Why?

Paul BradshawSenior Lecturer, Online Journalism, Magazines and New Media, School of Media, Birmingham City University, UK (mediacourses.com)Blogger, Online Journalism BlogJournalism blogging

Neil McIntosh, Head of Editorial Development, The GuardianIf you enter the jobs market without [a blog], no matter how good your degree, youre 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.also see the 37 comments at http://bit.ly/U3wgJ

Are blogs mainstream?85% UK news orgs have blogs70% US newspapers (95% of top 100)44% European news orgs(stats from Jan 2008)

How it happened

1998: Drudge Report

2001:September 11

2002: Trent Lott

2003:Salam Pax

2003: Christopher Allbritton

2004:Memogate

2004: Asian tsunami

2005: London bombings

2007: Talking Points Memo

2007: Dave Winer wins a bet

2007: Myanmar protests

2008: Chinese earthquake

Is blogging a genre?

Is this blogging?

Is this blogging?

Is this blogging?

Is this blogging?

Is this blogging?

Is this blogging?

1. Conversational, social, networked?

2. Incomplete, open, ongoing?

3. Personal, informal, reflective?

Pre-surfed web

Expert analysis

Synthesis

Opinion

Anything you want it to be.

Its just a platform really.

Why blog?

3 reasons

EditorialLeads, speed, space

2. CommercialSEO, distribution, accountability

3. ProfessionalNetworkingPulling powerDevelopment

how to blog

Regularly?

The majority of the Top 100 blogs tracked by Technorati post five or more times per day, and a full 43 percent post more than 10 times per day. Meanwhile, 64 percent of the 5,000 blogs ranked lower than 600 post two to four times a day, which is still a serious commitment. (source)

Daily posts are a legacy of a Web 1.0 mindset and early Web 2.0 days (Eric Kintz)

6 of Kintzs 10 reasons why frequency doesnt matterTraffic is generated by participating in the community Traffic is irrelevant to your blogs success anyway Frequent posting is actually starting to have a negative impact on loyalty Frequent posting drives poor content quality Frequent posting threatens the credibility of the blogosphere Frequent posting will push corporate bloggers into the hands of PR agencies

Link

Comment

Transparency

Tags

Community(blogosphere)

White = blog; green = 1 way link; blue = reciprocalDaily KosBoingBoingLiveJournalMichelle MalkinPornSports fans

A hook.

3 broad types?

1. Behind the scenes reflections

2. The niche news service

3. The running story

But dont be afraid to mix it up.

13 ideas for blog posts (http://bit.ly/KqqcU) Interview someoneRespond to something elsewhere Blog an eventReflect on somethingDo something visual (photos, video, slideshow with commentary)Make a listWrite a how-toLet someone else postAsk a questionSuggest an ideaPick a fight (in a nice way)Write a glossary or A-Z guideFind, analyse & explain data

Do something now (2 mins)Think of an idea for a blog. Is it going to be aboutYour life as a journalist leads, ideas, what didnt make it into publication, mistakes, issues, community?Your specialist area whats going on, backgrounders, rumours, community?A challenge, a goal, a format interview 100 major figures; reviews; go eco; swap lifestyles, etc?

Do something nowWrite your post: 5 things Im going to try on the blog this monthLink to your sources whenever you mention something from themLink to your social bookmarking (Delicious) account!Tweak and edit structure, grammar, spelling, links. Work the intro and the ending (chopping first par sometimes works).

Explore, network, socialiseCreate a blogroll of related sites Post some comments on other blogs where you can contribute something (useful links, tips, questions, encouragement)Sign up with TechnoratiExplore and play with your Wordpress dashboard (e.g. Presentation > Widgets)

Do moreRohit Bhargavas 25 basic styles of bloggingTechnorati State of the Blogosphere 2008Dan Gillmor We The Media See bookmarks at delicious.com/paulb/blogging

Twitter.com/paulbradshaw

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