Panel: Jason Goss (Perfect Sound Forever), Carrie Brownstein
(Monitor Mix), Maura Johnstone (Idolator) and Amrit Singh (Stereogum)
This was a quick and punchy session in which the panel of
bloggers talked about their experiences of building up blogs. The surreal speed
with which the popularity of a site can grow was a common theme; being asked to
send a reporter to cover overseas gigs when you’re a one man band operating
from a bedroom in London,
for example.
Factors that were advised as making a blog
successful were:
- Personality
– making sure your writing carries a real and idiosyncratic opinion.
- Focus
on content – a focus on the written material rather than the brand or on
marketing opportunities inherent in a successful blog (people like to feel
they’re reading something underground rather than a corporate mouthpiece)
- Thorough
journalism – don’t fall prey to the temptation of cut-and-paste blogging;
make sure you get confirmation of the information you’re reporting from
the source; this can be as simple as going to the official website of the
party concerned for the news rather than a third party.
- In
depth analysis – don’t just skim a subject; if you’re reviewing an album,
interviewing someone or examining a topic, give it the full benefit of
your powers and your readers the full benefit of your access to the
subject, they’ll thank you for it.
