Archive for December, 2006

Questions from Course Participants

Kivi Leroux Miller December 22nd, 2006

Each participant in the course was given “author” access to the blog. At the start of the course, they each created a post with their questions about blogging. At the end of the day, as a review exercise, the participants answered each other’s questions by posting answers to the questions as comments on the original posts.

Tanya’s Blogging Questions

blogger6 December 14th, 2006

Is it a good idea to use a blog for university library’s staff news?

Is RSS feed immediate (which would make getting internal library news easiest)?

How bad is it to turn off “comments?”

 

Victoria’s question about blogging

blogger1 December 14th, 2006

If you set up a blog through WordPress, do you need to have your own domain name?

Should bloggers use or avoid email “conventions” (e.g., “LMAO”, smilies)?  What about standard grammar and punctuation?

 

Blogger vs WordPress vs installed software

blogger2 December 14th, 2006

Which method is the best for setting up a blog on a nonprofit site?

We want to have a “gathering place” where women can get together to decide on places we may want to go.

What is the most difficult or risky thing about a  blog?

Heidi’s Questions about Blogging

blogger3 December 14th, 2006

What security measures are in place for individuals who blog?

What liability does our organization have with respect to bloggers who may communicate or meet outside without our knowledge?  Or is this something that should not or doesn’t happen.

 What costs are involved with Wordpress?

 

My questions about blogging

blogger5 December 14th, 2006

1. Why have a blog rather than a website?

2. How does a blog complement a website?

3. What are the communications challenges to blogging?

Becky’s Questions about Blogging

blogger4 December 14th, 2006

Should multiple staff members be allowed to write in the same blog?  What are the pitfalls/benefits of having one staff member be the designated blogger?

What’s the number one thing nonprofits should be careful of when blogging?

Welcome!

Kivi Leroux Miller December 13th, 2006

Welcome to Kivi Leroux Miller’s course blog for “Blogging for Nonprofits.” Instead of a PowerPoint and paper handouts, you’ll be viewing this blog and the links in it as your course materials. If you want paper copies, you can print out the blog back at the office.

A) Blogging Basics

Kivi Leroux Miller December 13th, 2006

What Is a Blog?

  • Web + Log = Blog
  • Online journal of running commentary, in reverse chronological order
  • Lots of links, in sidebar “blogroll” and in posts
  • Posts are categorized by time and topic (aka tags, categories, labels)
  • Content is updated frequently

Blogging Lingo

Giant Blogging Terms Glossary

Some key terms:

  • Post
  • Tag
  • Comment
  • RSS
  • Feed
  • Subscribe
  • Ping
  • Trackback
  • Permalink
  • Comment
  • Blogroll
  • Plug-In / Widget

How Blogs Are Different from Other Online Tools

  • Easy, fast way to communicate
  • Frequently updated (several times a week or more often)
  • Brief entries
  • More personal, informal style (usually)
  • Heavy use of links
  • Technology is generally easier to use and maintain than static websites
  • People can subscribe in numerous ways

How Nonprofits Can Use Blogs

  • Organize information for either internal or external use
  • Communicate more frequently with people
  • Get small bits of information out that wouldn’t warrant a newsletter article
  • Involve staff, community, volunteers, leaders, clients in shared experience = community building
  • Live blogging events as they happen
  • Provoke debate and action on issues
  • Provide resources, tools, information to people more quickly
  • Increase publicity for your organization or issue - can spread from blogosphere to mainstream media
  • Content development tool - cross-pollinate to website, newsletters, e-books, etc.
  • Drive traffic to website - search engines love blogs
  • Can even replace your website if webmastering is beyond your abilities

When NOT to Blog

  • When being informal or personal scares you to death
  • When the thought of publishing something without time for tons of editing/rewrites scares you to death
  • When you can’t make the time commitment
  • When you don’t want other people to comment on what you are doing (either through comments on your blog or on their own blogs)
  • When you can’t articulate how the blog fits into your larger communications strategy

EXERCISE: Your Questions About Blogs - Post Them to This Blog!

Use the login information Kivi gives you and then write a new post in the category “Questions about Blogging.”

B) HOW: Setting Up Your Blog

Kivi Leroux Miller December 13th, 2006

Go to www.Wordpress.com and we’ll set up a practice blog.

  • Basic Setup
  • Posts
  • Pages
  • Themes
  • Categories
  • Links
  • Comments
  • Other Setup Issues

We will also look at a Blogger site to see how these same elements work on another platform: http://www.kivi-blogschool.blogspot.com/

EXERCISE: Come back to this blog and create a new post in the category “Practice Blogs” that gives us the link to your new practice blog at wordpress.com.

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