Week 4 Reading

Quiz 2 Next Week will cover:

• Chapters 2, 3 and 4 in JournalismNext

• Why I Blog by Andrew Sullivan, The Atlantic Magazine November 2008

• Exposed: Blog-post confidential by Emily Gould, The New York Times Magazine May 25, 2008

Assignment II: Blog Posts

A total of 20 posts are required over the course of the semester. You must post at least twice a week. Weekly blog posts are due by 8:00 p.m. each Saturday. You can do more posts of you like, but you must do at least two within the week (Sunday to Saturday). No late work will be accepted. Each post will be graded on content, grammar, spelling, relevance, and when specific kinds of posts are assigned, if they meet the stated objective of the assignment. Blog posts can be brief, but should be informative and accurate.

Points for Blog Posts (200 points total = 10 points each X 20 posts)
5 point for content (Is it interesting, relevant, current, timely?)
5 point for mechanics (spelling, grammar, punctuation, links)

10 Common Types of Blog Posts

Looking for something to add to your blog. Here are 10 Common Types of Blog Posts and examples from area blogs.

1. Blog stroll

Create a list of interesting links to other Web sites and blogs related to your topic. See Phillyist’s Extra, Extra

2. Round up of news or opinion

Pick a subject and write a paragraph about it. Link to key sources and other places to get more information. See Phillyist’s One Book Discussion Continues With Lecture on Iranian Women’s Literature

3. Write up a short piece of news

Write a short news or informational post and add links to key Web resources. See Heard in the Hall’s Nutter has new message manager

4. Find upcoming Events

Create a list of upcoming events related to your subject. Link to the information. See TechnicallyPhilly’s Event Highlights for February 8-14, 2010

5. Be a guide or offer advice

What do your readers want to know about? Where should they go? What should they do? You can tell them. See Jersey Shore Fishing’s Best Bets for the Weekend

6. Take a photo

Take a photo (or a series of photos) related to your topic. Post them. Add a bit of text. See Philebrity’s For The Love Of Cripes, Philadelphia Parking Authority, Where Does It End With You?

7. Record some audio

Create an audio segment related to your topic. See Philly Food Guys Truck Food at Temple: Teppanyaki & Coffee

8. Shoot some video

Post a video clip that is relevant to your subject. See uwishunu’s Studioscopic with Zoe Cohen

9. Do a quick Q and A

Call or email a relevant source. Post a quick question and answer with photo and links. See InCherryHill’s Local teacher to have song featured on ‘Scrubs’

10. Make a list

Make a list of things related to your subject. Things to do. Things to think about. Things that are funny. Things that are new. Things that are old. Lists of things.

How to Link

Links are the life blood of your online publication. They generate traffic, readers, reputation, and legitimacy.

James Foust, author of the textbook Online Journalism, writes that “links are second only to text in their ability to convey information and meaning to the user.” But anyone can create a Web page with a list of links. As a journalist, you are looking for the best, most useful, and most essential links that provide:
* background
* additional information on your story
* alternate point of view
* or further exploration.

And there are proper ways to link and not to link.

1. Pick a word or phrase to highlight. The link text should summarize what is at the other end of the link. The user should know where they are going and what they will find.

2. Avoid phrases like “click here.”

3. Know how to create a link using HTML. <a href=”http:www.yourlink.com”>Web Site You Want to Link To</a>

Example of Gothamist post about Toyota recall:

“Following up its sad, grayscale Superbowl ad, on Tuesday Toyota is expected to announce a recall of 300,000 Prius hybrids with faulty brakes. Japan’s Kyodo News broke the news, which has not been confirmed by Toyota. In the U.S. at least 100 drivers have complained that their anti-lock breaks freeze momentarily on bumpy roads, reports the AP, and four accidents are suspected to have been caused by the defect. Last week, the U.S. Government pledged to investigate. If the recall goes through, it will affect drivers of the latest Prius model, who bought their cars after May of last year. Already this year the automaker has recalled over 7 million cars around the world.”

Assignment I – Blog Set Up

Each student will select a news beat and set up and maintain a blog. The blog must have a specific focus (i.e., a subject, a neighborhood, a specific topic).

1. Set up a blog using WordPress.com (If you want to use another program, talk to me first.)
2. Select a design that is appropriate for your news beat and blog.
3. Create a compelling title for your publication. It should tell what the blog is about and pull readers in.
4. Create an “About” page or sidebar widget. You must have your full name on your blog. Write one or two lines describing the focus of your blog and telling the audience who you are.
5. Add the following features:
-blog roll with at least five relevant blogs
-archives
-categories and tags
-blog stats
-other widgets that help may flesh out your beat and online publication
6. Make sure your blog allows comments, that your time zone is set correctly (to UTC -5).

For specific instructions, see How to Set Up Your Blog on WordPress.com

Due: Monday, Feb 8 or Tuesday, Feb 9

Points for your Blog Set Up (25 points)

How to Start Your Blog on WordPress.com

Set up your blog and get started. Here is how to begin…

Your Final Blog Pitch

Write up the following and bring it to class next week.

• Your “beat”

• A title for your publication – it should be informative and compelling (ie “Motherlode” is a blog about parenting)

• A one-sentence description of your publication. (ie Motherlode is described as “everything parenting-related, including homework, sex, baby sitters and the work-family balance.”)

• A URL – your Web address should be relatively short, easy to remember, and relevant

• Blogroll - a list of 5-10 blogs/web sites related to your subject. These are publications you will read regularly, link to, etc.

Week 3 Reading

Why I Blog by Andrew Sullivan, The Atlantic Magazine November 2008

Chap 2 and 3 in JournalismNext

Online Journalism Blog Stroll

A place to start: blog lists, blog search engines, metablogs, and award-winning blogs.

Six Unique Aspects of Online Journalism

What is online journalism? Is it unique? Does it matter? These sites are a good place to begin.