Chapter 5 - How to Blog

Class Presentation

Chapter 5 of Journalism 2.0

by Mark Briggs

How to Blog

Mark Briggs writes that journalists need to break out of the "we talk, you listen" mode and become open to greater interaction with readers. We live in an interactive society. Briggs states that blogs allow journalists to cultivate a community outside of the traditional news cycle, test ideas, receive feedback, and establish a deeper relationship with readers. Clearly this works for other writers as well. A blog can actually be used to strengthen a journalist’s work, rather then weaken it.

What is a blog?
Briggs says that blogs usually have these common characteristics:

1. A frequently updated online journal, written in a conversational style, with entries displayed in reverse chronological order (most recent stuff on top).

2. Links to other news and information found on the Web complemented with analysis from the blogger (or bloggers).

3. A “comments” link that allows readers to post their own thoughts on what the blogger is writing about. Not all blogs allow comments, but most do.

The Origin of Blogs
Briggs tells how in the 1990’s many people began creating web pages. Creating a web page required a lot of tech savvy. Blogs, however, were created, enabling anyone with basic computer knowledge to be “published” on the web. If you can click a mouse and send an e-mail, you can create a blog. It’s that simple.


Blog Terminology
There are several terms it is good to be familiar with related to blogs, as listed in the reading (copied directly from the reading):


Post: An entry on a blog or, as a verb, to make an entry on a blog.


Permalink: A link available on each post that allows direct access to that post, usually with comments visible. This helps other bloggers link directly to a given post and helps readers e-mail a link to a specific post to friends.


Trackback: A mechanism for communication between blogs, allowing one blogger to let another know that he or she is linking to their material. This helps readers easily follow a conversation and helps bloggers know who is linking to each post. A pingback performs essentially the same function with slightly different technology. Trackbacks have fallen out of favor with some bloggers because they are susceptible to spam.


Blogroll: A collection of links usually found on the sidebar of a blog, it is designed to inform the blog’s readers of the sites the blogger frequently visits. The thinking goes: If you like my blog, then you’ll probably like other blogs I read. The links in a blogroll are most commonly other blogs but can be general or news Web sites, too.


Linkblog: A blog comprised of links to other online sources with little or no original commentary.

Vlog: A blog that features video commentary as its primary medium, as in “video blog.”

Moblog: Blogging from a mobile device, as in “mobile blog.”

http://www.technorati.com/

Suggestions for a Good Blog:
suggestions were laid out in the reading on how to have a good blog. Here they are:

1. Write tight and be quick.
2. Write like you are e-mailing someone you know.
3. Include links to other sites, news articles, or other blogs.
4. Create a good headline, like a good newspaper headline.
5. Stick to a narrow topic (be an authority on that topic w/personality)
6. Keep your posts short.
7. Post once a day.
8. Make the blog work FOR you, rather than stealing your time.
9. Don’t start a blog if you’re not willing to allow comments (embrace comments)
10. Use photos and screenshots to make your blog interesting.
11. Be passionate about your blog.