October 8th, 2005, 3:23 pm

How to build a better blogger

or, how to turn a mild mannered reporter into a blogaholic

In my role as Web Editor for CL, I’ve set up quite a few blogs for our journalists interested in the medium. I’m certainly no expert - really, can anyone claim to be? - but I’ve learned a few things in my two years of bloggin’, and my rapid-fire immersion into the world of online journalism. As always, most of what I’m saying I’ve picked up from reading the words of far, far smarter folks online.

So here’s me, sharing what I know.

You’ll have to work at this

Thinking that you — because you work for a newspaper — will automatically make a fascinating and popular blogger is a common fallacy. It’s not enough to slap a paper’s brand name and a popular reporter’s name on a blog and expect that folks will flock to it. That one-way stream of information (reporter—>paper—>audience) is a little dead.

Media bloggers need to be part of the conversation online. Here’s a few suggestions:

Develop an online persona

Without a homepage, an “about me” page, online bio, or a presence on popular sites (Flickr, Friendster, MySpace, Yahoo 360!, etc. ad nauseum), you are a name without a background. Create a presence, and make sure it’s all linked together.

Aggressively market yourself

Your blog is your brandname; it should be on everything: correspondence, business cards and voicemail.

Read other blogs

Seems basic, but few journos-who-want-to-blog do. If you plan on addressing a niche - the local sports team, the mayor, indie movies - address the mediascape. Figure out who the existing “experts” are on your subject, and what you can do better or differently.

Equip yourself

Are you prepared to create content 24-7? Do you have a laptop, a good internet connection at home, a digital camera and some basic photo-editing skills? Do you have a digital recorder to create podcasts? Can you turn a Word Doc into a PDF? Make sure you have the right equipment and the skills to use it.

Comment, comment, comment

As a member of the blogosphere, you’re part of the conversation. Frequent other blogs that interest you, and participate in their conversations. Leave links to your site, and you’re bound to gain a few new readers.

Read your referrer logs

Some blog software creates referrer logs - so you can see where folks were before they came to your blog. It’s a great way to see who is linking to you. Visit those blogs; leave a comment or two to let them know you’re reading what they have to say too.

Know your software

Don’t rely on the web dorks to create your posts for you. Learn how to use your software; learn how to troubleshoot it, and learn basic html.

Post, post, post

Posting content on a regular basis is so crucial. As other bloggers have pointed out - the frequency of your posts almost doesn’t matter, as long as it’s consistent.

Short, sweet and snappy

Keep your posts short, your language fresh, and your metaphors short. Your audience is busy.

Think design

Keep formatting in mind. Use subheads and bullet points to break up larger posts. Use images to create interest.

Create RSS-friendly titles

If your titles are nondescript (Holy Shit!; This is funny.; Why didn’t I think of that?), there’s little reason for folks to click through to read your post.

Know your lingo

Know the difference between a blog, a post, a trackback and a comment. Incorrectly using this vocab really undercuts your credibility.

Be transparent

Make a mistake in your reporting? Need to update something? Make sure to add a little note “Update, xx.xx.05:” or a correction when you make a change to your blog. It’s important that people are able to trust what you’re saying online, and that they know that you stand behind what you put online.

Know your audience …

… and create content accordingly. Don’t over-explain concepts to people who don’t need it, and don’t simplify when you shouldn’t.

Own your domain

As others have pointed out, a URL that’s generated by a blogging service (bob.blogspot.com) is going to be the equivalent of an AOL email address … a sure sign that the person is an amateur. Cough up the cash to buy your domain name, and market it aggressively.

Utilize existing networks

Figure out the sites that your audience logs onto on a daily basis, and integrate yourself into their routine. If you were writing for foodies, for example, spend a lot of time on chowhound and egullet, becoming an active member of those communities and always including your URL in your messages. Trying to tap into the 20-something music scene? Then you better be on myspace.com, and you’d be smart to create a large network — using their bulletin board feature, you could easily broadcast to your network whenever you had a post of note.

more …

From Chris Heisel, Assistant Operations Director, ajc.com:

Respond to comments

Be sure to respond to your readers comments: either as a new blog post (if you’re changing subjects) or using your own comment form so that your comments are displayed along with your readers’ comments.

Respond to nasty comments appropriately

Believe it or not there are people out there who don’t like you, and they don’t even know you! You will get snarky comments, your probably best to let them be — see if your audience comes to your defense.

Don’t post just because you should

You should post frequently, but if you don’t have anything to say, say nothing at all.

Don’t hit 12 inches before you post

Blog entries can, and should be short. One particularly witty/insightful sentence is the minimum length. Don’t keep waiting until you’ve written 12 inches on a topic before you publish.

((…more to come. I hope some of it comes from you. ))