Andy Larmand, Contributing Blogger for Boston Sports Then & Now
In this edition of “Map of Skills,” Andy Larmand, a blogger at Boston Sports Then & Now describes the process of writing a post about Boston Bruins statistics for thousands of readers.
1) Please pick a (relatively small) project that is part of your work, and describe it. What are the various components of the project?
Since my posts are biweekly, I really make an effort to make sure that I am able to include every bit of information possible. This includes not only the watching of games, but also combing various resources that provide analytics not mentioned in the television broadcast. The most valuable electronic resource for me to use throughout the process is Twitter. Beat reporters that cover the team often have access to unique stats and information that the general public usually do not see because it is provided to them by the team in their game notes. Scrolling through their tweets on a daily basis is a very valuable and almost necessary aspect in making sure I have as much information as possible.
I also rely on ESPN.com’s NHL section for game summaries, recaps and box scores because it would simply be impossible to calculate how long each player is on the ice or, statistically, who’s been the best or worst over the last couple weeks just from watching in real time due to the high speed of the action. Each players’ game log is also incredibly helpful because it offers an easy-to-follow comparison of performance on a game-to-game basis. Getting to know the ins and outs of these two websites, such as exactly where the information I need is located, is extremely useful to maximizing efficiency when working with vast amounts of data. After gathering as much information as possible from these three sources, I am then finally ready to sit down and write.
2) What are the necessary skills to fulfill these parts of the project? Please describe skills relevant to your project, even if these are not acquired by academic study.
These processes require patience, knowledge of the game, attention to detail, knowing where to look, efficiency and, oftentimes, quick decision making. Additionally, quick typing and multitasking abilities are essentially required as well as proficiency in social media and whatever content management system you use (I use WordPress). I also have to be adept at interpreting information somewhat on the fly.
3) What technology do you use to complete each part of the project, if any?
I use television broadcasts to watch the games, my laptop to organize notes and my iPhone to retrieve information—sometimes simultaneously. As I mentioned before, I generally use Twitter to find interesting nuggets about the team and the “Lists” feature that they offer makes this exponentially easier. Instead of looking for information throughout thousands of profiles or having to sift through the nonsense found when clicking on the Bruins hashtag, creating a custom list with everything and everyone I need saves time and likely a lot of headaches as well. I definitely recommend making lists if any bloggers are ever covering any specific event and know a few people who will be tweeting about it.
WordPress is another vital technology to getting the post out on time and making sure it reaches its desired audience. This content management system is a very valuable resource if you know how to use it properly. There are options for inserting photos or videos directly into the body of the post as well as highlighting key terms, such as player or team names, and linking them to their bio pages on the team’s website. Arguably, its most important feature, however, is search engine optimization orSEO. All I need to do is compile a list of keywords and put them into the SEO list and if somebody does a search for any of the terms, there is a better chance they will wind up clicking on my article.
4) What technology do you use in order to train the various skills that you need for the project?
We use Google Docs to make sure we stay up to date on the best methods for blogging and reaching the proper audience. There is a weekly calendar set up in the document for bloggers to sign up for posts. This ensures that every bit of news is covered and that there is never any overlapping. Other than that, the best way to learn is through experience.
5) What background information helps you engage in and complete the project better?
As I just mentioned, knowing the best ways to promote blogs online is extremely useful and definitely taken into account every time I schedule a post. Further, deeper knowledge of the topic you are writing about—not just common knowledge—is something that will truly go a long way and reflect in your pieces. This adds context to writing, sometimes without even realizing it. In my case, knowledge of the team, the league and statistical trends for each really help. Being a fan is definitely key in this case as well.
6) What is the most difficult part of your project?
Getting people to read it. Sure, the work to compile the information is sometimes difficult and usually quite time consuming, but I love doing it. It’s making sure that all of the hard work is recognized by as large of an audience as possible and working for a small site that not many people know of, especially those outside of New England, is quite a challenge. I can take all the time I want to make it sound perfect, lively and interesting, but it’s ultimately not successful if it’s not getting clicks and driving traffic to the site.