Thank you everyone for your participation in Week 1's study of LinkedIn. Your thoughts and recommendations will be part of the final proposal that goes to TSPRA in June. On to Week 2...
We will take a look at blogs. More specifically, we are interested in how a blog could possibly help TSPRA. Since I am(ahem) a little late getting the first day's info out there, it will be for Monday and Tuesday.
MONDAY/TUESDAY: Find an example of a blog that you like. Provide the URL for us and tell us what you like about it. (You will be awarded a few extra points if it is a blog for a professional organization, but it's not required.) If you're not sure how to tell if a site is a blog or just a garden-variety Web site, look for these tell-tale signs: users can make comments, articles (called "posts") are stamped with the date and the most up-to-date content is front and center and generally(not always) the writing is a bit more informal and less "newsy".
Want to search blogs only? Try Google Blogsearch. http://blogsearch.google.com/
Here's one I like (from PRSA San Antonio): http://prsanantonio.blogspot.com/
Here's the one for our district: http://yourmansfieldisd.blogspot.com
WEDNESDAY: Please review the section below, "Ideas," and offer your comments. Then, go find a mirror, look in it and say, "You're awesome!" That was from me. Enjoy your day.
THURSDAY/FRIDAY: Let's continue the great discussion on the idea of the TSPRA blog. A few details are listed below. I added one related to promotion today. Otherwise, I think we are working toward a solid recommendation.
IDEAS FOR TSPRA BLOG:
*Regular posts would feature a group of regular authors(about 10). These authors would be required to write on a regular basis. A TSPRA staffer would be responsible for administrative duties related to the blog. A TSPRA member would serve as the Editor-in-Chief for blog content.
*The TSPRA president, EC and blog team would be responsible for encouraging subject-area experts to blog on related topics, i.e. bond elections, special event planning, online initiatives, etc.
*The TSPRA blog would need to secure an appropriate domain. This is inexpensive and will aid with credibility. (The other option, which is also fine, would be to use free hosting via blogspot, wordpress or typepad.)
*The TSPRA blog should be promoted in every possible venue. As the blog will serve as a showcase for the knowledge and talent within our organization and our field as a whole, it should be strongly promoted. Some outside(and inside) TSPRA will choose to interface mainly with the blog because that is where they are comfortable, so it deserves a strong focus.
A Great Video and Some Helpful Links About Blogging:
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7 comments:
My very favorite blog:
http://starsblog.dallasnews.com/
Other blogs I watch:
http://dallasisdblog.dallasnews.com/
Adding to my previous post...
My very favorite blog:
http://starsblog.dallasnews.com
Miek Heika, a sports reporter for the Dallas Morning News hosts this blog. I like it because it provides up-to-date information on the team, their practices, injuries, etc. Heika also starts threads that allow for fan discussion that's pretty interesting.
The other blog I read is http://dallasisdblog.dallasnews.com
I follow this to see where the noise is in the system for Dallas ISD. Our district doesn't really mirror DISD in population or size, but comments to the blog give me an insight into employee/parent/community member perceptions.
One of my favorite personal blogs to follow is http://dadomatic.com/What I like about this blog and how it's relevant to TSPRA is that this is an example of a multi-author blog. The writers are spread out all over the place. This shows that it is possible to to run a single blog with contribution coming from a group spread out over a large area.
I like Newspaper Death Watch because of the news they share and the tone they take. The news is a focused collection of announcements pertinent to their topic - the current struggles of newspapers to stay profitable (or just to not go bankrupt). The tone is honest -- layoffs and massive drops in sales are rightly called "sickening", but this site will be the first to tell you that society is requiring that newspapers undergo major changes.
I really like the idea of coordinating articles from subject-area experts. How great would it be to get weekly articles like "7 tips for taking better pictures" or "Does my district need a Facebook presence?" If the articles end up being truly good, it seems like something that could get attention from non-TSPRA members...so I wonder if that type of blog would need to be in addition to / separate from a TSPRA announcements blog?
I think addresses like blog.tspra.org or tspra.org/blog would be most appropriate.
At work, I tend to read http://dallasisdblog.dallasnews.com quite a bit. Many times, I'm looking more at reader response as much as what the writers are saying. I've noticed how some newspaper bloggers are willing to post information before it has been verified, even going so far as to mention things "they've heard." I know blogs are supposed to be a little more informal, but that's a little too informal.
On the sports front, I tend to read www.thebiglead.com and www.deadspin.com. Sports Illustrated's website has some decent sports blogs as well, though I admit sometimes they tend to simply be "columns on the web."
okay...I'm just not with it. I have read blogs, but not any one blog regularly. I love reading comments left in regards to a story. I will go to Dallas News and read comments/response to a story left by readers responses, but I have never been a blog "follower". I've tried this week to get on the wagon and have failed thus far. I think I would follow a TSPR blog becuase of the direct bennefit to what I do day in and day out. It might be that I haven't signed up to follow a blog so I am forced to think about going back to read updates. I really need to move forward with technology...I am a late arriver.
I'm like Tammy, I have no loyalty to any particular blog. However, I do have some I favor. On the business side, I like http://blog.ragan.com/prjunkie. When the baseball gods allow, I like Jamey Newberg's fine work at http://newberg.mlblogs.com.
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