Blogging

My first post on this blog is an assignment from the Social Media for Writers class I am taking this semester.  I’ve always wanted to start my own blog, but was unsure of myself and not ready to make the commitment.  I’m really excited to start posting on here as the weeks progress, and hope to make it a regular thing from now on.

Blogs can be a very useful tool for professional journalists as the platform can help them connect with their audience in ways traditional news writing does not allow, and also lets them add a more personal touch to their writing.  Blogs can be single subject with one writer, or span several genres and allow for content from many different contributors.  This kind of platform gives both readers and writers the opportunity to learn new things and communicate with each other about the given topic.  I think the ability to learn from your readers is a fantastic way to keep people interested in journalism and news as the print media fades throughout the coming years.

There can be downsides to blogging, however.  It takes time to build content into a following, and it can be disappointing when you do not get the response you were hoping for.  The textbook encourages writers to post once a day, but if you do not have the time to write each day you can start to feel like you are falling behind.  Another negative is the large number of blogs that already exist; how does one compete in a market already saturated with content?  And with all that content swarming the internet it can be hard to decipher between what is beneficial or truthful and straight-up lies.