… CONTINUED FROM PART 1…
BLOGGER: Sara Pepitone
FEATURED BLOG(S): 30toMidnight, ScoreboardGourmet
WEBSITE: SaraPepitone.com
FACEBOOK: 30toMidnight on Facebook
TWITTER: @SaraPepitone
SCOREBOARDGOURMET.COM
ScoreboardGourmet, Pepitone’s other main venture, strives to answer the ever-pressing question: ‘What did you eat at the game?’
To this end, Pepitone reviews the various culinary offerings at ballparks around the country, from the lowest-profile minor league parks to the swankiest new stadiums.
Pepitone began the project several years ago after unsuccessfully pitching a similar story idea to the now-defunct Gourmet magazine. Today, ScoreboardGourmet “remains a natural extension of what I do, which is go to games,” Pepitone says. “Originally, I was blogging because it was going to be part of my writing portfolio, but then it turned out to be really fun.”
Blogger Sara Pepitone Enjoys Herself at a Game
HERE WE GO, SCOREBOARD, HERE WE GO!
One of Pepitone’s first forays into blogging, ScoreboardGourmet now regularly gets over 10,000 unique visitors a month, though things are a bit slower in the off-season. “I always think it’s the last winter [I'm going to run the blog], but then spring training starts, and I get excited again,” Pepitone says.
It certainly doesn’t hurt that the site has a legitimate following in the always-enthusiastic world of sports. The site’s popularity has opened doors for Pepitone – both figuratively and literally: “I get to do things like call up the security at the Louisiana Superdome and get a tour.” Truly an awesome perk, as any member of the Who Dat Nation will undoubtedly tell you.
NO FREE LUNCH
Despite the fringe benefits, Pepitone remains true to her roots and journalistic ethics. “I don’t take free stuff, and if I do, I always mention it,” she says.
It’s not surprising, then, that Pepitone supports the Federal Trade Commission’s 2009 guidelines regarding endorsements and testimonials, wherein bloggers can be fined up to $11,000 for non-disclosure of payments and freebies. “I absolutely do [disclose everything], and I’ve done that all along,” Pepitone says.
FAMILY MATTERS
Peptione’s background also informs the structure of the site — while technically a single-author blog, ScoreboardGourmet can feel like a larger operation.
“When I started ScoreboardGourmet, my intention was that it was going to be a database— but with blogging, people like to be involved,” she says.
Pepitone’s reader’s certainly do love to get involved — they write to her often, asking for information and soliciting advice.
“I get a lot of moms who are going to their first ball game with the kids and their friends, and maybe one of them has a gluten allergy, so they want to know what to what that child can eat at the game. Or, they may want to know how much hot dogs cost at a specific minor league park in the Midwest. ”
And what’s the most popular search topic on ScoreboardGourmet?
“That’s easy,” Pepitone says. “Peanuts. People are constantly searching for ‘calories in peanuts,’ and then they find my site.”
GROWING PAINS
What has all this blood, sweat, tears and blogging taught Pepitone?
“If you want to grow, you have to invite interaction,” she says.
With that in mind, Pepitone is considering ways to build community on both of her sites (she’s implementing a TypePad community page, for instance), though she admits the prospect of investing more time and energy into her blogs can be a bit overwhelming.
She’s currently considering taking on interns to help with the workload (“I suck at Twittering,” she admits.) and is also actively seeking both local and national sponsors for ScoreboardGourmet.
Pepitone has also grown her traffic by submitting her blogs to the Outside.in network. “Outside.in definitely drives a lot of traffic to me,” she says. “It’s really smart, thinking about neighborhoods.”
INFORMATION, PLEASE!
One thing Pepitone won’t do to grow traffic? Write tabloid fodder.
“I still remain a journalist first. I don’t put up information that isn’t researched in some way. I don’t do gossip, because I think that’s irrelevant. I’m more interested in information first. My primary interest is information and sharing information.”
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PS: If you’d like to be featured in our ‘Bloggers We Love’ series (or you’d like to nominate your favorite local blogger(s) for inclusion), we’d love to hear from you! Simply send an email to esther[at]outside[dot]in.
