Website: YouSport.com

Interview With: Willy Chataigner

Is their more then one founder? If so, who are they?

Ahmed Elbortoukaly, David Roser

What is your background and qualifications?

We have a very talented team with diverse horizons and skills

What does your website do?

YouSport is connecting people with a passion for soccer.

How do you generate revenue? If through ads, what ad network do you use?

no revenue yet, YouSport has launched in beta beginning of August.

How have your marketed your site?

Social marketing and SEO

Funding: Self funded, Angel Investment, or Venture Capital?

Self funded

Are You currently looking for funding?

Yes

What type(s) of technology do you use?

Open source, Php, MySql, Symfony

What is your favorite feature on your website?

The two new features that will be launched in a couple of weeks Otherwise I like the video and team manager features

Any Bold Predictions for Sports and Technology in the future?

The reference for sports social networking site.

Website: Docksquad Sports

Interview with: Vikas Chokshi

When did you start your blog?

July 07

What made you start it?

I started my blog just because I loved sports so much, and I wanted to have a place to keep my thoughts, and have others chime in on the Sports topics that made me tick.

What is your background?

An IT major in college, currently working in Downtown Chicago.

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

A little of both. I would love to blog full time if possible, or to get picked up by a bigger website.

What was your tipping point? What put you on the map? (if you bring in more the 5,000 uniques a month)

I think when my Derrick Rose post got posted by True Hoop, Deadspin, SI Extra Mustard, and The Big Lead. I got around 10,000 hits in a week.

What type of blogging software do you use?

I use blogger, and now a google domain.

How much money do you make off your site monthly?

Not much, about 50 bucks a month.

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 would love to get some optimization tips if possible.

What are some of your favorite blogs?

I love True Hoop, SI’s Extra Mustard, Deadspin, the Ball Don’t Lie, and The Big Lead, as some of my favorites.

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

Sports Bloggers will be just as important as Sports Writers in the future.

Website:  MVN

Name:  Evan Brunell

When did you launch MVN?

MVN was originally launched December 31, 2003. It was not put together as a company until March 2004, however.

What made you launch it?

MVN in it’s original form was simply a blog about the Red Sox and Pirates linked to each other. We had the idea to get someone covering every baseball team and link to each other under the same house with a similar design. It was a concept that we quite literally stumbled on to and have been concentrating on making it a business since.

Is their more then one founder? If so, who are they?

The founder of the idea was myself and Frank Palmieri, a friend from Pittsburgh. The founders of the company were myself and Dave Cohen, a former partner who works for IBM. Cohen sold his share in the company last year to my father.

What is your background and qualifications?

I am currently finishing up a degree in journalism and a minor in business administration at Northeastern University. I have worked at the Red Sox Foundation, Northeastern Marketing and Communications, ESPN Radio Boston and currently am at The Patriot Ledger. I am curious about the advent of new media and am dedicated to making MVN the best independent sports media company it can be. MVN was a site that was originally designed as a hobby and has grown into much more.

What does your website do?

From MVN’s About Us page:

“MVN is an independent sports media company relying on the volunteered time of people to “blog,” or write on the internet, about their favorite sports team or any derivation thereof. MVN also has a podcast network, which can be thought of as blogging, except in voice form. MVN continues to aggressively explore what a sports blog network can do on the internet, and prides itself on being the first and largest sports blog network on the internet. With such a distinction comes awesome responsibility, and while other networks have sprung up, MVN continues to pave the way and will continue to pave the way during this exciting time in history, where “convergence journalism” is becoming the preferred media.”

Basically, we give a voice to bloggers to blog about their favorite team.

This summer, MVN.com will be re-launched in an effort to better serve the needs of sports fans. Focusing on producing a higher quantity and stronger quality of content in addition to implementing a more sophisticated publishing platform, the Most Valuable Network intends to set itself apart from other online destinations. Continuing to develop a strong sense of community between readers and writers is a top priority.

How do you generate revenue? If through ads, what ad network do you use?  Have you contacted advertisers directly instead of going with ad networks?

We primarily generate revenue through our ad network, Fantasy Sports Ventures which takes on a bit of a bigger role than a typical ad network. We are very pleased to be part of the FSV network. We also work with the smaller-market advertisers directly, such as ticket brokers, to place links on the pages.

How have your marketed your site?

Right now, since we are self-funded and in a family business, we do not have much capital and rely on word of mouth for marketing. We plan on changing that this coming year and getting MVN the traffic it truly deserves. Everyone who visits MVN always talks about how much they like MVN and what it offers; we just need to get more people to see it for themselves.

Funding: Self funded, Angel Investment, or Venture Capital?

MVN is currently self-funded. My father invests for any overhead, but for the most part, MVN’s ad revenue currently covers all costs. Last year, we were able to turn a profit which will help as the new platform for MVN will be costly. We are exploring people investing into the company.

Are You currently looking for funding?

Yes, we are starting to look for additional ways to create revenue so we can pour it into the company to realize additional profit coming back. We are open to angel investments or venture capitalism.
What type(s) of technology do you use?

Our platform is currently Wordpress MU, and we also have RSS, podcast, video and other technology available.

What is your favorite feature on your website?

The fact that we bring local team coverage to a national scale. It’s what we’ve always built around and what we always will.

Any Bold Predictions for Sports and Technology in the future?

Sports has exploded in popularity thanks to the Internet and technology. Now, not only is it easier to follow your favorite team, you can follow all teams and know anything you want. In addition, the technological advances (such as the yellow first down line) has made watching sports so much more fun as well. And the scary thing is that we’re still figuring out this technology gizmodo. Imagine what happens when we finally do.

Website: Dallas Morning News Mavericks Blog

Interview with: Tim MacMahon

I read that you were on the beat at the University of North Texas.  Tell us your story starting how you got the job at UNT and how you landed at Dallas Morning News.

I was going to school and working for the UNT campus paper when Denton Record-Chronicle sports editor Richard Durrett offered me a part-time job that paid a whopping $7 per hour. Part-time ended up being 39 hours a week, and that job turned out to be a great start to my career. Durrett let me be the No. 2 guy on UNT while I was a part-timer, and I took over the beat when he got promoted to The Dallas Morning News. Since the DRC and DMN is owned by the same company, I covered the UNT beat for the DMN for a few years and got to know several editors downtown. They brought me downtown to be the lead high schools writer. After doing that for a few years, I covered Texas Tech and Baylor last year and got the blogger gig when Matt Mosley left for ESPN.com.

How do you like blogging vs. beat writing?  Is there a big difference?

I love the blogging gig. Sports are supposed to be fun, and my editors let me have a ton of fun on the blogs. I kind of treat the blogs like an Internet sports bar, and I’m there to generate and direct the discussion, some of which is goofy and some of which is serious sports talk. Some of the stuff I write for the blogs is similar to traditional beat coverage, but the jobs are totally different. Breaking news is a bonus for me, while that’s the top priority for a beat writer. More often than not, I react to news that our beat writers break.

What is the biggest difference between you and the writer from Mavsmoneyball.com besides the fact you are paid a full time income?

A decade of journalism experience, the accountability of representing the largest newspaper in the state and the commitment to dedicate a full work week and then some to the blog.

Do you like Mark Cuban?

I’d much rather cover a team that has an owner as passionate and accessible as Cuban than one with a boring guy who just considers his team an investment. Cuban is an interesting character, and that’s good for the blog.

Did your blog’s traffic heavily increase when you originally banned from the Mav’s locker room?

No, but we were coming off a record month with the Jason Kidd trade.

What is your dream job?

DMN columnist who still blogs a bunch.

What advice do you have for young writers who are looking to become professional writers?

Get as much experience as possible while in college. Clips and contacts are more important than anything you’ll learn in a classroom.

Any bold predictions for the future of sports, blogging, and professional journalism on the internet?

No bold predictions, but I’d strongly advise budding journalists to familiarize themselves with the blogosphere.

Take us through your time line of early Mister Irrelevant, AOL, the relaunch of Mister Irrelevant, The Blog Show, and finally Yahoo:

At the time I started Mr. Irrelevant (March ‘04), I was a Community Manager for AOL Sports and a bunch of other AOL verticals, as they were called: Games, News, Personal Finances, Autos, etc. Mr. Irrelevant beget Pigskins Bloggers which beget Sports Bloggers Live which beget FanHouse. I think it was FanHouse that ultimately caught the attention of Yahoo! Sports, and I was hired there in October. Somewhere along the line, we started doing Blog Show on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic as well, probably due to my experience hosting Sports Bloggers Live and love affair with Dan Steinberg.

What is your favorite part about being a blogger and a blog editor?

I love sports, and I love media. Always have, always will. But the part about working in a medium that’s new and emerging and uncertain makes it all the better. And I really love the instant gratification. I’m kind of addled by it, actually.

Did you know you always wanted to write about sports?

Yeah, I think so, though I’ve never been particularly good at it. I just like being involved with sports. Playing them. Watching them. Going to games. Collecting stuff. Talking about them. Writing about them. And so on. Sports, generally speaking, have been my life pursuit.

What was it like to work for AOL? Were you pretty much on your own on? Was it easy to recruit bloggers for the Fanhouse? How were they paid?

Yeah, I had a lot of autonomy and was granted the approval to go my own way. I’ll always be thankful for that. As far as recruiting bloggers … it was kind of a mixed bag. Some bloggers were amenable to what generally equated to being paid side-gig money for their work. And others just didn’t have the time or inclination for that. Overall, I was grateful for and proud of the quality of the writers under that roof.

How long did it take Yahoo to recruit you?

Given what Yahoo! Sports has accomplished and the opportunity that was on the table … not very long.

Yahoo CEO, Jerry Yang, seems to be very bullish on the future of Yahoo Sports and we assume you will be a big part of that. Have you gotten a chance to meet him yet or at least talk to him on the phone or email?

I have not, but, uh, I’d imagine he’s been a bit busy lately what with all this Microsoft business.

Not much has come about with you moving over to Yahoo yet. You must be working on a big project. Can you elaborate on it at all?

We’ve actually been doing things, I swear. In simple terms, Yahoo! Sports is monkeying the Gawker Media approach and applying it to sports, with each sport having its own blog and each blog having its own editor and various contributors. The goal being that we establish the Deadspin of the NFL, the Deadspin of the NHL, the Deadspin of MMA, etc., and offer them up not just to the web at-large, but to the 20 million people already using Yahoo! Sports every month. That said, the content won’t necessarily be Deadspin or Gawker-esque, it’s just that the setup will be, and, eventually, all sites merge into one to form the YSB (extremely creative working title; stands for Yahoo! Sports Blog).

There’s more to The Plan than that, and there’s a lot happening behind the scenes and on the periphery to bring it all back home, but here’s what Yahoo already has front-and-center for mass consumption:

Ball Don’t Lie (NBA blog edited by J.E. Skeets): http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/nba_experts

Shutdown Corner (NFL blog edited by MJD): http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/nfl_experts

Big League Stew (MLB blog edited by Kevin Kaduk): http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/mlb_experts

What are some of your favorite blogs right now? What is one new blog that has caught your eye as up and coming?

My bloglines are always open: http://www.bloglines.com/public/jamiemottram

As a D.C. sports fan, my No. 1 must-read is probably the D.C. Sports Bog. No. 2 would be anything my brother writes on Mr. Irrelevant. Another couple that are a bit under-the-radar: Capitol Punishment and Chris’ Sports Blog, both of which have been around but seem a bit under-read. Those guys can really write.

Any advice for a young blogger looking to move up the ladder and work for an sports media organization someday?

Get yourself connected, and treat every post like a tryout.

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

Sure, it’s moving online. All of it.

STN’s Take:

Jamie is living proof that working hard and networking can get you to the top of the blog world pretty quickly. He has recruited some quality bloggers and they have started 3 new blogs. We liked what we were reading over there but at this point we find it hard to believe that Yahoo can justify paying Jamie, blog editors for each site, and contributors in the long run with sport general blogs. The Gawker Media approach works because each website creates its own community and their blogs can really post whatever they want. Yahoo will be much more strict in what they allow on their blogs. Could you imagine seeing a Chris Berman Video posted on Yahoo, we couldn’t. Jamie says they have more in the works so hopefully he has some tricks up his sleeve in the future. Maybe he can figure out a way to do something different that no one has seen so far in blogging world on a major website.

Website: www.intentionalfoul.com

Interview With: Chris Richardson

When did you start Intentional Foul?

Intentional Foul launched on 11-13-2007

What made you start it?

I enjoy being a sports fan. There’s something oddly satisfying about wearing your team colors and being an outspoken supporter of your team, especially in enemy territory or a location that has a much different fanbase (like KC).

However, besides being a fan with an outspoken opinion, Intentional Foul offered me the opportunity to mesh my working knowledge of Internet marketing with an undying love for watching sporting events; complete with the attitude of a fan that’s currently a fish out of water.

What is your background?

Before I began working for Ticket Solutions, I worked for iEntry.com and was a contributor for WebProNews.com. I also worked on the WebProNews blog. As for sports, I grew up in a sports family. My brother plays JUCO basketball at Volunteer State and my father is a career coach. While not being the basketball player my brother is, I did play soccer extensively while I was growing up and during my adult years.

Basically, I’m a sports fan with a rudimentary understanding of Internet technologies and the blogosphere and was given an opportunity to combine these skills for my current employer.

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

Both—Launching and editing Intentional Foul is the biggest part of my Ticket Solutions’ demands. The goal for Intentional Foul is to embrace and attract like-minded or outspoken sports fans while leveraging the social media movement for our parent company.

What type of blogging software do you use?

Wordpress

What ad network(s) do you use?

None

How much money do you make off your site monthly?

Believe it or not, Intentional Foul is not here to generate ad revenue. Our corporate backer, Ticket Solutions, already has a primary source of revenue. We are here to engage sports fans and potential ticket buyers alike. Additionally, we are a resource for current Ticket Solutions customers who want to share their thoughts and feelings about the sports world we now inhabit.

What are some of your favorite blogs and what are some of your least favorite blogs?

Faves: Awful Announcing, Babes Love Baseball, Epic Carnival, The Sports Frog, EDSBS, SbB… the list goes on and on.

Least Favorite: Blogs that scrape someone else’s content

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

I think the proliferation of fans embracing sports blogs will only continue. Sports fans have already shown a tendency to zealously use other Internet technologies that give them a place to voice their opinions like forums and message boards. As the sports blogosphere continues to grow, I expect the fans will continue to flock to these sites.

I also expect blogger backlash from the traditional press to continue… as they themselves continue to embrace blogging by having their most recognizable reporters take to the medium. It’s almost like cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Another thing I’ve noticed is the adaptation of other Web 2.0 technologies to leverage some of this user-generated content. Digg clones like Yardbarker and BallHype come to mind. These services also try to engage the social web by allowing members to personalize their experience by adding pictures to their profiles and offering little touches like friend lists.

STN’s Take:

Intentional foul is very interesting because it doesn’t have advertisements and it was basically built to entertain Ticket Solutions customers. I am surprised more organizations that are somehow affiliated with sports don’t do this. It looks like Chris has a pretty good gig if his main job for Tickets Solutions is just the blog and it seems they don’t really care what he posts either because there is a lot of Intentional Eye Candy.

Since his blog is not really built for making money we really don’t have any suggestions. Its designed very well and its easy on the eyes. In fact we wouldn’t mind a redesign from whoever designed his blog.

Website: www.with-malice.com

Interview With: Don Landrigan

When did you start With Malice?

With Malice… started on June 1st, 2006.

What made you start it?

After reading the absolutely wonderful ‘Kill Buss’ over at the very creative Pyle of List, I decided that I had to have a go at blogging. At that point in time, Pyle was on Wordpress, and there was a link at the bottom of the page to Wordpress, I hit it, and here I am.

What is your background?

Grew up in country Australia, and pretty much every kid growing up in my neck of the woods has a love of sport instilled in them. I have played sport - many different sports - all my life. 10 years ago I packed up, and moved to Japan. Now I’m married, and have a child of my own (he’s still a lil’ young for sport - 9 months old, but he has LOTS of sports-oriented clothing already!).

I’ve always been a basketball fan, whilst at high school became a fan of US Football (we had an exchange student), and in my first year of living in Japan I shared an apartment with a mad Seattle Mariners fan. It was either become a baseball fan or go nuts. Baseball’s huge here in Japan too, so it wasn’t a tough transition.

I’m still a mad-keen Australian Rules Football fan, & I love my rugby and cricket too.

Thus… my site ends up being pretty ecclectic.

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

Just for fun. I enjoy writing, and I must admit I do get a kick out of people reading it. I love talking about sports. Particular goals? I guess they’re more on a personal level - I just want to make the blog better… But I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t absolutely love getting paid to do it.

What type of blogging software do you use?

Wordpress. Really impressed with them thus far, and I enjoy the simplicity. I like the nice clean theme I’ve got there… additionally, Wordpress has a pretty thriving community of users. Very helpful, and the support staff are quick to respond too.

What ad network(s) do you use?

None. At this point in time, Wordpress doesn’t allow advertising. To be honest, I am not sure I’d go with a network even if they did. I would probably just sell ’space’… and if that meant no advertising, so be it. I guess at this point in time, I’m not in the position to choose!

How much money do you make off your site monthly?

Absolutely zero.

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

Hmmm… probably marketing - as far as getting the name out there a little more. Sports blogging is very, very competitive. Writing? Always happy to have a few guest writers on board. At the moment, it’s pretty much ‘me’, and a few guest writers from time to time. It does get a lil’ tough to keep stuff up when ‘life’ gets busy.

What are some of your favorite blogs and what are some of your least favorite blogs?

Favourite blogs? Many… I also write at Epic Carnival, and a lot of the authors there I really like. Also a big fan of Deadspin. Additionally, Pyle of List, Deuce of Davenport, Blog A Bull, Forum Blue And Gold, Larry Brown Sports, Awful Announcing, Celticsblog.com, Signal To Noise, HoopsAddict, True Hoop, Extrapolater (tho’ Eric’s over at ‘Storming The Floor’ at the moment), Babes Love Baseball, Ghosts of Wayne Fontes, Strike Zones & End Zones, Five Tool Tool, Saturday’s A Rugby Day, and Raincoaster (non-sports, but whacky). I’m sure I’ve missed a heap of blogs who should be on that list…
Least favourite? Pretty much stop reading blogs that are over the top with profanity, or tearing down other writers.

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

It’s interesting that there’s been a real swing of the mainstream sports media towards blogging. Every major sports network now has their own army of bloggers… and I see that increasing. It’s very hard for mainstream non-internet media to keep up with the discussing/narrative nature of the internet. Blogging’s definitely a part of it now. And I don’t see that changing any time soon.

STN’s Take:

As you can tell Don is a very cultured blogger based on his compete unique number of 8,699 last month he has grown his blog very fast. He covers a very wide variety of sports and we bet he sees a ton of traffic from all different parts of the world.

We would like to see Don move over to the hosted version of Wordpress so he can run some ads and make some money for all the hard work he has put in as a writer. His template looks great and his blog is very clean looking.