Quality blogging

13th April 2006

posted in blogs |

Amit Agarwal offered some good suggestions for bloggers back in December 2005 in his post, “How a Blogger can become a good journalist.” His suggestions include:

Identify your sources (I would add, LINK YOUR SOURCES when possible)
Respect the value of people’s time (AKA KISS: Keep It Simple Silly, people generally want to read short chunks of information, not a mini-novel when they are blog reading.)
Use plain speech, and talk like a real person.
Reputable pro media outlets use professional fact checkers. (So bloggers should check multiple sources too.)
Opinions are not facts, even your opinions.

In my presentation session notes I have been in the habit of using all caps to differentiate my ideas and responses from those of the speaker, sometimes with the antecedent text: MY RESPONSE or MY THOUGHTS. I don’t think people need to necessarily follow this format, but I agree it is important to find a way to set your ideas and opinions apart.

These are good guidelines to share with students who are blogging, I think. I would add that personal reflections and connections are also very important. One of the things that distinguishes a blog from a more impersonal news source is the personal lens. We all look through the world with a unique set of lenses, and sometimes in formal writing we try to completely depersonalize our prose. There is a time and a place for that, but I think with blogs the personal aspect is generally welcome and a positive.

On this day..

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