This document provides tips and guidelines for starting a blog, including defining your blog's purpose, types of blog content, writing style, using additional media, growing an audience, social media integration, maintaining credibility, posting frequency, and additional resources. The document encourages bloggers to think of their blog as a conversation, get straight to the point, crowdsource content from readers, and engage in the comments.

1. Blogging basics Steve Buttry timesherald.com Norristown, PA June 16, 2011

2. Other resources My blog: http://stevebuttry.wordpress.com These slides: http://slideshare.net/stevebuttry Times Herald Community Media Lab: http://timesherald.com/blogs On Twitter: @stevebuttry

3. What’s your point? Finish in 6 words or less: “My blog is about …”

4. Some types of blogs Breaking news Neighborhood Dining Sports Politics Business Briefs Personal Reporter’s notebook Conversation Aggregation Passion Commentary, analysis

5. Writing your blog Think posts, not stories & columns. A sentence with a link or a question can be a post Read aloud, listening to your “voice” If opinion, are you trying to be persuasive, or feed “raw meat” to those who agree? What’s most important? Start there Get to the point. Would first sentence fit in a tweet?

6. Your blogging voice “Blogging is not a graduation speech, it’s a conversation with someone at the grad party.” Roxanne Hack http://themomblog.ocregister.com/

7. Think beyond writing Videos Photos Slides Graphics Audio Tweets Source documents Maps

8. Growing your community Link to related blogs Comment & link on related blogs SEO (full names in heads, keywords up high, links using keywords in anchor text, metadata) Enable RSS feeds Mention in community Business cards Promote/link using social media

9. Links provide: Attribution Context Authority Pingbacks (& reciprocal links & inbound traffic) SEO Consider whether context implies endorsement of linked views/content

10. Social media & blogging Twitter, Facebook helpful for crowdsourcing Tweet & update links to new posts Embed content using social tools (YouTube, Flickr, SlideShare, Scribd, Blackbird Pie) Use like, tweet buttons for users to share Feed social media into blogroll Tumblr, Posterous can be blogging platforms

11. The blogging conversation Crowdsource (specific questions: “Do you know anyone who …?” “Did you see …?” “Has this ever happened to you?”) Consider ending post w/ question Stimulate/continue conversation in social media Engage with comments “Don’t allow trolls or mean people to spoil the conversation.” Howard Owens

12. Credibility Verify information (Ask, “How do you know that?”) Correct & acknowledge errors quickly If you are anonymous, why? Why should I believe you? What if you’re identified? Post your credentials (“about” page) Acknowledge conflicts Welcome opposing viewpoints

13. How often should I blog? Frequent posts build habit & audience Weak posts diminish audience

14. Bloggers v. journos It’s soooo2005 …

15. Other resources My blog: http://stevebuttry.wordpress.com These slides: http://slideshare.net/stevebuttry Times Herald Community Media Lab: http://timesherald.com/blogs On Twitter: @stevebuttry