Week 1 of a guest blogging experiment

Kent Fischer has begun allowing guest bloggers on his beat blog for the Dallas Independent School District.

Fischer is hoping that these guest bloggers can help keep the conversation going during the slow summer months on his blog. The guest bloggers have gotten off to a strong start so far with some provocative posts.

Can they keep the momentum going? Will readers respond to guest bloggers? Will these guest posts help Fischer’s blog connect more with the community?

Those are the questions I’ll be answering in the coming weeks and months as I monitor this experiment. For now, here are a few observations:

• The guest posts are written from a much more personal perspective. Fischer is an outsider reporting on the district, but his guest bloggers are insiders sharing their personal stories. His inaugural guest bloggers are two long-time veteran teachers of the school district. They should help liven up the blog.
• Some of the topics discussed might not have come up otherwise in Fischer’s reporting. One blog post is from a former DISD employee about how his insurance premiums have gone way down since he got a job in the private sector. This might be a catalyst for an in-depth reporting piece from Fischer. Another post was from a teacher about inadequate technology in classrooms and questionable district recycling practices.
• The guest bloggers are getting comments from people on their blogs. Almost all the comments appear to be from district employees. This probably a reflection of the content. No one has really blogged from a parent perspective yet.

Taking science to the people. Help wanted.

Sometimes it’s better to just let the beat blogger say it for themselves.

Check out what Eric Berger is doing at the Houston Chronicle.

This is no small feat. Eric is recruiting local science experts to create and maintain blogs covering their specific fields of interest. As “science” is a huge study ranging from meterology, biology and all kinds of ‘ologies’ – Eric could theoretically create a vast blog network.

But conditions on the ground suggest that Berger should take it slow – one blog at a time. The first blog, Atmo.Sphere, looks like a great start. It’s described as “climate conversation with John Nielsen-Gammon and Barry Lefer.”

What does this development mean?

Eric is building a network. “The goal of these changes is to provide a neutral space for scientists
and the general public to meet and speak on the issues of the day.
There are blogs by scientists for scientists, and there are blogs aimed
at the general public. I’m aiming for a hybrid site where people can
get their questions answered by real, live scientists, where scientists
can get feedback, and everyone can find a bit of daily zen.”

The hard part is yet to come. Eric will have to keep the bloggers motivated and make them feel like part of his posse. A follow up post may talk with people at the Chron to find out what technology is driving this, but as always, technology is second to people power. The real effort was Eric finding a science blogger to dedicate themselves towards this project.

Read more from Eric to find out what he is looking for and what he hopes to get out of the experiment.
(yes, I really want you to click that link, because it’s a fantastic pitch to get the public involved in journalism)