Blog Shoutout: The Om Field

Populist

When Curly R first started up I was invited to join a group of underground Redskins media, including Mark Steven aka Om, an administrator and early member of official Redskins message board ExtremeSkins. The established writers on that list helped me get on my feet in the world of rogue reporting and now nearly one thousand posts later I still put to use their early advice.

When not putting up one of his 17000 plus posts on ExtremeSkins, Mark has his own forum for long form thoughts on the Redskins, The Om Field. Mark recently joined the Sports Blog Net and never posts small thoughts. I have added Om Field to Curly R's blogroll at right, add Mark to your regular rotation of Redskins news.



Computer monitor flying out the window from here.

Do Not Confuse Mark Newgent with a Blogger

Or a Ravens fan

As I was perusing my Washington Examiner today I read the unfortunate story of the Baltimore Examiner's closing, their final edition will be 15 February, they were unable to find a buyer, something the reporters and support employees did not even know management was looking for. I have been busy putting together an enterprise piece on old media decay, and this is just more evidence of the death of the old ways. More on that later, that is not why we are here.

Tucked into the print version, redacted from the online version (op. cit.), is this nugget (emphasis mine):

Started in April 2008, examiner.com is quickly becoming the premier online brand for local information and events through a unique collection of original content contributed by "Examiners."

Examiners are community people with a common desire to share their knowledge and expertise with others.

Examiners are college students, civil servants, retirees, doctors, musicians, authors and stay-at-home parents who are carefully recruited and chosen as informed facilitators. Because of the screening process, as well as the Examiners' outward orientation to the community, they should not be confused with bloggers.

...Nor are the Examiners considered "citizen journalists." Their focus is communities of interest, not breaking news.

Well all righty then.

One of those 2000 Examiners happens to be my good friend Mark Newgent of Redskins Examiner. I confess I had no idea of the rigorous process required for entry into that exclusive club, my apologies Mark for treating you as just another of us unwashed and unpaid pajama wearing basement dwellers. Curly R readers head over there and give Mark some love, let's drive up his traffic and make them kick down some coin.



Mark Newgent photo by neighbor Bill.