Posts in category Voices: Blogs, etc.

Washington Post: Pros & Cons of Closing a Blog\’s Comments

Jan20
2006 4 Comments Written by Amy Gahran

(NOTE: I cross-posted this from Poynter’s E-Media Tidbits blog.)

Yesterday, at 4:15 ET, the editors of WashingtonPost.com indefinitely shut down comments on one of the paper’s weblogs, post.blog. Jim Brady, executive editor of WashingtonPost.com explained that this was due to profanity and hate speech evident in the torrent of contentious comments about the Jan. 15 column by ombudsman Denise Howell concerning the paper’s coverage of the Jack Abramoff story.

I can completely understand this decision, although I’m not sure whether it was the right move…

Posted in Content Style & Business, Media Musings

10 Reasons Why Blogs Are Awkward for Conversation

Jan19
2006 Leave a Comment Written by Amy Gahran

One reason why I’m a bit frustrated with what I see as “blog myopia” rather than a broader recognition of conversational media (of which blogging is but a part) is that blogs have a lot of drawbacks.

Yes, blogs can facilitate certain aspects of the public conversation – very well in many cases.

Also: Blogs are a clunky, imperfect, limited, primitive form of conversational media. In fact, sometimes they can inhibit conversation, or even be used (consciously or unconsciously) to dodge conversation.

So in a way, it kind of bugs me that blogs are currently such a high-profile aspect of conversational media, because I don’t think they’re necessarily a great exposure to the experience. But then again, all conversational-media tools, even e-mail lists, have their own set of drawbacks.

So just to put these on the table, here are 10 reasons why I think blogs aren’t always great for conversation…

(Read the full article at The Right Conversation…)

Posted in Conversations

Ghostwritten Executive Blogs Are Popular, but Are They Good?

Jan17
2006 4 Comments Written by Amy Gahran

On Jan. 4, David Davis, a speechwriter and corporate communications pro, published the results of a business blogging survey he commissioned. His researchers surveyed 750 business executives from the US, UK, South Africa, and Australia who publish company weblogs. Intriguingly, only 17% of these executives write their own blogs.

Hmmm, might a ghostwritten blog be a viable option, after all? I didn’t used to think so, but this survey has me wondering.

But first, a reality check…

Posted in Content Style & Business, Real World Writing

Conversational Agoraphobia: What\’s Holding Business Blogs Back?

Jan11
2006 2 Comments Written by Amy Gahran

In a recent private conversation, a well-known blogger and I were discussing the problems that can arise when the people in charge of a business blog are too focused on maintaining a sense of total control.

My colleague expressed a Zen-like principle. To paraphrase, his point was: “Credibility comes by releasing control over the conversation, because you gain credibility when you listen, and when you speak authentically.”

This, of course, runs completely opposite to prevailing corporate culture which often mistakes “credibility” for authority or power.

The problem is, if you significantly control or constrain a public conversation (beyond filtering out spammers, of course), you’re demonstrating power and you may even gain a certain amount of authority. However, you’ll only lose credibility in the process…

(Read the full article at The Right Conversation…)

Posted in Content Style & Business, Conversations

Right Conversation: Recent Articles

Jan10
2006 Leave a Comment Written by Amy Gahran

I promise, I will be posting more to Contentious… but in the last week I’ve been surprised and pleased by how well my new weblog on conversational media, The Right Conversation has been taking off. Lots of good discussion happening there!

Here are the latest articles I’ve published over there:

JAN 3: JournURL Combines Blogging and Forums: About and interesting blogging tool that provides rich support for online conversations.
JAN 3: What a Cross-Blog Conversation Looks Like: Example, and tips for participating in cross-blog conversations.
JAN 4: Where Did “Conversational Media” Come From?: Acknowledging some people who were mulling this emerging field over long before I heard the term.
JAN 5: The Elevator Speech for Conversational Media: I’m trying to figure out a very sort way to convey the core concept and value of conversational media in, say, ten words or less.
JAN 7: Blogs as a Barrier to Conversation: For the people who like them, blogs are a great conversational media tool. But blogs definitely are NOT for everyone.
JAN 9: Building a Successful Blog Through Conversation: On Jan 1, Kent Newsome explained why he thinks “It’s Impossible to Build a New Blog in 2006.” His reasons are intriguing, so that article is worth a read. I disagree with him, though.

Posted in Content Style & Business, Conversations, Media Musings, Resources

Why I Replaced My Brochure Site with a Blog

Jan02
2006 Leave a Comment Written by Amy Gahran

One of the reasons I launched my new weblog,”The Right Conversation,” is that I’d quietly grown embarrassed by the static site I’d been using as an online brochure for my professional skills.

My old Gahran.com site had degenerated into a “cobweb” because it was a relative hassle to maintain. I hadn’t updated it in a long time, and it featured some broken links. That’s not good marketing.

Yes, I’ll admit it, I’ve gotten spoiled by the simplicity, speed, and flexibility of blogging tools. But that’s not the only reason why I’ve killed Gahran.com and redirected all the traffic from that domain to my new blog. The thing is, a weblog can serve as both a brochure and a conversation.

Here’s how I’ve done that, in this case…

(Read the full article at The Right Conversation…)

Posted in Amy's Adventures, Content Style & Business, Media Musings

The Trouble with Blog Comments

Jan02
2006 Leave a Comment Written by Amy Gahran

Weblogs are currently one of the most lively and provocative types of conversational media, all because of one simple feature: Comments. Blogs that allow comments are transformed from mere publishing to a facet of the public conversation.

The problem is, though, that’s right now it’s just not as easy as it should be to follow that part of the conversation. Here’s what I mean…

I see three basic problems with following conversations that occur in blog comments…

(Read the full article on my new blog, The Right Conversation…)

Posted in Conversations, Resources

Just Updated: Women in Podcasting Blogdigger Group

Nov22
2005 Leave a Comment Written by Amy Gahran

Want to subscribe to all the shows in my Women in Podcasting list all at once? Check out the Women in Podcasting Blogdigger Group – it contains all the feeds in in my list of currently active podcasts that are hosted/co-hosted by women.

Here’s how you can use that group to subscribe to all those podcasts at once…
READ MORE »

Posted in Audio Show, Resources

Now in OPML: Women in Podcasting List

Nov22
2005 1 Comment Written by Amy Gahran

OK, feast your eyes. I’ve finished a first draft of the Women in Podcasting List, reworked as an OPML outline so it’s easier to maintain (and share maintenance duties).

HERE’S THE LIST! Click that link to check it out via the free service OPML Manager.

IMPORTANT: How to navigate this list. It’s a rendered OPML file, which is a bit different from an ordinary web page. Visually, this list looks like a series of nested outline items. (You’ll probably see a folder icon displayed to the left of each item.) Wherever you see a “+” mark next to an item, click on that to expand the view to see what’s inside. Similarly, a “-” mark indicates that you can collapse that item, or that the item cannot be expanded further.

NOTE: This is only a first draft! It’s not completely how I want it yet, but it’s a start. I’ll be working on it more later.

Here are a few important caveats to bear in mind about this first draft…
READ MORE »

Posted in Audio Show, Resources

Writers and Blogs: Links for Today\’s Talk

Nov16
2005 3 Comments Written by Amy Gahran

As I mentioned yesterday, today I’m speaking at the Boulder Press Club monthly luncheon. My topic is: What Writers Really Need to Know About Blogs.

Here are a few links I expect to be mentioning in that talk…

Posted in Amy's Adventures, Content Style & Business, Conversations