Notes on blogging

Hello bloggers!
It was great meeting you all in Malta and wonderful to see such enthusiasm around blogging. It’s a fascinating
world; one that is both productive and informative. The key to success for full content blogging is commitment
and personality. Remember, to your readers, you are what you write. These notes bring together the references
we used in our sessions and include some interesting links. Happy blogging.
Mary

Are you a blogger or a writer?

Source: http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/01/08/wearing-two-hats-writer-or-blogger/

A key difference between a writer and a blogger is that a blogger can express their opinion while a
writer, while they might have the occasion to express an opinion, usually doesn’t. A writer writes
about the topic at hand, providing information, resources, and news that you can use. It might have a
personal slant, or it might not have any slant at all.

Four types of blogs

Source: http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2005/11/13/judging-blogs-by-their-post-content-styles/

1. Links Content is post content that consists of a link, a group of links, or a sentence describing
and including the link to an external blog or website. These are blog posts which are short and
to the point. All they offer are the links. Link Content style posts are fast to read. Many people
follow such sites because of the quality of links to other sites with information they want and
need. This puts pressure on the blogger to present one or more links which encourage visitors
to leave the site. Quite the reverse of most website goals. Yet, visitors expect consistent and
reliable links to information, so they will return to such sites for those pointers. Maintaining
such a blog means constant research into hot or specific topics that establish your blog as a
key resource for these types of links. This encourages visitors to return.
2. Blockquote, or more appropriately called Reference, content styles are the next step above
the links content styles. These posts offer a link to the offsite resource, but they also contain a
paragraph or two from the external site as a teaser of what is in the post you will visit. Again,
these post content styles encourage visitors to leave your site to visit another to get the
information they need. Visitors will return if the blog consistently presents solid reference
material that will catch their interest. Bloggers who specialize in reference content often scour
the web looking for information related to their topic, consolidating what is spread across the
net into one resource, earning respect from users looking for similar information and
resources.
 Notes on blogging

3. Feed Content is the ‘resource for content that isn’t yours’. In other words, feeds fuel the site
rather than the blog owner or administrator actually finding the information, links, and
content from other sites and posting it. Feed content is post content that comes from other
sources. Feed content style blogs are not good or bad, unless they are poorly executed. They
just are another form of content choice. Successful blogs which use feeds as their sole source
of content are usually ones which use paid feed services that allow filtering to the incoming
feeds, keeping the feeds isolated to a specific topic. Feed services, free or paid, which bring
just about anything onto a blog rarely attract a consistent audience. Some blogs will use feeds
to enhance their own content style, often showcased in the header or sidebar. They add to the
overall information available to their readers.
4. Full Content post styles are posts written entirely by the blog author(s). While there may be
links to external sites and reference, the blog is dedicated to providing ‘original’ content for
their audience. While many think that this is the ideal type of blog, there are pros and cons to
full content post styles. They can be very time consuming, as the author must generate the
content, research, and possibly substantiate the material. The writing style needs to be
consistent and good quality. Frequency of posting may be less than faster link and reference
style posts. Yet, full content posts offer more information and resources for the audience. Well
written blogs will hold a reader on the site longer, encouraging them to read more. Such
bloggers, especially those who specialize on a specific topic, tend to be seen as ‘experts’ or at
least ‘informed’. Readers return because they know this is where they will get ‘all’ the
information, not just part of it. Some call this style the ‘one-stop blogging shop’ where people
come to get the news they can use, not just a reference to news somewhere else.

Awareness-building activity: As you search the Internet for diplomacy-related blogs, see which
category you’d put them in. Ask yourself what you like about them and why? If something irritates
you, make note of it and be sure not to repeat it in your blog. Developing a sense of what content
works and what doesn’t is a key part of blogging successfully. And don’t forget to share your links with
us!

Terms you should know before you start blogging

Blog platform: The software that manages a blog's content and publishing. Examples
include Wordpress and Typepad and Blogger. Free platforms are designed primarily for personal
blogging. They offer style templates and free hosting and domain names. They also offer a limited
number of blog tools/metric free of charge.

Domain Name: Domain name is an easy-to-remember address that can be translated by DNS into
server's IP address. Domain names are hierarchical. Domain's suffix indicates which TLD (top level
domain) it belongs to, for example .com, .gov, .org, .net, or .jp. Recently ICANN (Internet Corporation
for Assigned Names and Numbers) added several new TLDs, like .biz, .pro., and .museum.
 Notes on blogging

A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to
make their own website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide
space on a server they own or lease for use by their clients as well as providing Internet connectivity,
typically in a data centre.

Things to consider when choosing a blog platform

Source: http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/15/choosing-a-blog-platform/

What are your goals – Probably the most important thing to do when starting the process of choosing
a blog platform is to consider your aspirations for your blog. Of course complete first timers might
struggle a little with seeing the future of their blogging, but to the best of your ability attempt to
answer some of these questions:
 Is blogging something I see myself doing long term?
 What will the main purpose of my blog be?
 Is my blogging more of a hobby or does it have some professional application?
 Do I foresee putting ads on my blog?

What is your budget? – As with most things in life, blog platforms come with a variety of price points
ranging from free through to more expensive options. There are three main things that you might pay
for:
 The blog platform itself
 Hosting for your blog
 Domain Name

Different blogging platforms offer different levels of service. Some like Blogger.com and
WordPress.com offer both the platform, domain name and hosting for free. Others like Wordpress.org
(note this is different to WordPress.com) offer the platform for free but you then need to find and pay
for your own hosting and domain name. Others still, like MovableType charge for a license for the
platform (depending how many blogs you have and whether they will have a commercial, personal,
educational or not-for-profit use – they do also have a free version) and then you need to arrange and
pay for your own domain name and hosting.
Other costs you might like to factor in at an early stage include:

 design – all platforms come with free templates (some more professional looking than others)
but if you want a more individual look you’ll either need to have some design skills, know
someone who does or be willing to pay for a design.
 blog tools/metrics – there are any number of tools you can pay for to help you in your
blogging. These might include stats packages (again you can get free ones but can also pay for
more features), offline blog posting tools etc. If you’re a beginner you might not need any of
these – but down the track you might find them useful.
 Notes on blogging

How technologically able are you? – This is a crucial factor to consider when choosing a blog platform.
If you’ve never had any experience in creating a blog or website before and are not a technologically
minded person then there are some blog platforms and set ups that will be much more suited to your
needs than if you know a few of the basics, or at least are willing to learn them. The other option of
course is to find someone who is a techie to help you out (either paid or as a friend). One of the great
things about blogging and most of the platforms out there is that there is a wonderful communal
knowledge out there and many forums dedicated to helping people get the most out of their chosen
platforms.

What blog platforms are others using? – While I am always advising bloggers to make their blog their
own – when it comes to choosing a platform it might be worth finding out what others are into. Over
the last few years different platforms have come and gone and I suspect they will in the years ahead
also. My recent poll on the topic might be helpful to get a handle on recent trends – but as this post
gets a little older you might like to do some research of your own.

Getting started and keeping on track

Setting up a free blog is pretty much self-explanatory. Most of the platforms have clear
and simple instructions. Lorelle on Wordpress includes some video clips. Check her link
at http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2010/04/27/one-minute-with-lorelle-planning-your-
blog/

Jovan presented Diplo’s failure with developing a collective blog for the staff. A few years ago, Diplo
tried to make institutional blog but it did not work. The key lesson learned: blogging has to be
individual with a potential ‘institutional layer’ added later on. Mary presented her own personal blog
which takes an individual and bottom-up approach driven by the desire to communicate her
experience of moving to Budapest. This blog averages about 500 hits a month; she’s been using
Facebook as the primary advertising medium for the past year and has seen a notable increase in
visitors. With some proper care and attention, this figure could grow and grow.
Some things are worth remembering:
1. Add a ‘counter’ to your home page so that people can see how many visits you’ve had. It’s
amazing how large numbers will encourage readers to spend time reading your latest entry. If
other people visit you, then quite probably you have something interesting to say. Bear in
mind though that these figures only tell you how many people clicked through to your site and
which posts they opened, not how long they stayed.
2. For those unfamiliar with RSS feeds, add a simple ‘subscribe to’ box where people can sign up
to new postings to your site by simply keying in their email address.
3. Update your content regularly. If you have a free time one day, write two or three posts and
then use the schedule system to publish them at different times during the coming week.
4. Reply promptly to comments left by readers. It’s good manners and will encourage them to
come back and visit your blog again.
 Notes on blogging

5. Join a group of bloggers who are blogging in the same field. This will help publicise your blog
(if you have something interesting to say).
6. Link to others in your post. If you mentioned a place, a company or an article, create a
hyperlink where readers can click to find out more. These pingbacks – a message
automatically sent to a blogger when another blogger references one of his or her posted
entries – are another way of publicising your blog.
7. Use keywords to direct traffic. Monitor how people have arrived at your site by regularly
checking your statistics to see what keywords are used most often and then include these in
future posts.
8. Comment regularly on other blogs and drive traffic back to your own blog by including a link.
9. Creditability is key. You readers need to know about you. Who you are. What you’ve done.
Then they can decide whether or not your opinion is worth reading. You need to get personal.
And ‘getting personal’ is not about telling them what you had for breakfast; it’s about sharing
what shapes your opinions, thoughts, and views on what you’re blogging about. Have a clearly
visible page where people can go to find out more about you.
10. Do your research. Check to see what blogs are being read the most. Sites like Technorati can
help. http://technorati.com/blogs/top100 If you find a blog that’s relevant to your subject,
comment on it.
11. We cannot proofread our own work because we see what our mind tells us we have written.
Get someone to check your blog for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. If you don’t
have someone you can ask, try reading your blog backwards. This will trick your mind into ‘not
remembering’ and should flag the mistakes.
12. If the subject you’re writing about is a delicate one, have someone who is familiar with the
situation read it and check it for sense.

The institutional aspect

Some of you asked questions about integrating blogging into institutional procedures. How
can a Ministry of Foreign Affairs make blogging part of its communication policy and
strategy? Because blogging thrives on a strong personal note, this is not an easy task. We heard from
the US State Department that the key is ‘nurturing’ not imposing Web 2.0 activity. It cannot become
part of the ‘terms of reference’. The best approach is to identify enthusiasts and assist them by
providing training and technical support. At an institutional level, you might consider promoting their
‘success stories’, including exploring the possibility of including social communication activity as an
element for faster career progression. It has to be completely bottom-up approach.
 Notes on blogging

Links to blogs that may be of interest

Links from the UK FCO site provide useful guidelines for diplomats involved in social media:

Follow the links at the top right of the block image (social media guidance, audio)

There are several links from this page that talk about objectives, case-studies, simple how-to's etc
 Notes on blogging

A very diplomatic blog: British ambassadors worldwide tell (nearly) all on the web
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/nov/20/british-envoys-join-bloggers

No blogging, social networking for Indian diplomats

http://www.hindustantimes.com/No-blogging-social-networking-for-Indian-diplomats/Article1-376183.aspx
Notes on blogging
Notes on blogging