Transcript How to Edit a Blog (and when and why you should)

How to Edit a Blog
(and when and why you should)
Tammy Burns
EAC Conference 2014
Once upon a time…
• “Weblogs” started as online diaries
• Justin Hall, a student at Swarthmore College,
considered unofficial founder
• Hall blogged from 1994 to 2005, mostly about
his personal experiences
• In 1998, first blog appeared on a news site
when Jonathan Dube live-blogged Hurricane
Bonnie for The Charlotte Observer
The blog takes over
• In 1999, there were 23 blogs on the Internet
• In mid-2006, there were 50 million blogs
• In 2010, there were 152 million blogs
(Sources: Web Designer Depot; Jesse James Garrett; Technorati “State of the
Blogosphere 2006”; Pingdom)
Journaling vs. Blogging vs. Web Writing
Journals:
Extremely personal;
no set themes or
audience
Blogs: Personal
tone; information
and entertainment;
regularly updated
Websites:
Information
providers; research
tool; static
Hobbyists /
Self-Promoters
• Blog for fun
• Use blog as platform
for profiling own work
or business
Professional
Bloggers
• Blogging acts as an
income generator
• Run ads and/or
sponsored editorial
on site
• Blog is both
promotional
portfolio and own
business model
Multi-Author
Blog Publishers
• Operate much like a
traditional magazine
or newspaper, but
entirely online
• Multiple
contributors
• Updated daily
• Contributors may
not be trained
writers
Publications
with Blogs
• Traditional media
that have added a
blog component
• Individual
contributors may
have own blog each
• May use multiple
recognized bloggers
as “ambassadors”
for the publication
Brands with
Blogs
• Running own editorial
as a complement to the
brand
• Use blog to connect
with consumers beyond
traditional marketing
• May use bloggers as
brand representatives,
to write for either the
brand’s blog or their
own
• May partner with online
publications for
sponsored editorial
What makes a good blog?
Strong voice
Quality writing
Sense of community
Subject matter expertise
Good user experience
Timely and relevant
Engagement with audience
Use of multimedia (photos, videos)
Easy navigation
Consistent updates
Responsive design for mobility
Web writing 101
Tone  Less formal, allows for slang
Format  Subheads, lists and bullets for skimming
Reader first  Lots of “you” statements, emphasis on
why they should read it
Shareability  Encourage comments and social sharing
Building a blog
Set the ground rules  Who are you, what’s your limit?
Easy, editor  Rein in the copy edits; don’t sacrifice
voice for style
Track your audience  Know what they’re reading, react
accordingly
Don’t be everywhere for everyone  Experiment to find
your ideal readers
The editor as teacher
• Blogging industry tends to attract new and
inexperienced writers
• Often are independent entrepreneurs with
own voice, style and audience
• More and more print writers delving into
online world without online experience
• Brands may assign an executive to be the
blog’s “face”
The editor as teacher (cont’d)
• Common issues to watch for:
Diary-like
storytelling
Featurelike writing
Wrong
tone
Inaccurate
facts
Plagiarism
Bias
“The Weblog’s greatest strength—its
uncensored, unmediated, uncontrolled voice—is
also its greatest weakness.”
- Rebecca Blood,
author of The Weblog Handbook
(2002)
The nitty-gritty
HTML coding  Know the basics
SEO  How searchable are you?
Tagging  Keep your back-end organized
Keeping it legal  Do you meet AODA and anti-spam
requirements?
Wordpress vs. Blogger
Wordpress
Blogger
Used by most publishers
Easy to use, even for firsttimers
Doubles as content
management system
Auto integrated with Gmail
accounts
Lots of customization options
(for an upgrade fee)
No fees for customization
Limited options without
upgrade
Limited options for widgets
and plug-ins
Can be overwhelming for
first-time users
Themes can seem a bit dated
Questions?
Tammy Burns
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @BurnsTammy
Web: http://tammyburns.ca
Blog: http://anywhereandhere.com