Thinking of Starting An Education Blog? Here's A Few Tips

Thinking of Starting An Education Blog? Here's A Few Tips

By Patti Ghezzi

Every paper should have some type of honest community forum on education--the subject is too important not to. I started my own blog for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in January, 2005 in hopes of finding a home for details in my reporter's notebook that never made it into my stories.

"Get Schooled" has turned out to be much more than a dumping ground for random school observations and quotes. Instead, the blog became a raw, unfiltered conversation about public education. If you or your newspaper does enter the exciting and rapidly expanding "blogosphere" you may find a new audience at a time when newspapers need enthusiastic readers more than ever.

The number of people reading Internet blogs on the top 10 U.S. newspaper websites had more than tripled in December 2006 from a year earlier, according to Nielsen/Net Ratings. Traffic to blog sites of the largest Internet newspapers rose from 1.2 million in December 2005 to 3.8 million a year later.

My blog provided insight into what people in my community are thinking and feeling about education. For example, some people don't think education should be a civil right. They may advocate kicking out kids who don't want to learn so the "good" kids can get the attention they deserve. Some think teachers have cushy jobs and are overpaid.

"I'm a Georgia teacher, gimme, gimme, wah...wah," reads one comment to the blog. And teachers ... they wish parents would school their kids on manners. Blog postings reveal the simmering tensions that cut to the bone of why some public schools are in such a mess. In short, those who participate in the "Get Schooled,'' community get buck naked about topics rarely covered in the stories I wrote for the newspaper, and helped inform my education reporting.

One of the biggest obstacles to starting a blog is fear on the part of the reporter that it will create extra work and pressure. With staff cuts in newsrooms, education writers are being asked to expand their coverage area and increase their productivity. Many probably feel like they can't take on another project. In my experience posting does not have to take more than five minutes, if you bounce off a story you can link to.

Another obstacle can be editors who fear their reporter's time and attention will be directed away from the print product. I would hope in this era that would not be considered a negative. Our industry has to be competitive online as well as in print, and blogs are a way to be interactive, fresh and reader-friendly.

Here are a dozen tips on how to start a blog, as well as some lessons I've learned along the way.

Come up with a name that sets the tone. I wanted "Get Schooled," to have an attitude, and readers understood that from the title.
Decide how you will blog and practice before you launch. The Atlanta-Journal Constitution set me up with blogging software called movable type, but other papers use Blogspot, which is free.

Make it a habit to post every weekday and it won't feel like a chore. I find topics in the features, business and sports sections as well as the op-ed pages. Write tightly and with authority, but cultivate a chatty tone.

Launch on a big day for education news. By coincidence, "Get Schooled,'' debuted the day a big decision came down on evolution and drew hundreds of comments in a few hours.
Beg your sources, friends and colleagues to post comments. Offer as giveaways all those education books shoved under your desk. Talk up your blog at school board meetings and other places where education types gather.

If your post has been up for half a day and no one has commented, call your mother and your best friend. When it comes to education, everybody has an opinion and can contribute.

Insist on good play off your newspaper's main page so readers can find you. Write a story introducing your blog. Ask for house ads, radio promos, anything to get the word out.
Once readers start participating, resist the temptation to control the conversation. I only delete posts that are obscene or contain racial slurs. At the AJC, we have a user agreement that addresses libel.

Lure readers in with juicy topics like what the punishment should be for parents who lie about their addresses to gain entrance to the best schools. Invite comments with lines like, "You be the judge," or "You be the board member."
Bounce off topics parents are talking about—such as whether prizes for perfect attendance encourage kids to come to school sick—instead of featuring the latest policy-oriented think tank report.

Vary your topics. If you talk about the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind one day, go with whether male teachers should hug students the next.
Don't take it personally when readers use your blog to criticize you or the newspaper. Respond if you must, but don't get defensive.

Finally, even though your blog may feel like your own, to keep the blog fresh plan to hand over the reins down the road or when going on vacation. Now that I'm on adoption leave from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, education reporter Bridget Gutierrez is bringing new energy to "Get Schooled.'' ƕ

The Get Schooled Blog was a 2005 finalist in the service category of the Online News Association's Online Journalism Awards. Patti Ghezzi, an education reporter for nine years, welcomes blogging questions at pattighezzi@hotmail.com. She is currently on leave from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.