With all the talk about the threatened closing of the Star-Telegram, I began to consider what bloggers could do to support the city if we no longer have a city paper. I think there’s  lot of speculation about this, and some have had great hopes that the revenue stream that newspapers have historically enjoyed will switch over to the blogosphere. I don’t see that happening, because the replacement for large display ads in newspapers is not clickable logo boxes on blogs, but webpages that interested readers find by searcihng Google when they want to go to the store. There should be some growth in blog ad revenue, but I doubt blogging will become a good way to get rich.

If that doesn’t scare you off, you are probably interested to read my “steps to become a citizen journalist.”

1) Chose a specific, discrete focus for your blog. Regional blogs are just beginning to appear and tend to focus on lifestyle, even more specifically on music, art, or restaurants. People with connections in other areas might consider sports, hard news, or business. National blogs probably need to keep to a carefully and narrowly selected niche.

2) Check the keywords you’re focusing on and see if there are other blogs on the subject. Decide where you will fit into the market.

3) Chose your blog’s name and make sure it is available as a URL Buy your own domain and use a blogging platform such as WordPress to set it up. You do not have to be a programmer to do this, you just need to follow the steps that are available at the WordPress site and others.

4) Make a plan as to how often you will post. Daily or more is the gold standard; weekly is the minimum.

5) Write your posts, keeping to the schedule you decided on. Find new information about your community and share it, on your blog, along with your personal responses and ideas. Best practice is to keep posts to 500 words or less, though sometimes we all find that difficult.

6) Form a network with other bloggers in your subject area, commenting meaningfully on their blogs.

7) Do social media if you can, if you can’t, make sure you still blog regularly and comment regularly.

8 ) Keep your day job. The financial outlook for the average citizen journalists is not a living wage. Maybe someday, but in the meantime, you should write because you want to, not because you hope to get rich.  Think of the service you provide to your readers, and pay it forward. I’m not sure what it will lead to, but as they say no good act is ever wasted.

9) Yes, you will learn as you go.