Blogception

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I think that whenever you are gathering information for a story, regardless of the angle, you have a responsibility to cover it as thoroughly as possible.

Adam Jardy (Columbus Dispatch)

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King Cheetah’s are beautiful

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A Professional Blogger's Workplace

     A blogger’s workplace is anywhere with an internet connection. Some may prefer an office space while others prefer using the free Wi-Fi and Wendy’s, but ultimately it does not matter. Blogging is blogging, no matter wher, when, or how. However, this probably depends on who you blog for.    A blogger’s level of freedom changes drastically from one workplace to another. A place with a highly developed, high-traffic blog obviously requires more oversight than a small blog that may only be a small part of a business. Some bloggers are given free range to post about whatever they wish whenever they wish as long as it pertains in some way to the overall goal of the site (here is an example). Other blogs go further still and allow multiple bloggers to post almost anything in the hopes of generating some kind of traffic. The editing process of a blog is, for some, never-ending.       As time goes on, an idea can be developed further by going back and editing posts or linking to older posts. Grammar errors will be pointed out by readers if comments are allowed. This is where blogs hold an advantage over print media: blogs can be edited after publication. If there is a typo in a print article, then it is done. The typo is eternal. On a blog it is as simple as clicking a few times and tapping a couple of keys. So, while editing before publication is important, it is not the end of the process. The workplace is everywhere and infinite.

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Columbus breweries | Drink Up Columbus

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The Blogger's Process

     The process of writing a blog post is a unique experience compared to that of other professional writing platforms. The pressure of writing to the naïve masses is gone, and the power of opinion is at the writer’s fingertips. Throughout the process, the blogger should keep the audience in mind at all times. You’re writing for your audience, not the outlier readers who might stumble upon your blog, so know what they like and write for them (or else you might pay for it in the comments). By far the most important part of the blog post is the title; if that doesn’t catch the reader’s attention, nothing else will.

                Typically, a blogger will first need to start out with inspiration. They need to find something they want to write about. From the bloggers we interviewed there’s different ways to find your inspiration; Austin from the Flying Monk Clothing finds inspiration from his audience, Susannah from the Dispatch tracks updates from various other movie blogs and news outlets, and Adam Jardy from the Dispatch has regulated posts that he makes to keep his readers updated. Once they have that figured out, research on the topic is normally the next stepped, and then comes the process of writing the draft of the post.

                Professional bloggers typically don’t have an editor so proof reading and editing falls to the blogger themselves. Another bonus to not having an editor is that the blogger has free range over what they write about, within reason of course. Once the post is published, it is released to the active readers who can praise it or pick it apart at their leisure. Sometimes bloggers will go back and change posts after their post has been published either because new information has been found or because they’ve made a mistake. 

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Becoming One with your Audience

Whether you are just starting out or already have a well established blog getting to know your audience is crucial. These are going to be the people that you write for day after day and week after week. Ideally you want to be able to produce content specifically catered to your audience. The better you know your audience, the better you can write for them. Your content should be a reflection of who your target audience is.

After you decide just who your target audience is the next step is to build trust with that group. This is especially important if you are still trying to make a name for yourself within the blogging community. If you are a business what you say on your blog will reflect back onto your brand. You are putting your image and name on the line so you better be able to back it up with reliable and accurate content. Spend some time getting to know your audience, ask for their input. Also, don't be afraid to let some of your own personalty show in your blog writing. The more your reader can connect to you the more likely they are to come back and read future post. After all what good is a blogger without an audience. 

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After our interview the title of the Columbus Disptach's Movie Blog got an upgrade.