Interview with Rob Peterson of AOL Fanhouse

Rob Peterson is a well-known online sports writer and editor who started back in 1990 as an undergrad at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. With over 15 years experience in the field, Rob has covered just about every sport you can think of. In 1994 he worked as a sports editor for the Delavan Enterprise, where he wrote and edited a weekly sports section. The following year he attended grad school at Northwestern, earning a masters degree, and began working for AOL. Rob has worked for NBA.com, interviewing different players and coaches as well as writing columns, features and blogs for the site.

Peterson is currently working as an editor for Fanhouse on AOL and can also be found tweeting to all his followers and sports fans daily; updating them with news and thoughts from current games and topics on Twitter.

I was given a chance to talk with Rob on the phone about his career and his thoughts on online journalism.

Q: How has technology impacted your career over the years?

A: I actually began blogging back in 1996 working for Extreme Fans on AOL. I was about 25 years old and really didn’t even know what blogging was, it hadn’t really gotten its name yet” We called it the “nightly wrap up”.

Q: How has social media changed it?

A: In 2007 at the NBA All-Star Game, a buddy of mine helped me sign up for Twitter. I didn’t really get involved with it until this last year. When I use it for work, I use it as a newswire. It’s a good short way of getting information out.

Q: What do you think about players in the league blogging and tweeting?

A: Recently Dwight Howard had his One Millionth Twitter follower flown down to Orlando for their home opener. It allows athletes to connect with fans in ways they never could before. It’s a good thing; it shows that these players can be right, wrong, angry and sad. They are all human and these social networks show people that although they have super human abilities, they still have feelings.

Q: What do you see as the future of online sports coverage?

A: I’ve been seeing a lot more journalists realize how broad the fan base is online. Traditional journalists are switching over to online sports coverage.

Q: What are the advantages of covering games online vs. print?

A: The distribution online just has a wider scope. The amount of space available is unlimited and the deadlines are flexible.

Q: What is your current status as an online journalist?

A: I am currently working as an editor for FanHouse.com on AOL.

Q: Where do you see online journalism in the next five years?

A: Good question. I'm not sure. As I said earlier, I had no idea Twitter would explode as it has. Then again, I don't know if you can get smaller than 140 characters.

Q: What are the biggest perks of writing for the sports industry?

A: Seeing some of the greatest sporting events essentially for free. Can't beat that price.

Rob recently introduced the public to his own column on AOL Fanhouse called the Stinkface Chronicles. Check it out!

Photo: http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/rob_peterson/04/07/eastern.insider.20090407

Lincoln Park Muggings

The Lincoln Park neighborhood has been known as a very young and upbeat area of Chicago. As a student at DePaul University, I have become very familiar with the community’s renowned nightlife. However, this neighborhood has recently been getting some infamous media coverage.

There has been a reported seven muggings this past summer. All of the victims have been male, early to mid-twenties and severely beaten in the head and face for their wallets.

This has been off-putting to most people on or around DePaul University’s campus. Chicago Police have linked five of the muggings but due to insufficient evidence have failed to find the attacker(s). The other two muggings were confirmed to be unrelated.

Below is map showing the exact location of each of the muggings. Be sure to take extra precautionary measures when walking especially when alone at late hours.

FLYPing the Page

I was recently introduced to the world of FLYPMedia. I have to say this website is hands down one of the most interactive sites on the web. FLYP is an amazing digital publishing page that brings an entirely new media form to the table. The site takes a look at the media in America through a community of video, audio and interactive graphics. Users have the option of searching through topics, blogs, archive, and even podcasts. The site even has a newsletter that gives people the latest on people, ideas, and events in America. All around the site is a great experience for anyone looking for something new and popular.

I personally like the homepage the best on this website because you can literally flip through different topics from the day like an IPod. Its one of the more interactive sites I have been to. Each of the videos seem to have a message of some sort attached to them. They are more than just your average YouTube video. They are more like inspirational videos that address the latest media and topics in America. Instead of paging through a magazine reading the fine print, you can watch one of these videos that seems to go beyond your average story. Not only is the content a major contributor to this sites success, the layout draws you in as well. The colors are smooth and easy on the eyes. Anyone visiting this site will immediately be drawn to its modern style.

From playing around with this particular site, I think its safe to say that this is a good example of what the media is leaning towards in way of getting information to the public. The media needs more sites that draw people in and let them decide what they want to learn more about rather than pumping people with uninteresting topics.

New on the blogging scene and looking forward to sharing my stories to all that follow..