Class Notes for Monday, September 19, 2011

TODAY’S AGENDA

1) Discussion -- current events

2) Lecture -- Blog

3) Class blogs review

The Long Tail

Blogs: Emerging Dominance

The 90-9-1 Principal

So what is thing you call a “blog?”

A contraction of the term "web log.”

A blog is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of

events, or other material such as graphics or video.

What’s the big deal?

1) Dynamic content that levels the playing field.

2) Engagement with constituents3) Expand reach at minimal cost4) Create a distinctive voice5) Grow awareness of you, a cause

or organization

The Pioneer Woman Blog

1. Be yourself.2. Blog often.3. Be varied.4. Allow your boundaries to set themselves

naturally.5. Don’t be afraid to embarrass yourself.6. Try your best to spell words correctly and use

proper grammar.7. If you have writer’s block, push through and

blog anyway.

Building a Blog: The Basics

• KISS: Keep It Short and Simple

• Get to the point quickly!

• Paragraph headings

• One idea per paragraph

• Links, links, links and more links

• Multimedia

The Theory of Twos

• The first TWO words must engage

• The first TWO lines must be compelling

• The first TWO paragraphs must captivate

Online vs. Offline Reading

• Offline: read every word• Online: scan

• Offline: long paragraphs OK• Online: short paragraphs

• Offline: linear (beginning/middle/end)• Online: non-linear

Sample #1: Chris Brogan

Sample #2: Business Insider

Sample #3: The Delicious Life

What is Meta Data?

Information about content that enables it

to be stored in and retrieved from a

database.

Meta Data examples

• Your name

• Tags

• Keywords

• Date

• Transcript of interviews

• Image information: date created/camera/etc…