And why you need to do it

 A blog (web-log to give it its full dues) is like a regular online diary entry.

 What makes a blog different from a normal web page is its RSS feed, which identifies each individual post as part of a larger series and delivers new posts to peoples’ newsreaders or inboxes.

 It usually includes meta-data, like a date, author and tags.  Having a single page, where you paste a bit of text on top of older text is not a blog (although it may claim to be) – it’s just a web page with text on it.

 Wonk blog Wonk blog  Romensko Romensko  See blog roll on course blog

 Blogs about Lincoln Blogs about Lincoln

 For beat reporters:  Not only can a blog help you connect with your audience, it can build you a community of fans, and even turn into a source for stories and case studies.  Great resource Great resource

 Branding: To establish yourself as an expert and to have your blog me the first place people go to find news on your area. Cue more work.

 In a survey done by Paul Bradshaw:survey  “Many mentioned getting story leads from comments on the blog or through private communication initiated via the blog.

 Others noted the ease of accessing contacts through other blogs, and the ability to build trust with sources through their online output, all of which represents an important challenge to traditional theories of news processes. -- Bradshaw

 Journalists report being more likely to gather multimedia material such as images, video and audio to post on the blog — or, in the case of broadcast journalists, to gather more material than they used to, as there is now a platform for material that wouldn’t otherwise make it to broadcast. – Bradshaw

 Perhaps the most significant change was in the way that blogs provided a platform for stories or detail that would otherwise not make the print or broadcast version at all. -- Bradshaw

 Respondents talked of augmenting coverage that “would otherwise fall in the cracks,” of pieces that were interesting, but wouldn’t merit space in the paper, or that use elements that “don’t necessarily fit into the rigid lengths of radio pieces.”

 Los Angeles Times: The Homicide Blog Los Angeles Times: The Homicide Blog  The Lede (New York Times) The Lede  Blogs - Las Vegas Sun Blogs - Las Vegas Sun  Breaking news stories Breaking news stories

 What makes you follow them?

 Keep your posts short. Short sentences. Short paragraphs.  350 words is about average.  Make it easy to read.

 Think one idea = one sentence.  Think one sentence = one paragraph.  Long paragraphs signal tough sledding.  Short paragraphs say this is easy.

 Passive or dull verbs (am, is, are, has, have) bore readers.  Demonstrate action with your verbs.

 Get to the point quickly. Don’t bury the lede. Reading online is 25 percent slower than in print.the point quickly

 More than a third of the readers of news websites come there from search engines like Google.  Use SEO-friendly key words. What are key words?

 Search engine optimization – increase number of visitors to websites by ranking high in search results  Google’s algorithm for ranking stories is secret

 Think as if you were using a search engine.  Use key words.  Be literal.  Don’t rely on pictures or packages.  Use well-known names.

 Keywords matter Paris Hilton arrested on cocaine charge Socialite arrested in Vegas

 Follow this informal style: Only the first word of the headline and proper nouns are capitalized.

 This headline is too long

 They are powerful tools for web journalists. But need to carefully consider them.  Provide helpful ones.

 Think value-added. You don’t need to provide the home page of a well- known media outlet but it might be helpful to link to a particular article.

 Is this content being linked to relevant to someone who would be reading/viewing this content?  Does the content being linked include content that could potentially fall within the realm of libel or slander?

 Give readers an expectation of what they’ll find. Don’t say “click here.”  Give readers a cue if the link will take them to a different page.  Warn readers if the link is to a PDF or video.

 If the content being linked to falls outside the standards of your site, should you include notification of that fact (i.e., notify users of profanity, nudity, etc.)?

 Unless there is a compelling reason to do otherwise, no paragraph should have more than one or two inline links

 You will want to use subheads in stories to break up the text and make them more readable.  How many depends on the layout of the page and whether or not you are using photos and graphics.  m m

 Should be boldfaced and set off by blank spaces before and after.  Should be short phrases – about three to four words (but never one or two)

 Accurately and interestingly describe what subsequent paragraphs are about without being repetitive. Don’t repeat verbatim what follows in the next sentence.  Don’t place them right before or after a photo. Remember, they help break up long blocks of text – so use them where they will be most helpful.

 You can easily add photos  You can easily add video  For this class, please use copyright free photos – or take your own.

 Read it aloud before you post it.  We speak more directly than we write.

 Invite and respond to comments.  Online journalism should be a conversation.

 Check out Mindy McAdam’s References for BloggingReferences for Blogging