This document discusses the future of blogging and journalism using new media tools. It notes that blogs have transitioned from an upstart community to having influence on mainstream narratives. Bloggers are expanding their use of social media like Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr. The lines between blogs, micro-blogs, and social networks are disappearing. Journalists need to take advantage of all platforms and see them as working together. Blogging can help develop writing skills when following best practices like linking to credible sources, attributing information, and engaging with readers through comments.

1. BLOGGING & JOURNALISM’S
FUTURE
New Tools, Old Values
Compiled by Steve Fox, University of Massachusetts
December, 2010

4. Blogger, Wordpress, Tumblr – Write short, long, add
multimedia, photos, video
YouTube, Vimeo – Short, long videos
Flickr, Picasa – Photo feeds
Twitter – the microblog
Mobile delivery = capturing breaking news

6. Online Roundups Aggregation
Opinion Informed Analysis
Long text Microblogging
Outliers in PJs Mainstream

9. The 2010 edition of State of the Blogosphere
finds blogs in transition—no longer an upstart
community, now with influence on mainstream
narratives firmly entrenched, with bloggers still
searching for the next steps forward.
Bloggers’ use of and engagement with various
social media tools is expanding, and the lines
between blogs, micro-blogs, and social
networks are disappearing.
Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere

10. The Megaphone is Alive

11.  Connections matter, not
platforms
 Journalists need to be
platform-agnostic
 All platforms working
together as one

15. Tips:
• Blogging develops writing
• Inform yourself, research
• Lively, personalized style
• Active voice
• Scanning
• Bullets, lists
Blogs: New Tools for
Journalists

17. #1 Linking: Providing a thoughtful, credible series of
links will help create an audience that will come to your
blog for your expertise and perspective and, most
importantly, keep them coming back.
 Providing a link to Lindsay Lohan’s fan page may not do
much for credibility.
So, THINK BEFORE YOU LINK!
“Cover what you do best. Link to the rest,” Jeff Jarvis

18. One of the many misperceptions of bloggers is that they
don’t report.
As a journalist, a blog is a tool.
You’re reading, researching and, in many cases,
interviewing for your blog entries.
Don’t take shortcuts. Link out and attribute often.
 Practice journalism, not plagiarism.

20. You’re fighting the image of the ranting blogger.
All the ‘old’ rules apply.
Don’t take shortcuts. Write, edit, revise.
Just because you can hit the publish button….
Take the time and respect your audience.
Typos and factual errors turn away readers and blogging
doesn’t change that.

21. The old adage: “Write as long as it takes.”
Some bloggers write 1,500-word entries — and readers
love it.
Ideally: 300-500 word range; shorter is better.
Consider a series of blog entries on a topic.
One way to get readers to come back while keeping
entries short.

22.  Old newspaper
construct: Reporters
write stories; editors
write headlines.
 Bloggers write headlines
for audience & search
engines.
 SEO: Specifics in your
headlines help search
engines access content.
 Make your headline work
for you: Cover ground
that draws the reader in.

23.  Don’t just set up your
blog and let it sit.
 A successful blog, like a
garden, needs tending.
 Your audience is not
going to just show up.
Find time to blog and do
it.
 Incorporate pictures,
video, audio, polls.
 Read and comment on
other blogs.

24.  Respond to comments
from your audience.
 Not all the comments
you get will be nice.
 Warning: Thick skin
needed.
 Never respond to snark
with snark.
 Have a discussion, not a
shouting match.

26. A Change of Direction
 Journalism is no longer a lecture – more like an ongoing,
developing conversation.
 Blogs, message boards, online discussions have created a two-
way information highway for journalists.
 The “group formerly known as the audience” is creating
information through wikis and user-generated content.
 It’s far easier for people to communicate from places previously
unimaginable. (ie: tsunami coverage.)

27. State of Journalism
In 2009 Twitter and other social media emerged as
powerful tools for disseminating information and
mobilizing citizens such as evading the censors in Iran
and communicating from the earthquake disaster zone in
Haiti.
The majority of Internet users (59%) now use some kind
of social media, including Twitter, blogging and
networking sites.
-- Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism

28. The ‘Future of News’
"This year for the first time I have come to
believe that we will be able to tell you about
certain subjects better on the Internet than
we will be able to in print.”
-- Washington Post Chairman Don Graham,
2005
-- That was FIVE years ago!

29. Go Grab The Ball!