Saturday, April 26, 2008

If You're Using This Blog As A Source

It's come to my attention that there are people who are using this blog as a source in various projects. First of all, I should say that I'm flattered. When I first started researching 19th century St. Louis baseball history, I quickly discovered that there was no one place on the Internet that had answers to all the questions that I had. My main goal with this blog is to create that place-an all-incompasing website that contains all the information that one would ever want with regards to 19th century baseball in St. Louis. The fact that people are using TGOG as a source speaks to the need that existed for such a site and, to some extent, to the success I've had towards creating that site.

However-and I need to make this perfectly clear-I am only in the beginning stages of this project. I do not have all the information or all the answers with regards to 19th century baseball in St. Louis. In many ways, this blog is nothing more than a chronicle of my research. As I discover new things, I post them. As I come to new conclusions or develop new interpretations, I post that. As I learn from others, this changes how I view the data that I've gathered. This is not a static project but rather something that is dynamic and ever-changing. I've yet to write the final word on anything and may never be in a position to do so.

I would just like people to keep this in mind when using the information that I've posted on the blog. If you're going to use TGOG as a source when writing something about Joe Blong, for example, please make sure that you check all the posts that have been tagged "Joe Blong." I have more information about Blong today then I did eight months ago and my view of Blong has evolved as I've incorporated that information into my understanding. Hopefully, eight months from now I'll have even more information then I do today and my understanding will continue to evolve.

Just remember that the research is ongoing, I'm not the world's preeminent expert on 19th century baseball in St. Louis, and just because you find it on the Internet doesn't necessarily mean it's true. Always proceed with caution. One of the reasons that I choose a blog format was because it's maliable-as my knowledge grows and my understanding changes, the blog can grow and change to reflect that.

One last thing in what may be the strangest disclaimer ever written: if you ever have any questions or comments or criticisms or if you just want to say hi or would like a more detailed list of sources, never hesitate to contact me. All you have to do is drop me an email at thisgameofgames@gmail.com and I promise that I'll get back to you.

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