How far we've come
Two years ago, I spoke to a group of national news media folk about blogging. After I got past explaining what blogging was, the discussion centered around three areas:
1. How can your staff post information unedited by you?.
2. Why would we post information that we wouldn't put into the paper?
3. How much extra do you pay the bloggers for blogging?
Yesterday, I was on a panel before a group of newspaper people yesterday at the N.C Press Association's Newspaper Academy at Chapel Hill. Topic: Blogging. (It was a North Carolina group so it was more advanced than the national one two years ago.)
First, I asked whether this was a session on "Why blogs?" or a session on "How to blog?" Only one person of 30 wanted "why blogs?"
When I asked who had blogs, most raised their hands. So, why the heck are you here, I asked.
* I want to know how can I get more traffic.
* I want to know how can I get more comments.
* I want to know how can I make mine better.
I sent them here, here, here and here.
No questions about editing blogs, no questions about making money from it, and no concern about "how much time it takes away from the newspaper."
The best question came, I think, from someone from the News & Observer who wondered if people had moved beyond the written word of the blog to audio and video. I responded that it takes everything. We must use every tool we can to extend our journalism. I like to read and will always read. But it's one tool. As someone wise said, you have to hunt where the ducks are flying. Video and audio are wildly popular and as those are now available to pixel-stained wretches, we must use them.
It wasn't all positive. Afterward, I fielded questions that reminded me of the challenge: How can I get the other reporters to contribute to our community blog because I can't carry it all myself? How can I get my editors interested enough in blogging so that they will let me blog?
Still, those were in the minority.