WebRev Blog

Today, we're finishing up our series on group blogging.  We have talked about assigning roles and responsibilities, and sticking to the central theme and focus of the blog, and editing the blog.  Today, let's talk about how to function cohesively as a team.

Nothing is more frustrating for the administrator or editor of a group blog than having an egotistical blogger (or several bloggers), who is an  "individualista," simply blogging away in his own little world, acting as if he are completely unaware that there are other bloggers to consider.  Years ago, there was a comedy meme online encouraging people not to be "that guy."  In that spirit, here are some ways to avoid being that blogger.

1) Read the blog - including the other bloggers' posts.  Does that sound obvious?  You'd be amazed how many times I've been in the position of having to delete or ask bloggers to modify posts on a group blog, because they are a near duplicate of something one of the other bloggers posted earlier in the week.  It is obvious that the second blogger had not read the blog, and was oblivious of what had already been posted.

2) Link to and promote others' posts. This, of course, requires completing #1 above - read the blog.  If you are writing on a topic that another blog writer on your blog has covered, be sure to link to that post.  If you are using social networking to help promote your group blog, you'll be more appreciated on the social networks if you are promoting stories that you did NOT author. 

3) Comment on others' posts.  If you are a writer, you know that few things are more encouraging that having others read and comment on your writing.  As a member of a group blog, you can do a lot to stimulate conversation, develop rapport with the other bloggers, and foster teamwork by making insightful, relevant, informational, or even (tastefully) funny comments on the posts of the other writers. 

Since this is Friday, and we usually try to end with a little "Friday Fun," I'd like to share with you my all-time favorite Superbowl commercial.  This is often what it feels like to try to coordinate a bunch of creative folks.

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is a trainer and tech writer in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. Her weakness is the mocha frappuccino.

We're talking about group blogging this week, and so far we've discussed the assignment of roles and responsibilities, and sticking to the central theme and focus of the blog (harder than it sounds).  Now, let's talk about the role of the person (or team) that is responsible for assuring that the group blog delivers in a consistent manner - the editor.

"There are just two people entitled to refer to themselves as 'we'; one is the editor and the other is the fellow with a tapeworm.  -Bill Nye

 While the above quote is intended to poke fun at the egos of some media editors, there's some truth to it, in that the decisions of the editor(s) of any publication, including a group blog) ultimately reflect on the whole publication, the writers, and the staff.  Consistency is the key.  Whatever style manual an editor prefers to follow on grammar and punctuation should be followed throughout the blog.  The editor needs to be able to make corrections of obvious errors without first consulting the blogger (due to time constraints).  Photo selection and placement should be consistent, as should the fonts used for text and headings.

An editor who wishes to remain in the good graces of the bloggers will not, however, change the content of posts without first consulting the bloggers.  If there is a factual error that really must be corrected, it's usually better to hold off on posting, or temporarily take the post down until the blogger can correct it than to change what was actually written by the blogger.  Remember, respect is earned, and respect is mutual.

The editor(s) usually also handle (or assign someone to handle, with specific guidelines) approving comments.  We have some good information about managing reader comments, here.

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is a trainer and tech writer in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. Her weakness is the mocha frappuccino.

This week, we're discussing some of the joys and challenges unique to group blogging, as opposed to individual blogging.  Yesterday, we talked about assigning responsibilities (role-playing).  Today, let's talk about sticking to the theme of the blog.

Often, a lot of work and forethought goes into deciding what type of blog you want.  That, however, is the easy part, believe it or not.  The hard part is sticking to that central theme or focus.  This is difficult at times, even for an individual blogger.  We'll see something really great that we'd like to share with everyone, and it is often tempting to go ahead and post it to our blog, even though it doesn't fit the stated mission of the blog.  This is not as much of a problem for an individual blogger, however, because readers sometimes appreciate the little glimpse into the personal interests of the bloggers they like.  On a group blog, however, if several people are all posting off-topic jokes, thoughts-for-the-day, interesting "FYI's," and unrelated op-eds all willy-nilly, it isn't long before your blog really has no central theme or focus.

The ultimate "decider" of what is and is-not on-topic is usually the editor, hopefully in agreement with the owner and administrator (especially if these are all the same person).  Depending on the personalities of the bloggers and editing team, this can be a relatively painless, process, or it can be the cause of a lot of personal drama and hurt feelings.  Much of the latter can be prevented by setting clear expectations up-front, and regular, consistent communication regarding the purpose and goals of the blog.

Tomorrow, we'll discuss some of the specific duties and responsibilities of the editor, or editing team.

 Also see:

• What type of blog do you want?
• Long-Term Blogging Series on WebRev

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is a trainer and tech writer in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. Her weakness is the mocha frappuccino.

So, you and a few of your buddies or associates have decided to get together and start a blog.  Or, maybe your company is starting a blog, and the owner of the business has made it clear that "everyone" is "encouraged" to participate by contributing to the blog.  Congrats...you're about to experience the joy of group blogging! 

Group blogging is an entirely different animal in many respects from an individual blog.  An individual blog often reflects the personality of the blogger, whereas a group blog is more centered on the shared interest of the group, whether it be a hobby, a political activity, a business endeavor, or something else.  This week, we're going to talk about some of the unique aspects of blogging as a group, rather than as an individual.  Let's start who does what.

Role-Playing

No, I'm not suggesting Dungeons and Dragons, or signing up for a Second Life account (unless you want to), or even the awkward games that anyone who has been through any sort of corporate training course in the last decade has come to dread.  I'm talking about assigning roles.

"Oh, we'll all just pitch in and help with whatever needs to be done when we can."  That sounds good - but will not work in the long run.  It just won't.  Trust me on this - I've been a part of several of these endeavors, and I'm trying to save you a lot of trouble.  Assign someone to be in charge of designing the blog, of maintaining it, and designing the graphics.  Someone needs to be an editor-in-chief, and (depending on the size of your endeavor) either that person or a group of people working alongside him or her need to be in charge of editing posts (proofreading, fact-checking, checking links, adding categories and tags), and approving comments.  You need writers.  It's fine if (especially on a smaller project) one person fulfills several roles, as long as everyone understands what his or her duties are, and what is expected. 

Plan B

Once everyone has a role or roles, you need to develop a back-up plan for emergencies, and times when someone wants to go on vacation.  Make sure that more than one person has the login information.  If your computer crashes and you only have one tech-savvy person on the team, you may need to hire a professional, but even that professional is going to need to have the passwords.  Ideally, a couple of people on the team will be able to fill in for most of the others for vacations and "days off." 

 Also see:

• What type of blog do you want?
• Long-Term Blogging Series on WebRev

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is a trainer and tech writer in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. Her weakness is the mocha frappuccino.