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Blogs have changed the way information is shared – fast, interactive and freewheeling

Three characteristics of a blog:

• Frequently updated Web site with entries displayed in reverse chronological order
• Each entry/post has a headline + body; most inlcude links to other news; many have photos + graphics
• Most contain a link for comments from readers

Why blogs are important:

• Can be published by anyone
• Can be updated several times a day with little effort

Blogs changed Web publishing:

• Became effective way for people to share responses to events and discuss what they thought was happening to the country after terrorist attacks in 2001
• Ushered in new era of interactivity between writer and reader
• Have more total unique visitors than either Facebook or MySpace

Blogs changed journalism:

• Bring journalists and their audiences closer, removing constraints of time and space that once limited journalist’s ability to report a story and engage audience
• Bloggers are journalists and publishers
• Innovation and experimentation are easier with the flexible format of a blog

Becoming a blogger:

• You must read blogs in order to write an effective blog
• Find blogs that cover a subject you hope to cover, and analyze what is or isn’t working on each one
• Blog concept has evolved from a single person’s online journal
• Most popular blogs are professional news Web sites that have chosen the blog as their publishing format to increase their audience
• Most popular old-fashioned, one-author blog written by marketing guru Seth Godin

Learn the language – blogging terms:

• Post: n. an entry on a blog; v. to make an entry on a blog
• Permalink: a link available on each post that provides direct access to that post, ususally with comments visible
• Trackback: a mechanism for communication between blogs, enabling one blogger to let another know that he or she is linking to their material; helps readers easily follow a conversation
• Blogroll: a collection of links usually found on the sidebar of a blog; informs blog readers of the sites the blogger visits frequently
• Vlog: blog that features video commentary as its primary medium
• Moblog: blogging from a mobile device

Make a plan, create a blog:

• Pick topic you can write about with authority — something you’re passionate about
• Name your blog (1-3 words) and write a good short description or catchphrase
• Explain the mission (2-3 sentences)
• Use basic CSS to customize your blog’s appearance
• Use Blogger or WordPress to add features called gadgets

How to build an audience for your blog:

• Regularly publish high-quality posts
• Write effective headlines
• Participate in the community

Craft blog posts:

• Put the reader first
• Organize your ideas and limit to as few items as possible
• Be direct; use simple, declarative sentences
• Be the authority, with a personality; write as though you’re telling news to a friend via e-mail
• How’s this, Mom?

             – Wait 15 minutes before publishing so you can edit yourself dispassionately

             – Write as if your mother were reading your work

• Make posts scanable for busy readers by using bullets, numbered lists, bold text, subheads and quotes set apart from the rest of the text
• Link, summarize and analyze: in a blog, attribution takes the form of links
• Be specific with headlines
• Have a good attitude
• Use photos and screenshots
• Post early, post often — about once a day
• Participate in the community — read, comment on and link to other blogs
• Use RSS feeds to find new blogs and news sites to follow      

NOTE:  This chapter explains in clear and simple terms how to create a blog and build an audience for it.  It should have been titled “Blogging for Dummies.”

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 6th, 2011 at 8:39 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.