Pearlman on sportsjournalist.com: "long-faded turf"

I heartily concur.

I think one thing that makes the message board format more unique than Twitter, et. al. is the relative anonymity. There's more of an even playing field here, where folks have a handle and a profile pic that is decidedly not them. You can hide your age, gender, job title, socioeconomic status, education, location, etc. Things that folks usually use to one-up each other. Blue check marks are earned when you can properly execute the blue font, not just because you work for the NYT or WaPo or SI. As was said in an earlier comment, there's something to be learned from folks at all stages and roles in the business, and a message board is more conducive to those exchanges.

 

"Swing that" ... ah, I can't do that to you. Again. Great night, and that story only added to the fun. (And we really need to see what the other two in the room in Toronto are up to.)

Agree with every word wicked said. Met a few of you through those outings, and would relish the idea of meeting more of you (I'll wear something of a name tag if it helps ... pulled one out to wear after some good news last week). It was a joy to meet every one of you. Would love to do it again sometime when this chaos tones down.

 

Oh man, that was fun. One of my buddies was trying to start a stand-up career (he was actually pretty good, but a high-paying lawyer job and a child made a real go of it impossible) so Cosmo met us at a Holiday Inn and we had dinner and some laughs. Meeting up again would have been great. I was already steeling my daughter for an after-school lunch at our favorite lunch joint with a total stranger!

 

I’ve been out of the business now for a few years (Yes, it’s amazing how life changes for the better). I do consumer advocacy work now, and a lot of the skills my job requires are basic journalism ones (interviewing, gathering facts, putting those facts into an understandable email and for major emergencies, writing on deadline). I was lucky in that my upper boss understood journalism (she called herself a “newspaper gal”) and I was replacing a former journalist who was retiring altogether.

Some of the cases are difficult, and involve (politely) arguing with businesses. I honestly believe that being on this site and arguing elsewhere has helped me immensely in my job. I’ve had more than one case where I’ve gone back and forth with the business (and fought temptation to tell them to show their work), and been successful.

One time, I told my boss of a successful case:

Boss: “Wow, you got them to pay for that? How did you do that?”

Me: “Oh, I learned a few things from my years arguing with people on the Internet.”

My boss gave me a blank look.

Me (with a smile): “Never mind.”

 

That jerk decided to go to Disney World a couple years ago when I was in town with extra tickets for the Indians at Mets game. That's why I don't go anywhere anymore.

 

I've been around this place since 2006. I had a different handle for about half that time, and it was with that handle that I met a lot of folks at the Seattle outing and a few more in Las Vegas. Most of those people have left the board or post infrequently, so I know very few people here by their actual name. I haven't made myself very anonymous, so it's pretty easy to figure out who I am if you read through my posts (and why you'd do that I have no idea). Generally, I post things that make me laugh (YMMV) — except on the politics thread where I'm all Old Testament.

I've been out of the newspaper business since 2008 and quit writing for a regional magazine in 2012. Since then I've worked for a university, wrote and rewrote a lot of attorney newsletter posts and ghost written a lawyerly book. These days, I do a little freelance editing and writing, but very little.

Still the best thread on this whole board is the "Writing for mags like The New Yorker, GQ, Esquire, etc." I read the whole thing probably once a year, much like (nerd alert) I still read Strunk & White's Elements of Style once in a while. If a young journalist wants to learn about how we go about this business, the care that is necessary to do it well, I'd recommend the thread and the book be required reading. And while they're at it, Death of a Racehorse.

 

"Moddy did get out. He enrolled in a master's program with me and, although it was hard, he gutted it out like he always did. He eventually became an SID. Last week he entered a Twitter thread. Two fans were arguing about vaccine mandates in college arenas. One of them pulled out the Nazi card. Moddy, who had always made the best peace, tried to break it up. He was attacked and ratio'd almost immediately."

 

Pearlman threads are long-faded turf.

 

Jesus Christ, this has become an official State Of The Board thread.

 

Genius.

 

Really a good point. Too often Twitter is "ruled" by who "yells the loudest" or has the "biggest name/resume." And some of them have tried that here expecting us to be awed that they use their name as their board name. I've been stunned by some of the stuff I've seen people at bigger papers, or bigger beats get away with - and these are friends and colleagues, not just someone who its easy to take pot shots at.

 

Speaking of which...

Twitter Wars: Emmanuel Acho & Doug Gottlieb battle over Sam Acho's 'trash' take