What’s a blog

By Bryan, on September 5th, 2007

I spent about 10 minutes with a student yesterday who was worried that her “blog” for the Daily Eastern News would become too much like a print story. Funny how we fall back into the old media formats we’re used to. So, for all of our benefit, I’m going to put down a short bullet list of things to remember when writing a weblog formatted piece for a traditional media outlet (standard disclaimer: your mileage may vary – YMMV):

A blog is not a story – It can be as long or as short as you want. For a taste of the different styles, check out this post by Instapundit Glenn Reynolds and this post by Poliblogger Steven Taylor.
Find a niche and fill it. I think this student actually has a good niche, she’s just a little uncertain about where she’s going with things. Write about something you’re passionate about. It doesn’t have to be something earth-shattering. Sometimes, the best-read blogs are hyperlocal or very topically specific – like azalea gardening. I have no interest in azalea gardening, but there are plenty of people who do.
Link to others who are writing in your niche. In the past I’ve been quick to provide hyperlinks to stories that relate to college media and multimedia storytelling. I want my readers to get the best information possible, and this is one way to insure that happens. If you’re writing a blog and you don’t have any hyperlinks in your blog posts, you’re failing. Period. It’s not a blog, but an advanced version of shovelware. For a good example of someone who took this advice and ran, check out Joe Gisondi – onsportz.
Try something different. The beauty of the blog is that there are no rules. Try something with video. Try a couple of photos. Try audio. Try writing in iambic pentameter if necessary. There are a number of ways to get your point across without resorting to the nut graph and the inverted pyramid style. Develop something that you enjoy.

Okay, so those are some off-the-cuff guidelines. Will they ruffle feathers? Probably. But who cares? If you develop a devoted audience, then those people who are upset can go stuff themselves.

Remember: Blogging can be journalism AND fun at the same time. But you have to figure out how to mix the two. If you do, send me a link so I can point others to your good example.