Doug Seyller, better known as @k0na on twitter, broke the John Danks contract extension hours before any media outlet was able to confirm it. It's not the first time Seyller has been the first to report a White Sox transaction, either. The following is an e-mail exchange White Sox Talk conducted with Seyller:
White Sox Talk: First up, tell us a little bit about who Doug Seyller is. Are you just "some fan"?
Doug Seyller: Honestly, I am just some fan. I'm an art director who's been working in the creative industry for 15 years. I have no ties to the Sox and I have not tapped Kenny's phone. LOL. I played a little ball in and after college but never professionally.WST: What was the first scoop you ever got, and how did you go about publicizing it?
Seyller: I believe I scooped the Garland trade. At the time I posted it to the Sox message board and got blasted for it. People said I was just posting to try and troll the board. A day later the story broke and I didn't even get a nod from the media for it.
WST: Have your sources ever been wrong about something?
Seyller: Never. They are good sources.
WST: Why do you use twitter, and only twitter, to put your stuff out there?
Seyller: It has a lot to do with the industry I'm in. I've been so close to social media for so long that it all in a way annoys me. I didn't have a Facebook account until this time last year when I was forced into designing a Facebook app. Twitter to me is what it is. 80 percent one way posting from people on their soapboxes, maybe 10 percent corporate tweets. The last 10 percent are the real movers (celebrities) that have the large following. For me its the easiest and quickest way to post news and let other people spread it for me. Maybe two years ago I posted a story about a guy who redesigned the United Airlines homepage and sent it to them. It was retweeted 110x in one day.
WST: Do you consider yourself a journalist? Whywhy not?
Seyller: No not really. I'm just a guy who likes to inform others of cool things, interesting stories, trade rumors and design, without turning myself into a blogger.WST: What's your motivation for doing this? Do you take any pride in beating major media outlets to news?
Seyller: I do. Like I said above, I think I broke two big stories on the Sox site and neither time did any news source give credit. One even used my exact wording. Now I take great pride posting before they do, I think it's fantastic that a "graphic designer" as I'm called who makes elbow macaroni art (that's a joke by the way) can beat them to the punch.
WST: Why "k0na"?
Seyller: I used to ride a Kona mountain bike. When we'd ride in groups they'd call me "Kona." It stuck.