About
two months after the debut of "Notes from the Newsroom," The Oklahoman held a brown-bag workshop on blogging. Called "The Blog Backlog," the workshop was requested by the newsroom's training committee. Reporters wanted to learn more.
Assistant entertainment editor George Lang, business writer Don Mecoy and I led 25 reporters and editors in a lively discussion, focused not on "if" but when, how and what to blog.
The crowd was positive, but some of the journalists cited challenges, including knowing what's acceptable and writing in first person. Staff writer Randy Ellis, who attended the workshop, was one such individual. "I think blogs have tremendous potential for engaging readers and we should try to find ways to embrace that.," he said. "However, as a journalist, I have concerns about writing in first person and expressing opinions on blogs. I still believe it is important for readers and news sources to view us as constantly striving to be objective."
Mecoy led a how-to on the software used in blogging, and Lang talked about blog time management.
"For many of the journalists who attended this presentation, blogging was uncharted territory," he said. "But since then, several attendees have come to me, looking for specific help with getting started. These writers were excited about this new outlet for their work, and once they posted their first blog entries, they were hooked."
