MGoFAQ

Why?

I actually do get asked these questions, especially about the obscure terms, frequently.

Did you even go to Michigan?

Twice, receiving computer engineering degrees in 2001 and 2003. I am approximately 30, depending on how recently this has been updated.

Computer engineering? Well... yeah. This might be an odd avocation for a guy who learned all about bits in college, but if it makes you feel better some friends and I founded the Every Three Weekly, a Michigan ripoff of the Onion that was actually fairly good for a few years there. I cannot vouch for their current competence because they stopped updating the website. And, yes, now I'm a sportsblogger, which is a lot like being an engineer when it comes to impressing chicks except without the sizeable paycheck. For my next act, I plan on becoming something even less appealing to the opposite sex, like... uh... I actually can't think of anything. Dustin Diamond?

This is your job?

Yes! More precisely, this plus my duties at AOL's Fanhouse The Sporting Blog SBNation, are my jobs. Money comes from the blog in the form of merchandising, donations, and advertising, plus the Hail to the Victors annuals. If you are looking for a freelance writer, I am available. Drop me an email.

Why should I donate?

The more money that MGoBlog actually generates, the more it becomes a viable long-term option for funding and the more time I can afford to put into it at some point down the road when the need to actually make money becomes important because I have squalling brats adorable children.

I have skills that may be of use to you.

Email. Much of what we provide is thanks to motivated readers who want to make the internet a better place for Michigan fans. We even pay for services sometimes. Credentialed photographers in cities other than Ann Arbor and environs are often in demand.

Who are these other people intruding on your front page?

Seth Fisher is the editor, business manager (ie he sells the ads), and the guy who makes the Hail to the Victors books happen. We sometimes make up other titles as they're needed. Alex Drain fills in the cracks on other topics, FFFF and recaps during football, recaps and analysis during winter sports + non-revenues and recruiting. 

Among people who help but have real jobs, David Nasternak is a podcaster and Hockey Man. Patrick Barron and Bryan Fuller are our photographers for football, Marc-Gregor Campredon for basketball (and other sports). David Wilcomes and other photogs fill in the rest. 

What's the deal with...

  • "Unverified Voracity"? Voracity is a weird word to come after "unverified," especially when dealing with a sports blog and not, say, a blog about rumored hunger. The deal: back when the sporadic link-filled posts were untitled, some Iowa sportswriter penned what was to the the first in a long line of intemperate columns ragging on blogs for having the audacity to not be written by sportswriters. Unfortunately for that sportswriter, she inserted the following sentence:
  • In the new "journalism of assertion," as the report calls it, information is offered with little time and little attempt to independently verify its voracity. [sic]

    Sarcasm being what it is, UV was born shortly after.

  • "Muppets!"? The MGoBlog version of the "You can't have one without the other" pair that MMB plays after victories.

A full glossary of MGoBlog jargon and common abbreviations is coming soon.

Will you write a ripjob about X?

Maybe? I feel dirty after each one ("why can't I be more like John Hollinger? Why can't I be more like John Hollinger! Stupid, stupid, stupid!") and silently resolve never to write one again until the next time. What can I say? It's rageohol. Rageohol is gooooood. One general principle is that once I have eviscerated someone for excessive stupidity I institute a ban on further ripping unless something really egregious comes up. A partial list of these people:

  • Tom Dienhart
  • Matt Hayes
  • Dennis Dodd
  • Anyone associated with College Football News
  • Drew Sharp
  • Terry Foster
  • Rob Parker
  • Heismanpundit

Unless you've got something that cries out to be slaughtered I'll probably bite my tongue and pass.

How can I start up a blog and have it be successful?

Create something that does not exist elsewhere. As a nobody, you have to go above and beyond the normal stuff people can read every day in the newspaper or on other blogs. A picks column is a waste of time. You can do this any number of ways. Johnny posts erratically and infrequently but since there's no one who writes quite like him he has a following. This blog's calling card, IMO, is UFR.

What's inescapable is that unless you have some wild talent like Johnny, you will have to put in a lot of work. You will probably get discouraged or bored and quit, but if you don't you too can have a hitcount in the triple or even quadruple digits and forget what the sun looks like. Current suggestions for Michigan fans:

  • someone with an extensive video library of old Michigan games who splices together highlight reels and analysis on a regular basis.
  • A blog that really focuses on basketball (hey, buy low, sell high) [UPDATE: complete.]
  • A truly obsessive recruiting blog.

Just make sure that whatever you're doing can reasonably be called the best whatever it is, and people who are interested in whatever will read you.

How can I express my deep and abiding fondness for MGoBlog?

There are not one but two Facebook groups you can join.

Certainly incomplete. Any suggestions for additions can be left in the comments.