My hockey blog - feedback wanted

[bassassin]

Hello, so I recently graduated from uni and am looking to get into PR, apparently to do this I need to interact with a variety of online media, like blogs.

So obvious choice was to make a hockey blog

My first post went on a couple of days ago. Really hoping to improve my writing in general, so any feedback big or small would be great!

Millionaires vs Billionaires: Who cares?

Enjoy!

[Coldrice]

Nicely done Bass!

[Hoek]

Good stuff. I enjoyed the read.

[Top Shelf]

Actually pretty damn well written and idealistic, good luck

If the billionaire owners are as steely-nerved as businessmen have to be to reach that level, I can't imagine that fans saying "Start the season" will make any difference at all to them, but at least theoretically it could; whereas saying nothing will certainly not get their attention. (The only thing that would really do it IMHO would be for game night to come, the floors are polished, the shelves are stocked, the doors fling open, and... there's....nobody there. Tumbleweeds. The game goes on, and sounds like a practice. THAT would wake people up. Only problem is, WE need to wake up if we think that pipedream is ever gonna happen.)

I would like to say "I like how you omit the comma before quotation marks, a comma that's unnecessary and way past its time." Aren't quote marks basically a couple of commas upside down anyway??

[aapbolt]

Good post way to stick up for the fans. Well written and concise.

[bassassin]

Thank you

Yeah I realise that the odds of fans creating enough pressure via any means other than not buying merch/tickets are highly unlikely. But it feels better than doing nothing. Thats the thought process behind it anyway!

And Topshelf, i'm slightly unsure if you are saying I need to put in commas around quotations or you like that I didnt?

Edit: I have googled commas around quotations (my grammar really needs work) and yes I now think I need to put them in

[Flycoon]

Originally Posted by bassassin

Thank you

Yeah I realise that the odds of fans creating enough pressure via any means other than not buying merch/tickets are highly unlikely. But it feels better than doing nothing. Thats the thought process behind it anyway!

And Topshelf, i'm slightly unsure if you are saying I need to put in commas around quotations or you like that I didnt?

Edit: I have googled commas around quotations (my grammar really needs work) and yes I now think I need to put them in

Americans are not conditioned to stand up to big business interests these days. Our leaders appear to be looking at Mussolini's Italy or Franco's Spain as a model and most are buying the philosophy. You can see it in the pro management posts in this forum. Our response is generally "please, sir, may I have another?".

[Top Shelf]

Originally Posted by bassassin

Thank you

And Topshelf, i'm slightly unsure if you are saying I need to put in commas around quotations or you like that I didnt?

Edit: I have googled commas around quotations (my grammar really needs work) and yes I now think I need to put them in

I read your piece, bass...your grammar doesn't need that much work, trust me.

Sorry if I was unclear...I liked it. Your omission of the archaic comma that's supposedly required before a quotation of someone else's words (but not required before "other" uses of quote marks, like right there) just simply works. The schoolmarms always insisted upon the comma, and as you found, it is still "standard" punctuation. Using logic and reason -- something the uptight, proscriptive grammar cops would be wise to chug a pitcher of -- the quotation marks already signal that a quote is coming. That's their job; they do it better than anyone else and don't need any help IMHO.

Just for fun (not that this can take the place of hockey), don't you also think the standard rule is stupid that quote marks "always" must appear "after other punctuation at the end of a sentence"? The stick-up-their-butt grammarians would have a total cow that I put that question mark at the very end, after the quote marks, while to me that's where it makes the most logical sense. No editor could be expected to leave it that way, but oh well

(online and in texting punctuation often goes out the window along with capitalization and sometimes even spllng)

feel free to pm w/questions on this since the group finds it about as interesting as watching ice melt

[bassassin]

Anyone have any insight to the vastly complicated world of copyright?

I mean just a couple of questions, embedding youtube videos from say NHLvideo channel, fair use and allowed since they allow embedding or illegal?

Pictures that people put on their blogs, fair use or illegal?

Where is the line drawn

[ChaseSpace]

Originally Posted by bassassin

Anyone have any insight to the vastly complicated world of copyright?

I mean just a couple of questions, embedding youtube videos from say NHLvideo channel, fair use and allowed since they allow embedding or illegal?

Pictures that people put on their blogs, fair use or illegal?

Where is the line drawn

I've always understood fair use as saying who owns the video/image and taking it down if the owner asks. Also, if you plan on making money off of the material then you would need to get the proper permission from the owner at that point.