online journalism blog
TRANSCRIPT
Website Credentials
Direct quote taken from TIME Magazines top 50 websites of 2008.
If you can't make it through a day without jonesing for sports gossip, head to ProFootballTalk's Daily Rumor Mill. The site scours news from TV and the Web (including Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, and the NFL Network), then adds its own highly entertaining (and highly opinionated) spin. "I'm more at liberty to give my opinions" than regular sports-news sites are, notes the site's often snarky founder, Mike Florio, 43, who posts updates about 20 times a day from his home in Clarksburg, W. Va. If you're still craving more football, visit Football Outsiders for extreme statistical analysis. Basketball addicts, meanwhile, should check out HoopsHype.
History
The website was founded in November 2001.
It’s primary goal/mission statement is to ‘inform and entertain’.
Initially the site only featured one writer, it’s founder, but he was shortly followed by another.
It’s primary focus became NFL news and rumours.
Website Accessibility
Fairly difficult to find via search engines including Google and Yahoo.
Specific words in websites title are required.
Even when using the words in the title of the website, it still couldn’t crack the number one spot on google.
Website Layout
Toolbar at the top of the page is easily to distinguish and provides simple access to the site and its primary features.
Centred text features six stories (with the newest one being approximately twice the size of the 5 other recent stories)
Bars beneath are categories allowing for some classification by the user.
The rest of the page has minor features including polls, features and team specific pages.
Website Layout cont’d
Other than a small search bar, the left hand column of the page is completely blank.
The right hand side features a few customisable options as well as feedback, feeds and archives.
Minimal advertising “Design and Usability” Dr. Jakob Nielson “Static presentation work best when you
want users to… "click to" all the of the presentation’s materials; perceive the site navigation as easy.” (Ruel and
Paul 2007)
Individual Blog Style/Design
Stafford’s Status Continues To Be Debated A very average example of the type of
article that PFT produces on a daily basis. Articles never feature pictures. If rumours are posted (and they commonly
are) they provide links adding to their credibility.
Individual Blog Style/Design cont’d
The writers use a largely casual tone despite still being informational (‘entertain and inform’)
Articles allow for the ability to comment, but as usual they add little to the story.
Articles are always opinionated. Most of what makes up news Web sites consists
of stories recycled from the traditional media (such as newspapers and television broadcasts) and posted online in a practice known as "shovelware" (Deuze, 1999).
Access Modes
RSS feeds Twitter -
All PFT Stories Now Automatically Tweet The online journalist is now free to make
use of the medium's full digital potential, now that broadband capacity has kicked in and content can be aimed at high-speed users. (Prior, 2006)
Multimedia
Pro Football TV Segmets
“For journalists, the Internet's ability to provide personalized, nonlinear reporting with possibilities for streaming video.” (Neznanski 2006)
Comparison
NFL Rotoworld ESPN KFFL NFLblog
Reader Contributions & Citizen Journalism
‘Give us Feedback’ – Allows for users to contribute in improving the website.
‘Send Scoop’ – Allows users to send stories which may then be pursued.
Market
The website does not always aim for ‘hard’ news.
Pic of the Day – Usually humorous satires of big events and stories within the sport.
‘Turd Watch’ Fantasy Mill – Stories focusing on fantasy
football. Sister site – College Football Talk
Demographics
77% Male, 23 % Female 34% 18-34, 42% 35-49 71% Earn over $60,000 63% have or are getting a college
education 41% of viewers are regular users
The Broncos have finalized plans for dealing with the crybaby quarterback.