How to Use Blogs in Journalism Classes

Two Choices for Creating a Free Blog

Blogger.com -- requires a Gmail address (free) -- VERY EASY
WordPress.com -- also free -- more options than Blogger (might confuse some students)
For the technical people: At WordPress.org you can download the entire system to install on your own Web server; even this is free

Enhancing Your Blog

Add your blog to Technorati -- a directory and search engine of blogs
Add a Site Meter to your blog to track your traffic, or sign up for ShinyStat or Google Analytics (all are free)
Sign up with FeedBurner -- then add an RSS link to your blog so people can subscribe to you
Add a Flickr badge to point people to your photos (join Flickr first)
Add your del.icio.us "link roll" (join del.icio.us first)
Add a "blog roll" -- a list of links to your favorite blogs (it can be a short list, just your favorites). Google Reader will allow you to export an OPML file that contains the blogs to which you subscribe (see No. 7 below).

Top Tips for Writing a Great Blog

Short posts, short sentences, make it easy to read.
Include at least one link to another blog or Web site in every post.
Write good link text. Click here is bad link text (where will you go? You don't know!). This is good link text: Lyndon gave us 10 tips that help him write his blog. Why is it good? Because the text of the link gives you a reasonable expectation of what you will see if you click!
Make a new post at least three days each week. This keeps your blog fresh and interesting.
Use good keywords in the headline for every blog post.
Read other blogs -- and leave thoughtful comments on them. The more you look at other blogs, the better your own blog will be.
Use an RSS reader, such as Google Reader,* to subscribe to other blogs. This is much more efficient than bookmarking them!
The blogosphere is all about connecting. Your links to other blogs (and your comments on other blogs) will come back around to your blog as others link to your posts.
Do not steal other people's text. Quote a brief excerpt and LINK, if you like someone's post.
Do not steal other people's images.

* Use Google Reader to export your subscriptions as an OPML file. Then you can import that file to your blog. In Google Reader, see the link at the bottom of your list of feeds, "Manage subscriptions." Then go to the "Import/Export" tab.

What Students Gain from Blogging Assignments

Writing practice.
Linking practice (includes choosing reliable sources).
Collaboration (commenting, linking).
Editing.
Use of HTML -- if they modify the template.
Use of a content management system (CMS).

Supplemental Information

Blogging Between the Lines: This AJR article summarizes newspapers' experiences wth blogging
Mindy's semester-long blogging assignment for journalism students
Blogs have changed how I do my job, for the better: A column by an Albuquerque Tribune reporter
Blog Reflection Rubric: A grid to help with assessing and grading students' work on blogs
Blog research: Lots of links in case you feel like going deeper
Scholarly resources about blogs and blogging