what I really learnt at dci

Now that I’ve had time to regroup and teetotal, at least until I meet everyone out for a drink(s) later, best I get my act together and divulge what I learnt at the DCI Blogging Conference.

1) No but seriously: How to make hyperlinks. I’m having a whale of a time with these at the moment, as you might’ve noticed. Also standard HTML codes like strikethroughs, which look super sexy when you use apply them. An RSS feed is also a useful little gadget, or so I’m told. I haven’t actually put mine up yet, but will get cracking. This means more people will find my blog through ‘feeds’ of words. I sound completely tech-juvenile, and you may laugh, but this is all new to me.

2) Blogging and journalism. Heated debates around this topic. Alec Hogg from Moneyweb blatantly and very poignantly told us that journalism or the media as we know it is under serious threat. Blogging may or may not have something to do with this. There are around 50 million known blogs out there. A blog is created every two seconds. Domkop may have a point in saying blogs are taking over the Net.

Bloggers are not journalists. OK, I’m a journalist, but that’s just a coincidence.

Bloggers may have the citizen journalism rights on their side, but this doesn’t make them professionals. The general media laws do not apply, therefore bloggers are not media gurus. I am exempt, of course.
However journalists need to listen to what citizen journalists and bloggers are saying. Each medium can use each other as a supplement, both needn’t be threatened by each other. Neither is a seminal source anymore. In fact, the bias I have seen in journalism myself of late is something else altogether. Both can move parallel to each other.

3) Blogs are used in so many mediums. Most being day-to-day diaries (like this one), news and pop culture pages, tech updates and activism sites. Many blogs are used with the writer knowing he may be putting his life on the line. Ethiopians, Egyptians and Pakistanis in particular.

4) My bit: I got to speak for five minutes. I was told to speak impromptu about my blog experiences. I spoke about community. For me, blogging has opened up a system or network of readers that have become a support group. In order to get read, you have to read others. It works two ways. My readership and commentators have been a support for me during, well, hook-ups, break-ups, fuck-ups and general chaos. What better way to endeavour a hangover with people by your side?

5) Photoblogging. People become engrossed and are interested in pictures. After some beautiful presentations, I am willing to develop my blog from something that features only writing to something more multi-dimentional.

6) You can make money from your blog. This is still a contentious issue for me. I don’t really want to sell out. I also feel that in order to make serious moolah from my site, I need to get more readers if this is to be serious. I will think about advertising on my website in future, especially if I suddenly find myself unemployed. One can use Google Ads as a start. Sure, you may earn 16 US cents, and only be paid out after tallying up $100, but it’s a start.

7) Creative commons. You may be a journalist, you may be a blogger. Copywrite is copywrite no matter what you write. It’s yours. If in any doubt, always attribute another’s work. A simple reference. Quotation marks. A hyperlink. The Creative Commons website has quick, legal documentation that makes this yours. With a cute little sidelink to attach to your template. I will also be getting one of these very soon.

In general, I met some extremely informative people. People in the know. I was truly honoured to be there and to listen. Thank you to all the speakers and other delegates for teaching me more about my profession, journalism, and sideline profession, blogging.

PS: Mid-week madness. We're going out tonight for some toots. One of my mates is having a man crisis. Welcome to my world, dollface. Let's tequila through it.