Annandale’s Tollhouse Park
Last week I had the pleasure of speaking with Ellie Ashford, who blogs about Annandale, VA, a suburb of Washington, DC. I used to live in Northern Virginia myself, so I know that the area is a huge suburban expanse– however there’s also a diversity of communities that exist within the general ‘NoVA’ umbrella. Annandale is a unique enclave all on it’s own, and its residents are lucky to have a dedicated hyperlocal blogger like Ashford, who’s always looking for new happenings and stories to share with her friends and neighbors.
That said, what I found most compelling about Ashford is her obvious passion and her intense curiosity about the world around her: this is clearly her driving force. So, let’s all take a cue from Ashford and explore some of the ways we can continue learning and becoming even better bloggers.
TIP #1: KEEP REINVENTING YOURSELF
When I first started blogging, I began because my job was winding down and I knew I would be laid off. So I started the blog as a way to make some contacts and learn about blogging and social networking and new media. It’s been great. My background was in education writing, so now that I’m freelancing, a lot of my clients are in education. I’ve gotten a blogging job working as a freelancer on a technology blog, too– blogging has just been really helpful. I’m working on lots of different projects and I’ve met so many people doing it.
TIP #2: TAKE A COURSE ONLINE
I’m always looking for ways to learn new things, like how to promote my blog using Twitter and Facebook. I’m also taking advantage of online courses at Lynda.com– they have all these technology subjects you can learn about. You can explore all the classes for free, and then you pay $25 a month for unlimited access to the classes, which are all on video online. I’ve taken classes on WordPress and also SEO techniques. It’s a great place for people who are new to blogging.
TIP #3: SEE PARTNERSHIPS AS LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
I’m a part of TBD‘s network, which has been great– they’re starting to offer some free classes to whoever is in their network through an arrangement they have with American University– I’m taking a class this Saturday!
Some of my blog items are also posted on the local WUSA Channel 9 news website. I usually post two or three pieces a week on that site– after I post them on my own blog– to increase visibility for my blog.
Local bloggers should also try to get listed in whatever networks and directories they can find, like Outside.in, it really helps. Ask your local newspaper if they have a blog directory, too. Partnerships help you to keep learning about new technologies, stay current and meet other people.
TIP #4: USE TECH TOOLS TO STAY ON TOP OF TRENDS & STORIES
Fairfax County has all kinds of alerts you can sign-up for through their website – they’re a really good tool for bloggers. Google Alerts have also been really great for getting story ideas. I find a story idea that way almost every day. Here’s a really good example: I have an alert set up for Annandale, and I just found out there was some kind of cake decorating contest in Oklahoma, and the winner was a guy from Annandale. They have a catering company here, but they don’t even have a store– but they’ve been on all these cake decorating shows on TV. That was one of my favorite interviews.
Oh, and I just got something about 10 minutes ago from the school system, too– one of the National Merit Scholar Finalists is from one of the local high schools. So, I found her name on Facebook and sent her a message asking her to contact me, because I’d like to highlight her.
TIP #5: YOUR COMMUNITY IS YOUR CLASSROOM
I’ve been involved in community affairs all my life, so it come naturally to me. I’m involved with the Fairfax County Superintendent’s Advisory Committee right now, so that helps me get story ideas. I’ll also write about the issues that the Community Association is involved with, and I go to a lot of Chamber of Commerce events. I’ve learned a lot about how local communities work, how local government procedure works.
I’ve also been covering a lot of the Planning Commission’s meetings lately, because they recently approved a new plan to encourage landowners to consolidate small pieces of land to encourage developers to do larger, multi-use developments. Things have been in kind of a slump economically, but as soon as it picks up, there will be a lot of changes here.
TIP #6: LEARN HOW THE PROS DO IT… THEN FOLLOW SUITE
When I started doing this, I went to an event and I said: ‘I want to be at the media table, I’m a blogger,’ — and they let me. I’ve been a ‘professional journalist’ in my career, I have a degree in journalism. I use the AP Style Guide, which I’m comfortable with, and I try to verify facts. I won’t put out anything that I haven’t confirmed. So, yeah, I treat myself like regular media and that’s how they treat me.
Sure, I’ve had things where people have come in and submitted clarifications and I’ve published them as comments. But I think in the age of the 24-hour news cycle, being online — being able to correct things immediately, as opposed to having to wait for the next printing and burying the correction — that almost improves things.
