Entrepreneurial Journalism Blogging Entrepreneurial Journalism

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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