Blogging Workshop at ´óÏó´«Ã½ Manchester
- 30 Nov 06, 02:46 PM
The first ´óÏó´«Ã½ Manchester Blogging Workshop will take place at ´óÏó´«Ã½ Manchester at 6pm on Thursday the 18th of January, 2007. This free two hour workshop is for anyone who wants to learn more about blogging and/or creating and publishing content online.
The idea behind the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Manchester Blog has always been to use this as an experiment to see how we might be able to help people create and share content online. That is, we're hoping to use this project to help us find the good Manchester based content that's already online, initiate a conversation with the people creating it and see what we can do to help highlight that content by linking to it or getting that content on air.
So far we've had , , and on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Manchester. Geoff and Kate also appeared, along with , in the piece about the Manchester Blog Awards that I did for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 5 Live's Pods and Blogs
Having demonstrated to the bosses that there is compelling content (not that the were in any doubt in the first place - thankfully for us they really do get this!), it's time for us to move to phase two of the project: a workshop for Manchester based bloggers and would be bloggers.
Topics covered will include:
- finding the right publishing platform - from to , to , to there's a place that's right for you to publish your content online (and often it's free)
- tips on getting started - naming your site or page, getting noticed, getting listed by directories and search sites
- syndicating and sharing your content more widely - making it easier to find new audiences and for them to keep track of you using , email updates, email lists, (for podcasts), and social bookmarking services like
- techniques for finding and joining in "the conversation" - using RSS, , and other tools to find and track the buzz you generate
- keeping it going - how to make you efforts financially sustainable with , and other revenue sharing programmes
- We'll also introduce the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s editorial guidelines, and provide a quick legal briefing covering libel and other issues, because we want to help you keep out of trouble and to understand what we can, and can't, link to from the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Manchester Blog
You don't have to have a blog to attend and we think that both those completely new to creating and publishing content online, as well as those who find it old hat, could benefit from at least some of the advice and discussions we're planning.
The workshop will be run by ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Manchester's Richard Fair who, in addition to covering blogs in his new radio show and posting here, has had a number of blogs for years and by Robin Hamman (me!) who heads up the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s Blog Network, runs workshops for people authoring or producing ´óÏó´«Ã½ blogs, reports for 5 Live's Pods and Blogs, and whose has recently been listed as one of the top .02% of blogs globally by blog tracking service technorati. We're also hoping to have a number of guest contributors - TBC.
Space is limited so if you'd like to come along you have to do two things: leave us a comment below and send us an email at manchester.blog(at)bbc.co.uk
Radio blogging
- 28 Nov 06, 11:04 AM
At the first a few weeks ago at , a couple of local bloggers stood up and read some of their postings, (my feelings only slightly hurt at not be asked to read any of mine).
As a rule Blogs are not intended to be read out loud even though bits of them often are, especially when I spot something really funny or pertinent and randomly read it out to people sat around me in the office who then grumble something along the lines of me getting on with some ‘proper work’.
So, with this in mind, I’ve decided to include a regular Blog Spot into my afternoon programme on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Manchester.
The plan is to have a regular look at what Manchester people are blogging about and, from time to time, get a blogger in to talk about what they’re saying on the internet and generally what makes them tick and get some pointers and tips on good blogging.
The first of these is this Thursday (30th November) when I’ll be chatting to Julia about her blog. You’ll be able to listen online live at 2pm with the chance to Listen Again after the programme. We’ll also put a link to it on here.
Fancy blogging
- 22 Nov 06, 11:29 AM
I don’t know about you, but sticking my head under the bonnet of the Blog always fills me with dread. I’m no technophobe, but I can’t help but worry that any little tweak I make will somehow launch some kind of butterfly effect that ends up plunging half of America and Canada into darkness. (I should make it clear that the recent blackout in Europe wasn’t my fault. I was on holiday at the time and didn’t touch the Blog.)
A couple of weeks ago we had a problem with the right hand navigation (it insisted on dropping down to the bottom of the page). It left Robin screaming and panicking and breathing into an empty cookie bag. It turned out that the Blog didn’t like large quotation marks and let’s face it, who does?
But there’s always the fear that making some minor change to the coding would render the whole thing useless and would result in me having to wake our Blog guru from his winter sleep (think bear/sore head).
The other problem I have is boredom. When I find myself with a bit of spare time on my hands I start to tinker aimlessly with layouts and extra features.
My own websites and Blogs suffer from this constantly with new flashy links being added showing the last pictures I took and the music I’m listening to, that kind of thing. When I’m bored I really do believe that people need to know this kind of information. This is rather odd as when I’m not bored and use my downtime surfing around other Blogs I find all this clutter distracting and it leaves me wondering what these people are thinking, bolting all those extras on their sites.
Anyway, I’ve promised the guys in ´óÏó´«Ã½ Blog Central that I won’t play with the Blog coding (much) and if I do get a little bored I’ll only lift the bonnet on one of my own.
Having said that I notice that we’re not using the Category feature and I’m not sure about the calendar and we could do with some more Manchester blog links and wouldn’t it be great if we showed the current record being played on Radio Manchester and the temperature in the city centre and…
Write? Right.
- 16 Nov 06, 12:34 PM
It’s Wednesday lunchtime and I’m sat staring at a blank screen. I need to write something for the Blog, but the phone’s been ringing all morning. And when it wasn’t ringing I was visited at my desk and questioned by people who tell me they kept getting the engaged tone when they called so they felt a personal visit may help.
It doesn’t as conversations face to face tend to drift off in all sorts of directions and take up more time than phone calls, which in turn take up far more time than e-mail, or better still, text. I have to go out.
It’s now Thursday morning and I still haven’t started writing something for the Blog. When do people find time to write stuff? I’ve got a great idea for a topic, but I have a meeting in five minutes and I’ve just been told I have to stand up and say something.
Thursday lunchtime. My time. I’ve written this. I’ll put some time aside tomorrow to work on my idea for the Blog, but right now I have to go out.
What is a Manchester blog?
- 9 Nov 06, 12:00 PM
I blog often. Too often some may say, but I promise I will get round to finishing the kitchen soon ok?
Sometimes I blog about Manchester. Things I see or hear or worry about. Sometimes there are other things going on in my life or my head that are not Manchester related and I blog about them.
So when I don’t blog about Manchester is it still a Manchester blog because the words are being typed into a computer in Manchester. And what if I’m at home (technically not actually in Manchester but close enough to see the early morning smog) writing about Manchester, is that a Manchester blog?
Looking through all the ‘Manchester’ blogs I keep an eye on, I’m surprised by how many of them don’t actually talk much about Manchester. The odd little quip here and there, but most of the time they’re talking about America or war or those little cotton things you shouldn’t stick in your ears but do because you can’t get your finger in there.
So I guess what I’m seeking here are some pointers towards Manchester blogs that talk almost exclusively about Manchester. Life, food, love, music, food, sport, food.
That’ll do for now. Anyone know the best way to clean dried grout of kitchen tiles?
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