EPL Talk Blog Reviewed at BlogsWeLuv

BlogsWeLuv gives the EPL Talk Blog a thumbs up in their review. More details about BlogsWeLuv can be found here.

We'll be implementing the design suggestions they mentioned. I've been meaning to do those for a while, but this will push me harder to get them completed.

Top 11 Ways to Help Support EPL Talk

If you're reading this, you enjoy EPL Talk and you're interested in spreading the word about the whole EPL Talk experience to other like-minded soccer fans, here's how you can help in ten easy steps:

1. Rate and review the EPL Talk Podcast on iTunes.

2. Digg the EPL Talk Podcast on Digg's Podcast section.

3. If you have a blog or personal webpage, please add a link to http://www.EPLTalk.com

4. Join the EPL Talk group on Facebook.

5. Make the EPL Talk Blog your favorite on Technorati.

6. When you get the next issue of the EPL Talk Email Newsletter, click the 'forward to a friend' button near the bottom of the email and send it to five contacts you think may be interested in the news.

7. Make a donation to EPL Talk to help us pay our bills for hosting, international phone calls (for interviews), podcasts and all of the associated expenses. See the right column on this page to find out how to donate.

8. The next time you're considering buying a shirt from a Premier League club or a soccer-related book, purchase them from the EPL Talk Shop. A percentage of each sale goes to help support EPL Talk.

9. Don't just be a reader, be a writer. Join in the discussions on the EPL Talk Community forums and share your thoughts on a topic, introduce yourself to the community of like-minded soccer fans and contribute ideas, suggestions or observations.

10. Namedrop. The next time you call into a soccer-related talkshow or start a discussion with friends, lead into the question by namedropping the EPL Talk name. For example, "I was listening to an interview on the EPL Talk Podcast this week to an author of a new soccer book, and I wanted to get your opinion whether or not..."

11. Bookmark the EPL Talk Flickr photostream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/epltalk/

Each week, EPL Talk puts in more than 50 hours of hard work to generate high quality Premier League content for you to read, listen and watch. While we're not asking for that sort of commitment, we do ask that you contribute 5-10 minutes of your time by taking a few or more of the above steps to help support EPL Talk.

Thanks in advance for your support.

Cheers,
The Gaffer

EPL Talk Featured on BBC Podcast

If you're interested, my voice was featured on this week's BBC podcast entitled "Pods and Blogs." I recorded the ident/intro to be used on the show. The weekly podcast discusses some of the most interesting topics about blogs and pods each week and invites fellow podcasters to contribute the intro/ident to the show, which changes each week. The BBC was kind enough to post a link to the EPL Talk Podcast.

Wanted: Soccer Bloggers

If you have an interest in writing about your favorite topic, soccer/football, and you want to share your thoughts and wisdom with the rest of the soccer community, let me know at thegaffer[at]epltalk[dot]com

Right now, we're looking for soccer fans who have an interest in writing on the following leagues (in order of importance):

• Coca Cola Championship
• Serie A
• La Liga
• Major League Soccer
• Champions League
• And the EPL.

I think those of you who have already written for any of the EPL Talk blogs/sites will agree that it's a lot of fun and a great way to interact with other soccer fans from around the world as they share their comments on the hot topics.

Spreading the Word about EPL Talk

In the past few days, the new EPL Talk redesign has launched which took several weeks of work designing, writing, programming and testing (and debugging) but it's finally live. There's still a lot more work to do, but we hope you find it a useful site for your Premier League needs.

As with any project on the Internet, the work is never done. It's always a continuation. New technologies are being unveiled each week across the Internet and EPL Talk continues to see if any of these can be incorporated into your experience on the site (and sister sites).

Now that the site is live, EPL Talk needs your help to spread the word to the soccer fans out there. There's no pressure.

If you enjoy the site and want to give back, feel free to click on one or more of the links in the sidebar on the right to post messages on forums or social networking sites. Or feel free to think of your own creative ways to tell people about EPL Talk. Mention it on a soccer talk show, tell your friends about it on Facebook, etc.

The person who spreads the word about EPL Talk in the most creative and successful manner will receive their very own EPL Talk T-shirt. Just e-mail me what you did at thegaffer[at]epltalk[dot]com by August 30, 2007 - extended to midnight ET Monday, September 3rd - and I'll pick one lucky winner.

Cheers,
The Gaffer

Wanted: Soccer Podcasters

Are you interested in launching your own podcast? If so, EPL Talk has openings for two podcasts. One for La Liga (LaLigaTalk.com) and one for the Champions League (ChampionsLeagueTalk.com).

Some of you may be familiar with the launch of a new podcast from the EPL Talk network and that's the Major League Soccer Talk Podcast hosted by Kartik Krishnaiyer. Episode number one is now available via iTunes and the web. Episode two will be available within the next week featuring interviews with Andrew Shue and GolTV's Phil Schoen.

We're also expanding the network of sites this summer. Next up will be a brand new podcast entitled Championship Talk, which will focus on the stories and action from the Coca-Cola Championship league. Hosted by Brian Koski, the podcast will launch in June or early July.

Regular EPL Talk contributors BC John and Justin Franklin, meanwhile, are considering launching their own Premier League podcast -- twice a week -- which would preview the weekend's upcoming matches and review the previous weekend's activities.

If you are interested in having your own podcast, please e-mail me at thegaffer[at]epltalk[dot]com. On June 12th, I'll be hosting a invitation-only Podcast 101 webinar training to help podcasters-to-be learn how to record and publish podcasts. Contact me today if you're interested in participating or want to learn more.

The Gaffer Exposed

I received a unusual e-mail this morning from a fellow publisher of a soccer web site. He was replying to one of my messages and advised me I was being rude by not using my real name and hiding behind a moniker.

The reason I refer to myself as The Gaffer is to keep the focus on the web sites and blogs I pen (along with a small army of EPL Talk followers, which I'm deeply indebted to). Rather than make it the "Christopher Harris Show" (oops, the word is out), I wanted to make it more football-related, easier to remember and more unique.

Since I've been using the nickname, I find it quite interesting how pervasive the expression is throughout football. It's more often used by players talking about their manager.