Jewish Blogging 101 - JCPSC Webinar - 05/13/2010

Jewish Blogging 101 Esther D. Kustanowitz May 13, 2010

Today’s Goal
How participation in blog culture can:
help support/promote Jewish projects, programs & organizations
add value to larger conversations
create stronger relationships
create trust
create community

Today’s Questions
What is blogging?
What is Jewish about blogging?
Find out which blogs we read, why, and HOW
Learn about Jewish blogs
Learn about Jewish bloggers and how to pitch them
Consider: should you/your org start a blog?

@EstherK, Why Are You Here?
“ A blog? You mean, where I put content online but don’t get paid for it?”
Self-taught blogging, Facebook & Twitter
Found online community that translated offline
Writing lives online 24/7
Blogs transformed my career, work, life  NY, Israel, LA

Blog Basics
Short for “weblog”
Central text by author/s, some editorial process
Reader commentary next to original text
Memorable name promotes organizational brand
Blog platforms include: Blogger (Blogspot), Typepad, WordPress & others
Blog/blog-like functions at LiveJournal, MySpace, Posterous, Tumblr & others

What’s Jewish About Blogs? Um…

Visualizing Blogs
Everyone’s Arianna Huffington – blog is a magazine on a subject(s) that’s “important”
Everyone’s a congregant - a community built around a central belief, discussion or attitude, even w/different opinions
Everyone’s a rabbi – blog is a pulpit/sermon, w/ opportunity for talkback
Everyone is God - content subject to creation and deletion at whim of blog creator

Blogs are…
Sometimes, but not really, about:
Putting your diary online
Thinking you’re Tina Brown / a rabbi / other authority
Ego (for personal gain /ambition)
Should be about:
Community cultivation
Relationship management
Involvement in conversations
Ego (for community-building, good-doing )

Which Blogs Do You Read and Why?
The Wire, Jewlicious, FrumeSarah, Kvetching Editor, eJewishPhilanthropy, JTA blogs (Fundermentalist), Jew & the Carrot, Accidentally Jewish, Jewschool, other posts shared through Facebook/Twitter, other non-Jewish blogs

Why People Read Blogs, and How
WHY
Interested in a subject
Interested in the writer/organization/publisher
Early adopters like to know first
HOW
Differently than they used to
Less “destination-browsing,” more Google results
Content comes via FB, Twitter, sometimes readers

Effective Blogs Contain…
Commitment to conversation
Community-building
Collaborative spirit
Involvement in public infostream
Initiating & participating in conversations
Authentic voice
Adding value to public discourse, online & off (self-promotion is secondary)

Jewish Blogs, Jewish Bloggers
Two Jews, Three Blogs / People of the Blog / People of the Link
“ That’s my blog, and that’s the blog I wouldn’t be caught dead reading”
Nation of priests/writers/academics/rabbis/ pontificators/purveyors of content
Mobile journalism? Jewish social media lets us be there when we can’t be there

Jewish Blogs 101
Protocols – 2 years http:// protocols.blogspot.com /
Steven I. Weiss (Canonist, JTV)
Andrew Silow-Caroll (NNJ Jewish News)
Luke Ford
Miriam Shaviv (Bloghead, London Jewish Chronicle)
Jewschool – Dan Sieradski and a team of 30+
Jewlicious – Dave Abitbol and a team of 10+

Jewish Blogs 101: חלק ב '
Proliferation of diverse voices
Institutional blogs – JOI, ROI Community, JTA blogs, Lilith, Forward
Orthoblogs – more conservative voices (Hirhurim)
Israel – On the Face, WhatWarZone, Israel Matzav, Muqata, Treppenwitz,
Unusual perspectives or niches – RenReb, shomernegiah
Carnivals – Haveil Havalim –rotating hosts (sukkah hop, progressive dinner)

Is Your Organization Ready? Intake Appointment
Psychologists use intake appointments to:
Learn about who you are, how you think
Determine goals for your program
Identify concerns or challenges
Establish open channel of communication
Intake appointment for your organization: “Social Media Planning” worksheet

Are You Ready to Blog?
Learn the tool – easy, but will take some time
Commit to “regular” posting – demands planning, flexibility/spontaneity, time
Determine organizational voice
Create posting schedule/content plan
Calculated risks  big returns

Basics of Blogging: Posting
Technical
Check with web team: is blog possible within site?
If not, use Blogger.com, Typepad.com or Wordpress.com
Name the blog - create a relevant, brand-consistent URL
Content
Posts about 400 words (one screen length)
Grammar, punctuation, style
Hyperlink to other sites
Reflect the values of your org
Post regularly
Use photos, videos, images

Brit Hablogger
You have a brit hamiktzoa, so why not?
With every post, commit to:
Supporting the values of your organization
Posting regularly and consistently
Use your authentic voice
Be transparent / share with readers
Other things you find valuable
Respond rationally to fans and critics

Basics of Blogging: Strategy
Does your org need/could it benefit from/is it ready for a blog:
Reading blogs, seeing what’s out there
Blog will need regular content (staff time)
Comments should be open, but can be moderated (staff time)
Blog should reflect org’s goals, but also add value to larger conversations
What are competing blogs/orgs blogging about? What can you add to the conversation?

Not Ready to Blog? Comment and Pitch, Instead
Participate in the conversation on other people’s blogs
Leave links to your online stuff
Make meaningful contributions to discussions
Offline, pitch the bloggers on your awesome stuff (after reading their blogs)…

Pitching Jewish Bloggers
Don’t be evil / Don’t be insincere
Be respectful, sincere, and personal
Pitch appropriately
Make your case
Provide enough info (not too much)
How does your project add value?
information, education, opinions, humor, commentary
“ Please give”  “Please receive”

Next Steps
עשה לך רב , קנה לך חבר
Visit JRants.com, Jewishblogging.com, blogrolls
Think about your potential blog:
What will you call it?
Who will write it?
Who’s your ideal audience?
What’s your ideal outcome?

Resources Available
Feeding your blog to: Facebook, Twitter
“In Plain English” series
Bloglines.com / Google Reader
Google Alerts - keyword-based blog prompts
Blogging Basics resource sheet

How to Find Me
[email_address]
http://twitter.com/estherk
http://facebook.com/estherkustanowitz
http://myurbankvetch.com
http://jdatersanonymous.com
http://beliefnet.com/blog/idolchatter
http://roicommunity.org

Jewish Blogging 101 - JCPSC Webinar - 05/13/2010

by Esther Kustanowitz on May 17, 2010

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Jewish Blogging 101 - JCPSC Webinar - 05/13/2010 — Presentation Transcript

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