I’ve recently been dabbling with the idea of starting my own blog. The thought of having a creative outlet to discuss both personal and important issues seems like a refreshing way to connect to the outside world – it’s just the commitment I’m having problems with.
I recently read a New York Times article that made me realize that although blogging is no doubt time consuming, it’s not impossible by any means. Media moguls such as Mark Coatney, senior editor at Newsweek, are investing their time in Tumblr, one of many up-and-coming blog services.
Coatney has also helped Newsweek to gear up on their Facebook and Twitter accounts, and is now taking on blogging as a new way to reach readers. His Tumblr posts even landed him a job at the company.
Although Newsweek is somewhat newer to the social media scene compared to others, it’s interesting to see that traditional media companies are realizing the value that social media can have for their business. At the same time, I wonder how they are finding the time to commit to yet another outlet other than their publication?
Veterans in the industry such as Om Malik of GigaOM and Tom Foremski of Silicon Valley Watcher have led the way towards this new kind of journalism. Om had 15 years of experience in journalism prior to starting the GigaOM network, backing away from more traditional media and putting all his energy into his site. Tom Foremski, a former Financial Times writer, has also been successful in steering his career to offer his expertise in blogging form.
Because blogging has become such a popular way to reach young readers, is it now expected that traditional media companies also invest their time and effort into these outlets? To me, it seems like it could only work in their favor.
As the article states, in the past, publications didn’t have a way to interact with their readers, other than the mundane “Letters to the Editor” section. Blogging is unique in that readers can directly respond to each post, without having to go through the process of submitting a formal letter that would most likely be edited down to something completely different than their original statement.
I think the merging of social media in traditional outlets is not only smart, but also inspiring. I’m definitely a strong advocate for keeping traditional forms of media around, but am personally excited to explore what avenues such as Tumblr have to offer. It will be interesting to see how other publications will incorporate blogging into their repertoire.
I'm beginning to think if these busy journalists can do it, I really have no excuse. Stay tuned, you may see my own site pop up shortly!
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