Nats beat writer asks blog readers to send him to spring training

[BB Bobcat]

http://natsinsider.blogspot.com/2010/02/send-mark-to-spring-training_07.html

Mark Zuckerman, formerly of the Washington Times, started a blog in which he covers the Nats, as he did for the newspaper before it axed its sports section. He's apparently gotten a pretty good response in the first week, so he's asked his readers to make donations to fund a trip to spring training, where he can continue covering the team.

He's already raised more than half of the $5,000 he needs.

I sent him 25 bucks. What the hell. I think it'll be cool if he makes it.

 

[tmr]

Re: Former Nats beat writer asks blog readers to send him to spring training

It's nice to see such a response from his readers. The benefits he's offering donors, daily audio files of manager Jim Riggleman, among others, is a nice touch. But man, if you're spending time listening to 15 minutes of Riggs talking Nats baseball, well, you have a lot of time on your hands.

Now, if you're talking about Ozzie Guillen, then it's different. Ozzie's full pre-game is seriously entertaining. Riggs? Not so much.

 

[Den1983]

Re: Former Nats beat writer asks blog readers to send him to spring training

That's cool to see all the support he has. Obviously people do care about beat writers and what they can offer and provide.

Very encouraging.

 

[budcrew08]

Re: Former Nats beat writer asks blog readers to send him to spring training

Did moddy give him the other 2475?

 

[podunk press]

Re: Former Nats beat writer asks blog readers to send him to spring training

I've got to give the former Times guys credit.

Some of them are working their asses off through their blogs and Twitter feeds.

If it were me, I would probably give up and try to find a job in some other industry. Clearly, they are taking the opposite strategy.

Here's the big question: Would you feel smarmy taking $5,000 from folks just so you could cover Spring Training? I'd have a hard time spearheading such an effort.

 

[BB Bobcat]

Re: Former Nats beat writer asks blog readers to send him to spring training

Feel smarmy? Hell no. He's providing a service and people that want it are paying.

Readers ought to feel smarmy for every time they read something online that didn't cost them a dime.

 

[BYH]

Re: Former Nats beat writer asks blog readers to send him to spring training

Did moddy give him the other 2475?

That was hilarious.

And he's not the only one doing this. I know another displaced beat writer who started his own blog and is trying to raise the funds to cover his team in ST. Last I knew he was getting close to the goal.

 

[tagline]

Re: Former Nats beat writer asks blog readers to send him to spring training

Does two make a trend? Some former Cincy Post guys were doing the same thing.

http://cnati.com/donate-to-cnati/

 

[Moderator1]

Re: Former Nats beat writer asks blog readers to send him to spring training

Great idea. I love it. Mark does a good job and I don't think the donations he's seeking are going to pay him a salary. Just the expenses. I hope he shatters his goal and uses some of the extra to stay with the "beat" during the season - and make a little money for his efforts as well.

 

[Pete Incaviglia]

Re: Former Nats beat writer asks blog readers to send him to spring training

The timing of this post is funny. Last night, for ****s and giggles, I googled "how to make money by blogging" and one of the five "tips" on one of the pages returned in the search was: Ask for donations.

 

[RickStain]

Re: Former Nats beat writer asks blog readers to send him to spring training

Very cool idea. Plays into the whole "it only takes a couple hundred dedicated fans to support an artist" deal.

 

[JackReacher]

Re: Former Nats beat writer asks blog readers to send him to spring training

Hasn't one of the mid-major basketball writers/bloggers been doing the same thing for a couple years? I thought I heard that somewhere.

Dude must really, really love covering the Nats. Glad to see he's actually getting a response.

 

[cranberry]

Re: Former Nats beat writer asks blog readers to send him to spring training


It doesn't exactly scream professional but I guess if it helps keeps his face around the game it may help him get a job.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Re: Former Nats beat writer asks blog readers to send him to spring training

I'd rather send money so they can travel during the season.

 

[BB Bobcat]

Re: Former Nats beat writer asks blog readers to send him to spring training

It doesn't exactly scream professional but I guess if it helps keeps his face around the game it may help him get a job.

Bingo.

One of the reasons I sent this guy money and started this thread is that this idea hits home for me, because almost exactly a year ago, I was in the exact same spot as him.

I was a displaced MLB beat writer, so I started a blog. Like Mark, I billed it for readers as a place to get professional coverage from someone with contacts, not just another "couch blogger."

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/66651/

As I wrote then...

It's not so much a way to get rich, but just because I don't have anything else to do while looking for a real job, so I figured I'd launch it and see where it goes. At a minimum, I figure it keeps me "out there" so I don't simply get forgotten by everyone I've worked with (fellow writers and the teams).

It got to be relatively popular (700-1000 visits a day) and within a couple months I actually had a new job, better than the one I had left. I am convinced that my blog helped me get the job, because part of the initial discussion with my new employer was that they might want to buy my blog.

Without that blog, I might be working McDonalds' right now.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Re: Former Nats beat writer asks blog readers to send him to spring training

Where can you start a blog and how much money (if any) does it cost?

 

[Joe Williams]

Re: Former Nats beat writer asks blog readers to send him to spring training

Why do I have the sick feeling that newspaper bosses are going to grab onto this idea and force their writers to solicit donations to fund their travel expenses, paychecks, etc.? "Hey, we should get a cut of that money!"

 

[BB Bobcat]

Re: Former Nats beat writer asks blog readers to send him to spring training

Where can you start a blog and how much money (if any) does it cost?

I think blogspot, which is powered by google, is the easiest, and it's free. However, it has limitations, which I found quickly last year. One of them being your domain is myblog.blogspot.com, rather than just myblog.com.

I think the best way to go if you want something professional and expandable is wordpress.org. you've got to have a little computer savvy and it costs money. You can register you domain name for about $10 a year and the hosting costs vary, but can be done for $5-10 a month.

 

[cranberry]

Re: Former Nats beat writer asks blog readers to send him to spring training

Why do I have the sick feeling that newspaper bosses are going to grab onto this idea and force their writers to solicit donations to fund their travel expenses, paychecks, etc.? "Hey, we should get a cut of that money!"

Bake sales and raffle tickets. Door-to-door.

 

[BB Bobcat]

Re: Former Nats beat writer asks blog readers to send him to spring training

By the way, he's now raised 92 percent of his goal in a day and a half. Pretty incredible, if you ask me.