Website: www.49ersnews.com

Interview With: Chad Erickson

When did you start 49er News?

2002, Last year of Mooch

What made you start it?

I wanted a site where I could pull all 49ers related links to one area. There were a couple sites out there already that did this, but I wanted the control over it and provide 49er fans the content I felt was important. Over time I dropped the full-blown website feel and switched to blog format, which also helped increase the site numbers. Now I mainly focus on top stories, humorous commentary, and we are not afraid to speak our minds regarding the 49ers.

What is your background?

Well I’m just your everyday average Joe. I’ve been a die hard 49er fan since 1980 and like to throw my opinion out there. You’ll either like us or hate us. Usually find out the fans that we piss off usually come back more.

Do you blog for fun or are you trying to make it a career? What is your goal with this blog?

Mostly for fun, I’d love to make a career out of it, but that isn’t easy. My goal is to provide the best 49ers blog out there and provide 49er fans with breaking news, commentary, and more. As we say on the site, ‘We Feed Your Niner Addiction’

What was your tipping point? What put you on the map?

The year the site really became well known and put us on the map was the 2003 season when Terrell Owens threw his quarterback, Jeff Garcia, under the bus. He was answering questions on his website where he was bashing Garcia and no one in the media picked up on it. We ran with the story then sent links to local SF Media and ESPN.

What type of blogging software do you use?

Wordpress

What ad network(s) do you use?

Adsense, Text-link-ads

If you could get something for free to help you out with your blog, what would it be? (Ex: design, marketing, ad optimization, etc)

I’d say marketing, but I get that from the fans who link my blog on message boards and other fan sites.

Any bold predictions for the future of sports on the internet?

Athletes are starting to blog more and more. I see that continuing and eventually the athletes will realize the marketing capabilities that the internet provides them. The more they interact with the fans, the more their popularity increases and the more they sell jerseys and merchandise, etc.

STN’s Take:

We are actually 49er Fans here at STN and we had never come across the website until after launching STN. Chad does a great job of bringing all the 49er information that is newsworthy together in one place. He also seems to have some very loyal and opinionated readers who make many comments. His site is very nice looking and you can tell he knows something about design or knows a friend that does. We will definitely keep coming back to stay updated on 49er News. All 49er fans should as well.