I heart blogging

In case you haven’t noticed, there has been a lot of talk on the Online Journalism lecture series about blogging. To blog, or not to blog? What makes your blog worth reading?

As I have discussed, Adam Grant-Adamson asked – on his Wordblog – “What is the point of newspaper blogs?” This sentiment was backed by Richard Burton, who said, “Anything that costs has to earn its keep.”

The issue of the worth of blogs to newspapers is a real one, but during the past few months I have found more personal benefits to joining the blogging race. Maybe I am nobody to say what I’ve said, as Richard Burton probably (and perhaps rightly) thinks.

But I’ve found that necessity (as demanded by Diploma assessment) to post on the Online Journalism lectures has forced me to clarify and organise my thoughts on issues the speakers raised. And the necessity of other Diploma students to complete these posts has made me aware of issues I hadn’t thought of.

There’s much talk about how keeping a blog is hard work – and it is. But if you post as things crop up – and, despite my whinging, it doesn’t take that long if you just get on with it – it just becomes habit. And being in the habit of writing something – anything - on the day’s issues is surely valuable journalism training.

At the PTC New Journalist of the Year 2006 Awards, Eve editor Sara Cremer advised budding and practising journalists alike to write something everyday, just to keep practising and stay in the habit. Blogging is surely a good way of doing this – with the added benefit of receiving feedback from others.