to see this kind of thing.  Its starting to happen already in the NHL with bloggers getting media credentials and access to players.  Maybe someday soon the NFL will allow this as well.  Or maybe I'll just have to find a way to get into a Steelers game some other way. ...

Former Islanders media VP getting brutally candid on blog
Published 5/20/2008 at Puck Daddy
... and since that decade included Mike Milbury, the Fishsticks logo, John Spano, the Trevor Linden trade, Charles Wang, the Roberto Luongo trade, Alexei Yashin and Chris Simon ... well, Botta certainly earned his salary, and then some. He also was behind one of the more controversial developments in the relationship between the MSM, NHL teams and the hockey blogosphere: The NYI Blog Box, which Botta detailed in an interview with Deadspin and which bloggers like Eric McErlain criticized from its inception. What I always found most ...

What playing Hungry Hungry Hippos with NY Islanders means for the future of the NHL and hockey journalism
Published 7/10/2008 by Greg Wyshynski at Puck Daddy
... This season, the New York Islanders made their aggressive foray into new media by unveiling the NYI Blog Box. It was criticized by the hockey blogosphere, and the mainstream media was horrified that ...