Original article as it appears on the Skip Cottage Curling web site.
La rubrique originale telle qu'elle apparaît sur le site de Skip Cottage Curling. |
The same article modified by substituting only a few words to convey the story behind this web site
La même rubrique mais avec quelques changements qui la rende à propos à ce site. |
What am I doing? That's today's question. Many of my friends have asked me about the blog, and what my plans are for Skip Cottage Curling. Most know what the blog is - it's an independent voice for the sport of curling in Scotland. Most also know how it came to be (if not, read here). What is its point? Where is it going and what is its future? |
What am I doing? That's today's question. Many of my friends have asked me about the blog, and what my plans are for St-Lazare Football News. Most know what the blog is - it's an independent voice for the sport of amateur football in and around St-Lazare. Some people also know how it came to be (if not, please let me know and I will recount the whole story. Until now I have resisted the temptation to post it for fear of agravating even further the delicate relationship that exists between me and the St-Lazare Football Association). What is its point? Where is it going and what is its future? |
The first thing I should say is that my blog activities are my hobby, something to do in my retirement that keeps body, and mind, active. Curling has been a huge part of my life, and has given me many opportunities. It is easy to say things like, "I want to give something back". But honestly, I'm not that altruistic. I'm simply doing something I enjoy. I like the challenge of finding information, of writing news reports, of travelling to ice rinks round the country, taking pictures of curlers of all ages enjoying the sport, and meeting people who also enjoy the game. |
The first thing I should say is that my blog activities are my hobby, something to do while holding down a full-time job that keeps body, and mind, active. Amateur football has been a huge part of my life, and has given me many opportunities. It is easy to say things like, "I want to give something back". But honestly, I'm not that altruistic. I'm simply doing something I enjoy. I like the challenge of finding information, of writing news reports, of travelling to football fields around the area, taking pictures of football players of all ages enjoying the sport, and meeting people who also enjoy the game. |
It's not a cheap hobby, as I discovered last year. I have my University pension which pays for the basics in my life. Running Skip Cottage Curling requires that I am able to travel and lodge away from home on occasion, that I have a laptop computer with a variety of software, and that my camera equipment is up for the job I want it to do. It would all be so much easier if I had a less expensive hobby. Stamp collecting? Actually yes, I do collect stamps and have an interest in thematic postal history, connected with curling of course! But that's another story which I'll tell some time. |
It's not an expensive hobby based on my experience so far. Running St-Lazare Football News requires that I am able to travel away from home on occasion, that I have a laptop computer with a variety of software, and that I have some equipment that is up for the job I want to do. It would all be so much easier if I had a different hobby. Stamp collecting? Actually yes, I did collect stamps at one point but I found that it could be expensive at times depending on what kind of stamps one chooses to collect. I also have other hobbies like building models of cars and airplanes as well as some coin collecting but that's another story which I'll tell some time. However, the hobby that I have enjoyed the most for a long time now has been making breakfast on the weekends. Belgian waffles anyone? |
Initially I decided to fund the blog/online magazine for this season in two ways - by selling some curling stones and memorabilia that I had collected and which was really surplus to my own requirements. And to take some 'advertising income' from blog supporters who had come forward to help. Please support my advertisers!
Several blogallies had suggested I have a DONATE button. I am a proud person. I was not sure that begging for support was the way I wanted to go. However, I was persuaded to give this a try, and I have been stunned by the generosity of those who have already come forward with help. Thank you all. |
*** This is the one area where the story of the St-Lazare Football News is a little bit different from the Skip Cottage Curling site because the existence of the web site costs me very little. I pay $10 per year for the domain name registration and only recently I decided to splurge an additional $36 per year for extra storage space and fewer restrictions on file uploads on the Freehostia web site.
The only other expenses are the travel costs but they amount to no more than $10-$15 per week during the football season.*** |
Last month the blog was visited by more than seven hundred unique users each day, with more than a thousand or so page loads in each twenty-four hours. Some days, many more than that log on. Of the visitors, most (80%) are from the UK, some 10% from North America, and, increasing, visitors to Skip Cottage Curling come from other parts of the curling world. I hope that every visitor gets informed, and entertained, by what they find. Of course my own efforts cannot ever be comprehensive, and I appreciate all the help I get from others. It's not always easy to find out what is happening, even within our own governing body, the Royal Caledonian Curling Club. |
Last month the blog was visited by more than 60 unique users each day, with more than a hundred and twenty or so page loads in each twenty-four hours. Some days, many more than that log on. Of the visitors, most (90%) are from Canada, some 5% from North America, and, increasing, visitors to St-Lazare Football News come from other parts of the football world. I hope that every visitor gets informed, and entertained, by what they find. Of course my own efforts cannot ever be comprehensive, and I appreciate all the help I get from others. It's not always easy to find out what is happening, even within our own association, the St-Lazare Stallions, or any of the leagues that I cover.
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Someone said to me recently, "You are a thorn in the side of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club." Let me state clearly that this is NOT my objective. I am a curler, first and foremost. Honesty and openness is what I care about. I have opinions, certainly. Occasionally, as in these editorials, I express what I think. Mostly though, my aim is simply to tell what is happening, and let readers make up their own minds, discuss things (for example on the Scottish Curling Forum), and act accordingly. |
Someone made it clear to me recently that I was considered "... a thorn in the side of the St-Lazare Stallions Football Association." Let me state clearly that this is NOT my objective. I am a football enthusiast, first and foremost. Honesty and openness is what I care about. I have opinions, certainly. Occasionally, as in these articles, I express what I think. Mostly though, my aim is simply to tell what is happening, and let readers make up their own minds, discuss things (unfortunately, there are very few good football forums), and act accordingly. |
Much of what goes on Skip Cottage Curling is about Scottish curlers and competitions. If this was all there was to do, it would be quite easy. But I feel that there is so much else out there in the greater curling world that blogallies* might be interested in, for example, the recent curling demonstration in Brazil (see here). I do spend time each day trawling for curling information on the web in general, on forums, blogs, Facebook and Twitter. |
Much of what goes on St-Lazare Football News is about local football players and competitions. If this was all there was to do, it would be quite easy. But I feel that there is so much else out there in the greater football world that blogallies* might be interested in, for example, the recent spring football games in Cornwall. I do spend some time each day trawling for amateur football information on the web in general, on forums, blogs, Facebook and Twitter. |
What bothers me is that there seems to be no-one in Scotland following in my footsteps. Where are the team websites or blogs? Where are the talented young curlers with media and photographic skills, or just enthusiasm, willing to showcase their efforts online? I see huge amounts of time and effort being put into Facebook activities, but this reaches only a fraction of those interested in the sport. I worry that when I am forced to finally unplug my computer, there will be no-one ready or willing to pick up the baton. |
What bothers me is that there seems to be no-one aroung here following in my footsteps. Where are the team websites or blogs? Where are the talented young players with media and photographic skills, or just enthusiasm, willing to showcase their efforts online? I see huge amounts of time and effort being put into Facebook activities, but this reaches only a fraction of those interested in the sport. I worry that when I am forced to finally unplug my computer, there will be no-one ready or willing to pick up the baton. |
In my daily internet travels recently I came across on a CurlingZone forum someone looking for suggestions for a name for their curling blog. I wondered why. It turned out that Jordan Bauldic is a student at Manitoba's Media College, the Academy of Broadcasting in Winnipeg. He is being mentored by Resby Coutts, a curling journalist who has been in the sport as long (or longer?) than I have! Resby has a radio programme about curling and a website, thecurler.com, covering all things curling in Manitoba and further afield. Setting up a blog is just part of Jordan's year assisting Resby. Check out Jordan's The Last Rock blog. |
In my daily internet travels I see very few interesting web site about amateur football. Other than the very impressive Footbec.com site and a few notable exceptions like the Île-Bizard Vikings, the Beauce Dragons, the North Shore Lions and the Repentigny Rhinos the number of web sites with information about amateur football is very small. The Vikings are actually the only organization that has any kind of a discussion forum on their web site and you will find many interesting posts on it. Wow, giving members an opportunity to express themselves. What a concept! |
What a good idea, I thought. An apprentice! That's what Skip Cottage Curling needs. Anyone interested? I have lots of ideas, do you? And you don't need to take part in any television programme! Get in touch. |
What a good idea, I thought. An apprentice! That's what St-Lazare Football News needs. Anyone interested? I have lots of ideas, do you? And you don't need to take part in any television programme! Get in touch. |