Basic principles, similar to making good news stories, can be applied to making a successful blog.
Many analysts have argued that every journo should have a blog, allowing the reporter direct access to his readers, allowing them a relationship where readers can give direct and immediate feedback.
“A good blog helps a blogger/reporter enhance his or her authority on a beat by
adding the ability to publish information outside of the traditional news cycle and
story format” (Briggs, 2007).
What Briggs is saying, is that blogs allow journalists to do their stories in a better way, that blogs can compliment journalistic stories and therefore journalism itself.
USA Today blogger Ben Mutzabaugh says bloggers make a story better than any author alone can do it.
While in 2006 80 of the top 100 daily papers in the US had at least one reporter blog on their websites (according to a study by the Bivings Group), it’s not enough to simply have a blog. The blog needs to flow like a conversation. “A good blog is a good conversation”. People need to be able to add their comments, thereby running the conversation.
In defining a blog, Briggs describes it as having changed the way we disseminate information in society. Blogs are fast, free, powerful, interactive.
The author provides three common characteristics of a blog, 1. frequently updated, conversation format in chronological order; 2. hyperlinks to relevant news and info elsewhere on the web, with comments from the blogger; 3. often there’s a link where readers can post their own comments on the blog.
When websites started in the early 90s, it was with the perception that anyone can create and maintain one, but it turned out one needed some skill in doing this. However, blogging, which is made very easy through affordable, user-friendly software, really allowed anyone to have a blog and this has had a profound effect (for ex. The blogs on the 9/11 attacks were very powerful in creating open debate). So blogs then became more than a form of grassroots communication.
In this chapter, Briggs offers a basic understanding in creating blog. To make your own, read and subscribe to others. (Track popular blogs on Technorati.com.).
Journos often have trouble writing a blog as they are confined in their thinking, being accustomed to traditional media formats (inverted pyramids for example). But the blog writer needs to write quick, get to the point, like writing an email. It’s a conversation, but keep posts short and frequent (once a day).
Link, summarize, analyse. Linking is attribution, and good headlines contain the same principles as in print. The key is to combine authority with personality.
This doesn’t mean a blog can’t be credible – by linking to relevant info elsewhere on the web you can increase the credibility of your blog.
Embrace comments on your blog – it adds to your reporting, encourages interactivity and participation.
Finally, Briggs encourages people to have fun with their blogs, love their blogs.
I think that Briggs’ common characteristics of blogs are somewhat limited. Blogs have many different forms and have expanded rapidly, and are used to different effects. There are many blogs that, like a wiki, allow postings to be edited by readers – yet another characteristic in the ocean of possibilities blogs have in store for users. In terms of journalism, I believe blogs should not be the main form of journalism, but that it should be used to its full potential by journos as a means of complementing stories and encouraging free, independent, open debate.
I agree with John Cook of the Seatle Post-Intelligencer that the term blog is outdated and that it should be seen as an “online publishing vehicle” (pg. 59). Blogs are no longer merely online diaries, they are way more than that and there are enough examples where blogs have actually made a difference in society (think 9/11 or the Myanmar protests or the warbloggers of the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003), or changed the way a business does things (think McDonalds).
|
Blog Terminology (Briggs, 2007, pg. 56)
|
|
|
Post:
Permalink
Trackback
Blogroll
Linkblog
Vlog
Moblog |
An entry on a blog
A link available on each post that allows direct access.
A mechanism for communication between blogs.
A sidebar containing links to blogs the blogger frequents
A blog comprised of links to other online sources with little or no original commentary.
Video blog
Mobile blog |
2 Comments
May 28, 2008 at 12:54 pm
There is no doubt that blogging as you state in your summary have a huge influence in and on the media landscape. The problem I believe many journalists may have is taken on almost two different pesona. Where print journalism is devoid of personal opinion it forms an integral part of blogging. Journalists have to adapt to this new style which also holds some risk. Their personal opinion may differ from the editorial policy of the publication they work for which may cause some conflict. Many editors encourage their journalists to do blogs though in order to create a relationship with their readers. One may ask the question though this may not be to the detriment of the other?
May 28, 2008 at 4:33 pm
The website ihype.com is about to launch at the end of this month. It’s a very cool idea, especially to bloggers.