How to Become a Blogger

One of the biggest changes to come with the evolution of new media has been the proliferation of blogs and bloggers. As blogs on seemingly every conceivable topic have been launched, media outlets began publishing more and more of them. Now established media outlets -- magazines, newspapers, TV stations, etc. -- are hiring bloggers and launching blogs.

The Evolution of the Media Blog

In the media world we've seen major papers like The New York Times start pushing editors and writers to write blogs; many are ongoing and some, like the current blog about the presidential primary race, The Caucus, are tied to a topic of interest at the moment. We've also seen the sprouting of immensely popular independent blogs like Gawker, The Huffington Post and The Drudge Report. (Those three are just a few examples, as the number of popular blogs is way too lengthy to list.) Magazines like New York have also expanded into the blogosphere, launching, as the Times, blogs on topics that are regularly covered in the magazine. New York has, for example, blogs like Vulture (about entertainment) and Grub Street (about food).

While many of the blogs launched by papers like The Times and magazines like New York rely on staff editors for their content, the expansion of the blogosphere has created a crop of new jobs in the media world. And, as more and more content migrates to the web, companies are increasingly looking to hire people to blog and write original online stories.

So What Do Bloggers Do?

Bloggers, in many ways, are a cross between reporters and op-ed columnists. What largely distinguishes blogging from regular reporting is that bloggers are often citing information second-hand -- the amount of original reporting bloggers do varies -- and they are injecting more opinion into their pieces, or posts. Bloggers are, more often than not, pulling original reporting from other sources and then commenting on it. (This site, for example, features a blog about media careers on its homepage. And, on that blog, I'm culling stories and information about the media world, from other sources, and commenting on it.)

How much a blog is identified by the author's opinions differs. Some bloggers -- Matt Drudge is an example -- have made a name for themselves by publishing their opinions. Other bloggers take a less opinionated approach to the content.

Why You Should Pay Attention to Blogs and Blogging

The interesting thing about blogs, especially for young media professionals coming up in the business, is that many of them have provided people on the outside of the media world a way in. Not only are there stories about bloggers who've gotten book deals from tinkering online -- former Washingtonienne blogger Jessica Cutler is an example -- there are others who got attention for their work and parlayed it into jobs at more established magazines and newspapers. (New York Magazine, which now employs two former Gawker editors, did an interesting piece awhile ago about some of the New York bloggers making names for themselves. The article highlights how some people got their writing noticed by launching an insightful, well-written blog.)

How to Get a Job as A Blogger

In many respects, it can be easier these days to get a job blogging at many companies. As stated above, media companies are expanding their online presence and many are looking to bring on writers and reporters to run blogs. Like finding other media jobs, look on the job boards for full-time positions in the field. Also, to get experience blogging, either start your own blog, or look for unpaid work as a blogger. Just as clips are needed to land editorial jobs, blog posts from your own site (or someone else's) will probably be necessary for landing a job blogging for a company.

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