Thanks to Yugatech, I found out about GMA News and its blog network. I also stumbled upon Chay Florentino Hofilena, a journalist who's trying out the blogging waters.

She writes in The First Time:

But question is, should journalists be bloggers? Should they allow the public a peep into their own preferences, personal grievances and dislikes, even their personal impressions of government officials or projects? No problem with columnists and opinion writers but reporters and journalists? That public peep would surely compromise a journalist’s perceived independence or "objectivity," at the very least.

She also asks how one's voice can be "distinct in an entire universe of bloggers?"

Just be yourself, and people will see you in a different light. You will appear human.

On the issue of objectivity, well... humans are anything but objective. So if you become too personal in your blog, then some readers may question your credibility. That's all part of this activity called blogging, so it's really up to you to decide how personal you would like to be.

And what is the point of this post to bloggers interested in creating traffic and monetizing their sites? Watch the signs...

More and more people are blogging. Even journalists.

Does that mean more competition for the attention of readers? Perhaps. Still, unless they clearly identify who they're writing for, then they won't necessarily draw your readers away.

Here's a tip: Blogs that focus heavily on commentary (a la columnists) will have a challenging time in the monetization area.

To aspiring probloggers: keep on writing. Just bear in mind that the online blogging crowd is growing.

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"Journalists As Bloggers"
First Posted: January 11, 2007 | Filed in: General

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