Midterm Assessment: Commercial Blogging. Due 27 March

Heather Armstrong, founder of
Dooce.com

Heather Armstrong, a young mother in Salt Lake City, has created one of the all-time best examples of combining public relations and advertising online at Dooce.com. . . and she's made a fortune in the process.

How did she do it? . . . Why do 100,000 people visit her site daily? . . . Why are advertisers willing to pay her an estimated $1-million plus annually? . . . What's so special about Dooce.com?

For answers to those and other questions, read the article, "Baring your soul, turning a profit" (International Herald Tribune, 26 February 2011), and read this article and this one. Plus, read other articles related to this topic which you can research on your own.

Inspiration for us all
Beyond its commercial appeal, Dooce.com is an inspiration for all who dream about (or might dream about) the possibility of writing and producing a commercial blog that attracts tens of thousands of readers and a million dollar paycheck!

Few people have been able to realize that dream, and yet, bloggers of the future (maybe you!) will no doubt surpass that dream with new, dynamic, commercially appealing online properties. If only we knew who and what and when and where! (If I knew one of you would become a million-dollar-a-year blogger I'd start representing you now!)

But Heather Armstrong (and others like her) didn't have a crystal ball that led her to create her commercial blog. Had she planned it, she might never have been able to succeed at it. She simply started writing and posting a blog and, over a period of time (ten years, in fact), one thing led to another and she's at the top of the "mommy blogging" industry.

Commercial blogging

Among the many things that Heather does well (whether by design or by coincidence) is combine public relations with advertising. She promotes products in her blogs (no doubt there are dozens of PR people trying to get her to write about their clients' products and services) and her site carries advertising (and a major agency, Federated Media, represents her blog and sells ads on her behalf). As a result of the writing, the PR, the advertising, Heather collects a fat paycheck every month.

Some people would argue that she's crossed the line, that she's getting paid to write about products and services, and therefore her opinions are "tainted" because she's not going to be critical, or even honest (it's called not biting the hand that feeds you). But, even if that's true (and I am not claiming that it is) many readers apparently don't mind because Dooce.com continues to attract them daily.  

Heather isn't alone in the mommy blogging business, or in the business of combining PR and advertising. According to Jennifer James, there are more than 12,000 mommy bloggers! Jennifer's story is another one that inspires (be sure you read it) . . . she, too, has built a business that combines PR and advertising. She's the founder of Mom Blog magazine and the social network: Mom Bloggers Club.

Why are you telling me this?
So what's all this have to do with you?

I don't expect you to become a mommy blogger, or a daddy blogger (see this story), or any kind of blogger (unless you want to) . . . but these are good examples of how commercial blogging comes together to create content (online PR and advertising), opportunity, interest, phenomena, and, last but not least, MONEY!

These stories, better than any I've found to date, clearly illustrate the significance of our course: Online PR & Advertising!

Even so, these stories may be important to you for only one reason: Your Midterm Assessment!

Any one of these (or other) stories may be your ticket to an A!

Your Midterm Assessment
Here's what you're going to do: Profile: Commercial Blogging

For your Midterm Assessment, you (and one partner) will develop a profile about a commercial blog. To get an A, fulfill these requirements:

• Find a commercial blog -- one that combines both public relations and advertising and generates money. The topic does not matter. Select something that interests you. The blog must be currently produced, and it must be at least 1 year old -- that way it has had some exposure and experience online. In addition to editorial content (which must at least occasionally promote products/services), the blog site must also include paid advertisements. When you produce your report, be sure to include the name of the blog, the URL for the blog, and a good description of the blog. Include some examples to show what the blog is about, the blogger's style of writing and tone of voice, and some sample subject matter.

• Study the blog. Read current and past articles. Read articles about the blog and the blogger. Read the Comments readers post about the blog (these will help you learn about the readers and what they think, and you should search for their Comments on both the blog itself and on other sites). If the blog is represented by an ad agency, do some research to learn about the agency and see what the agency has said, if anything, about the blog. If the agency publishes demographic information about the blog, get it and read it! Does the agency publish a rate book or any kind of evaluation for the blog? . . . Find out how PR people can submit news releases to the blog author to get publicity for their clients' products/services. Show some examples of how products/services are promoted on the blog. 

• Get answers to these questions:

1. Who writes the blog and why? Include more than just a name, include at least a brief profile of the blogger.
2. Who reads the blog? How many people? How often? And why? Again, don't simply rely on numbers. Describe the readers and their interests. (An ad agency will often produce a media kit that includes this information).
3. What does the blog look like? Show some examples. 
4. What does the blog cover editorially? In other words, what's it about? Include some samples of the writing or content. 
5. Which products/services are promoted editorially in the blog?
6. How large is the market for the products/services promoted?  
7. Does the blog author make it clear when he or she is promoting a product/service for which he's getting paid? (Read this article for an example of how one blogger discloses this information). Or is this unknown? Do readers assume that she gets paid by every product/service she writes about?
8. Do readers object to the blogger making money by writing about products and services? (Check Comments).
9. Why would advertisers care about this blog, and why would they be willing to pay money for their products/services to get exposure on this blog?
10. What blogs compete with this blog for both readers and ad dollars?
11. How does this blog compare to competitive blogs -- is it more popular, or less? More commercially successful, or less?

• How much gross revenue does the blog site generate annually? You will not be able to definitively answer this question unless the blogger (or a related party) has revealed the answer -- do your research and find out. Or contact the blogger and ask! Short of discovering the definitive answer, you can make an educated guess. Find out how much it costs to advertise on the site. Then, by watching and tracking the site over a period of time, determine how much advertising appears on the site. Do the simple math and you can guesstimate the amount of ad dollars the site generates. It may not be accurate, but it doesn't matter . . . I'm interested in you doing the research, and if that doesn't yield a definitive answer, then you can creatively guesstimate the revenue.
• Finally, answer this question:  Is commercial blogging honest work? Do some research to learn about the pros and cons of commercial blogging. What do the experts say about this question? When you write your answer, include 2-3 points of view (comments, explanations) in favor of commercial blogging and 2-3 points of view that oppose commercial blogging. Be sure to properly attribute the comments to the appropriate sources. Then, tell me what you think: Is commercial blogging honest work?

Some do's and don'ts
When you create your report, do not simply restate my questions and answer them! Be creative. This is not a Q&A exercise. I want you to create a factual report about the blog, the blogger, and the content. And I want you to create it for an online presentation using PowerPoint.

There are any number of ways for you to organize your report in PowerPoint. How you do it is up to you -- show your creativity. But mostly, deliver a good report that answers the questions I've posed to the best of your ability. In other words, content counts more than pizzazz!

Tell a story with your PopwerPoint. This is the story of a commercial blog. You will be answering the questions I posed, as well as other questions that you will discover and develop while researching and preparing your report.

Your report must include an element of design, but I want to emphasize that I am not looking for creativity in place of content. You may include charts and diagrams, illustrations, photographs -- even video (I encourage all of it) -- but creativity without content will not be acceptable. So long as the content meets my expectations, your design element may be nothing more than a common design template for your PowerPoint slides, or the background of the slides, and that won't be counted as a negative. Bottom line: Content is supreme; creative design is a bonus, but not essential. (This is not a Visual Communications course).

How many slides should you include? Enough to tell the story! I don't know how many slides that will take -- it's your decision.

Presentation deadline
You will ultimately present your report to the class and you will be expected to speak about your report for a minimum of 15 minutes and not more than 20 minutes. Make certain that you have sufficient content to fill your time slot in an interesting way. Your presentation will occur the week of March 27. (Don't even think about being absent that week!) Prior to your class presentation, provide me with both an electronic and hard copy of your Powerpoint presentation. The day of your presentation, arrive early! Bring your Powerpoint presentation (use a memory stick) to the classroom and load it on the desktop computer and be ready to go when it's your turn!

Make your points clearly . . . convince us that you know your subject matter . . . and most importantly, have fun in the process! You can begin by selecting your partner for this project.