Blogging About the Elephants In the Room
No one can ignore the elephant in the room. It’s the subject everyone is whispering about. “Elephants in the room” are the stories you can’t ignore – that are too big to be overlooked. Who can ignore Haiti, for example?
Yesterday was kind of a big day in the United States for a couple of reasons. One, President Barack delivered his first official State of the Union address. And two, Steve Jobs presented Apple’s iPad to the world in San Francisco. There were other stories, but these two remained at the top of Google News all day and are still there this morning.
Should you blog about them?
The answer is quite complex and depends on the niche into which your blog falls, as well as your approach to handling breaking news on a regular basis. Some advice…
If your blog is a multi-author news blog, don’t ignore anything. A quick perusal of Technorati’s Top 100 reveals that almost none of the most read blogs are single-author. They are essential online magazines or newspapers. Blogs may have had their beginnings as personal journals, but the power of blogging couldn’t be missed by major news outlets and even opened the door for new contenders.
If you’re attempting to be a multi-author online magazine that covers everything about a niche, don’t miss the big news stories. Whether you use Google Alerts or a flood of RSS feeds, keep up with what’s happening in your niche. How disappointing would it be for a “tech blog” to miss the iPad?
If your blog is a single-author blog, then you decide, but be aware of where journalism is headed and realize that you might just have a promising future there! Realize that whatever is being written about pushes news to the top of the social web. This is why every blogger is a bit of a journalist, even if many journalists are (quite understandably) uncomfortable with this fact.
If you’re going to break news and cover the big stories, do it well. For example…
- Be first (or somewhere near it). You probably new the iPad was coming, what with all the rumors, so why not have a post half-prepared in draft form, ready to break the moment Steve starts talking.
- Be credible – cite sources. Transcripts of President Obama’s speech were being made available even as it was happening, so your source is provided for you.
- Be opinionated – take a side. It’s your blog, right? People will get the news elsewhere, they’re most likely looking for a fresh perspective or a second angle to consider.
- Be bold enough. We face the temptation to think to ourselves, “What business do I have tackling this?” Tackle it anyway.
- Be ready for reactions. When a story is viral, two things begin to happen. People get tired of it and people develop their own opinions quickly. Hopefully, they’ll voice this on your blog. After all, you want reactions right?
When an elephant is in the room, nobody can really concentrate on anything else whether they are talking about it or not. Leaders point it out. In doing so, we grant people the freedom to pursue conversations about the obvious.
What’s your take? Are bloggers journalists? Should you break stories? Have you broken a story that caused a stir?
photo credit: David Blackwell
Brandon has been doing web and logo design and this blogging thing for about six years. He’s also a Pastor. He lives in Arkansas with his wife and daughter and they’re expecting their second child. You can catch him on Twitter or Facebook.
Insightful post! In my opinion, the news reporting should be left to those who are equipped to handle it–blogs like Mashable and TechCrunch. Anyone else blogging about the basics of the iPad yesterday was just reiterating what they’d already said. The key for the rest of the blogsphere is to be editorial writers, not news reporters. I’ll read any number of blogs that cover what people think about the iPad, or how it’s going to change a particular field like photography or the newspaper industry. But I’m only interested in seeing one (very detailed) report of everything that Jobs actually said when he was unveiling the iPad.
Jeanne, you bring an interesting perspective. I think what you say about remaining editorial is good. It’s funny to see who’s going to break a story first – Mashable, ReadWriteWeb, or TechCrunch.
I am really liking Fuel’s new regularly updated version now. Keep it coming! Nice one
Thanks, Tuhin, will do our best!
Nice post, Brandon.
There are obviously all types of journalism, most notably being mass and personal — the debate in the journalism community that a blogger can or can’t be considered a journalist is absurd … and so 2005!
There’s no question that bloggers are journalists — merriam-webster defines a journalist as a writer who aims at a large audience, a writer or editor for a news medium, and even one who keeps a journal.
No where do they mention that you have to be under contract, work for a conglomerate enterprise, or even be professional … blogger is just another term within the journalism realm — like anchor, reporter, and writer.
I’m agreeing with you more and more as time goes on. But the controversy certainly won’t end anytime soon.
Great topic and awesome title. I think it’s important to be who you are and not try and be unique. By trying to be ‘unique’ you end up being someone who you are not.
I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, I post a hell of a lot everyday and for me it’s worked, but it’s worked because I am who I am warts and all.
Awesome post and will be coming back for sure
Man I’m extremely glad – I like your stuff!