Photo Credit: Bego Romero (Mailrelay)

What is a blog? How do I start one? How can I improve my current one? A blog is a web page that’s updated often run by one person. Mark Briggs’s book “Journalism 2.0: How to Survive and Thrive” chapter 5: How to Blog discusses the concept of blogging, such as what it is, how to do it, and what a typical blog includes. 

Why am I starting a blog? Am I creating a blog for the right reasons? Before blogging, identify your reason for starting one and take pride in your work. Suppose you are starting a blog because you are forced too; do not do it. Only create a blog if you really want to. 

“Many new media analysts have suggested that every reporter should have a blog. That may not be feasible (or sensible), but scores of successful journalist blogs are currently online, allowing the blogger/reporter to cultivate a community with readers to test ideas, receive early and direct feedback, and publish in the timeliest manner possible,” (Briggs, 2007). 

Personal Insight

Before reading, I was curious about a blog and why we needed one for my visual journalism class. For instance, I thought we would only produce visual content every week except for starting our blog and we ended up doing both. 

In visual journalism class, we are currently doing many projects, such as writing and audio ones, but after reading, I understand why we needed to create a blog. The blog served as background information for each project before we got into more details. It served as a way for the audience to understand our goals for the piece, such as the topic and format.

I had never seen an actual blog and vlog together in one, which added to my confusion. For example, a whole blog is not promoted  when a vlog is posted on YouTube. The YouTube vlogs seemed like regular videos, but I have yet to see one in various vlog formats.

“The goal in blogging is to write tight and be quick: Get to your point immediately and get out of there. You’ve got a story to file for print, after all” (Briggs, 2007).

Photo Credit: Randy A. Brown

What makes a good blog?

A good blog and a lousy blog do exist. A blog must attract readers with a great headline and visual composition. The characteristics of a blog are to be updated often with the most recent post at the top, links to other news related to the blog, and a comments link for discussion. A blog must include visual representation and a clear headline to ensure the reader remembers your blog and returns. 

What is an author’s goal for a blog usually? The goal for an author is to have a reader return to their blog and even subscribe. At the same time, an author’s purpose is to summarize information into a short story. An author can also lose readers by putting out long content. For instance, keep your vlog to a minimum of a two to three-minute read. 

“A good blog is an ongoing conversation. It is facilitated by you, but if it works, it may be dominated by your audience. If that happens, you win, the news organization wins, and, most importantly, the readers win” (Briggs, 2007). 

Photo Credit: Sophie Isbell (SeigeMedia)

How do you build credibility over time? The most crucial part of gaining a larger audience is credibility. To build credibility, you need to tell the truth and produce stories that only include correct details about information because if you use information that is not truthful, then your credibility with your audience members will go down, and you will lose your job. As journalists, we are asked to tell the truth to build credibility. We can get fired for producing articles with misinformation. 

“Anything you can do to connect readers directly to the source will build credibility for you and make your readers want to return to your blog” (Briggs, 2007).

In conclusion, when you start blogging, identify the purpose of it and take pride in the work you publish; a blog serves as background information for your audience to understand the subject in depth, and a great blog is a summary of accurate information. A blog’s purpose can be seen through your writing; if a person does not take pride in their work, it shows. The audience can also tell improvement through blogs, which helps the writer work towards a more outstanding blog quality.

Chats With Chris Ep.1

Hello, welcome to Chats With Chris Ep. 1. Today I will be discussing my first impressions of my visual journalism class during the first few weeks and my expectations for this semester. I hope you enjoy.