Notes on Newspaper Blogging

Since I began working on this blog for the Elk Grove Citizen newspaper, it's been quite a learning experience. I still have a long way to go, trust me. The endless possibilities - and frailties - of Internet journalism have hit home with the creation and maintenance of this blog.
As the explosion of Internet news sites and steady growth and development of citizen journalism mature and interweave, we in the old-fashioned paper newspaper world must learn to adapt and modernize. If we don't? It's likely a slow, steady relegation in importance and readership for traditional newspapers and news outlets.
Newspaper publishers and editors - reporters, too - must work hard to learn the new skills needed for the Internet while maintaining the same ethics and professionalism that is a hallmark of good, daily journalism. News magazines and television news are both investing in Internet branches and the move online has altered the global journalism landscape.
Here in Elk Grove, more and more readers and residents are looking online for their news and information. Blogs such as Eyes of Argus and Elk Grove News provide readers with local news mixed in with a healthy dose of opinion and examination of what's going on in their communities. Thousands of locals get their information on Elk Grove Online, a popular forum. The Sacramento Bee also provides localized coverage on their Web site.
We at the Elk Grove Citizen currently have a Web site - egcitizen.com in addition to our two weekly hard-copy issues. The site is outdated by modern Internet standards, but a modern, thorough replacement site is currently being worked on by our computer and tech staff. The new site will link in with this blog, as well as the blog of Blake Ellington, who will cover the Kings from the standpoint of a lifelong fan. We hope it will be online within four to six weeks.
Our goal is to provide our readers with as much news coverage about Elk Grove as our staff can report on - in print or online. We will continue to add to this site and our new Web site with podcasts and we hope at a later date, video podcasts.
While the Internet seems to be the way of the future - one of the realities of maintaining a site is that it requires a lot more time and vigilance added on to your normal newspaper duties.
In essence, you join the 24-hour news world, reacting and posting as much as possible on the blog - seven days a week if necessary. At large newspapers, there are often many shifts and a large number of editorial staff so the maintenance of a blog can be nearly constant.
These large newspapers hire Web designers and information specialists to add alternate views of the news in addition to the hard-copy edition that's tossed on your doorstep in the morning.
At smaller, community newspapers such as the Citizen, we are somewhat limited by the having a newsroom of nine people. Maintaining the site means being constantly connected and able to access news.
If you go camping on the weekend, there's no Internet in the back woods and the site won't get updated.
With no Internet connection in my home, I utilize Mishka's Cafe in Davis, which has free wireless access. Thats means a few hours out of a Saturday or Sunday depending on what's happening. I am strongly considering a home connection in order to stay more connected when not in the office.
Another stumbling block has been Web site development skills, as I am learning on the job. It is easy to utilize the Blogger.com site this blog is hosted on, but when it comes to professionally developed sites, there is a lot of skill and hard work involved.
Today, I spent maybe 30 minutes trying to locate all the instances where titles needed to be italicized. It was frustrating as well as time consuming - all to italicize what needed to be. I'm sure I missed a few.
But, in the end, it does feel good to be online and providing more thorough news for our readers and anyone who stumbles upon our blog. If you have any tips, we're listening.
Jeff Forward
Editor, the Elk Grove Citizen