News blogs are all the rage, but they're also a dime a dozen. How do you get started and put yourself ahead of the pack?
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: Weeks to months
Here's How:
- Decide what you're going to be. Are you going to give equal time to political and entertainment headlines? Or will you pick an issue to focus on, such as the War on Terror or gay rights? Are you going to be funny or serious? The best way to go, of course, is to pick your passion and what you know best, because once the blog gets going you'll have to keep it going. If you love all the news by all means cast a wide net, but know that it may be more difficult to stake out your territory in the blogosphere.
- Pick a bloghost and the package that's right for you. Companies such as Typepad and WordPress offer a variety of service levels and packages for beginning bloggers to professional journalists seeking an online connection.
- Pick a blog name. This is more important than you may think. It's what will come up in Google searches, what will get the attention of other bloggers, what will be your moniker in a crowded blogosphere. Some journalists who are established enough can use their name as the blog name, but catchy monikers can take a new blogger farther. Think of Wonkette or Little Green Footballs. Or use your name to let the reader know exactly what the blog will be covering, such as Jihad Watch or Regime Change Iran.
- Pick a look for your blog. Building the blog can be one of the most difficult steps. Templates offered by blog hosts can help immensely. Consider how easy the site will be for users to access and browse: Are links clearly visible, do you have a blogroll, is it easy for readers to comment? This is often a work in progress -- for example, you can go live and add archives in the sidebar as you go. And don't discount the importance of color, which can convey a certain theme (i.e. red, white and blue for Washington politics) or make certain features pop.
- Make sure you've picked the correct options to have your blog fed to the appropriate sources. That way, when readers use Technorati or Google Blog Search to search for posts on specific topics, your blog is in the running.
- Make friends in the blogosphere. This is key to getting word out about your blog, and it takes a bit of work. Make a blogroll on your blog linking to other blogs that you admire. Visit other blogs and comment on posts (the comment feature allows your name to link back to your blog). Use the trackback feature when you quote other bloggers to take that blog's readers to your blog. When you start to get to know other bloggers, suggest a symposium or other collaborative effort that's likely to draw attention from the biggies.
- Pay attention to your stats. Detailed services such as Site Meter let you know who your visitors are down to the IP address, including which blog posts they visited and which countries the visitors represent. Once you learn which posts are being linked to most frequently or being clicked on the most, you can plan your future content accordingly.
- Keep on top of the news. Here's where night owls often have the advantage. If you're on top of a breaking story, you will get more attention, and other blogs are more likely to link to you.
- Aim for original content. Most news blogs quote wire copy or bigger blogs, and then lend their own comments. Running far ahead of the pack means posting what other blogs don't have. If you're not to the point of having established sources and breaking your own stories, try scouring foreign or obscure news sources for extra impact.
Tips:
- Keep on top of your blog. You may gain a bunch of new readers one week, but if you let a week go without fresh posts they might go away disappointed.
- Don't reprint news stories, columns or photos without permission. You could get in a lot of legal hot water. Quote the key part of a story, then link to the rest. The news source will be appreciative!
- Your target audience determines your content guidelines. Many news blogs allow foul language; others prefer not to either because of personal beliefs or an audience that includes teen or traditional readers.
What You Need:
- Lots of creativity
- Good Web surfing skills to root out news
- Good networking skills
- A decent computer, and a digital camera helps
- Easy-to-use blog software
- Patience as your site traffic builds!