| Blogging is a growing trend, and
an easy and informal way to communicate with a wide range of people.
It requires some input but can also provide you with useful and encouraging
feedback. Weblogs, or Blogs for short, are often likened to journals.
The entries made to blogs can be either interactive or non-interactive.
If they are interactive, others can add commentaries to the entry.
The person who writes this online journal is known as a Blogger. One
of the most attractive elements of a blog is that they can be written
with relative ease by anyone about anything. Each weblog entry (also
known as a post) will typically contain one or more links to related
material being discussed in the entry. For topic-oriented weblogs
the diversity is enormous. There are hundreds of thousands of blogs
already online, covering such diverse topics as politics, war, Africa,
science, technology, the Internet, books, space exploration, medicine
and academic life. Despite the buzz, weblogs really are not all that
new; they have been around since the late 1990s. Recent software and
hosting platforms have made blogging much easier to do, and this has
led to the explosion of weblogs.
Why blog?
- A blog can extend an institution's influence by attracting development
policymakers and practitioners to engage in a way that is more
interactive than websites and e-mail;
- Blogs can create a forum for expert commentary and analysis
on burning development policy issues;
- Easy-to-read, incisive informal writing can demystify jargon,
cut straight to the chase and make the case for important policy
issues that are not in the spotlight;
- Weblogs can help set the media agenda - authoritative comment
and analysis on under- or un-reported issues can lead journalists
or others to follow up and write about it;
- For those interested in a specific topic, relevant blogs could
eventually become a leading supplement to traditional print and
online news;
- The feedback loops created by the blog could lead to new audiences
and collaboration opportunities, such as media requests and commissions
(e.g. for op-ed pieces).
Some examples:
Editorial guidelines for blogs
Issues, not Personalities: Many of the blogs on the internet
are personal diaries. Institutional blogs are different - they are
collaborative weblogs, produced by several members of staff to shed
interesting perspectives on topical issues. So focus on hot topics,
issues that are either on the development agenda or issues you think
should be. Writing in the first person is default blogging style.
However, avoid excessively personalising the posts - although you
should by all means link to your previous articles or posts as relevant.
Stick to What You Know and Add Value: Before you write,
make sure your intended topic is within your area of expertise.
Postings will result in feedback - so be prepared to write or speak
in more detail about your area of expertise. If you are not comfortable
about a specific topic, leave it to others. Stick to the facts and
only posit an argument or opinion if you can illustrate it concretely.
Before you post, ask yourself: 'Am I adding value?'
Be Clear, Complete, Concise: Your text should be clear,
complete and concise. Avoid jargon and explain things using simple
language. Make sure your argument or the point you want to make
flows well. Run a spell check before you share your views. Remember,
once you have pressed the 'send' button, your post is in the public
domain! If you make a mistake, quickly correct it and admit your
error, before someone else does it for you.
It's a Two-way Street: The web is all about links; if you
intend to write, make sure you look around and read what others
have posted. Referring to the work of others or linking to it will
provide readers with more material to read, and will also generate
backward linkages. Each post should contain at least one link, ideally
two or three, to work related to the issues being raised.
Be Who You Are: Many bloggers work anonymously, using pseudonyms
or false screen names. To be credible, it may be more effective
to be transparent and honest. In an institutional blog, staff will
usually use their own names (and will have a summary of their expertise
available).
Love Your Audience: You should not post any material that
is obscene, defamatory, profane, libellous, threatening, harassing,
abusive, hateful or embarrassing to another person or to any person
or entity.
Respect Copyright Laws: In order to protect your institution,
you must respect laws governing copyright and fair use of copyrighted
material owned by others. You should never quote more than short
excerpts of someone else's work. Refer to other people's work and
link to it.
Caveat Personal Opinions: If this is an institutional blog,
postings by staff are the institution's liability. However, any
personal comment on particular issues (these are encouraged in blogs!)
should be prefaced or proceeded by a caveat: 'What I'm about to
write/have just written is entirely my personal view, and is not
intended to represent official organisational policy or positions'.
Sources
Further resources
- Civiblog: A resource for those doing civil society work and
wanting a free, hosted blog platform with the ability to aggregate
with other related blogs. 'Civiblog, a one-stop-site for global
civil society. We are tapping into two explosive movements at
once: (i) the growth of the citizen sector and (ii) blogging,
which is an increasingly popular tool with the potential to empower
citizens the world over, one post at a time. Civiblog is completely
free - no hosting costs or licensing fees. Civiblog is targeted
- designed by and for civil society workers. Civiblog is community-driven
- news from around the world, written by you', see: www.civiblog.org/
- Blogging news and resources on Writers Write website, see: www.writerswrite.com/blogging/
- Resources on blogging by the Development Gateway, see: http://topics.developmentgateway.org/ict/rc/BrowseContent.do~source=RCContentUser~folderId=3081
- ICTs for Development blog, see: http://community.eldis.org/ict/
- Ramalingam, Ben (2005) 'The Knowledge and Learning Toolkit',
London: ODI (forthcoming). Especially for practical advice on
how to set up a blog, software packages, and the steps of the
blogging process.
- View this as pdf
(
59kb)
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