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April 19, 2004

One of the most successful journalist bloggers, Dan Weintraub of the Sacramento Bee, offered insight on his achievements to attendees at the Western Knight Center’s “Business of Online Journalism” seminar late last week. His triumph with this form of journalistic exchange can easily be attributed to the enthusiasm he brings to the process. “If journalism is the first draft of history,” he said, “then the blog is the note pad that leads to it.”

Many asked Weintraub’s advice on how to encourage reporters to become more interested in blogging. Weintraub cautioned that blogging is not a genre you want to force someone into: “I would be reluctant to twist anybody’s arm to do this.” But for those who want to do it, he offered a few tips, including:

  • Blogs work best when they address a narrow, specific beat.
  • Successful bloggers post frequently — usually daily.
  • Writers must remember that the readers of a blog represent a much different audience than those for a mainstream publication. It is appropriate to assume that they are a knowledgeable audience with a large amount of background, interest, and experience in the topic area.

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    Laura Ruel
    Laura Ruel teaches multimedia journalism in the visual communication sequence at UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Before coming to UNC in July…
    Laura Ruel

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