Inside Look: Light the Lamp

There are quite a few hockey blogs to browse, but some stand out. Whether they stand out for content or appearance, their effectiveness keep you coming back.

Light the Lamp is one of them.

The owner of the site is a die-hard Columbus Blue Jackets fan, and he updates up to three times per day. And it's not just Blue Jackets-related content, either. Light the Lamp discusses a wide array of hockey topics, and "LTL" (as he's known on the site) always injects his opinion.

By the way, his opinion is pretty damn strong, and pretty damn convincing.

Light the Lamp has all the elements of a successful independent blog. The header is attractive and eye-catching with a snappy logo. The content is listed in chronological order and each post enables comments and feedback using a Blogger ID or an e-mail address. LTL has quite the following, and people respond to what he has to say.

He makes use of many multimedia elements, as well. There are visual links to YouTube and Vimeo videos and enables a new poll every week. LTL also has his site's official Twitter feed uploaded to the sidebar, where he advertises for the R Bar (a popular Columbus hockey bar) and the Jacket Backers--the official fan/booster club of the Blue Jackets.

What is most interesting about LTL is his passion for the sport and the Blue Jackets. In each of his posts, the reader is easily engaged because his language is exciting and the content is appealing to hockey fans.

The site also features a lot of fan-submitted photos that LTL displays regularly. It is another avenue through which fans can express their opinions and interact with the site owner, which makes people more apt to visit the blog. Coupled with his own submitted pictures, it makes for an interesting dynamic that goes beyond typical blog posts and comments.

And if fans get itchy for the next Blue Jackets game or team-related event, LTL has a prominent "countdown banner" at the top of the home page, directly beneath the logo. The countdown is up-to-the-second, so if you can't wait until the puck drops again, just watch it tick away.

Once the hometown Blue Jackets were eliminated from the playoffs last week, LTL began analyzing the rest of the playoff matchups. They are fairly popular among his readers and the information he provides on each team is exceptional. It is clear that LTL is a knowledgeable hockey fan, and he gets the point across concisely.

In summary, Light the Lamp is one of the best hockey blogs on the Web. Few blogs can efficiently encapsulate the many elements of popular Web sites, but LTL comes awfully close. The videos are pertinent and timely, the comments provide constructive feedback and opinion, and the content he submits is top-notch.


OVERALL SITE GRADE: A