[Husker] old subject

[jonlists at cbsol.com]

husker-bounces at tssi.com wrote on 08/07/2007 09:11:02 PM:

> Jeff Volk wrote:
> > Or alternately you could check out Jon Johnston's blog at
> > http://www.cornnation.com/ While also getting a full dose of football
> > and some humorous writing you also get some of the best Husker 
Baseball
> > coverage going. 
> >
> >
> > 
> 
>       Just curious, what makes that blog authoritative?  Isn't that just 

> people like you and I expressing our opinions?  I have looked at a few 
> blogs and I have found they are as full of whatever as most mailing 
> lists.  I am not sure they know any more than anyone else.
> 
> 
> Bob Beach
> 
Wow. This is just like my family. Being the youngest of seven, my entire 
family could have an entire discussion about me without me ever having 
said a word. 

Having a blog certainly doesn't make one authoritative by any means, and a 
great deal of the stuff I do on Corn Nation is exactly my opinion. CN will 
turn one year old this August, and in that year, a lot has happened. I 
started CN because the opportunity arose to join SB Nation, which has a 
whole list of sports blogs attached to it, including a whole network of 
college guys that I could learn from and share ideas with. I did a post 
recently (co-inciding with my "Corns of the Big 12" series) about why I 
named the blog "Corn Nation". Here's the link: 

http://www.cornnation.com/storyonly/2007/8/2/01343/90398

After 18 years of writing in the computer industry, I didn't want to do 
that anymore, but I did want to keep writing. I wanted to write something 
more fun (although I have to recover from that 18 years of dryness - ha!), 
and I wanted something that was an antithesis to the seriousness with 
which we approach Husker football these days. It should be fun. It should 
be something we all love. It shouldn't be the constant warfare that it 
appears to be now, so I try not to take it so seriously (although I do 
sometimes) and I hope that's reflected in the site. I would like to see it 
become fun again, and all that takes it keeping it in perspective with 
being a good husband and raising three kids (ask me about perspective 
after this year's USC game and you'll certainly get a *different* answer! 
Ha!). 

With regards to authority, this past college baseball season, I did 
interviews with CSTV's baseball guy Eric Sorenson and Baseball America's 
Aaron Fitt (who is highly regarded in college baseball). I've gotten 
contacts at the NCAA for any questions I have for them. I was interviewed 
for "NCAA Weekly", and interviewed the NCAA director of football and 
baseball, Damani Leech. The interview I did with Danny Woodhead, Chadron 
State's Harlon Hill Trophy winner, who ran for more yardage than any back 
in the history of college football, is the only one I know that exists. So 
for a first year, I don't consider that too bad for credibility. :) 

I started reviewing college football books almost from the start because I 
want to learn as much about it as I can, history or what not. I've done 
some intervews with authors, and I"ll have more coming. I think that's 
pretty cool. 

There are tons of blogs, some good, some bad. Depends on the writer, I 
suppose. Some have media credentials to their teams, some never will, and 
some don't care (credentials come with some strings attached). The best 
will rise to the top and become tomorrow's SI sports writers, future 
television announcers, what have you. Bottom line is that there is 
something out there for just about everyone. 

Anyway... that's where Corn Nation has been and hopefully where it's 
going. 

Jon Johnston
http://www.cornnation.com