This is not my attempt to channel H.G. "Buzz" Bissinger and rail against this whole new-fangled Internet blogging thing. Not only would it be blatantly stupid -- I'm guessing it'd quickly mark the end of my OnMilwaukee.com gig -- but I don't really agree with ol' Buzz on a few of the points he was trying to make during his recent rant.
Plus, I actually know the difference between a blog and the comment section.
Which is the issue that's bugging me: Comment sections.
Now, if you're saying to yourself, "Hey, Wilde, you're a little late on the whole 'Costas NOW' debate there, buddy," you're right. I didn't weigh in on the subject following Bissinger's live-on-HBO tete-a-tete with Deadspin.com's Will Leitch, in part because just about everyone else in the blogosphere did. (Poor Braylon Edwards, by the way. How awkward was it for him to be uncomfortably stuck in that conversation?)
As a newspaper-first guy, with the uncertain future our business is facing, I don't want to sound like the bitter Bissinger, an incredible writer ("Friday Night Lights") who could've made an intelligent, reasonable argument had he not flown off the handle and used profanity and vulgarity to criticize the profane and vulgar nature of some blogs.
Personally, I do read my share of blogs -- from traditional journalism sources (several newspaper columnists and beat writers have excellent ones) and friends (my buddy Jason Bellamy does a movie one that I read constantly) as well as right here at OnMilwaukee.com.
Then, there are the much talked-about sports blogs, Deadspin.com and Profootballtalk.com. While I occasionally find a few interesting nuggets at Deadspin.com, I would like to see it follow the arc Profootballtalk.com's "Rumor Mill" has taken.
To me, as Mike Florio's blog has become increasingly popular -- read by sportswriters and NFL personnel types alike -- he has shown greater responsibility in his postings without losing his edginess. He's irreverent without being irresponsible. I can't always say the same for Deadspin.com.
As Costas pointed out during the show, "There are a number of sports blogs that are well-written, make good points, are insightful and are funny. But there's a very large percentage where the quality is poor and the tone is abusive." And, as Costas says, that tone then trickles down to the comment section.
What set me off was a story the other day in The Capital Times, which became an online-only daily newspaper last month after a storied history in Madison. The story was about the cancellation of a local Sunday night TV sports show, and in the comment section below it, a few readers decided to take potshots at Robb Vogel, the host of the show, who just happens to be standing up in my upcoming wedding.
While I took it personally because of my friendship with Robb, it stirred my frustration with reader feedback sections in general.
As a writer, I crave feedback. That's why what readers can provide at the click of a mouse -- both positive and negative -- is so valuable to me. Because I know I can get a lot better at this, and that's the only way to improve. So the negative feedback is especially valuable -- even though we all like it when people say nice things about us -- so long as it's constructive and not the name-calling, shoot-the-messenger, misdirect-your-anger-about-the-Packers-at-me kind of thing.
If you want to see how nasty people can get, look at what the Boston Herald's New England Patriots reporter, John Tomase (full disclosure: Another friend) has faced in the aftermath of SpyGate. I've never faced anything like that, but I have gotten my share of nasty e-mails. I reply to all of them, and usually we reach an understanding. Sometimes, there's no changing their mind that I'm a no-talent hack. And sometimes, they're right about that.
By and large, it appears to me that the readers who post Talkbacks to OnMilwaukee.com stories -- even people who disagree with the authors and bloggers -- are a much more refined lot than most. They don't resort to ad hominem attacks when they don't like a story. They're able to make well-reasoned arguments and valid points. (And I'm not just saying that to suck up, or because no one ripped my engagement story back in February). I hope the example they set carries over to other comment sections.
Now, let the ripping commence.
Jason Wilde, a Milwaukee native who graduated from Greendale Martin Luther High School and the University of Wisconsin, is a two-time Associated Press Sports Editors award winner and a Wisconsin Newspaper Association award winner.
His daily coverage can be found on the State Journal's Web site and through his Packers blog on madison.com.
