Recruit the best and link to the rest

In recent weeks we've seen foodblogger Amy recruited to blog for the Condenast owned Epicurious. Freakonomics has migrated lock, stock and blog to the opinion section of the New York Times. Brian Stelter of the TVNewser blog was also recruited by the New York Times. Then, just this week, there are rumours that the Cleveland Plain Dealer is interested in hiring four popular political bloggers. The current trend, if there is one, is about getting experienced bloggers onto newspaper and magazine blogs, but not necessarily into print.

From working with ScooptWords - where we tried to sell blog content to print publications - I quickly realised that most bloggers simply don't give a shit about selling stories and writing for the press. A tiny proportion cared. A yet smaller proportion of those were up to task. But, what's happening now is different. Bloggers are being recruited to blog, not to write for print.

Why are newspapers and magazines recruiting bloggers? What's in it for them? What, in effect, are they buying?

With bucketloadsa lolly being ploughed into digital, most journalists still have little or no experience of blogging. Even fewer have a deep understanding as to why online journalism differs from print. Whereas tonnes of bloggers have that knowledge. It makes sense to recruit experienced bloggers to steer some newspaper blogs. In the long run, it's probably cheaper too and far more likely to succeed than going to all the expense of training a print journalist, who isn't really interested and who may or may not ever be any good at it anyway. Plus, most experienced bloggers have a sizable online contact list and some have developed large communities around their blogs. If the community comes with the blogger... what price do you put on that?

Another question, if newspapers want to nurture star bloggers, and they need them, how do you quantify a "star"?

Number of posts? Number of comments? Degree of engagement with commenters? Inbound links? Outbound links? Journalistic skill? Writing style? Consistency? An always-online lifestyle? All are factors and perhaps some more important than others. But I don't really know exactly what criteria a newspaper would use to gauge the success or otherwise of a particular blogger.

Whenever I'm asked to talk to print publications about starting blogs there's invariably an assumption that the more senior staff and the 'celebrity journalists' will be the ones blogging. To which I always reply,

"Maybe your star blogger isn't the editor or the 'sleb columnist. In fact, the chances are your star blogger almost definitely is not either of those people. The first question you have to ask is, who's interested in writing a blog? Maybe your star blogger is the photocopy boy or the tea girl. Someone who's passionate about sommit and interested in blogging. That's who you start with."

While the idea of 'covering what you do best and linking to the rest' still applies, with more digital dough floating about, it increasingly makes sense to try and recruit the best too - if you can still afford them that is...

Comments

[Hsien Lei]

You raise some interesting points, Graham. I find that most people looking to hire professional bloggers, both inside and outside mainstream media, have no clue how much work it really takes and are thus unwilling to offer a competitive rate. I've personally gone from believing that blogging can be a main source of income to using blogging as a way to promote myself for other far more lucrative activities, such as consulting.

[Graham Holliday]

"both inside and outside mainstream media, have no clue how much work it really takes and are thus unwilling to offer a competitive rate."

There's that for now, but when the advertisers and whathaveyou follow, money will too. However, I'd be extremely surprised if the freakonomics crew did not get at least a 6 figure sum.

And of course, you're right about the opportunities stemming from your blog. However, I do think there's a pretty sound economic and business reason to hire experienced bloggers as full-time staff.

[ourman]

"...the advertisers and whathaveyou follow, money will too."

Wasn't it pandering to these people that made our newspapers quite as insipid as they became and why people preferred to read blogs instead?

Blogs were better back when the whole point was a complete absence of financial considerations.

[Graham]

Good point :) I await the 'blogger recruite to newspaper resigns, starts blogging again' headline with baited breath :)

Although I see your point, this isn't really my argument. Just from a newspaper editor's point of view he might save cash and might get better work - at least in the short term - from an experienced blogger. And that IS NOT a rallying call to pay bloggers peanuts - the old adage with monkeys applies.

Just out of interest ourman, if I had a full time blogging job for you that covered the rent and put food on the table, would you take it? Even with the inevitable advertising :)

[ourman]

Probably yes. But possibly no.

I actually did do some commercial blogging for a while but realised fairly quickly that my heart wasn't in it and quit. I was very aware that whereas if I was blogging I could link to just about everyone and they'd be happy to get what traffic I could send. But with a commercial blog I was always concerned that people wouldn't let me use their flickr pic for example because I was selling something.

Now okay, that is not the same as writing for a magazine or newspaper but just because you're writing for a blog, as opposed to say, an in-house newsletter, doesn't automatically make it fun. If you're writing to fit someone else's brief then you're just as much a copywriter as a blogger.

On the other hand, if someone wants to buy my humble blog and transport it to the pages of a half decent newspaper then I'm in.

So yes, for the most part, most of us would take the money. But that doesn't mean that what we blog about would be any good. In general, adding commercial considerations to news or comment tends to water it down.

My point is this - it is great to see newspapers utilising bloggers. It is great to see bloggers making money. But blogging was (and occasionally still is) fantastic because it was neither part of old media nor had advertisers to deal with it - nor PRs, boards of directors, politicians etc.

I know you have watched Outfoxed, well imagine the pressure on a blogger working for Murdoch media. Bloggers once brought into the fold would be subject to the same subtle censorship.

Blog for the Daily Mail and write about how asylum seekers get a raw deal - do you think that post would ever see the light of day?

Okay so if you're writing about food then great. But even, as an example, writing celeb gossip for a newspaper blog would be radically different to writing for your own audience.

Imagine the first time Beckham's "people" cut ties with a major newspapers because their blogger has slagged or libeled him. If you're part of their machinery then you have much wider responsibilities.

It's not an especially original thought but I remember writing three or four years ago that blogging was to journalism what punk was to music. It stripped it all down, cut out the bollocks and it was angry, relevant and anyone could have a go.

...maybe we just hit New Wave, or even worse still, New Romantic.

We're in danger of giving up the Sex Pistols for Spandau Ballet.

[Karen]

Graham, I'd like to know your thoughts: Do bloggers bring the same professional and ethical standards to a publication (even if it is online)? How do you think hiring non-journalists affects the information presented? What makes a journalist a journalist? When is a blogger a journalist? Do you see a difference between the blogging journalist and the non-journalist blogger? Do readers?

[Graham]

OK Ourman, you're clearly coming from the blogger's point of view - rather than the newspaper editors, which was where I came in, albeit in an imaginary sense...

I've also talked about blogging for commercial outlets and I just couldn't see it working for me. It could only ever work *if* you wee given total editorial freedom (yeah, right...) and you loved the product i.e. Twiglets, Irn Bru, HP Sauce, Mushy peas etc.

Even though things have moved on since we first communicated, there's still a long way to go. And maybe with the rise of social networks, blogs will lose their importance and effect. In which case, if they still exist, they'll always be punk, but more Jimmy Pursey than John Lydon...

For me, I could only ever consider blogging for stuff I'm into, really into. Otherwise, it just would not work for anyone. The could be Twiglets, The Observer or the Frontline Club - but I believe in all of them :)

[Graham]

Karen - Do bloggers bring the same professional and ethical standards to a publication (even if it is online)?

let's turnt his around, do all journalists bring ethical standards to all publications and media outlets? I'd say, no. A big NO.

How do you think hiring non-journalists affects the information presented?

It wouldn't, if either conforms to the newspaper's policies or it doesn't get published.

What makes a journalist a journalist?

We're all storytellers Karen...

When is a blogger a journalist?

They're one and the same. If you report something, relay facts, you're doing journalism. That might be in a newspaper, on a blog or on a sheet of toilet roll. Same, same. Forget this distinction, it's nonsense. A blog is an information delivery device - nothing more. It's just very, very efficient.

Do you see a difference between the blogging journalist and the non-journalist blogger?

Too many imponderables... I make no difference between a good blogger and a good journalist. A bad blogger or a bad journalist...

Do readers?

Gawd knows.

[camille hart]

Hi, My name is Camille Hart. I'm a recruiter for CNN.com in Atlanta, Ga. I'm currently recruiting for 20 new openings: Coordinating Producer, Site Production, Producer/News Manager Multimedia Storytelling, Producer/User Participation, SEO coordinator, Site Production Manager -- to name a few of the openings I'm working on.

Please let me know if you know anyone that would like to hear more about these openings.