Content Rules, Not The Conglomerate

It's been a week since the announcement that Vox Media was shutting down most of the SBNation hockey sites after announcing they were laying off 7% of its workforce to the tune of 130 people. SBNation had a firm hold on the hockey world's attention with its 34 blogs dedicated to 32 NHL teams, women's hockey, and US college hockey, and I had been approached by at least two of the sites over its lifetime to see if I'd be interested in writing for those two sites. Hearing that a lot of people I enjoyed reading will be without a place to post their work is hard to understand when they weren't being paid very much (or at all) to begin with, but losing that content will ultimately hurt the sport's coverage in ways that have yet to be realized.

If there's one thing that I've learned in remaining independent, it's that one can pursue blogging and writing as a passion like I have or one can try and turn it into a profession by writing well, selling site ads, and finding sponsors. It's been hard to watch solid, well-written independent bloggers move into larger blog setups where there was promises of pay, but I don't fault anyone who has done that other than losing a good independent blog that was gaining momemtum. Some of those writers were affected by Vox's announcement last week, and they now find themselves searching for a new home.

On the flip side, I have been courted by a handful of larger organizations that wanted HBIC to join their writers, so I understand the promise of being compensated for one's work. Writing a blog, coding a blog, and doing research for blog entries all require time, and there is a value to that time if it takes away from other ventures. In short, if one was being paid to write for a larger organization, that correctly can be labeled as job and compensation should be made for that writer's time.

Vox Media has made it clear that their media coverage will contain less sports converage with this move, and that's completely within their right to decide how their company will move forward. No one is saying that it's a smart move, but that's the direction that Vox Media has set itself on. Yahoo did it, and it's less than what it was. Bleacher Report did the same, and it's a shadow if its former self. Now Vox Media is on that path, and we'll see what the future holds.

The constants in all of this upheaval and change, though, have always been the bloggers and podcasters who were doing their own thing independently long before Vox Media got involved. While I get that there's less money in working independently, that's precisely to where a lot of bloggers and podcasters should turn as the freedom to be creative and to push boundaries is once again part of their toolbox. That's not say they weren't creative before, but this is the moment where cities with multiple bloggers and podcasters unite together and really take things to a new level.

While the platform's carpet may have been yanked out from under the feet of a lot of talented people, the talent is still yours and there's all sorts of room to jump in with both feet to write a dynamic blog and/or create a popular podcast. When TSN radio closed locally, a lot of the talent on that radio station made the move to independent work and they've found that their fans followed them. I feel the SBNation bloggers and podcasters have that following, so moving to independent channels may ultimately prove to be more beneficial than it was in hitching one's wagon to the Vox Media horse.

Let me be clear: I don't generate any income from my blog. If I did, I'd be reaching out to a few key SBNation content creators to offer them an opportunity to join HBIC. That's not going to happen, though, because this blog is a labour of love and passion for the game more than it is a revenue driver for me. That love and passion for the game, though, is where all of these SBNation contributors and I are entirely equal, and it's that love and passion for the game that could be the foundation for them to start independently before they find sources of revenue to pay their staff once more.

We hear great leaders and thinkers who remind us to "never forget where one came from" in life. It's a reminder to remain humble as we all had humble beginnings in anything we've ever done, and I think that credenece applies to the SBNation situation in that a lot of bloggers should go back to being passionate, hockey-loving bloggers who found the joy and humanity in hockey stories rather than paid reporters simply covering a team. That latter part is still important, but it's the colourful history and stories of the game, not the boxscores and analytics, that make us love the game in the first place. That joy and passion for the game is how one got to the SBNation family, so my advice would be to go back to being that blogger whose passion for the game matters more than the pressbox pass assigned.

Vox Media's coverage may have been the reason for the pressbox pass, but the writing and content is what attracted SBNation to reach out in the first place. I don't care if you write for Yahoo, MSN, TSN, ESPN, or SBNation - if the content is good, people notice. And if people notice, larger outlets notice. Content leads to opportunity, so let's get back to making incredible hockey content so that the sport itself notices the great people who love this game more than the casual fan.

Not everyone will choose to blog independently, and I understand that. Some will simply move on to other projects or ventures while some will ride off into the sunset after this setback to become fans again. There are enough people who Vox Media jettisoned today, though, that could really elevate the independent hockey blogging community once again. My hope is that these people will turn there for their creative outlet so we can see some of the great writers continue their coverage of this game.

SBNation benefitted from the content produced by their membership more than the membership benefitted from the SBNation umbrella. We shouldn't forget that when 130 people are looking for places to continue to write. Content will always engage the market that the media conglomerate wants to claim it owns, so keep producing great content, former SBNation people. No matter where you land, content rules.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!