Blog grades

Just finished grading your blogs. Although I subscribed and read them all semester, I really enjoyed looking at your work and the progress you’ve all made over the past few months.

I have the grades sheets with your score and my comments — I’ll be in my office all day tomorrow (Wed.) and Thurs. afternoon if you want to see yours.

Maymester opportunity

Just heard there are still some openings in JOUR 5990, Multimedia Journalism. The class is collaborating with the Greenville (S.C.) News to study water issues on the Ga.-S.C. border. You’d be learning all about video and online stuff with Mark Johnson, Grady’s photojournalism prof and @markejohnson on Twitter. If you’re looking for a Maymester class and are interested in online, video, etc., this is the class for you!

Blogging update

FYI, I’ve been through the student blogs listed on the New PR wiki and just want to make sure you know that many of you will get a 0 for participation in the international student consortium (5% of your final grade) — I only found a few comments from WOM class students on the blogs listed there.

And before anyone asks: yes, it is too late to comment now!

A must-read for WOMmers

Check this out: Can Word-of-Mouth Marketing Get Me in Trouble? — an informative post from Andy Sernovitz.

SMPR update

FYI, today SHIFT Communications released an updated version of the social media press release. We discussed their first template in class. Here’s the second.

Teaching PR has moved

FYI, my teaching blog has moved to a new site: http://www.teachingpr.org — I bought my own domain name and put it on a Typepad platform. I’d be glad to share info with you if you want to consider this for your own blog (someday, like after finals).

Comments about comments

Cross-posted to Teaching PR blog.

 

I promised my WOM class students a post on “commenting” — how to write good comments, how to get good comments on a blog. It’s long overdue, but here goes:

 

Writing comments on a blog post

• A blog is a conversation, so your comment is not just tolerated, it’s welcomed.
• A comment should help build a conversation by saying something new, providing more information, or suggesting other relevant posts or stories.
• It’s okay to disagree, but a blog belongs to a person, not the community at large. Therefore, treat the blogger with the same respect you would treat a host in a home.
• Skip the “I agree” and “you’re so wonderful” comments. They do nothing to extend the conversation, and only tend to make you look silly. If you really want to say that you like something they said, explain why in a way that adds to the discussion.
• Don’t just use comments as a way to publicize your own posts. Unless you’ve written something absolutely and completely relevant to the discussion, don’t link to yourself.
• If a post inspires you to write a lengthy response, it may be better to write your own post and link to the original. In that case, it would be OK to write a comment explaining that.
• The half-life of a post is pretty short. In general, you should comment within a few days of the original posting.
• Bear in mind that sometimes an e-mail message may be more appropriate than a comment.

Recommended reading: 5 Comments No Serious Blogger Should Ever Post, Tiffany Monhollon; Geek to Live: Lifehacker’s Guide to Weblog Comments, Gina Trapani

Inspiring comments on your own blog

• Ask for them. Ask a question, tell your readers you want to know what they think.
• Respond to comments when you get them. If someone has taken the time to respond, you can take the time, too. It may be hard sometimes, particularly if the comment is of the “I agree” variety, but try to engage the person in a conversation.
• Just as you should be a gracious visitor, be a gracious host.
• Return the favor. If the commenter leaves a link, follow it to their blog. If you find something useful or engaging, leave a comment. If not, check back another day. Chances are, you’re interested in some of the same things.
• Some people suggest writing controversial or purposely provocative posts. These certainly can inspire comments, but you’d better be sure you can handle the spotlight before you try this tactic, especially if you’re new to the field.
• A few words on the technical aspects: If you moderate comments, post them quickly. People aren’t likely to wait around for responses if they’re slow to come. Similarly, enabling subscriptions to the comments allows people to follow the conversation without checking back to your original post.

Recommended reading: 10 Techniques to Get More Comments on Your Blog, Darren Rowse; 5 Easy Ways to Make Your Comments Section a Conversation, Tiffany Monhollon; Want More Comments on Your Blog?, Mack Collier

Why do you blog?

Darren Rowse has organized a group video project on “Why I Blog.” All you have to do is create a video, upload it to YouTube (or other videosharing site), provide a link to Darren, and he’ll include you in a mashup video (combining everyone’s entries into one video).

I think at least one student should be on there saying, “I blog because my professor makes me.”

More fame and fortune

Your list of tools, skills and characteristics earned a blog post on Research Goddess today.

It’s only a matter of time until you are all rich and famous. Just remember Grady College in your future charitable donations.

Making a link

Anonymous, here’s how you make a link.