INNER CIRCLE EXPECTATIONS
• 1-2 staff members: 2 community bloggers
• 3-5 staff members: 2 community bloggers
• 6-19 staff members: 3 community bloggers
• 20+ staff members: 6 community bloggers
Blogs should be updated at least twice a week with two new posts, not simply updates on previous posts. Updating older posts is fine, but the expectation is for two new posts each week for each blog .
Q&A
What is the community bloggers initiative?
Our strategy is for newsrooms to partner with existing bloggers within the communities they cover, as well as recruit community members who are not currently blogging to become our community blogging partners.
Why are we doing this?
We want our websites to become true hubs of the community conversation online. Community bloggers will provide a rich resource of voices and viewpoints that our online readers can use, our newsrooms can draw upon for expanded online coverage of topics and for reverse publishing as well.
How do we recruit community bloggers?
Post a note on your website, anchored in your carousel, asking folks if they currently have a blog, and inviting them to partner with us. You should post a link to our community blogger form in the story (this will be available Sept. 15 and will be communicated through our newsletter). If you want to start recruiting bloggers before the form is available, post the copy in Example 1 below without the form.
• Example 1: Are you blogging on WordPress, Blogspot or some other blogging platform? Want to increase your audience and page views? Partner with us here at newspaper .com and see your blog take off! Contact editor John Smith (HYPERLINK "mailto:jsmith@newspaper .com"jsmith@ newspaper .com) and get your work noticed. Or you can fill out this online form .
• Example 2: Always wanted to blog, but weren’t sure how to get started? Let us know, and we’ll work with you, training you on all the ins and outs of the blogosphere.
• GateHouse News Service has designed a graphic you can use in your carousel and for print promotion that could be used with your callout for bloggers. http://www.gatehousenewsservice. com/features/x1054484193/Community-blog-house-ads-collateral
• In September, a blogger application form will be launched for all of our sites and will work very much like the weddings and engagement forms, meaning it will be a global form that will go to an editor’s email address. It will be a nice way to offer potential community bloggers an opportunity to express interest. The next page shows what will be on the form.
INNER CIRCLE EXPECTATIONS
• 1-2 staff members: 2 community bloggers
• 3-5 staff members: 2 community bloggers
• 6-19 staff members: 3 community bloggers
• 20+ staff members: 6 community bloggers
Blogs should be updated at least twice a week with two new posts, not simply updates on previous posts. Updating older posts is fine, but the expectation is for two new posts each week for each blog .
Q&A
What is the community bloggers initiative?
Our strategy is for newsrooms to partner with existing bloggers within the communities they cover, as well as recruit community members who are not currently blogging to become our community blogging partners.
Why are we doing this?
We want our websites to become true hubs of the community conversation online. Community bloggers will provide a rich resource of voices and viewpoints that our online readers can use, our newsrooms can draw upon for expanded online coverage of topics and for reverse publishing as well.
How do we recruit community bloggers?
Post a note on your website, anchored in your carousel, asking folks if they currently have a blog, and inviting them to partner with us. You should post a link to our community blogger form in the story (this will be available Sept. 15 and will be communicated through our newsletter). If you want to start recruiting bloggers before the form is available, post the copy in Example 1 below without the form.
• Example 1: Are you blogging on WordPress, Blogspot or some other blogging platform? Want to increase your audience and page views? Partner with us here at newspaper .com and see your blog take off! Contact editor John Smith (HYPERLINK "mailto:jsmith@newspaper .com"jsmith@ newspaper .com) and get your work noticed. Or you can fill out this online form .
• Example 2: Always wanted to blog, but weren’t sure how to get started? Let us know, and we’ll work with you, training you on all the ins and outs of the blogosphere.
• GateHouse News Service has designed a graphic you can use in your carousel and for print promotion that could be used with your callout for bloggers. http://www.gatehousenewsservice. com/features/x1054484193/Community-blog-house-ads-collateral
• In September, a blogger application form will be launched for all of our sites and will work very much like the weddings and engagement forms, meaning it will be a global form that will go to an editor’s email address. It will be a nice way to offer potential community bloggers an opportunity to express interest. The next page shows what will be on the form.
• Other promotional recommendations: Post a link to the story on Facebook and Twitter.
Post the same note in print in every edition in a prominent, consistent spot: page A1 rail, Your News or page 2. Run the promotion for a few weeks, until you have several community bloggers signed up.
How should I contact community members without their own blogs?
We have a list of potential bloggers (see below) that we think will work well on our websites . Find people from these groups in your community and call, email or approach them in person .
When you reach out to these people, tell them you would like to work with them as a community blogging partner because you think they have a valuable perspective to add to your coverage of the community (if they don’t represent organizations, such as a master gardener or first-year teacher) or have valuable information to share with the community (if they represent an organization such as a hospital or chamber) .
What do I do once I have recruited a community blogger?
Make sure they understand the need to update their blog at least twice a week with new posts . Make sure they understand that if they don’t already have a blog, they will blog on your Zope blogging platform . If they have a blog, make sure they understand that we would feed content from their blog and have the content appear on your website . Also:
• Provide them with our blogging tip sheet for best blogging practices. You will find the tip sheet in this guide .
• Set up the community blogger with a blogger account in Zope (we will provide training to local editors on setting up Zope blog accounts) . Zope blog accounts provide the blogger with limited access to Zope, allowing them to publish only to the areas the local editor chooses . Local editors will need to create new sections in Zope for each community blogger . Training on setting up new sections in Zope also will be provided .
• Monitor their blogs on a regular basis to make sure they are updating regularly and the content meets expectations . Provide them with feedback and traffic data for their blog (instructions for finding traffic data for blogs in Google Analytics are at the end of this guide) .
Zope community blogs are in development . If you wish to launch a community blog prior to the Zope release, the blogger will have to email posts for you to copy and paste into Zope . Whether you wait for the community blog functionality to arrive or follow the manual process, you will want to create a blog through Zope for the content . Directions on how to do that are in this guide .
What are the community blogging partner guidelines for newsrooms?
Do not partner with business blogs that are primarily promoting their business, and, in general, use caution when partnering with controversial opinion or politics blogs . It’s not to say that you shouldn’t ever run a political or opinion blog, just consider the content and the community perception around running it . We are looking primarily for topical blogs: blogs about parenting, books, movies, music, sports and the like .
Who are potential community bloggers?
There are many opportunities, and the list varies based on your community . Here are some suggestions:
• Hospital: The public relations manager can post photos about the latest news from the hospital, along with blog posts about new staff hires, new equipment, blood drives and special events .
• Chamber: The chamber director or PR person can post photos about chamber events, and posts about corporate sponsorship opportunities, fundraisers, etc .
•Park district: A public relations manager or a special events manager can blog about upcoming events and post photos after events . If the parks department has a Facebook page, you can encourage them to post that on the blog .
• Religious leaders: Invite a religious leader to blog about the sermon of the week, and post photos of church groups and activities .
• Cheerleader moms: Is there a mom whose child is on the high school cheerleading squad who is very active and submits content to your paper about the squad? See if she would be interested in posting updates about the team, photos from games, practices and competitions .
• Veterans’ organization: Local veterans organizations are usually eager to get word out about the help they can offer local veterans, as well as to recruit new members . A blog on your website, where they can post news and information about their organization, as well as post photos from events, will help them get the word out .
• Arts council: Arts councils offer programs to the public, facilitate funding for artists, hold exhibits and generally promote the arts . The public information officer for your local arts council would be a good community blogger .
• Agricultural or cooperative extension office: County agricultural or cooperative extension offices offer a wide array of services to the community . Work with the public information officer, who can post updates and photos about programs and events .
• Therapist: Is there a local marriage or family therapist who would be willing to post an informational blog about marriage or family issues?
•Parents: Parents often make good bloggers, as they share the ups and downs of parenting . Check out parenting groups or playgroups to find new parents . Also, check with the libraries, parks and recreation departments or your PTA to find parents who could blog about issues related to school-age children .
• Foodies: Is there someone in your town who is known as an amazing baker or cook, or someone who constantly wins ribbons for pies or barbeque at the county fair? See if they’d like to blog about their passion and post photos of their creations or videos with how-to tips for cooking .
• Gardeners: Gardeners often love to share tips and stories . Check your local gardening club for a gardener or group of gardeners who would like to blog about tips and post photos of their plants .
• Athletes: Check out local running, skiing, sailing, golfing, tennis or rowing clubs to see if there is a local athlete who would like to blog about his or her sport . See if the sports organization would like its own blog to post news, information and photos about the club .
• High school organizations, such as band, newspaper: High school band members could be invited to post updates and photos about the band – competitions, trips, performances and practices . A staffer at the high school newspaper could be invited to blog about a topic of their choice . Make sure you set clear ground rules for high school blogger topics and monitor the blogs .
• Local clubs: Local Scouting organizations, 4-Hers and other local clubs are often eager to get the word out about their group – how to join and what they do . A community partner blog would be a good way for them to do that .
•Pet owners: We know pet owners LOVE their pets . See if one or more of your readers who have responded to pet reader callouts would like to blog about their furry (or feathered) friends .
• Animal shelter workers: The animal shelter director can share information about animals available for adoption, volunteer opportunities and fundraisers .
• First-year teacher: A new teacher would be a good candidate for a community blog . Work with principals to find someone willing to share observations about his or her first year in the classroom .
WORKING WITH COMMUNITY BLOGGERS
Will we have to pay the bloggers?
We encourage newsrooms to work with people who simply want exposure for themselves or their organizations – those who want to share their news and thoughts on the most relevant local news and information site in their community.
Should community bloggers sign a freelancer contract?
Yes. In the resources chapter of this handbook is our non-paid freelancer contract .
Should we provide guidelines for community bloggers?
Yes. Before you set up a community blogger, each would agree to post at least twice a week. The posts will be brief observations on community issues and events, or their topic of interest .
As part of this document, a tip sheet for bloggers includes:
• Frequency of posts: If the blogger drops below two new posts per week for more than one month, you will pull the blog.
• Length of posts: Remind bloggers to keep posts short, which means under 300 words.
• Other best practices: Links, specific headlines, photos.
• Tone and content: You can establish parameters, such as sticking to an agreed topic, to avoid problems such as someone using a blog to campaign for political office.
Make sure you contact the blogger well before pulling the blog. If posting frequency is down one week, make sure the blog is working for that blogger. If post frequency is down a second week, contact the blogger again to say that if posting frequency continues to lag, you will have to shut the blog down. Keep your conversations with the blogger polite and friendly, but let him or her know you are serious. If it happens for a fourth week, pull the blog by submitting a support ticket.
Once Zope functionality becomes available, a how-to-post content guide will be built that newspapers can provide community bloggers.
Will newsrooms clear the posts?
The Zope community blogging technology will not have the ability for an editor to approve the content before it’s published. It’s not efficient for editors to have to approve blog posts before they go live, so it’s important that newspapers pick bloggers who are responsible and who editors feel comfortable with. That’s why we ask for sample blog posts before choosing a blogger.
How can we avoid problems with our bloggers?
The goal is to find trusted bloggers. If someone is already blogging in your community, you can judge for yourself if this is a blog you want on your website. Perhaps someone already writes a column or has been a contributor to your newspaper in another way.
What if elected officials want to blog?
In some communities, the mayor is a figurehead, appears at events, knows everyone in town and doesn’t vote on issues. But if the mayor is elected, political season presents a problem if an established blogger wants to discuss the campaign or use the blog as a campaign tool. The goal is to be fair to all candidates. You might offer all candidates the opportunity to blog during the lead-up to the election to be fair, or you might decide you don’t want any political blogging on your website. Again, strive to be fair and to make the decision that would best help your community to be informed at the polls.
