Local sports message boards

I was browsing the local message board, or vent, today and saw that our paper is taking some shots over a big game we are covering Friday night. Apparently, we are being biased, blah, blah, blah.

Anyway, it got me to thinking, does anybody here participate in the local sports message boards and, if so, do you do so anonymously or openly as a sports writer?

As much as I wanted to get on the board and defend the paper, my feeling is it is best to stay away from stuff like that. It seems like you would be asking for a lot more trouble than its worth.

 

Ty: Don't do it... resist the temptation. Your life will be easier if you do so.

 

I don't post on local message boards, but I do have a username under my real name so I can e-mail people about story ideas.

I echo Colton, it is not worth it to try and defend your paper on those things. Just let it go.

 

NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER post.
If you do so under your real name, you come off looking like a tool almost every time.
If you do it anonymously, you're essentially lying to your readership.
It's fine to see what they are saying, but always resist that temptation to respond.

 

resist the force, luke.

 

Like all these other fine folks said, don't do it. No matter what you post, the fanboys will be fanboys.

The thing about these people who post on message boards all day is they're just not stable. You never know what they might do.

 

That is pretty much how I felt too, but I've seen writers from competing papers throw themselves into that fire. I could only shake my head at the hell that was brought down on them.

And buck, I'm sure it is the vent you are thinking of. A lot of special people on that one.

But Angola brought up an interesting point. How do you go about pursuing something you might find there. Obviously do the require leg work, but there is a lot of random shit that comes up on our local vent. I can't imagine sifting my way through what is real and what is fake.

 

Our metro competitor has a message board that we've been told never to post on.
One time, there was a thread about me, and it was positive.
I stayed off it then and do now.
It's not worth it. Stay away, lurk only.

 

My advice would be to take note of which posters' "wild and crazy" scoops actually wind up checking out. It won't take long for you to discover which posters have some sort of inside connection. Then, the next time they float a rumor ... that's the one you pursue.

 

see, that'd make things different. if someone told me to stay away, well, shit, i'd have to post.

 

I post only on the boards sponsored by our outlet, because we're sort of expected to.

I don't post a lot, I just try to steer the conversation with a few well-chosen points. It seems to work well.

And yes I have gotten a few tips from other boards, followed up with the team, and then put the resulting info in a story.

 

Message boards are a great way to get info from people that like to blab their month. I get a lot of news tips from the message boards. Someone might post that a player has transferred or been kicked off the team. If someone else replys saying they heard the same thing then I usually check it out.