REPORTERS

CAN BE
BLOGGERS, TOO
GATEHOUSE NEWS & INTERACTIVE DIVISION
The agenda

Why blog?
Jean Hodges
Zope blog platform Manager
Blogging state of content
development
of mind GateHouse News
Ideas for blogs & Interactive

Editing process
What is a blog post?
Chris Biondi
How to Manager of
Examples newsroom
development
Interaction GateHouse News
& Interactive
Promotion
Reverse publishing
Why blog?

Social, more personal interaction

Linking and importance for SEO
Making better use of information
you are already collecting
A home for short pieces, observations
Share content from other news and social
media sources - news with local hook
Reader interaction and callouts
Page views: What can you expect?
Chance to write with flair and have some fun
Why blog?
Why blog?

75 experts rank 100 search ranking factors

SOURCE: SEOmoz
Zope blogging platform

Announced last week

Rolling out in next
couple weeks
All within same CMS
Can relate content
Feature in carousel
Expectations
and process
Zope blogging platform

Expectations and process

Web updates
Photo galleries
Submit a ticket to launch discussion
Blogging state of mind

Ideally, daily posts - at least 3x a week

Observations that may be unrelated to story
Sidebar or breakout material - reverse publish
Conversation and interaction with readers

USA Today: On Deadline blog

Blogging state of mind

Google alerts for your town name, names

of local leaders, members of Congress
Think sports reporter’s notebook
Tidbits that don’t have a natural home in print
Reverse publishing potential
Color, details, emotion, insight …
Ideas for blogs

Editor, or shared newsroom, blog

State Journal-Register
Ideas for blogs

Editor, or shared newsroom, blog

Wicked Local Somerville

Ideas for blogs

Editor, or shared newsroom, blog

Wicked Local Cambridge

Ideas for blogs

Beat blog

Patriot Ledger, Jon Chesto, business editor

Ideas for blogs

Beat blog

Daily Telegram (lenconnect.com)

Ideas for blogs

Special interest blog

How Does Your Garden Grow? MetroWest Daily News,

Rob Haneisen
Ideas for blogs

Special interest blog

The Beer Nut, MetroWest Daily News, Norman Miller

Ideas for blogs

Timely blogs

Daily Telegram (lenconnect.com)

Ideas for blogs

Timely blogs

Holland Sentinel - West Michigan Elections 2010

Ideas for blogs

Timely blogs

Rockford, Jay Taft

Ideas for blogs

Timely blogs

Wicked Local Politics

Ideas for blogs

So you want to launch a blog?

Galleries and updates
Pick a sustainable topic
Local news - a newsroom blog
Local sports blog, high school football blog
Set a schedule

Rockford, Sadye Scott-Hainchek

What makes a good blog post?

What to do to get going

Set a schedule for consistency
The week ahead - what to watch for
This week’s best quotes
This week’s number to know
3 Things I’ll Remember - council, game, event
What makes a good blog post?

Headlines should be specific, use links: SEO

Most posts should be short
Use interesting devices: 5 Things, 10 new names,
3 top stories from the past week …
Conversational writing style - not formal as print
‘Insider’ information - how did you report?
Photos, videos

Mashable.com
Editing process

Should all posts be edited?

Local decision
Set some guidelines [cops and courts,
ask an editor]
Observations, analysis vs. opinions
Try to remove hurdles
Go with ‘trusted’ reporters
Interacting with commenters
How to blog

Practical examples
Government meeting
Court hearings and trials
Breaking news
Interview/feature
Town celebrations
Business opening
How to blog

Government meeting
Link to day’s story with an observation - a
surprise, this was expected, something relevant
from notebook that did not make it in story
A vignette - notebook-like observation
Three Things to Know
Number to know
Live blog a big meeting
How to blog

Court hearings and trials

Observations - inside-the-courtroom feel, asides
Link to your coverage on main site,
tell readers what to expect next
Ask readers for information - sources
Ask them their opinion on the case to this point
History and other cases
How to blog

Breaking news
Reader callouts
Sources
Links to coverage as it develops
Vignettes at a fire or accident scene
Your experiences and observations
How to blog

Interview/feature
A photo and link to story
3 Things to Know about this person - and tell
readers to look out for the story or link to it
Something that surprised you
or piqued your interest
Ask readers whom they would like
to see featured next?
Ask them if they know the subject
or anything to add
How did you pick your subject, find
out about your subject
How to blog

Town celebrations
Highlights from youtube videos
Polls - ask about events
Reader memories
Reader photos
Vignettes
How to blog

Business opening/closing
History of site - have an old photo? Ask.
A quote or two that did not make it into your story
By the numbers, reverse publish into breakout
Retail tips
Ask readers what businesses
they remember in town
Examples
Examples

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Interaction

Reader callouts
Sources
Join in commenting strings
Links on Facebook
Ask readers what they want
to know about a story
Relate polls
Promotion

Navigation
Related content
Facebook links
House ads
Promote one
another’s blogs
Reverse publishing

‘Best of’ each week into a column

Use blog content for breakouts or sidebars
Gather best comments or strings of
comments for Opinion page
Wrap-up

Upcoming webinar (go to ghnewsroom.com)

Managing templates, style sheets and libraries

When: Thursday, August 26, 2 p.m. Central [3 p.m. Eastern]
Content: Styles that should be part of every sheet, organization and
best practices to improve design and layout efficiency
Presenter: GateHouse design director Joe Greco

http://blogs.wickedlocal.com/photoblog/

cbiondi@gatehousemedia.com
jhodges@gatehousemedia.com
 REPORTERS
CAN BE
BLOGGERS, TOO
GATEHOUSE NEWS & INTERACTIVE DIVISION