To Blog or Not to Blog—That is the Question
ON GRANT PROPOSALS AND HUMAN EMPATHY
If you think writing a 40-page government grant application is a drag, imagine being the person who has to evaluate a dozen of them. That's the unhappy fate of proposal reviewers—the folks who hold your program's fate in their hands. Here's how to keep your reviewers awake, interested, and on your side. [Read more]
"I NEVER MET A DEADLINE I COULDN'T MISS"
Dorothy Parker's famous witticism is only funny if it hasn't become a way of life at your organization. Here are some tips for keeping your communications projects on track—and on time. [Read more]
Many nonprofits have added blogs to their arsenal of communications materials. Isn’t it time you considered whether a blog might be a good tool for your organization?
A blog can bring excitement and energy to your website. It can relay timely information to your audience. It can evoke your organization’s identity and activities in creative ways. It can build momentum for an upcoming event or mobilize your constituency. It can, potentially, attract new audiences, donors, and supporters while invigorating your organization’s branding efforts.
Or it can be quicksand: a never-ending task that poses organizational dilemmas every step of the way while absorbing more time than you thought possible for a miniscule return.
Before wandering into the blogosphere, ask yourself these questions:
1. How, in concrete terms, might a blog help our organization?
2. Is our audience demographically likely to read or respond favorably to a blog?
3. What will a blog do for us that other formats or activities, like e-newsletters, e-blasts, and website updates, can’t?
4. Does our organization have the internal skills and resources to write and manage the blog in-house? If not, do we have the budgetary resources to outsource this job?
5. Either way, what will our quality control protocols be? Who’ll be responsible for reviewing the blog’s content in a timely manner on an ongoing basis?
6. If we think a blog is the way to go, what tone, style, and format will best fit our needs, appeal to our audience, and reflect our organizational identity?
7. Will our blog include visual content, videos, links, resources, or other elements? If so, how will we acquire and edit this material? Who will handle this aspect of the project?
8. Are we able to put in the time and effort to continually assess our blog’s utility and tweak it, as needed, along the way?
9. Do we have a clear plan for sustaining the blog over time? Remember that blogging is all about immediacy, fresh content, and pulling visitors back again and again. An infrequently refreshed blog is far worse than no blog at all.
10. How will we promote our blog? Can we commit the resources required to this important part of the process?
In thinking about what’s right for your organization, my own experience may serve as inspiration—or warning.
I joined the blogosphere in May 2007, when I launched Global Swarming Honeybees. As a beginning beekeeper, I could not contain my enthusiasm for all things bee-related, and blogging seemed the perfect way to share the joy. Although I’ve published my creative and critical writings in various print publications, I felt that a blog’s immediacy, informality, and multi-media possibilities offered the best venue for speaking my piece on the subjects of beekeeping, biodiversity, and environmentalism.
Maintaining the blog has required a commitment of time and effort, but it’s been energy well spent. I’ve been spurred to stay abreast of relevant news developments and research to keep my blog informative and useful. I’ve connected with beekeepers in Romania, Turkey, New Zealand, and throughout the U.S. and Canada. And I think I’ve encouraged friends and acquaintances to appreciate honeybees and ponder issues like habitat destruction, pesticide overuse, and global warming from a more personal perspective. In other words, I’m getting my message across.
On the other hand, having a blog involves many activities I hadn’t originally bargained for. I’ve had to learn how to promote the blog to reach as many people as possible. I’ve had to hone my writing style to fit the blog format. And I’ve had to acquire some new technical skills to make the most of my tiny corner of the blogosphere. Everything I’ve learned has been valuable and enjoyable, but also time-consuming.
I share this story by way of illustrating what I hope by now is obvious: When deployed for the right reasons, and in the right way, a blog can be a useful tool. But running a blog involves a significant commitment of time, energy, resources—and staying power. It’s not something to be undertaken lightly, but it’s worth considering if your organization needs a fresh approach to communicating with its current audience or reaching out to new ones.