8 job blogs I’m learning something from
At the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, I’m working with one of our reporters on developing a jobs blog to tackle The Big Issue of our current economy. Been looking around for examples we can learn from. Here’s what I’ve come up with…and some of what I’ve been trying to learn that we can apply to our own new blog.
- Most of these are reading assignments. In most cases, their items are 10, 15, 20 inches long. Sorry, but this needs to be a breezier, easier read. People shouldn’t feel like they’re getting a reading assignment when they visit the blog.
- They don’t have much personality for the most part. Exceptions, yes, But they need attitude, conversational writing, a sense of humor. It’s a grim topic. Liven it up. Suppose we had a “Tales from Dilbertdom” category?
- They are, for the most part, advice-oriented. Ours should have elements of advice, but we can’t depend on that as a source for blog items. How many times can you explain how to write a resume, effectively network, answer interview questions?
- This needs to be updated frequently. The best ones of these are very current.
And, to be clear, I would really welcome more suggestions if there’s a blog out there you know about. By the way: Got ideas for a name? Read more
Interesting stuff I saw online from Oct. 11 to Oct. 16
Here’s some of the stuff I thought was interesting while stomping through the Internet from Oct. 11 through Oct. 16:
- Alton Telegraph fights subpoena over Web posters' identities – Metro-east news – Belleville News Democrat – "The newspaper argues in its motion that Web site posters are protected sources because 'in the digital age a newspaper or reporter receiving information in this fashion is no different from anonymous tips provided to newspaper reporters telephonically or in written form.'"
- Blogging journalists: pt.2: Blogs and news ideas: “The canary in the mine” | Online Journalism Blog – "For blogging journalists, blogs have disrupted the traditional processes of journalism in a number of ways. Respondents spoke of a clearer perception of audience needs and interests as a result of comments and visitor statistics, which in turn fed into the choice of topics and angles to cover."
- How Much Do Top Tier Bloggers and Social Media Consultants Get Paid? We Asked Them! – From ReadWriteWeb: "We asked 20 top-tier tech bloggers and social media consultants to tell us how much they get paid, by the post, by the hour or by the month – however their rates are set. Half of them told us, on the condition that we wouldn't disclose who they were or where they worked. "
- Oregon Shield Law Protects Anonymous Commenter from Citizen Media Law Project – "According to the Portland Mercury, staff writer Amy Ruiz wrote a post in January 2008 about Portland mayoral candidate Sho Dozono. In the comments section, a site user going by "Ronald" posted negative comments about Dozono's ties to a local businessman, Terry Beard. The same commenter allegedly posted similar statements on the Willamette Week site. Beard filed a motion to compel the two online newspapers to give up "Ronald's" IP address before an Oregon state court. The two competitors teamed up to oppose the discovery request and won. "
Kurt's Tweets- Realizing how woefully out of touch I have been with this part of the county. (@ Saint Louis Bread Company) http://4sq.com/5z5Bfh
- Just had my first Gmail phone call -- with my parents -- and the quality was fantastic. Wow. http://tcrn.ch/a8GndI
- Another day, another interview. Fingers crossed. (@ Saint Louis Bread Co) http://4sq.com/avGImL
- Helping my son learn the first 20 elements on the periodic table. Disturbed by how many more elements there are since I studied this stuff.
- Giving blood. (@ St. Martin's Episcopal Church) http://4sq.com/aiWuEk