Online Journalism

2: blogs

What?When?Why? Who?How?

What?

Weblog.

“Pre-surfed web”

Blogroll

Expert analysis

Synthesis

Opinion

Anything you want it to be.

It’s just a platform really.

When?

1983: mod.ber1994: Justin Hall

1997: coined1999: Blogger

etc....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogs

Do something now

• Go to Wordpress.com and sign up for a blog

• Don’t worry about a name – you can change it later

• Write your first post briefly introducing yourself and your specialist area.

Why?

Reputation

Contacts

Knowledge

Skill

Neil McIntosh, Head of Editorial

Development, The Guardian

“If you enter the jobs market without one, no matter how good your degree, you’re increasingly likely to lose out to people who better present all they can do, and have the experience of creating and curating their own site.”

…also see the 37 comments at http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2008/01/11/how-important-is-it-for-new-journalism-graduates-to-have-their-own-blog/#comments

Who?

Salam Pax

Daily Kos

Trent Lott

Rathergate

Guido Fawkes

How?

Regularly

Link

Transparency

Trackback

Tags

Community(blogospher

e)

A hook.

3 broad types?

1. The ‘behind the scenes’ diary

2. The niche news service

3. The running story

But don’t be afraid to mix it up.

Do something now (2 mins)

• Think of an idea for a blog. Is it going to be about…

• Your life as a journalist – leads, ideas, what didn’t make it into publication, mistakes, issues, community?

• Your specialist area – what’s going on, backgrounders, rumours, community?

• A challenge, a goal, a format – interview 100 major figures; reviews; go eco; swap lifestyles, etc?

Do something now

• Write your post: ‘Ten things you need to know about…’

• Link to your sources whenever you mention something from them

• Link to your social bookmarking (Delicious) account!

• Tweak and edit – structure, grammar, spelling, links. Work the intro and the ending (chopping first par sometimes works).

Explore, network, promote

• Create a blogroll of related sites – starting with the others in the class and the journalism degree page

• Post some comments on other blogs where you can contribute something (useful links, tips, questions, encouragement)

• Sign up with Technorati• Explore and play with your Wordpress

dashboard (e.g. Presentation > Widgets)

Directed study (5 hours)

• Next week you will write the first story for the website

• Keep your eye open for story ideas and leads. Non-mainstream sources. Bookmark them and have them ready for next week’s news conference.

• Keep building your RSS reader feeds• Read blogs• Read the reading• Write more posts – e.g. roundups of headlines

from your field; reflections on your newsgathering, or on OJ in general