‘Anonymous’ made the comment that “Blogs are great! The problem is they never focus on long term solutions.”
I sum up my blogging experience as...One day I knew practically nothing about bloggers and the next day I was one.
When the Daily Times told me that they selected me to be the Chester blogger and gave me the password to get started, I didn’t have a clue how or where to start. I’m slowly getting accustomed to the Google Blogger tool and some of the ancillary tools that make it engaging.
But, of course, no matter how pretty or slick the blog site is, it all comes down to content.
I recently plowed through a social networking book and here’s what the author said about blogs...
- A blog is a format for regularly updating information and easily delivering it to your audience.
- Most blogs are boring personal trivia, self-centered blathering, superficial marketing, or rarely updated with anything worth reading. 99% of them are worthless.
- If you have something to say that people are interested in, then start a blog. Otherwise shut up.
- The last thing anyone needs is your “me, too” blog with uninspired or self-promotional content.
- A blog is a commitment to a long-term relationship with your audience with a consistent publishing schedule that requires regular updating with high-quality material.
- Post topics that are informative and useful to your audience.
- Solve problems; Encourage interaction; Be provocative; Don’t waste anyone’s time; Share the load (not everything on your blog has to be written by you).
- Blog content hierarchy should be in this order: Actionable, Useful, Interesting, Inspiring, Entertaining, Titillating.
Those are great marching orders for a novice like me and I’m proud to have already hit on many of the key points.
‘Anonymous’ seems to be looking for this blog to be more ‘Actionable’ and to ‘Encourage more Interaction’. I really believe this blog is moving in that direction. As we get more eyes on this site and more people responding to each other (and not just to me) I really expect that The Chester City Blog will become a focal point of community change.
If I were a CIO and had to deliver my first quarterly report, I’d be proud to say that the blog was created in mid March and has presented nearly 200 unique items of information directly focused on Chester issues, residents, businesses, education, sports, culture, crime, as well as stories from outside of Chester that we should be aware of.
We have incorporated photos and videos to enhance the blogs. We post content from events that we attend and from email submissions within 12 hours of receiving them. We maintain a community calendar of events for an at-a-glance peek at what’s going on around town. We launched a newsletter for folks to receive the new blogs in their inbox without having to visit the blog. We post to Facebook and Twitter.
Coming soon will be discount and FREE offers to newsletter subscribers from local merchants. Also coming is a page where all the past survey results and videos will reside. In June we will introduce a weekly audio podcast that will serve as The Chester Blogger radio program presenting an audio summery of the blogs of the week.
In the next quarter, we are looking for more people to be introduced to the blog through consistent promotion and word of mouth. We seek more people to comment on blogs and fill in the comment blocks to let us know if we’re on point. We’re just as excited to see ‘Worthless’ as we are with ‘Inspired’.
We must constantly educate residents, businesses, government, and social agencies how important their contributions are this blog. We must twist arms to get these same folks to send us their calendar of events.
Finally, we look for your continued input, especially when it comes to information and issues you consider ‘Actionable’ and would ‘Encourage more Interaction.’
There is no other real-time vehicle getting information out to Chester folks.
We’re still very new at this and your input will help chart our growth to greatness.
Stefan
The blogs have improved but there are problems signing up through the emails...
ReplyDeleteI teach an integrated technology class. We use computer programs like power point to enhance our class work experience. We use the internet to research for projects. I would like to expand my student's technology experience for the up coming school year. I think that commenting to your blogs on what's going on in Chester would be a great interactive experience for them which they would get class credit. Blogging would be a great learning experience. I think this will also enhance the C-City Pride.
ReplyDeleteI would like you to come out and speak to my students in the beginning of the year to set this in motion. Will you be our guess speaker?
Let me know if you are interested.
I assume you're speaking of the newsletter? What is the problem? Signing up, delivery, content? Gimme some details. You may not be alone although we're getting subscribers daily.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to be your guest speaker and I'd love for your students to become guest bloggers.
ReplyDeleteSound like a lot of fun.
Contact me from the email link at the top of the page (ccityblogger@gmail.com)