Sherdog.com Joins the Blogosphere

by Luke Thomas on Apr 14, 2009 7:00 AM EDT in News Comment 35 comments

Sherdog_medium Behold! The specifications and aims of the blog are not mentioned (beyond keeping pace with new media necessities), so we don't know who exactly will contribute or what they'll say, but that's a predicament facing all bloggers and blogs. I, for one, welcome the move. Many Sherdog.com staff members are adept writers and others are in touch with actors and characters in the MMA game. Combined with a clear concept and regular updating, I suspect it could turn into a destination I check regularly. Already Jake Rossen is writing very respectable posts and doing so with personality, individual perspective and style. That is something slowly eroding in the bland and pail minutiae-news world that is much of the MMA blogosphere. But, the move on Sherdog.com's part (MMA Weekly did this as well, but their blog is poorly maintained and uninteresting) is also recognition of the contribution and impactful role large-scale blogs now play in MMA media.

One bone to pick up front, though: no comments? Poor form, Sherdog.com. Comments can be exceedingly annoying, but even the symbolism of keeping them in blogs is relevant. Old media used their crushing grip on the ability to publicly publish thought and writing to control whatever feedback they received or subsequently shared in a larger effort keep distance from the masses. By controlling the means of publishing, they were able to virtually dictate the discussion or espousal of any issue. Even if one ignores the entire community aspect of blogging or the value in what other voices have to offer (esteemed or not), allowing readers to offer immediate and direct feedback removes the artificial and often elitist distance between writer and reader promulgated by older forms of media.

Then again, they probably don't want to relive the abject misery that comes with reading virtually anything on the Sherdog.net forums. Perhaps there are no comments allowed on the blog posts because they wanted to avoid the orgy of intellectual incestual memes or arguments inundating their forums.

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i have the feeling that the content will (as usuall) be greaaaaaat..and i'll probably include it in my mma sites reading circulation..

but i have the feeling if they do have the comments, it will still be the same sherdog forum types in there..
(im not saying thats a negative, or a positive.. i leave that to you guys.)

weoweoweo .deviantart .com

by Anton Tabuena on Apr 14, 2009 7:45 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

STFU

and go kill yourself

^for example. :)

by banter on Apr 14, 2009 8:04 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You forgot to post a link to a picture of a donkey having sex.

by Razreshat on Apr 14, 2009 8:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Is that new?

I stopped looking at that place about 18 months ago.

by banter on Apr 14, 2009 8:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

they also have a blog post about stallone and the nog twins.

but i think they should put a “blog” link there like yahoo does, so they could consolidate every blog post. instead of posting blogs by category and having all their stuff scattered with all the other content..

they have tabs that separate “news”, “insider”, “videos”, “pictures” etc.. having a “blog” tab would be helpful..

weoweoweo .deviantart .com

by Anton Tabuena on Apr 14, 2009 7:53 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

misery that comes with reading virtually everything on the Sherdog.net forums.

The only way to save that forum is to pull out the ban hammer and create a curse word filter.

by banter on Apr 14, 2009 8:11 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

If they don’t have comments the site will be boring as hell and ignored by all but the Sherdog stalwarts, the best part of blog sites is the ability to participate, not just the content.

If they do have comments we all know what sort of content to expect.

You cannot have a blog with user commentary and no moderation, it is a sign of laziness and that you don’t think that your members have anything worth contributing. If you let your user generated content turn into the ‘wild wild west’ you can expect that it will turn off a large majority of intelligent posts because they know their thoughtful content is lost amongst the racist, sexist inane drivel provided by people there only to cause strife.

I am a firm believer that moderation with an iron hand is a must.

A picture that was generated based on gaming but applies to pretty much anything to the internet:

by pr0cs on Apr 14, 2009 9:01 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs

Wow

you hit the nail on the head and drove it completely through the board

by Rensokuken on Apr 14, 2009 9:20 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I love it when I come late to a subject

and someone has splattered my brain onto the comment board already – that was the actual picture I wanted to use.

Rec’d x 1000

by subo on Apr 14, 2009 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

There are certain parts of the Sherdog forum that are good, just not the parts that talk about MMA.

by Zack Gobie on Apr 14, 2009 9:16 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Sherdog has pretty much been a blog since Josh left.

What’s the difference? Chatty writing style?

Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion

by The Kittitas Kid on Apr 14, 2009 9:26 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

This is interesting

Does it mean that 5oz of Pain and MMA Junkie will need to add blogs too?

"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"

by Kid Nate on Apr 14, 2009 9:27 AM EDT reply actions 3 recs

Haha

by Luke Thomas on Apr 14, 2009 9:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe UFC.com will add one. Oh wait, they already have one at Yahoo, nevermind.

by ufc4 on Apr 14, 2009 9:43 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hey-o!

http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com

by Mike Fagan on Apr 14, 2009 11:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Excellent.

Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken

by Richard Wade on Apr 14, 2009 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

but i dont get why mmajunkie doesn't takes offense when called a blog..

go to their site.. it says on top “UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews, and event previews/recaps”

at least here it says “Pound-for-Pound the Best in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Commentary, News and Community” and nobody takes offense when its called a blog.. i mean, if youre gonna have a title like that on top of your site dont get mad when people call you a blog..

weoweoweo .deviantart .com

by Anton Tabuena on Apr 14, 2009 9:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think that both adding the blog style and not allowing comments are good moves.
This way they can ensure that what really drives the site will continue.
Every blog post will now generate 18 different response threads, spread out through different forums, written in broken English. This in turn will provide the opportunity for every clever sherdogian to call the OP an idiot/shitcock for not knowing that the thread had already been started. The beautiful cycle of Sherdog continues.

I dislike Matt Hughes.

by MonkeyCHops on Apr 14, 2009 9:44 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Sherdog forums dont need to be “saved” YOU need to stop coming to them so serious. People want a comments section so they can have there say on an artical but when it comes to the forum people need to be banned because they just wanna have there say ? It doesnt matter is there calling you a f*cking idiot. Free speech take it or leave it.

by def_idiom on Apr 14, 2009 10:05 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

huzzahs sir!

Well put. You have mustered your formidable command of logic and the English language to make a point to which there is, to which there can be, no rejoinder.

"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"

by Kid Nate on Apr 14, 2009 10:08 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sarcasm?

Honest i only understood this part:

“Free speech take it or leave it.”

This is not america, this is…..

….

THE INTERNET!!!!!!! HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

by Rensokuken on Apr 14, 2009 10:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Also, free speech is great and all, but all it means is that you get to start your own forum to drool in. Doesn’t mean that anyone else has to let you use their forum.

by toxic on Apr 14, 2009 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nor does it give you the right to attack someone else based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc. But I’m sure that NEVER happens on there……

by ufc4 on Apr 14, 2009 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Free speech is overrated anyway. Americans won’t shut up about it.

I dislike Matt Hughes.

by MonkeyCHops on Apr 14, 2009 6:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Free Speech. Makes you wish the dumb were dumb. To bad you just need a middle finger to participate in the internet.

Yes, I am an American!

by natyong on Apr 14, 2009 11:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I do wish that the dumb were dumb, whatever that means.

I dislike Matt Hughes.

by MonkeyCHops on Apr 15, 2009 3:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

For as much as people ramble on about free speech it’s very sad that so few ever took the time to actually learn what it means.

by who me on Apr 15, 2009 3:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Meh.

I have no use for 90% of the Sherdog editorial staff. The only person there who is a worth a damn is Jordan Breen. The rest of them are total hacks (Rossen, Rios) or way too wrapped up in the Hatfield-McCoy drama with the UFC (Sherwood, Hunt) to present an unbiased view of things.

by Steve4192 on Apr 14, 2009 10:53 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Agree 1000%

Except it should be 100% then i would have agreed 100000%

Sherdog not letting people comment should tell us all something about the type of fans Sherdog has produced over the years. I think they would rather not lay the support down for the breeding ground to continue.

by Rensokuken on Apr 14, 2009 11:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I might be missing something, but I don’t see an RSS feed for these blogs. If so, this is a huge fail. Their main site already only has a partial feed (you only get the headline and first few lines of the story), and I won’t care about the blog until that functionality is added.

http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com

by Mike Fagan on Apr 14, 2009 11:22 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah comments on Sherdog is what that place doesn’t need.

by SamCupitt on Apr 14, 2009 11:29 AM EDT reply actions 4 recs

Rec'd

It’s their only issue.

by subo on Apr 14, 2009 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

They actually revamped their forums so that it is a news section that automatically starts a thread to discuss each mainpage post. I only checked a couple of threads a while ago and comments seemed quality. There are portions of the Sherdog forums thar are very good communities, Just not the Heavy-weights or other main MMA related sections.

by natyong on Apr 14, 2009 11:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Are the "News Writers" going to be doing the blogging?

If the regular news writers are blogging and giving their opinions in the blogs then doesn’t that have the potential to hurt the credibility of their news stories to a certain degree?

For example: A writer blogs about their personal opinion on the UFC’s negative business practices. Then that same writer does a news article on the UFC’s business practices. How can I then read the news article questioning the business practices of the UFC and not think it has a hidden agenda in it?

Will the writers openly sharing their thoughts and biases in the blogs then put their news articles into proper perspective or will it call into question whether their news stories are actually unbiased factual news?

by mattman73 on Apr 14, 2009 3:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs