My wife and I drove up from San Diego Wednesday afternoon and arrived just in time for dinner and drinks with my fellow b5ers. Finally got to see people face to face that I’ve been interacting with electronically for a very long time: Jeremy, Saleem, Darcie, Kevin, Mary Jo, Leora and Ariel, Aaron, and others I probably met after too many beers.

On Thursday, I attended three sessions in the sports track, hosted by SportsBlogs Nation. Panelists included Will Leitch (Deadspin), Chris Ballard (SI.com), Rob Neyer (ESPN), Tyler Bleszinski (Athletics Nation), Jamie Mottram (Mr. Irrelevant), Dex Bustarde (Gaslamp Ball), Al Yellon (Bleed Cubbie Blue), Larry Borowsky (Viva El Birdos), Matt Cerrone (MetsBlog), and Adam Morris (Lone Star Ball).

As you can see, there was a heavy emphasis on SB Nation blogs and on baseball in particular. To the sessions:

Sports Bloggers and Sports Journalists

• Some bloggers are journalists, some aren’t.
• A blog is in the eye of the beholder; the distinction between blogging and journalism is becoming blurred.
• Interaction between providers of information and consumers is key.
• Is there value in giving bloggers access to press box/clubhouse/locker room? How does this benefit teams, players, and fans?
• To what degree is the relationship between blogs and mainstream media competitive, and to what degree is it symbiotic?

Sports Blogging: A Struggle for Respect

• Whose respect are bloggers trying to earn — that of the fans? the media? the teams and/or players?
• Write well, earn respect.

How to Build an Audience for Your Sports Blog

• Talk to other bloggers in your niche, as well as traditional media types; real dialogue, not just, “Hey, here’s this thing I want you to do for me.”
• Be honest, be yourself; people can tell if you’re full of crap.
• Frequent and consistent posting helps create an expectation among readers.
• Being part of a network (such as SB Nation or b5) helps because you have built-in traffic.
• Content is king.
• Focus on readership, not traffic; growth, not spikes (e.g., from Digg). The goal is to have people read your stuff, not stumble onto your site once and then never return.

At various points during the day, I had the opportunity to chat with Dex, Larry, Rob, Jamie, Tyler (aka Blez), and the Baltimore Sun’s Bill Ordine. The sessions were entertaining and informative, but the one-on-ones were at least as invaluable and rewarding. Hanging out with like-minded folks who are getting things done is a very inspiring, motivating, and often humbling experience. Also, I learned that Larry is a fellow Beatles geek.

There was a big party Thursday night, but I was exhausted and fell asleep in my hotel room watching “30 Rock.” That is probably something I shouldn’t admit, but there it is.

On Friday, we had three more sessions. Same speakers, more bullet points:

Sports Blogging and Access

• Build relationships with reporters, people in organizations, etc.
• Is access necessary for all blogs? It may not be appropriate for everyone (e.g., if you prefer to maintain an outsider’s perspective).
• There may be a perception among some readers and bloggers that access could compromise integrity; the issue of “street cred.”
• Access can be helpful in getting as much information as possible to offer a more informed opinion.
• It may be possible to enter via “back doors,” i.e., unofficial channels.
• Be professional.
• Once you gain access, be sure to have good questions. Respect the interviewee and the readers.
• What are we, as bloggers, going to do differently with this access, as opposed to traditional media? How will we “fill the service gap” (Borwosky’s phrase)?
• Ask beat writers for opinion — they are not always allowed to offer theirs as part of job, but might have some they’d like to share.
• For baseball, tap the minor leagues. Access may be easier to come by, and you’ll have a chance to develop and sustain relationships as players move up the ranks.
• When approaching an interview subject, give him/her an idea of the types of questions you’d like to ask. [Ed note: When I've been on the other side of the proverbial fence, I've found this to be enormously helpful in preparing answers that don't suck.]
• Consider providing a copy of the finished interview to your guest prior to publication as a courtesy.
• Ask questions that others aren’t asking (again, “fill the service gap”).
• Frame your request for access in terms of their need, not yours. Have something to offer; demonstrate that you will help their bottom line.

David vs Goliath: Sports Blogs vs Traditional Media

• Blogs help keep the mainstream media accountable.
• Neither side is going away.
• We’re starting to see Goliath investing in David; traditional media is trying to capitalize on advantages that blogs can offer.
• More competition -> more accountability -> better quality.
• Will box scores and statistics disappear from print newspapers now that they are available 24/7 in real time online?
• The fast and furious nature of blogs may influence the way mainstream media does business and the types of stories it covers.
• How should long form pieces be presented on web? Blogs and traditional media need to add value beyond just text — slideshows, sidebars, etc.

Sports Blogging: Where Do We Go from Here?

• With more people blogging, we’re seeing better quality (but also worse).
• Maybe more player blogs (e.g., Curt Schilling), or even GMs, CEOs, etc.
• There will be less “dumbing down” of content as technology allows writers to point elsewhere for basic explanatory information instead of rehashing it in their article.

Again, I got to speak with many of the presenters and attendees throughout the day. In addition to many of the folks I met on Thursday, I also spoke with Matt from MetsBlog and Will from Deadspin. At the risk of sounding like a complete suck-up, I can’t stress enough how cool it was to talk with these folks about blogging, sports, and life in general.

I also spent some time at the b5 booth to hang out with more cool peeps. Among other things, I finally got to meet Christina.

Mark Cuban

After the sessions were over, Mark Cuban delivered the closing keynote. Tris has posted his notes on the affair and links to other sources. With the understanding that I don’t necessarily agree with everything Cuban said (although I found all of it fascinating and relevant — the guy knows his stuff), here are my bullet points:

• Blogging is a way for the truth to come out, to create a forum for the exchange of ideas.
• Blogging is about honesty; fight the temptation to pander to readers — this makes you no better than the mainstream media.
• Honesty and willingness to put in time leads to building a personal brand.
• If you’re in the business of blogging, you have to compete against non-bloggers.
• Are you still a blogger if it’s all about the money?
• Resist the urge to use blog as baseball bat — it will catch up to you.
• AdSense cheapens blogs.
• With anonymity on comments, “people say the darndest things.”
• Content is king, customer comes first.
• There’s no shortcut for getting people to give you their attention.

Whew. I think that about does it. Finally, I’ll just say that if you missed this year’s event and you have any interest in the future of blogging, you should strongly consider attending in 2008. As I’ve said before, the sessions were informative, but more than that, it was very, very cool to meet a lot of these folks in person and exchange ideas in an environment that is less restrictive than electrons passing through the ether.

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