Press Row

No Abbott Lines yesterday, but I was working on one of those cool new features that I said would land this week.

And, without further ado, I present…the Press Box!

As you can see, things are still under construction and building up. But, the groundwork is there, so I wanted to unveil it.

The purpose of the Press Box is twofold. Time for an explanation…

1. For online media, thy enemy’s name: credibility establishment. The online world houses some absolute top-notch writing talent, some which I’ve had the pleasure of linking up in my Abbott Lines.

Unfortunately, we have no way of universally recognizing who these talents are. Whether they write under an alias or occasionally dive into the semi-serious, their credibility and background is dismissed quietly and swiftly.

They don’t write for publications that we call “top-tier”—but, their blogs and websites are among the most visited in the sports media world. In this new media world…does that not make them a “top-tier” publication?

Similarly, every sports section follower has “their writer”. Often, it isn’t the writer for the town’s biggest newspaper, either—meaning they never see the readership they deserve. It’s almost the same problem every budding blogger faces—great talent, low visibility, which translates into…you guessed it…less credibility.

This project is, in part, an attempt to establish some of these excellent online-only writers. On top of that, it’s the exact same opportunity for some of our lesser-known—but equally deserving—print and mainstream writers that lead the cult fanbases within their team’s region.

2. You’ll notice the little “Vote” function on the right side there, for each entry. How can we establish credibility for these talented writers? By showing the extent of their fanbase.

The table will constantly auto-sort by the top vote getters, the cream of the crop—the “press row,” if you will. You can sort it by any column you like, but it will default sort by the top vote count.

Sure, you might call this a popularity contest. But isn’t that one of the biggest ways to establish credibility in the new media world? Think of a website like The Big Lead. Simply the sheer number of people that stop there routinely is a reason to place it, in my mind, among the top-of-the-line ‘net publications. Same goes for the jack of all trades Michael David Smith, whose numerous byline appearances you’ll see listed in the table.

This will, I hope, evolve into the new phase of “blogroll.” It’s one thing to post links to all of the blogs and websites that I read, but it’s another entirely to host the entire database of online media outlets—along with a quick reference to their credibility. Think Technorati, but for sports.

That is my goal with the Press Box.

I implore you to send me your comments or suggestions, or to simply visit the page and leave your thoughts there. Remember, it’s a work in progress, and there are still a ton of entries left to put in.

There’s another great program I’m starting that I’ll unveil next, that kind of relates to the Box. I’ll come back with that tomorrow.