Internet beef is funny. From afar it is a glorious spectacle, two virtual cobras circling each other in the ring. When OilersNation started, we had beef o’plenty with a variety of bloggers and websites who felt that our little piece of cyber space was intruding on something they had been doing for years.

And not only were we new, but – gasp! – we had advertisements on our site which was to some folk basically akin to slapping an advertisement for KY Jelly on Michaelangelo’s David.

We can understand why there was apprehension and beef at first. When the site first started out it was basically yours truly, hammering away on the ol’ keyboard.

Every. Single. Day.

And it wasn’t for everyone, nor should it have been. The ramblings of Wanye von Gretz are much like a tumbler of novelty flavored cotton candy Shriaz wine. Sickeningly sweet, bright pink and shunned by purists.

And that was OK.

Soon after the site launched people started to share their commentary with us and we are incredibly grateful for everyone else who have joined these early friends.

Milli showed up minutes after we went live and started to converse about the glorious future Jarett Stoll had as an Oiler. A sprightly young jeanshorts and baggedmilk showed up a few weeks later and promptly told us to eff ourselves.

Oh the fun we had in those early days screaming and yelling at one another.

Several months later, Robin Brownlee was convinced against his better judgement to give the internet a shot – and give it a shot he did. He started writing fast and furious, bringing a whole level of credibility to the site that was completely lacking until that point. It was kind of like starting a backyard MMA league and then your neigbour George St. Pierre leans over the fence and asks "can I fight too?"

We were immediately beaten into submission, though we continued to post articles as often as we pleased, much to the chagrin of our beloved haters. Then Jon Willis showed up and began an epic run of article writing that once led a commented to declare "I came here for OilersNation and instead found WillisNation. I have to say I prefer the latter."

And so our merry little band of brothers continued on whilst BingoFuel and ol’ Wanye Newton began lobbying Jason Gregor to join the team. "Think of the internet," we would plead, "think of how big it could be if it was eventually installed on COMPUTERS!" Being a big deal on the radio already, Gregor was slow to see the world through our telescope. But eventually he caved and so the team has been for almost a year and a half.

But time marches on and sometimes the world changes. Master Willis has found himself a new day job, one that doesn’t count "writing 1,467 articles per day" as an appropriate use of his lunch hour. He will still be writing here at the Nation, but in a more concentrated role.

Traffic has continued to rise and rise, prompting us to try and expand the network with the FlamesNation and CanucksArmy going live in 2009. After a slow start FlamesNation has started to grow like crazy of late and we will die trying to see the same growth in Vancouver as well.

But at the end of the day our only real love is the OilersNation.

After pornhub, jonasbrothers.com and goop – the delightful blog by Gwenyth Paltrow- we consider OilersNation to be the very bestest site on the internet. But it needs more writers with varying view points to encourage us all to debate and scrap the day away, paying little to no attention to all of our various day jobs.

After all this isn’t WanyeNation. Nor is it BrownleeVille, GregorLand or WillisUniversity. It’s the OilersNation and the greater goal to provide unparralleled coverage of the best-worst Hockey Squadron in the NHL.

And so we are going on the hunt for more writers, laying aside all vintage beef and squabbles in the name of the Mighty Oil.

We are looking for two new writers for the Nation, Nation. We are on the verge a couple things going down that should increase the profile of these here lil’ sites and what we need is content. More content. Grade A content that will leave people saying "DAY-UM that OilersNation sure is a place to read about the Edmonton Oilers. They got it goin-on!"

Then they will clap, because people who excite easily clap a lot.

MSM, existing bloggers, new names who may not have laid pen to virtual paper before. Anything goes as we look to expand the team. 

Who would you like to see us try and recruit? Leave us some suggestions and some links to blogs you enjoy. And if you are an heretofore unpublished blogger with a hankering to talk Oil – fire us an email at wanyegretz@gmail.com

Consider this our 2010 Draft and Free Agency Period.