Class 2: BLOGS

TODAY’S AGENDA

1) Lecture – Blog

2) Blog how-to’s

3) Going live

Old journalism vs New journalism

Blogging and social media todayare among the dominant forms of communication

Fact:

Internet users in the US spend 3x more time on blogs than

they do on email.

Source: newmediaandmarketing.com

77% of internet users read blogs

Fact:

46% of people read blogs more than once a day

Most people read around 5-6 blogs

Question:

Nonetheless, some claim that blogs are part of the web 2.0 – before socia media –and that in this Twitter and FB era, blogs

are losing relevance.

Why might that be?

So what is a blog?

Definition:

A contraction of the term "web log.”

A blog is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of

commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.

What’s the big deal?

1) Dynamic content that levels and widens the playing field

2) Engagement with readers/followers

3) Expand reach at minimal cost

4) Create a distinctive voice

5) Grow awareness of you, a topic, a cause or organization

And what’s in it for you?

Acquiring the tools and the experience to participate in the

broader digital and social conversation that is part of

journalism today.

Not being part of the digital conversation means not

communicating effectively.

CONTENT IS KING:

Create valuable content and good writing, and the readers

will come

The Other Things That Matter, But Not as Much as Content

1. Social media

2. Design

3. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

So what makes good content?

PICK A USEFUL TOPIC

• Write about something that you think yourreaders will want to know

• Is there a question you can answer for them? A question they’ve always had but never dared to ask?

• Is there something that is unique, that yourreaders don’t know?

• Do you have breaking news or exclusive information?

USEFUL + UNIQUE

The Theory of Twos

• The first TWO words must engage

• The first TWO lines must be compelling

• The first TWO paragraphs must captivate

KISS

• KISS: Keep It Short and Simple

• get to the point quickly

• readers are curious…and busy

• too much info and too little time

• one idea per paragraph

• straightforward language

Online vs. Offline Reading

• Offline: read every word

• Online: scan

• Offline: long paragraphs OK

• Online: short paragraphs

• Offline: linear (beginning/middle/end)

• Online: non-linear

Omit the Noise, Keep the Signal

Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) SNR is a termborrowed from electrical engineering, used to describe the amount of real information in a post compared to irrelevant or useless information.

Readers come for the signal, but theyleave if the noise level is too high.

MAKE THE POST SCANNABLE

Your reader should be able to quickly glancethrough the post and pick up the main points without necessarily reading too deeply

• Headlines

• Subheds

• Block quotes

• Images and graphics

• Use bold or italics

WRITE GREAT HEADLINES

• If the headline is catchy, they’ll read more. If not, you’ve just lost a reader.

• Start with the headline so you know whereyou’re going.

• Go back and make the headline betterafterwards.

Style

• Write in clear language

• Simple ≠ style-less

• The tone should be conversational (does itsound like you talking?)

• Write your post then go back and:

– edit out sentences and words that are unnecessary

– revise sentences that aren’t clear

LINKS, LINKS AND MORE LINKS

• Links add:

– depth

– information

– credibility

• The best way to grow traffic to your site is getting people to link to your site

• How do you get people to link to your site? By linking to their theirs

Multimedia

A blog without multimedia is like a cupcake without icing: functional but lacking.

Credit: Zachary Sniderman,

Mashable.

MULTIMEDIA

• Integrating visual and interactive elements to your blog post is essential to engaging visitors

• Find free-of-use images online (do not cheat, credit images)

• infographics, still photos, YouTube videos, your own video/audio, podcasts

Resources for images

• Picasa

• Flickr (but check for any use restrictions)

• Bigfoto.com

• Fotogenika.net

• Slide.com

And there are many others, just search.

Resources for video

Three popular video sites:

• YouTube

• Vimeo

• Blip.tv

They all come with a simple « embed » button promunently displayed by the video.

Social Media

• After you create good content, make sure it’s easy for readers to share it through their social networks

• Make sure your social sharing tools are prominently displayed on each post

Social Media 2

• Share it yourself: Tweet your post, link it to Facebook, post it to Pinterest, etc

• Link your social networks together so that youpost everywhere with one click*

• Email: put the link to your latest blog post in your email signature

*This is not actually ideal. Why not?

Know your stats

Blogging platforms provide very detailed easy-to-read information about pageviews and trafficreferrals (how readers found your blog).

This is key information, learn how to use it.

When to post? What time of the day?

When to promote your content?

On what platforms?

Building a Blog: The Basics

1. Pick a useful topic2. Do good reporting3. Write a great headline4. KISS: Keep It Short and Simple5. Omit the Noise, Keep the Signal6. Make the post scannable7. Links, links, links and more links8. Multimedia9. Social Media

Take the time to:

• Experiment

• Trial and error

• Explore the web for tips and tools: there is a TON of info out there

• Free training (ie Weebly webinars on basic design)

• Read (or bookmark and scan!) lots of news blogs!

Take-aways

1. Be yourself.

2. Blog often.

3. Be varied.

4. Allow your boundaries to set themselves naturally. Feel free to push them.

5. Spell words correctly and use proper grammar.

6. If you have writer’s block, push through and bloganyway. But don’t publish it right away!

What if you’re running low?

• Check out what’s trending on Twitter, Google trends, Digg, Reddit, your RSS page, or other social media

• Plan ahead if it’s relevant: keep an “editorial calendar”of topics you want to cover in the next 12 weeks and a news hook might come up

• Write about something that matters to you: if you care it will show

What is Meta Data?

Information about content that enables it to be stored

in and retrieved from a database.

Meta Data examples

• Your name

• Tags

• Keywords

• Date

• Transcript of interviews

• Image information: date created/camera/etc…

Meta Data examples

• Your name

• Tags

• Keywords

• Date

• Transcript of interviews

• Image information: date created/camera/etc…

What is SEO?

http://searchengineland.com/guide/what-is-seo

Be committed:

Consistent blogging demonstrates commitment; by committing to your

blog, you gain readers’ trust and encourage repeat visits

Be consistent:

Consistently blogging good content can mark you as an

expert in your field. People are always looking for expert

advice.

In anything.