Bleacher Report member # 119 came back to us yesterday after a 14 month hiatus in order to write a hilarious piece for our recently announced “Humor Bowl.”

What’s puzzling me is why the article has no comments (besides mine). Did anyone else find this as funny as I did?

There’s nothing quite as exciting as a long lost Creature coming back into the fray. Jon is a die-hard Twins fan and wrote a piece way back in September 06 called “Joe Mauer is Better Than Me” that had all of us in the office in hysterics.

We had always wondered what happened to Jon…he told me that he’s been pursuing a degree in writing, and missed writing for the site. Looks like grad schools paying off, because this new piece is his best to date (in my opinion at least).

Welcome back Jon!

Super Bowl season is here, and Bleacher Report has joined the media fray with a competition called “The Humor Bowl.”

From now until Super Sunday, every sports media outlet will be covering the Super Bowl to death—so we thought we’d do something a little different by highlighting the creative instincts of the Bleacher Report writing community.The result? The Humor Bowl.

The rules of the competition are pretty straightforward:

We’re looking to crown the best, most creative, belly laugh-inducing Super Bowl article on Bleacher Report—or anywhere else for that matter.

The subject matter is not limited to just this year’s Giants/Pats match-up—you can write about any Super Bowl throughout history, or open things up to a take on Super Bowl culture, parties, betting, tailgating, etc. Articles poking fun at the over-the-top media coverage of all things Super Bowl are especially encouraged.

To enter the competition, go to http://bleacherreport.com/articles/new and submit your piece. Make sure to tag it with “Humor Bowl” so we can take note of your entry.

Between now and Super Bowl Sunday, the piece tagged with “Humor Bowl” that generates the most views will be declared the winner. The winning writer gets a $100 certificate to blow on overpriced merchandise at NFLShop.com.

The contest is already chalk full of strong entries, so the bar has definitely been raised for whomever wants to walk away with a C-Note to use toward his or her favorite jersey, helmet, Fat Head, or beer holder.

Come over to check out the competition and get ready for some gut-wrenching laughs on Bleacher Report’s Humor Bowl page.

Think you can do better? Submit your own take.

Just don’t be left in the dust—because just like the Giants and Patriots, you also have to play to win.

Bleacher Report Marketing Manager Aron Glatzer gives some tips for interviewing athletes.

A key part of sporting coverage is what coaches and athletes have to say about the game or their respective performances. In a straight-forward feature on an athlete, it is important to write your story around his or her quotes. In a column, the writer has much more creative freedom to express his or her opinion, but quotes can serve as evidence to justify one’s opinion. Here are some general guidelines for the interview process:

1. Be prepared and have your questions prepared on a pad in advance. Also, if possible, have follow-up questions ready in your head depending on the athlete’s response to outlined questions. I recommend using a tape recorder as well as jotting down quotes on a note pad during the interview to cover your bases.

2. For phone interviews, set your phone at an audible tone on speakerphone and put it down on a flat surface. It is almost impossible to manage note-taking with the phone held up to your ears.

3. Be confident and not intimidated by the interview process, as the majority of athletes are down to Earth personalities who happen to have an exceptional gift in sport. Act as a professional and not an overly-excited fan.

4. Be respectful and not demanding in your approach, but do not be afraid to ask the tough question if it pertains to the story. In most cases, ask the easy questions first and the tough ones later to make sure you walk away with a complete interview. Example: for an athlete recovering from an injury, it is OK to ask the timetable for recovery.

5. When questioning somebody who has overcome or is currently dealing with some type of adversity, make sure that you are dealing with public knowledge. Treat these issues with sensitivity and be ready to change the subject if need be.

6. Use quotes within the context that the athlete intended for, and avoid inventing quotes of any kind at all costs as it reflects poorly on the writer and publication.

7. Do your research. Spend 30 minutes (at a minimum) in getting background information on the athlete(s) you will be interviewing in order to put together a list of pertinent interview questions before the actual interview takes place.

8. Have fun. Establishing relationships and dealing with athletes on a personal level is a fantastic experience and what being part of the media is all about.

A while back, I discussed nine of our “Classic Creatures,”—aka those Bleacher Report addicts who have been with us since the days of the concept site.

But a whole new pack of dedicated Creatures has emerged since the beta launched this fall, and I think it’s about time that we give these guys some long overdue props.

In this first installment, I will tell you a little bit about three gentlemen who adore the game of college football. The efforts of these three (and a host of other characters throughout the season) took our college football community to new heights overnight. It is our most dynamic community to date, and provides a perfect example of how poignant, high-quality article writing and sophisticated discussions in comment threads—combined with social networking capabilities and member collaboration—can create a user generated sports network the likes of which the world has never seen.

The wild ride that was the BCS this year stirred up plenty of controversy amongst fans and media alike—and Frank, Robert, and David were there to analyze it every step of the way. Without further ado…

Frank Ahrens

A diehard Mountaineers fan and media and entertainment business writer from the Washington Post, Mr. Ahrens has made professional article writing his business on Bleacher Report since signing up in late September.

Frank’s gritty style continues to resonate with our college football community, which is generally comprised of a group of individuals that embrace original, unbiased viewpoints and challenging, hard-nosed debates. Frank has written 54 articles and counting in his Bleacher Report career.

His article comparing WVU’s spread offense to the Ipod was one of the more creative pieces we received this season. Frank does a brilliant job of combining his business and technology expertise with his passion for Mountaineers football. Check it out if you have a chance.

More recently, Frank has focused his attention on Michigan’s new head coach.

To say that Frank has taken major issue with the circumstances of Rich Rodriguez’s departure from Morgantown is an understatement; the college football season may have ended, but you wouldn’t know it from the frequency that Frank is writing lately.

One of our largest challenges this off-season will be to keep our most active community on the network engaged; if the past month is any indication, we’ve got at least one writer that will keep the analysis coming strong through summer.

Robert H. Spain

One of our first new die-hards that came about post-beta was a guy out of Alabama who called himself Robert H.

Since joining the network, Robert has taken the idea of a Bleacher Creature to the next level—with his active participation in the comment threads, innovative article writing, and vast ambition to push the site forward. In his short lived Bleacher Report career, Robert has already published 47 articles and has contributed a mind-boggling 401 comments.

While his knowledge of college football is quite impressive, the most special thing about Robert are his aspirations for the network at large. Never before have I seen a Creature so dedicated to taking Bleacher Report to that next level.

Robert sends me 1000+ word emails full of helpful feedback and ideas for the future on a regular basis. He wants Bleacher Report to constantly be pushing the envelope, and ultimately become the hub of citizen sports journalism on the web, recognizing that the network as we know it today is merely a snapshot of its full potential.

Most recently, Robert and David Williams (who I mention next) pitched my partner Dave Finocchio and I on an idea they came up with for essentially a “Page 2″ on Bleacher Report—aka a part of the network with it’s own look and feel, that would feature unique types of content (namely player interviews).

I’ll write a post later with the details of the project, so keep an eye out.

David Williams

I knew David Williams was something special when I read his first article on the network, which was a highly detailed and informative ACC preview. Little did we know it at the time, but this analysis would set the standard that the network’s college football community would adhere to throughout the season.

I immediately pegged David as a Community Leader—the type of guy who would look out not only for himself, but for the site at large and the quality of its product. And the rest is history.

David found all sorts of ways to engage our college football community throughout the fall and winter. He doesn’t write as regularly as some of the other guys, but his pieces are always thoughtful, thorough, and often funny (check out “The Best Names in College Football,” one of my favs). He dives deep in the comment threads, always trying to encourage and maintain a highbrow level of discourse. Furthermore, he makes the most of the bulletin boards in trying to encourage new writers to contribute more regularly.

As I mentioned before, David and Robert are currently collaborating on a “Page 2″ equivalent for Bleacher Report. It amazes me that two of our members developed such a great relationship on the network that they took the initiative to get on the phone and start chatting, without any facilitation on our part.

When you look at the discussion threads, you can see why—both David and Robert love football with a passion, are wide eyed college students with big aspirations, and treat both writing and commenting on the network more as a craft than a hobby. They want Bleacher Report to be a place where objective analysis rules over “homer” type fan favoritism, even though David loves the Buckeyes and Robert the Vols. I’m sure they will bring that same level of objective, intelligent analysis to the “Page 2″ section of Bleacher Report.

It will be very interesting to see how Robert and David’s project turns out. As I’ve told them from the start, I think their biggest challenge will be adhering to their vision, and offering something on this part of the site that readers can’t get on the front and league pages of the network.

Read Part Two

Bleacher Creature Robert H. Spain offers some advice for writers in coping with personal attacks in response to their articles.

If you’re going to publish anything (online, magazine print, or newspaper), it’s inevitable (Team America reference anyone?) that there are going to be people who are going disagree with you, and that’s fine. But, it’s those “bashers” that really seem to get on everyone’s nerves—the people who leave comments that are intended to attack rather than debate or discuss the issue at hand.

Lately, I’ve come across some emails and comments that were intended to attack me and my articles. Ahh, yes, the bashers have struck again.

Anyways, in light of the recent situation, here are some tips to avoid these bashings as best as possible:

1. Remember that your Bleacher Report articles will show up on GoogleNews searches alongside articles from New York Times, ESPN.com, Chicago Tribune, etc. If you are writing with this thought in mind, you will probably be less likely to offend certain people, and more likely to be more professional and unbiased.
2. It’s not unlikely that links to your articles will be posted (without you even knowing) on forums and message boards. That was the case with my recent bashers who each ran across my article on a popular online forum. So, needless to say, keep in mind that entire communities (other than Bleacher Report’s) might be discussing your article’s topic without you even being there to represent your thoughts and ideas. Keeping this in mind will help you to fully get your point(s) across as clearly as possible in your article. Because, after all, those might be the only words that you get to explain your view on the topic at hand.
3. Try not to give potential bashers ammo. It’s one thing to offer your opinion, but throwing the first punch is a good way to attract a wave of bashers who want to throw punches right back at you. Unfortunately, this is a fight you will not win—regardless of how many responses and punches you are willing to throw back.
4. Research research research. I try to pride myself on doing extensive research for my articles. A misspelled name, school, arena, etc will be a surefire way to make certain fans upset. Sometimes, though, there is no research to be found on specific issues. Which leads us to tips on dealing with bashers…

In one of my articles, I mentioned Clemson as an example of a terrible time of “storming the field” after their non-upset win over Florida State. Since the whole premise of the article was to look at this fad of rushing onto the field regardless of upsets, I felt that using the Clemson example was legitimate. Needless to say, after about two hours of being published, there were already 10-15 comments claiming that Clemson is proud to call that a tradition of theirs—storming the field after every home football game, that is. There was no way for me to research this, and I had never heard of this Clemson tradition (and according to several emails I received, ESPN’s College GameDay made the same mistake I did). So, here are some tips to take from my Clemson fiasco and how I dealt with the situation:

1. In cases where you clearly were wrong (misspelled name, or my Clemson scenario), write a retraction. Often times you will earn respect for admitting your mistake.
2. Think about rewording the article. While I did make some changes to the Clemson article, that was an exception. Just because someone is sending attacking comments or emails doesn’t mean you automatically need to rephrase yourself. Each situation is different, so make sure you aren’t just giving in to the pressure. If you feel that your article is correct as is—keep it that way.
3. I try not to respond to bashers (it wasn’t always that way—it’s something I adopted). If bashers leave comments under my article, I will allow my article to explain my views. Engaging in arguments will only give bashers what they want—attention and a fight. Like I said earlier, this is one fight you can’t win. If someone wants to debate the issue, that’s one thing…but name calling and verbal attacks are another. If someone sends a calm email explaining themselves and why they took offense to the article, I will probably respond. But I certainly will not reward bashers/hate mail with my time and effort responding.

So, in closing, remember that the best of the best will have bashers. Even Peter Gammons has people who disagree with him and want to get into shouting matches. If you make an effort to try and avoid these situations, you’ll probably be better off in the longrun. And, when those bashers do come knocking, remember to always try to take the high road.

Feel free to send me hate mail and bashings regarding this blog post.

-R.H.

** Out with the old, in with the new. For the most up-to-date information on Bleacher Report’s headline philosophy, check out The Art of the Headline 2.0. **

You can’t judge a book by its cover—but that won’t stop most online readers from judging an article by its headline.

Does substance matter? Sure. But substance doesn’t count for much if no one’s paying attention—and the plain truth is that there’s nothing like a flashy headline to attract a crowd.

So what’s the trick? While there’s no hard-set rule for what makes a “good” headline, three points are worth bearing in mind as you sit down to title your work…

1. Be Professional

Online readers are notoriously quick to write off any work that smacks of amateurism—and you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Think of the most memorable headlines you’ve ever read, or even just the typical headlines you see around the web. What sets them apart?

For starters, it’s a good bet that they all have an air of professionalism about them—a sense of authority, and of purpose. Style counts (i.e. proper capitalization, coherent grammar), and so does tone. Don’t be juvenile or melodramatic. Say what you need to say and move on to the meat of the article. Be a craftsman. Be a pro.

A good headline is one that conveys both confidence and credibility on the part of the author. You want to give potential readers the sense that you know what you’re talking about—even if you’re just making it up as you go along.

2. Be Compelling

There’s a lot of competition for eyeballs out there. It’s your job to give readers a reason to pick your article out of the chaos.

What makes a headline compelling? The key is to get your hooks in a potential reader without showing your entire hand. Be revealing without being redundant. To rehash an example I used in an earlier entry…

If your article makes the argument that Charlie Weis should be fired for his recruiting ineptitude…“Irish Eyes Are Weeping” is probably too abstract. “Charlie Weis Should Be Fired for His Recruiting Ineptitude” is probably too intense. “Notre Dame Blues: Why Charlie Weis Should Be Fired” is just about right.

The key, of course, is to make readers want to read your work. Think about why you sat down to write a piece in the first place—then plug that passion into your headline.

3. Be Brief

Remember, it’s a headline, not a lead.

There are two distinct benefits to keeping your headlines short and to-the-point. First, it ingratiates you to online audiences looking for instant gratification. Second, and more practically, many syndication engines (Google News included) cut off all headlines after roughly 150 characters.

Anything longer and you end up with a butchered syndication heading—which generally yields reduced traffic from potential searchers/readers.

And come on: Nobody wants that.