Meta: Tim, Tom, & how this affects recruiting info @ mgoblog
So, with Tim moving on to the Wolverine as their recruiting specialist, and Tom moving on to something as yet not made public, changes are coming (sadly) to mgoblog.
When are these changes happening? When is Tim/Tom's end date at mgoblog? For how long and to what degree can we expect to see information from Tim/Tom? Will there be a "Friday Night Lights" feature, or is that toast?
I'm not sure whether or not I would want Michigan to poach anyone from Miami, given their (possible) implosion. But I would like to hear from Tom or Tim as to whether and to what degree current events will have an affect on Michigan's recruiting. Tim/Tom's silence could mean they have nothing to report. It could also mean they are busy transitioning from mgoblog to their new respective employers. It could also mean that hey are collecting said recruiting information, but will release it only behind respective paywalled sites.
I am greatly looking forward to the coming season. However, I'd like to know if there is any anticipation from Tom regarding commitments coming over the next 2 - 3 months. Tom has been known to have us "fasten our seat belts," but I haven't seen any such word lately.
August 17th, 2011 at 6:23 PM ^
August 17th, 2011 at 5:49 PM ^
Or maybe we should just be doing a better job of providing valuable things that you want to pay for.
Online recruiting websites have demonstrated themselves to be a viable pay-for subscriber service. If we're going to provide such services for free, either it's going to be a labor of love by a few crazy people, a springboard for a young reporter interested in that as a career, or as a service funded by other means which it can provide, e.g. advertising on a site with high concentrated traffic.
August 17th, 2011 at 4:01 PM ^
he's great and I wish he'd stay, but Tom VH will be the loss most greatly felt. Tom was providing original content that often doubled as actual news about our recruits, and that just doesn't get easily replaced. Too bad for us, but I wish them both all the best.
August 17th, 2011 at 4:05 PM ^
I'm sad, I'm sure they will still visit mgoblog, but I highly doubt they will be able to give us information like they do now because of their new job and how what they write now will be paywalled. Makes me really sad
August 17th, 2011 at 4:13 PM ^
Maybe Brian should have security see them out on their last day and then lock them out of the site. That's what would happen at Major US Corporation, Inc.
/teasing
August 17th, 2011 at 4:17 PM ^
I'd be willing to bet cash money that they create alternate usernames just so they can still participate in the MGoCommunity. I wouldn't be surprised if they already walk incognito amongst us. How does this fellow "Magnus" get all of his information, anyway?
August 17th, 2011 at 4:38 PM ^
I look forward to very informative and cryptic updates from TimVH then.
August 17th, 2011 at 4:14 PM ^
Our recruiting updates will now only consist of Dreisbach's posting of a random recruit that comitts to another school. Does anyone else notice this?
August 17th, 2011 at 5:46 PM ^
you're my boy Dennis.
August 17th, 2011 at 4:22 PM ^
The more I think about ESPN AA, the more I'm torn about it. On the one hand, I'd like Tom to be well compensated for his hard work. But I really don't want ESPN AA to succeed. They already have too much influence on sports journalism/perception, plus what value can they actually add to Michigan coverage? Between DetNews, mgoblog, rivals/scout michigan sites, and the Freep, every bit of sports related news out of Michigan is covered.
To me it's going to be ESPN getting in too late in the game, similar to their recruiting site which is a joke compared to the other sites. With their money it will keep going for a while but I'm not sure it will ever turn a profit, considering the free competition out there.
August 17th, 2011 at 4:26 PM ^
Your comments raise a very interesting question: Will Tom's efforts at ESPN be in direct (or indirect) competition with his replacement and/or Brian here at MGoBlog? If so, though I appreciate Tom's great service, I'm Brian's man through and through.
August 17th, 2011 at 4:28 PM ^
Tim starts at Rivals Sept 1st I believe. Might be a little bit later, but it is September.
August 17th, 2011 at 4:31 PM ^
No one is bigger than MGoBlog. Tom & Tim will be missed but MGoBlog will live on!
August 17th, 2011 at 4:37 PM ^
the Blog, the Blog, the Blog?
August 17th, 2011 at 4:47 PM ^
August 17th, 2011 at 4:37 PM ^
The solution to the TomVH issue is simple: Brian drops a little bit of cash himself so he can give us epically accurate gut-feelings. Except he'll call them souldong-feelings.
August 17th, 2011 at 4:47 PM ^
I'm not sure why this post got so many downvotes. I think these are important questions that ought to be addressed. However, I trust Brian to address them at the appropriate time.
I wonder if we'll see a Goodbye: Tim post. (See what I did there?)
August 17th, 2011 at 4:53 PM ^
if you are going to a large company, get your employment agreement/ contract reviewed by a lawyer familiar with similar types of contracts. That way, you are protected if the job is not what you thought when signing.
Anyway, good luck.
August 17th, 2011 at 4:57 PM ^
August 17th, 2011 at 5:23 PM ^
I think it's obvious that ESPN AA will be primarily Michigan sports. In that case, why would they push him in a direction other than what directly affects Michigan? I think ESPN will just have him keep doing what he's been doing. I could see being associated with ESPN being an issue for some, but he has said in the past that he gets numbers for recruits from other recruits, so I'd assume that his reputation will keep that from happening.
August 17th, 2011 at 7:55 PM ^
Tom's future assiciation with ESPN will be a massive boost to his efforts to talk to recruits because it raises his profile and legitimacy IMO.
"Hi, I'm Tom VH from mgoblog. What's that? Oh it's the biggest and best Michigan blog."
"Hi, I'm Tom VH from ESPN."
I would guess a 17 year old guy just may feel more inclined after the latter pitch.
August 18th, 2011 at 3:33 PM ^
A lot of the recruits seemed to trust him with information about their recruitment that they wanted to keep private for a while. I could see having the ESPN tag disrupting that trust for some.
August 17th, 2011 at 5:03 PM ^
Vacation or not, TomVH has definitely hushed up. He's posted one diary (the standard TomVH Weekly) and one MGoBoard post (a post in the Kellen Jones thread) in the past 6 days.
August 17th, 2011 at 5:11 PM ^
August 17th, 2011 at 5:22 PM ^
What about that guy Mspeedkills over on facebook. He knows his stuff.
August 17th, 2011 at 5:27 PM ^
The only part that scares me about following Tom to espn is the terrible people that follow that site. Here we usually have quality discussion and avoid the stupid o$u, spartina and meaningless GO BLUE comments that litter their comment section. I'm not sure if I can go back to that.
August 17th, 2011 at 6:10 PM ^
That's alright. Whenever he posts something, it'll get posted here, and we can chat about it without excess annoyance.
August 17th, 2011 at 5:50 PM ^
Is this thread ok with Mrs. Kass?
August 17th, 2011 at 9:56 PM ^
Is ok with me now, though.
August 17th, 2011 at 10:24 PM ^
And Mrs. Kass is just fine.
August 17th, 2011 at 6:26 PM ^
Kass is right on this one. If it's a matter of money, small consistent donations from the users would solve it.
August 18th, 2011 at 2:09 AM ^
So why don't you get on that then Nate?!
August 17th, 2011 at 6:49 PM ^
Maybe Brian should interview this guy.
I hear he already has recruiting contacts in the talent pipeline of Florida, he frequently goes above and beyond his job description to strengthen his relationships with recruits, and he is no stranger to working late nights. Besides, who needs Tim and Tom's journalistic integrity when you can have free Escalades? /s
In all honesty, I'll miss reading Tim and Tom's work. They have added a lot of content to the site through a lot of hard work, and because of that, I'm happy for them. If I can think of anyone who deserves to be the head recruiting reporter for UM football at ESPN its Tom, and the same goes for Tim's new position. I enjoyed reading their scoops and their personal spin on stories just like everyone else, but it's silly to think mgoblog will crumble because of this. It just opens up another spot for someone else to climb the ladder, and get major exposure.
August 17th, 2011 at 8:56 PM ^
August 17th, 2011 at 9:39 PM ^
This is just not that big a deal. THE KNOWLEDGE can easily do the work of both Tim and Tom. And Brian, too, while we're at it!
August 17th, 2011 at 10:44 PM ^
August 18th, 2011 at 6:48 AM ^
Good luck to them on their new endeavors
August 18th, 2011 at 8:54 AM ^
No offense to Tim, who obviously stays locked in to the recruiting world...
...but just about anybody with decent reading and writing skills could do what he does. He gets on Twitter, Scout, Rivals, 24/7, ESPN, etc. and catches up on the most recent news regarding Michigan-related recruits.
That's fine, and he does a good job of it. But as long as somebody else is willing to take the time to do those things, I don't see that recruiting info disappearing from MGoBlog going forward.