We recently heard that our friends at The New York Times are now offering a course on Hyperlocal Blogging, which we think is great news. The online, self-paced course is designed for people who want to start a blog to serve the news and information needs of their community— no journalism experience required (though experienced hands are welcome as well). We think this is such great news that we’re offering scholarships to two lucky individuals who want to take the course.
If you’re interested in winning a scholarship, it’s easy to enter, but you have to act FAST: simply fill out this form by midnight on Thursday, October 7.
The two lucky winners will be randomly selected on the morning of Friday, October 8. Winners will be contacted via email and then announced publicly, right here on our blog.
According to Jim Schachter, associate managing editor of The New York Times:
There is no single right way to establish a successful community news site. But the experience that we’ve gleaned publishing The Local sites in and around New York – combined with our rich, deep experience as reporters and editors at The Times – gives us a lot of wisdom and short-cuts to share with anyone who wants to dive into this emerging world.
Taught by Deputy Metro Editor Mary Ann Giordano, Hyperlocal Blogging will cover:
- The fundamentals of community journalism and local reporting, including how to find and present information, how to check facts and how to preserve fairness in local coverage;
- Fundamentals of designing a site and building it out;
- How to find and develop an audience, how to use social media to get a blog noticed, and how to get the community (including potential sponsors) involved and engaged.
Too excited to wait on contest results? Visit www.nytimes.com/knownow for more information or to register for Hyperlocal Blogging.
The first session of this brand-new course begins October 12, and runs through November 8, with course registrations accepted through October 10. Cost for the course is $175 (unless you win a scholarship, in which case it’s FREE!).
