WFOM 07 - Institutional Blogs

Writing for Online Media

Professor Nicholas Leshi

Grading

Letter Grade Numerical Equivalent

A 4.00 – Excellent. Honors level work.A- 3.67 – Still excellent.B+ 3.33 – Very good. High level of performance.B 3.00 – Good, solid, above average performance.B- 2.67 – Good. Still above average.C+ 2.33 – Average level of performance.C 2.00 – Satisfactory. Acceptable performance.C- 1.67 – Minimally acceptable.D 1.00 – Passing, but unsatisfactory.F 0.00 – Failure. Inferior performance.

Grading

30% of Grade = Create, design, write, and maintain blog.Minimum one blog entry per week.

20% of Grade = Mid-Term Writing Assignment – Write a brief review of each of your classmates’ blogs (about a paragraph for each).

10% of Grade = Guest Post Assignment – Write for another blog or Web site.

30% of Grade = Final Paper – The Future of Online Writing

5% of Grade = Additional online writing.Contribute to the class wiki by adding information about your blogand a link to your Guest Post assignment. http://writingforonlinemedia-classwiki.wikispaces.com Post comments on classmates blogs when appropriate.

5% of Grade = Attendance and Participation

http://writingforonlinemedia-classwiki.wikispaces.com/

The Online Marketplace

The Internet and the World Wide Web as participatory media have changed our expectations as consumers.

Changes in the Online Marketplace

The Internet has changed the way consumers shop.


The Internet has changed the way consumers communicate about products (preliminary questions and answers, reviews, feedback).

Power of the Consumer in the Online Marketplace

Consumers began to turn to each other (rather than sales people) to discuss products they were considering buying, or had bought, or liked, or hated.


The Internet has changed the way consumers research product and service information (comparative shopping).

New Benefits for Consumers

Consumers were thrilled with the growing communication with their peers. The Internet marketplace provides more options, quicker access, easier comparison shopping, more information, and a forum to express personal reactions at every stage of the shopping experience.


The Internet has changed the way consumers conduct transactions (online point of sale).

New Frustrations for Consumers

Consumers now have higher expectations from businesses. They are often frustrated at corporations’ lack of understanding for how conversations take place in New Media.

New Benefits for Businesses

The Internet helped expand the marketplace beyond geographic limitations. The power of “word of mouth” now has multiplied considerably through social media. Blogs finally free corporations to speak directly to consumers, rather than having to always go through the traditional media.

New Challenges for Businesses

More than ever, corporations need to communicate honestly with consumers. Corporations need to take part in online conversations because these conversations already exist, and if corporations don’t get involved, they’ll become irrelevant. While blogs in many ways liberate corporations from mainstream media, businesses also need to find different strategies from the old methods with which they have grown comfortable.

Old Way of Marketing

The hollow, untrustworthy voice of old Public Relations – Publicists obsessively eliminated anything negative from the way they represented the products and companies they were trying to sell. They developed superlative phrases and visuals to grab the attention of passive audiences.

New Way of Marketing

The “Human Voice” – As publicists begin to engage directly with consumers online, they have to abandon the slanted, hyperbolic advocacy that ultimately relies on the third-party endorsement of a trusted media brand for its credibility. They need to emphasize fairness, balance, accuracy, and integrity in their own materials.

Corporate Blogs

Businesses use blogs in their marketing, as a way of improving customer relations and establishing a popular presence on the Web, or as a way of getting attention.

Reasons for Corporate Blogs

Businesses want to use an institutional blog to boost an existing income stream by generating new attention for their products or services. Businesses blog to publicize their brand and to establish themselves as experts, thus building trust and credibility. Ultimately, they blog to attract customers.

Reasons for Corporate Blogs

In addition to establishing themselves as experts in a field, other reasons that companies choose to have institutional blogs are: to communicate directly with customers without having to use traditional media as intermediaries, to engage directly in ongoing conversations among their customers, to start their own conversations, and to establish a “human voice.”

Definition of Branding

A brand is a characteristic that serves to identify a particular product.

Branding is giving a product a distinctive identity by means of characteristic design or packaging in order to place it indelibly in the memory of a desired audience.

Name That Brand!

Name That Brand!

Name That Brand!

Name That Brand!

Name That Brand!

Name That Brand!

Name That Brand!

Name That Brand!

Name That Brand!

Name That Brand!

Name That Brand!

Name That Brand!

Name That Brand!

Name That Brand!

Name That Brand!

Tips for Branding Your Online Content


Know your brand.

Be focused. Be passionate. Be simple to understand.


Images are (almost) everything.

Be visually consistent and professional. Remember, the images and the words should go hand-in-hand.


Let your Mission Statement be your guide.

The most important part of your brand is largely invisible—at least, at first. It’s the promise you make to a visitor the first time you meet. It is more than just a half-hearted promise to try and be interesting and entertaining. It is a promise to deliver a specific and predictable result every time. Your brand is the one aspect of your blog or business that people can always trust that will never be compromised.


Aim for perfection.

Unless you’re an expert marketer, designer, copywriter, and web developer in addition to your day job, there are lots of things you don’t know and skills you don’t have. You should admit that to yourself, and invest in some outside expertise. It doesn’t have to break the bank. You can pick one area and start there, but make building your brand a priority. It’s what sets you apart, helps readers quickly understand what you are about, and creates loyal followers.


Choose your voice wisely.

Think of your blog’s tone of voice and personality. Is it boring, too complicated, too sloppy, all over the place? Make your written voice authentic, distinctive, and consistent. There is a lot of brand power in the way we say things, not just in what we say.


Test your brand’s impact.

Ask other people for their reaction, even if it’s not a formal Focus Group. Are your key messages and themes coming across?


Invest in your brand.

Not necessarily money, but time and creativity all are necessary to making your brand the most effective it can be.

Personality in Corporate Blogs

Blogging began as a personal, individual form of publication, and successful corporate blogs tend to preserve that sense of personality. Many of the most popular corporate blogs offer readers a sense of the individuals who run the business.

Monetization of Personal Blogs

Individual bloggers make money off advertisements on their blogs, often starting blogs about specific topics that they hope will generate lucrative ads and affiliate sales.

Spam Blogs

Spammers create fake blogs, often using software to automatically generate them, creating link farms where the fake blogs link to the Web sites the spammers are trying to hype and that search engines then assume are popular because of all the links.

Negative Ways to Build Audience for a Blog

Spam – unsolicited, disruptive messages, usually through e-mail. Link farms can also be considered spam when they clutter search engine results with useless content. Comments on blogs can be considered spam when they are off-topic or aim simply to drive traffic to another site.

Positive Ways to Build Audience for a Blog

Search Engine Optimization – shape your content to match timely topics that will show up in online searches, often by using key words and tags wisely.


Engage the audience – reply to comments in a timely and personal manner, thereby encouraging dialogue


Become an active participant in the blogosphere – create a blog roll of favorite blogs and Web sites, link to other blogs whenever appropriate, read other blogs and comment where appropriate.


Use social media to promote a blog – share links of blog entries on Facebook, Twitter, etc.

“Blogs are a social form of writing, and don’t work well in a vacuum. Some blogs can survive on transitory readers, who simply arrive from a search…Many blogs want to build a brand, though, and in order to achieve that, you want readers to return again and again, and you want other Web sites to link to your blog in order to attract new readers. This requires engaging with your readers and with other bloggers.” – Jill Walker Rettberg, Blogging

Commercial Blogs

Many of the most popular blogs are commercial in the sense that they make some amount of money from ads on their blogs.

The “long tail of blogging” – the amateurs who simply enjoy to write online – don’t bother with ads because they see their blog as a hobby rather than as a profession.

“Looking at the commercial sides of blogging, it is clear that professional bloggers also need to maintain trust, for instance by clearly separating sponsored content from the editorial content, and by maintaining an authentic human voice, and a sense of fairness, balance, accuracy, and integrity.” – Jill Walker Rettberg, Blogging

Need for Transparency in Blogs

People expect blogs to be honest and authentic. When readers discover that bloggers they have been reading break with this expectation, the backlash can be enormous. There is a need for transparency and honesty.

“Truth and integrity are at the core of both the success stories and the failures of commercial blogging. Conventions for displaying truth and integrity have long been established in journalism, marketing, and face-to-face communication. They are still in the process of being established in blogging.” – Jill Walker Rettberg, Blogging

The Secret to Success of Commercial Blogs

Bloggers who are able to make a living from individually run blogs usually either have a strong personal brand built up over years, or they very carefully seek niche markets to blog about, where advertisements and affiliate programs that match the products or topics they discuss will pay well.

Types of Blog Ads

Text Ads – small, text-only advertisements

Types of Blog Ads

Contextual Ads – the advertisement is matched to the content of the Web page displaying the ad

Types of Blog Ads

Graphical Ads – visual, image-based advertisements, such as banner ads, pop-up ads, or more complex animated ads.

Other Types of Blog Revenue

Subscriptions – payment for digital delivery (e.g., via Amazon’s Kindle), for access to “premiere” content, etc.


Referrals (“affiliate links”) – income generated by linking to another site (Amazon.com, etc.)


Donations (“micropatronage”) – following the public television and public radio models, requesting viewer support (via PayPal, etc.)


Sponsors – some blogs are paid by corporations or individuals to promote their products and services

Why Sponsors Pay for Blog Coverage

Marketers prefer human written content to surround the links to their sites – that way, search engines will count the links as genuine endorsements rather than as spam.

The Challenge of Sponsorship

The divide between editorial content and sponsored ads is strict in conventional journalism. When bloggers blur that line by accepting payment to write about a product or company, they break with the cultural expectations set by journalism.

“Individual blogs rise and fall on their own accord. If the writer consistently produces bad content, the blog will fail due to lack of readership. If the writer consistently produces great content, the blog will be a success because of that. Whether or not bloggers choose to disclose revenue sources has no real impact on whether the content is good, or whether it’s bad.” – Lynn Terry, ClickNewz!

“The bloggers that will rise to the top and gain substantial readership are those that have great writing style and always give an honest opinion – even if it is just an opinion, and whether it’s objective or not.” – Lynn Terry, ClickNewz!

“Honest conversation and the human voice are at the heart of successful blogging. While this idea may have been neglected in the Gutenberg parenthesis of print and mass media, it is not by any means a new idea. Plato held that a dialogue with worthy listeners and the careful tending of communication is the best way to spread your ideas.” – Jill Walker Rettberg, Blogging

Examples of Institutional Blogs

Plant Talk: Inside The New York Botanical Gardenhttp://www.nybg.org/plant-talk/

A Look at Plant Talk

External Mission StatementPlant Talk is the official Web log of The New York Botanical Garden. As an online multimedia journal it presents Garden-related topics through the voices of the people who work, volunteer, or study here, both currently and in the past. The blog offers a “behind the scenes,” personalized perspective on stories not found in other communications channels and aims to create an informal dialogue with the public.

A Look at Plant Talk

Internal Mission StatementThe mission of the Garden’s blog is to present original, experience-based information that reflects the breadth of goings on at the Garden with a behind-the-scenes perspective that cannot be found in existing communications vehicles such as the visitor Web site, e-notes, Garden News, and press releases. The purpose in complementing these outlets of information is to stimulate and engage established Garden fans and to attract new audiences.

Institutional Goals of Plant Talk

1. Provide an alternative conduit of Botanical Garden information for a more Web-savvy (often younger) audience, through entries written in a personal but professional point-of-view, consistent with both Web log style and Garden standards.


2. Provide a platform for the dissemination of news about the Garden that might not otherwise be found on the Visitor Web site or other formal Garden communications tools (like Garden News, e-Notes, etc.)


3. Encourage repeat visits to the Blog and NYBG.org (and hopefully drive physical visitation to The New York Botanical Garden itself) through interesting new content posted Monday through Friday.


4. Showcase the mission of The New York Botanical Garden (horticulture, education, science, the visitor experience) through the many voices of the people who work, volunteer, or study here in various departments and capacities.


5. Inform the public about important events and items at the Garden in a transparent manner.


6. Promote coverage of the Garden in other blogs, other Web sites, and possibly even traditional news media that might pickup our blog entries.


7. Draw traffic to the blog and NYBG.org from online search engines that list our blog entries through key words and tags that correspond with popular search phrases or current events.


8. Create an open dialogue with visitors through comments and links.


9. Generate earned-revenue opportunities through sponsorship or advertising income.


Coca-Cola Conversationshttp://www.coca-colaconversations.com/


Toyota’s Our Point of Viewhttp://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/our-point-of-view.aspx/


PlayStation Bloghttp://blog.us.playstation.com/


Disney Parks Bloghttp://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/


BBC’s The Editorshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/


eBay Inkhttp://ebayinkblog.com/


The Official Google Bloghttp://googleblog.blogspot.com/


Nuts About Southwesthttp://www.blogsouthwest.com/


Kodak’s A Thousand Wordshttp://1000words.kodak.com/thousandwords/

Favorite Blogs

Moviefone’s Cinematicalhttp://blog.moviefone.com/

Favorite Blogs

Moviefone’s Cinematicalhttp://blog.moviefone.com/

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume that Matthew McConaughey is probably not your favorite actor. It's an assumption that I feel confident in making because of the fact that you're reading a film site -- expressing such an interest in the cinema while maintaining Matthew McConaughey as your favorite actor would be like flying to The Louvre because you're a big fan of Family Circus.

Trying to understand why McConaughey is so widely disdained is another matter entirely. The man is certainly not without his charms -- he's got a sly smile and a zen-like nonchalance that combines to make his screen presence something of a reprieve from the anxieties of everyday life. When you Google his name, his personal website is the top hit (a rarity for celebrities), and following down that particular rabbit-hole just leads to a void of good times and smooth surfer jams.

So why do so many people have it out for the guy?

Favorite Blogs

Entertainment Weekly’s PopWatchhttp://popwatch.ew.com/

Favorite Blogs

Entertainment Weekly’s PopWatchhttp://popwatch.ew.com/

As Charlie Sheen’s spectacular meltdown demolishes previous records for stars-gone-wild, there have already been many casualties: his CBS television show, his professional reputation, and his relationships with certain friends and family, to say nothing of the widespread concerns for his own health and well-being. But with every bizarre utterance and disoriented interview, Sheen is also wounding the long-term legacy of some very solid, borderline classic films.

Try watching Wall Street now, after O.D.-ing on a 72 hour media binge of Tiger Blood Charlie. The movie hasn’t changed, technically, but our perceptions sure have. Ditto for Platoon, the Oscar-winning Vietnam movie that temporarily lifted Sheen onto the A-List in 1986. Heck, even Lucas is tainted (though that high school football comedy was already slightly skewed to me, thanks to costars Corey Haim and Winona Ryder).

Favorite Blogs

Roger Ebert’s Journalhttp://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/

Favorite Blogs

Roger Ebert’s Journalhttp://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/

I've been to my last Formica restaurant, one of those places where they serve breakfast 24 hours a day and the waitress calls you "honey." When I go to a restaurant now, Chaz makes sure they have a chair that goes easy on my back. I often find myself sitting at a lower level than the others, like a child at Christmas dinner. It is difficult or impossible to revisit most of my ritualistic stops. It is even impossible to routinely make the rounds of used book stores, because I can't stand for hours studying the shelves. Not being able to speak causes me no physical pain. Ironic, that surgery intended to restore my speech took away my freedom of casual walking.

All of those things are over and done with. Finished. I am left with the companionship of the faithful Chaz and my family. There will be a reunion this spring with my downstate cousins. I can still drive as well as ever, and last August bought a new car, probably my last. I have books, movies, newspapers, magazines, television. I write more than ever. The social media are more social for me than for most people.

Favorite Blogs

Pogue’s Postshttp://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/

Favorite Blogs

Pogue’s Postshttp://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/

As digital technology takes over, we’re losing the sounds of analog technologies. And sometimes that’s a real loss. Cash registers don’t go “ka-ching” anymore. But we still SAY “ka-ching,” and there’s your proof — sometimes, our culture simply cries out for a certain audio meme, a certain sonic cue that used to have real meaning.

I’m not going to play Andy Rooney here and bemoan the pace of technological progress. Something’s always lost when we move from one format to another; that’s just the way it goes.

At the same time, I’d like to commemorate the loss of those record scratches, busy signals, tape-rewinding chatters, and ka-chings. Maybe with a moment of silence.

Assignments Due Next Class

Post at least one new entry in your blog.Read your classmates’ blogs and comment where/when appropriate.Read Chapter 7 of the required text, Blogging by Jill Walker Rettberg.

Read “Welcome to the Stream,” available on the class wiki.If you haven’t already, start working on your “Guest Post” assignment.

WFOM 07 - Institutional Blogs

Education