Should journalists blog

The debate about whether journalists should blog or not continues.This time Bobbie Johnson suggests that it might not be in everyone's interest to.


He comes up with a number of points

1. That journalists foremost have a job to do and good blogging is a full time occupation
2. That it is not just writing in a different place but involves engagement and is opinion writing foremost.
3. That blogs dont necessarily address the needs of the reader

and concludes

"I’m not trying to suggest that NO newspaper journalists should have a blog. In fact I think most journalists should take some time to learn about the different ways of interacting with their readers. In the most raw terms, blogs can generate great leads, and in more ephemeral terms they can teach us a lot about our readers.
A lot of journalists might find blogging liberating, exciting and productive. But assuming that journalist’s experiences are going to tally with the experiences of ordinary bloggers, I’d say that a large number of them will find it time-consuming and unrewarding and give up quickly."

Bobbie hints at the reasons why journalists should blog.It connects them with their audience ,brings a good deal of contact with new ideas and people and means that they are operating in the real world.

Blogging is the internet equivilent of chasing leads and getting ideas if it is done properly

And this from Mindy McAdams

My two cents: If you (a) want to blog, and (b) think you can post once a day, Monday through Friday, indefinitely -- give it a whirl. Why not? It's free. You already know how to write. Try it and see.After a while, as you get into Technorati, FeedBurner, stats, etc., you'll find out if you like it -- and whether you are able to build an audience. If you can't build an audience, give it up. I require my journalism students to blog just so they can find out, firsthand, what it's like to write every day. To try to find something meaningful to write about. Every day. To try to get people to pay attention to you. To plug into conversations and informal online communities. Some of them find out they really like it. Others discover the opposite. Some of them are terrible at it. Some take to it like little ducklings tossed into a pond.