1. Entrepreneurial Journalism
Blogging
Entrepreneurial Journalism

2. What is a Blog? Good question…
The name originally meant “web log” and referred to sort of an online diary
As the form became more common, blogs became generally thought of as places where people regularly post observations or opinions
When the traditional news media wanted to assert itself into the new media, many blogs were started – some of them identical to columns

3. Blogging Today
In addition to news organizations, many individuals host blogs, and in some cases those individuals break important news stories
Also, businesses and organizations frequently host blogs, using them as a way to directly communicate with their audiences
Regardless of who uses a blog, one of the great advantages is that they can be and often are interactive, with readers joining in the discussion

4. Writing for a Blog
While there are many different types of blog posts, here are some general characteristics…
Most are relatively short, with 500 words being a typical max; this, however, is a broad generalization
Blogs tend to be more conversational than traditional news articles; the inverse pyramid or feature styles are generally not used although many blog posts have some of those styles incorporated
Blogs tend to be highly personal, written in the first person and often addressing the reader in the second person

5. Writing for a Blog, Continued…
Blogs often provide many links in the text of the posts, and sometimes in a separate “blogroll” of recommended sites
While not necessarily written in traditional journalistic style, the best blogs adhere to traditional journalistic values – truth, fairness, and accuracy
Remember that a blogger is subject to the same laws of libel as a reporter – more in this in later lectures

6. Writing for a Blog, Continued…
Blog posts usually have, and should have, headlines; many experienced bloggers believe a compelling headline is vital to cutting through the clutter of the Web
Many successful bloggers believe that an image is vital to attracting viewers; there are laws about what images you can appropriate and while copyright is not routinely enforced, you should be aware that it is responsible and ethical to either pay for images or harvest them from sites that offer them for free
Blog posts frequently end with a discussion question, which drives people to return to the site to follow responses

7. Topics for Blogs
The list is endless, but some of the most successful blogs in the world focus on…
Technology
Food and drink
Making money (particularly making money on the Internet)
Quirky experiences on the job (such as a very popular blog about a flight attendant’s day-to- day routine
Celebrity gossip
Parenting
Politics
Sports
Fashion
Personal effectiveness and business success
Finance

8. Benefits of a Blog
Blogs bring repeat readership, which is why regular posting is important
While not everyone posts on a strict schedule, many do…at least two posts a week is often considered a minimum
Blogs are shared, which is why many successful bloggers favor bullet points that can be scanned easily by the reader and made an easily accessible post on Facebook or other social media
Blogs are easily archived – in fact, most blogging software comes standard with an archive mechanism built in

9. Starting a Blog
There are many different platforms, including Wordpress.com, TypePad.com, and Blogger.com
While we do not endorse any particular platform, many students and professors in this program have successfully used Wordpress, which is accessible and offers many online tutorials
Wordpress and other platforms offer pre-made templates…it’s a simple matter of point and click to set up the look you want
The most basic Wordpress is free, and will incorporate the word “wordpress” into the URL

10. Starting a Blog, Continued…
Your Wordpress blog URL, then, will look like this: yourblogname.wordpress.com
You can also use Wordpress as a template for your own “self- hosted” site, meaning with your custom URL: yourblogname.com
Setting up a self-hosted site is more complicated than simply using the blogging software venue, but it’s not that challenging, not is it that expensive
In addition, you can also use Wordpress as the template for a complete multi-page website, of which your blog is a part

11. Words of Caution for New Bloggers
Again, being a blogger, rather than a full-time reporter, does not shield you from the laws of defamation
Nor does it relieve you of ethical responsibility to be fair and accurate
Also, be aware that that there are regulations that apply to bloggers but NOT to reporters working for established news organizations:
The Federal Trade Commission requires that if you receive a product free – such as for a product review – you must disclose that you received it free or face a fine
The FTC law does not apply to traditional news organizations because the FTC says readers will assume that the review from a professional media outlet is fair