Getting Started With Blogs

Getting Started With Blogging
A guide for creating Official Pages

Table of Contents
Why Blog?
Things to Think About
Tips for Successful Blogging
Terms of Use & Blog Moderation Policies
Measuring Blog Effectiveness
Comment Blogging & Guest Blogging
Best Practices
Resources for Further Reading

Why Blog?
A blog can help you engage with your local audiences in real conversations.
Blogs put a human face on the embassy or consulate and create an engaged connection with people in the host country.
Blogs are increasingly a news source for mainstream media.
A blog can improve the placement of your content in search results - especially if you link your official Web site and other DoD material to the blog.
A blog gives you an idea of what people interested in your topics are thinking about.
If you don't know what blogs are or how they can be used, check out this video.
For USG Official Use Only

Things to Think About
Do you have the content and energy to publish often enough and well enough to be interesting?
Write in the first person perspective and pile on the personality.
A blog is more an op/ed than a press release.
Make it real and immediate to encourage discussion and engagement.
Allow comments AND respond to them.

Tips for Successful Blogging

Tips for Successful Blogging*
Start by listening.
Determine a goal for the blog.
Estimate the Return on Investment (ROI).
Develop a plan.
Review and rehearse.
Develop an editorial process.
Choose a blog platform and design the blog.
Develop a marketing plan.
Remember, blogging is more than writing.
Final advice: be honest.
* From Groundswell, by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, Forester Research, Harvard Business Press, 2009

1. Start by Listening
Before starting a blog, listen to what is being said on other blogs about issues important to the DoD or in your Service branch.
In order to find blogs to follow, you can Google Blog Search. It allows you to search the content of blogs using keywords.
Google Blog Search http://blogsearch.google.com/ (you can search for blog content in other languages by using Advanced Search.)
The following official DoD registered blogs are taken from the DoDLiveblogroll.
Army Live http://armylive.dodlive.mil/
Navy Live http://navylive.dodlive.mil/
There are independent bloggers who blog specifically on military and security matters.
Wired’s Danger Room http://wired.com/dangerroom
Foreign Policy’s The Best Defense http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/
Small Wars Journal http://smallwarsjournal.com/
You can also search Twitter for trending topics: http://search.twitter.com

2. Determine a Goal for the Blog
What is your goal?
Reach existing contacts or find new ones?
Respond to news stories?
Connect with family or friends?
Provide a new prospective on life in the military?
Know your goal and topic areas before you start.
Some ideas:
Deployments
Living overseas
Military families/Family readiness
Humanitarian efforts
Health and fitness
Combat photography

3. Estimate the Return on Investment (ROI)
Use a simple decision support document like a spreadsheet to figure out how your blog will pay off, and how much time it will take and what kind of support you will need from other people in the armed services
Will you need IT support?
What about training costs?
Are you following OPSEC?
Analyze the benefits of the blog in terms of public relations value, reader insights, etc.

4. Develop a Plan
Who will write the blog?
Will your blog have one or several authors?
Are you representing yourself, your troops, your mission, or your base, etc?
Include others in your decisions about your blog. More people knowing and collaborating about your blog will increase the chances on success.
Consider posting entries written by guest authors who have expertise in topics important to your audience.
How often will you blog? Will it be daily, weekly, monthly, etc?
How will you handle comments?

5. Review and Rehearse
Get ideas from what others do. You can find a blogroll of Defense-related and government-related blogs on http://www.dodlive.mil
Write five to ten posts before you go live and explore topics you’ll cover. Actually writing good blog posts will change how you think about blogging.

6. Develop an Editorial Process
What level of review do the postings need? Good blogs are personal and informal. Too many cooks (approvals) will spoil the broth.
If you assign a content reviewer, who will do it if this person isn’t available? This process needs to be flexible and lightweight. You may want to post quickly to respond to events and fast-breaking news.
Blogs must allow comments. Will you moderate comments or allow them to be posted without viewing them first?

7. Choose a Blog Platform and Design the Blog
You can use free blog software such as Blogger, http://www.blogger.com, or WordPress, http://wordpress.com.
If you use one of these free Web-based blog programs, remember to use a generic team email address so it can be shared with others.
Some posts host the blog on their post’s Web server. You can freely download WordPress at http://wordpress.org.

8. Develop a MarketingPlan
If you want people to read your blog, you’ll need to market it.
Target your content to a specific audience
Announce your blog with traditional methods, such as a press release and emails to your contacts.
Place a hyperlink on your official Web site to your blog.
Integrate your social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, etc.) into your blog. When you post to your blog, let your readers know by posting it to your social media sites.
When you comment on someone else’s blog, link back to your blog.
The text of your blog postings will also help: use the name of your base, unit, etc and topics that resonate with your audience in the titles and text of your posts so that your content will be picked up in search engines.

9. Remember, Blogging is More than Writing.
You must be willing to monitor other blogs, respond to comments made on your blog, and in general, be part of a dialogue.
Engage your audience, even if the topic is controversial. You want to know what people are thinking. You want different opinions.

10. Final Advice: Be Honest and Original
Verify your facts and provide links to additional information. Readers must trust your integrity.
Be transparent and open with your readers.
Don’t just repeat on your blog what you posted on your Facebook or Twitter. Take a new slant on your topic: expand, explain and engage.

Terms of Use and Blog Moderation Policies

Terms of Use & Blog Moderation Policies
You must include terms of use on your blog and include a comment policy and external links disclaimer.
These terms provide guidelines about what type of content you will and won’t accept from your readers.
You can adapt language from terms of use from DoD Live and the Social Media Policy.
DoD Live: http://www.dodlive.mil/index.php/disclaimer/
Social Media Policy: http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/DTM-09-026.pdf
If you decide to moderate your blog before comments can go live, you’ll want to document this policy as well.
The goal is to be transparent. Your readers don’t want any unpleasant surprises.
Be robust and tolerant. Just because someone disagrees with the blogger is not enough reason to take a comment off a blog.
We have provided examples of how some posts have handled terms of use and moderation policy information in their blogs.

The Defense Department’s Social Media Hub has an approved User Agreement that you can link to or copy and use for your blog.
You can also read the entire text of the DoD Social Media Policy by accessing http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/DTM-09-026.pdf
DoDLive uses Wordpress as a base for its blogs.
Terms of Use Example

Moderation Policy Example
This screenshot was taken from the NavyLive, the official blog of the United States Navy
To view this page, please go to http://navylive.dodlive.mil/about/

Using Guest Blogger Entries
Gina Hill, the wife of a wounded soldier, guest blogged on DoDLive on the subject of PTSD and her personal struggles of supporting her husband during these rough times.

Measuring Blog Effectiveness
Comments are not a reliable indicator of how many people are reading your blog. Most of your community will be listening and “lurking,” not commenting.
If you use Blogger.com, you can install Google Analytics
Google Analytics tells you which blog posts were accessed, how long your readers stayed, how they accessed your blog, and more.
How to do it: http://www.eblogtemplates.com/how-to-install-google-analytics-on-blogger/
WordPress.com has a rudimentary statistical package installed in the blog software, but will not allow you to use Google Analytics.
Ask your Webmaster if there is a possibility of using the same analytic software as the post’s Web site.

Comment Blogging & Guest Bloggers
If, after analyzing your resources you decide not to blog, consider having staff join other communities and comment on existing military-related blogs or blogs similar to yours.
Some general guidelines:
A comment blogger must include his/her name and professional position
Must adapt to the language of the blog
Must not be overbearing or rude
Encourage staff writers/bloggerswith relevant expertise to offer to write guest entries on your blog

Best Practices from the Field

Blogs Should be Written in the First Person
Bob Carey was a guest-blogger on DoD Live who wrote about the Federal Voting Assistant Program. Notice how he talks about his life, his personal experiences, and his emotional investment into his project.
See the blog post at http://www.dodlive.mil/index.php/2010/06/making-registering-and-voting-easier-on-you/

Blog Writer Should Provide a Human Face
This screenshot was taken from U.S. Air Force Live, the official blog of the USAF
SSgt Thomas Ryan not only includes his picture, but writes with a voice that showcases his personality.
You can see the blog at http://airforcelive.dodlive.mil/index.php/2010/05/toughest-military-jobs-in-the-words-of-firefighter-ssgt-thomas-ryan/

Be Transparent
The DoD Live blog clearly identifies its bloggers and staff members.
You can view this page and the rest of the DoDLive team at http://www.dodlive.mil/index.php/about-emerging-media-2/

Explain Your Moderation Policy
It’s important to be clear about how you moderate comments.
This example is from the DoD Live blog.

Reply to Comments If Necessary
You don’t need to comment on every posting that someone in your community creates, but you should respond when it’s appropriate or when you want to get the conversation back on topic.
Commenting back and forth humanizes the blogger and makes real engagement happen.
From Armed with Science, at http://science.dodlive.mil/

Resources for Further Reading

Policy Guidelines
The Department of Defense released its official policy on new/social media in February 2010. The policy (Directive-Type Memorandum 09-026) states that the default for the DoD non-classified network (the NIPRNET) is for open access so that all of DoD can use new media.
This is DoD’s first official policy on new media.

Articles about Blogging
Blogs, from WebContent.gov
Blogging Lessons For and From Journalism, from the Blog Herald
How to Avoid Getting Burned From Negative Comments, from The Viral Garden
How to Build Lasting Relationships with Your Readers, from Inspiration Bit
Marketing Your Blog: 10 Essential Tips You Should Know, from Hongkiat

Blogging Software Help
Getting Started With Blogger, from Google.com
Blogger Help, from Google.com
Web-based WordPress.com help:
Your Website or Blog on WordPress.com, from Delphis, Ltd.
WordPress.com Support
WordPress.org help
WordPress.org Support

Getting Started With Blogs

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