Jim,
Here are my answers to your questions. Thanks.
1) Talk about your blog, how it started, what was your inspiration to blog?
Initially, I started the Los Angeles-based sports blog SoCal Sports Hub.com back when I was in high school due to the simple fact that as a big Southern California sports fan, I wanted more places for the locals to talk about their favorite teams. As a result, the blogosphere seemed like a natural place to turn to for discussion. However, in December of last year, ParagonSC from Conquest Chronicles asked if I’d like to come on staff and help him out. With SB Nation providing a much bigger platform, I jumped at the chance. So for the past few months, I’ve been serving as an editor for the site while writing about USC basketball and other topics related to Trojan athletics.
2) Talk about the misconceptions people have about blogs/bloggers
The old cliché is that bloggers are a bunch of 30-somethings writing from their mother’s basements, but fortunately, I think that kind of talk has sort of subsided in recent years. However, I do still think there are too many people out there, especially in the traditional media world that continue to insist that the blogosphere is run by a bunch of unprofessional, ill-informed, ranting lunatics. While there are certainly, nonprofessionals who maintain blogs, that only accounts for a small majority. A high-percentage of blogs nowadays are run by traditional media outlets and professional, paid journalists. So you’re clearly seeing some of the professional, mainstream guys out there blogging away like Andy Katz of ESPN, Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated, and Steve Bishop of the Los Angeles Times.
3) What are the stereotypes about blogs/bloggers that you dislike the most?
It bothers me that because new media is “fast” and “easier” that some people then label it “unprofessional” and “inaccurate.” I don’t think one necessarily makes the other true. It can be inaccurate without being fast, and it certainly can be professionally done in a quick manor. Yes, when a news story is published quickly, it’s more likely that it may be inaccurate than if it was posted an hour later. But it’s certainly not always the case, and more often than not, it is in fact accurate.
4) What advice would you give to someone starting their own blog?
When starting a blog, you have to keep one thing in mind: finding a niche. There are so many blogs out there that all cover the same thing nowadays. There is already an abundance of team-specific blogs so it’s pretty challenging if you want to start a Lakers Blog, a Dodgers Blog, etc. The competition is pretty stifling. In turn, the sites that “make it” are the ones that present something unique to readers. Awful Announcing.com and UniWatch.com are two site that have found their niche and present something to the public that nobody else does.
5) Why do you blog? Is it therapy? A release?
I think I enjoy the whole process so much, because as a fan, I always have my two-cents to add to a particular story. Typically, I’m pretty eager to voice my opinion regarding USC and most of the other teams out there so it’s pretty easy for me to pause and type some 250-word piece on the blog. But primarily, I blog because I one day hope to earn a stable income from this whole thing so I consider it an entry way into the journalism profession.
6) Do you have a day job? What are your hobbies outside of your blog?
Despite conflicting reports to the contrary, I like to think I have some sort of life outside of blogging. For one, I’m still a full-time student (I’m a freshman Print Journalism major at USC) so I do partake in some non-blogging activities. I guess that counts as a job. As for hobbies, I think I enjoy things most 19 year-old college kids do which includes but is not limited to the following: playing sports, listening to music and discovering up-and-coming alternative rock bands, hanging out with close friends, etc.
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