9. “ Ifyou enter the jobs market without
[a blog], no matter how good your
degree, you’re increasingly likely to
lose out to people who better
present all they can do, and have
the experience of creating and
curating their own site.”
Neil McIntosh,
Head of Editorial Development, The Guardian
10. So what is a blog ?
Weblog - An online dated
diary listing your periodic
thoughts on a specific topic,
often in reverse chronological
order.
Blog - short form for weblog
Blogging - the act of posting
on blogs
Blogger - a person who blogs
Blogosphere - The internet
blogging community.
11. Blogging Formats
Photoblogging - a blog predominantly using and
focusing on photographs and images. Photoblogs are
created by photobloggers.
Podcasting - a method of distributing multimedia files
(audio / videos) online using feeds for playback on
mobile devices and personal computers. Podcasts
are created by podcasters.
Autocasting - is an automated form of podcasting
12. Blogging Formats
Vlogging - Also called video blogging. Shortened to vlog.
Posted by vlogger. A variant on the blogging using video
instead of text.
Audioblogging - Also called audioblog, MP3 blog or
musicblogs. a variant on the blogging using audio instead
of text. Created by audioblogger.
Moblogging - Also called moblogs. A blog posted and
maintained via mobile phone. Moblogs are created by
mobloggers.
Micro-blogging is a form of blogging that allows users to
13. Blogs are becoming popular
A new blog is started every
second
Many remain unread and
semi-anonymous
A few end up with a strong
following
Most are not created by
journalists!
14. Who is Blogging ?
Bloggers are young
More than half (54%) of
bloggers are under the
age of 30.
55% of bloggers blog
under a pseudonym, and
46% blog under their
own name.
15. Who is Blogging
Most bloggers do not think of what they do as
journalism.
34% of bloggers consider their blog a form of
journalism, and 65% of bloggers do not.
57% of bloggers include links to original sources
either “sometimes” or “often.”
Most have not “trained” to be journalists
56% of bloggers spend extra time trying to verify facts
they want to include in a post either “sometimes” or
16. Blogging is Beyond Text
Bloggers are using more than simple
words to tell their stories:
72% Photos
30% Audio
15% Video
20. Aggregators
Beyond news, there are several popular
aggregate blog sites for specific areas of
interest
Examples:
Technorati.com
BoingBoing.net
27. How are Journalists using Blogs
Encourage audience feedback and involvement
"Over-the-shoulder" diary
Cultivate audiences
Cover events
Follow varied rural issues and affairs (and
coverage of them)
Offer views and opinions
Support freedom of expression
28. Be careful From
They require careful, continuous signposting to guide
the reader to the story's main points. When
comments run into the hundreds, they need curating
and managing. I
f done badly, they can descend into a mishmash of
tweets and comments without context.
They can be too easily deployed by editors on stories
to which the format is not suited.
33. You have to think about
Blog’s Mission Statement
List Your Blog Goals
List Short Term Objective
Primary Target Audience
Secondary Target Audience
Topics
Editorial Calendar
Name
Frequency
34. How to maintain a successful
Blog
1.Narrow your niche.
2. Write to inform with clarity and brevity.
3. Write frequently—or at least regularly.
4. Add something to the conversation,
conversationally.
5. Show, don’t tell.
6. Seek out new sources.
35. How to maintain a successful
Blog
7.Have a point of view, but avoid using I. We know
it’s you
talking.
8. Disclose conflicts of interest.
9. Make your writing scan-friendly with images,
blockquotes,
subheads, and bulleted lists. And make your blog
accessible
to visually impaired readers:
http://allaccessblogging.com/make-your-
blogaccessible.
html
10. Pay attention to spelling, grammar, and
36. How to maintain a successful
Blog
11. Link often—but only to relevant content.
12. Let your readers know when you’re writing.
Enable your
time stamp. Mention relevant events.
13. Clear headlines are always better than cute
headlines.
14. Quote and attribute generously.
15. Use relevant keywords and tags.
16. Incorporate images and embed other media.
37. How to maintain a successful
Blog
17. Establish commenting guidelines and abide
by them when
you moderate comments.
18. Integrate feeds from other accounts to keep
content fresh
and to provide multiple entryways to your blog.
19. Get familiar with Google’s webmaster
guidelines:
20. Blog for the process not the payment (but
incorporate ads
or donations widgets if you need to).
38. Here are some ideas on what you
could write about
1. Interview someone
2. Respond to something elsewhere
3. Blog an event
4. Reflect on something
5. Do something visual (photos, video, slideshow with
commentary)
6. Make a list
7. Write a how-to
8. Let someone else post
9. Ask a question
10. Suggest an idea
11. Pick a fight (in a nice way)
12. Write a glossary or A-Z guide
13. Find, analyse & explain data
40. Think of an idea for a blog. Is it going to be about…
Your life as a journalist – leads, ideas, what didn’t make it into
publication, mistakes, issues, community?
Your specialist area – what’s going on, backgrounders, rumours,
community?
A challenge, a goal, a format – interview 100 major figures;
reviews; go eco; swap lifestyles, etc?
