BBC getting into blogging

The BBC's political editor, Nick Robinson, started a blog last week, called Nick Robinson's Newslog.

His first post includes this text:

[...] The BBC is about to start a trial series of blogs, each of which will be built using the kind of software employed by millions of weblogs around the world. This is the first of that trial.

The 'kind of software' Robinson refers to presumably means TypePad as his blog is a TypePad blog (so a very nice coup for Six Apart Europe in getting this deal with the BBC).

I find it interesting that the BBC has chosen to go with an outside commercial service provider rather than developing a blog structure within the organization using their own IT infrastructure. Perhaps part of their experimentation where using an outside provider in this stage of development is simply easier to execute. Robinson's blog isn't the first one the BBC has done - earlier this year, there was Newsnig8t by BBC journalist Paul Mason. That, too, was (and still is) hosted on TypePad.

One major difference between the two blogs - Mason's was very much a personal blog with a look-and-feel that was far from a BBC standard. Unlike Robinson's, which has the complete BBC branding in its presentation and clearly is a formal part of the overall BBC web presence. Indeed, its root URL (blogs.bbc.co.uk) indicates that.

First podcasting, and now blogging. It looks like the BBC is beginning to embrace new media in a big way as a means of engaging with its viewers/listeners/readers in a variety of different ways, traditional and non-traditional.

Will we see a blog portal, an offering to those viewers/listeners/readers to create their own blogs as part of the BBC blog domain? I think it would make total sense in the engagement process.

Now that would be a very inetersting move indeed and, apart from anything else, could be the tipping point for broadening out the world of blogging in the UK. Tie it in with the calls for people to send in their photos and you have the makings of a great connection between the broadcaster and a ready source of information.

Further blurring of that gap between traditional news creators and citizen journalism.

(Hat tip: DrewB)

Comments

[Jem Stone]

Neville. Thanks for that. We do intend to develop further blogs at blogs.bbc.co.uk early on in hte new year. Watch this space.

[Nevon]

Thanks Jem.

Interesting reading your own post about this and the comment you quoted from a colleague speculating "...I bet Nick doesn't write this. There'll be an editorial understudy with the time / job to do it for him."

From what I've observed in recent months, skeptics abound in most organizations when it comes to starting blogs by senior or highly-visible people. Easy to overcome - the blogger is the blogger.

I hope that will be the case with BBC blogs.

[Shayne Bowman]

Neville,
The podcasting and weblogs by the BBC are significant but a relatively small part of their overall citizen media and participatory journalism strategy. Check out this interview we did with Richard Sambrook at the BBC in April. It shows an impressive strategy of involving the audience as partner in journalism.
http://www.hypergene.net/blog/weblog.php?id=P266

Great blog.
// Shayne

[Nevon]

Shayne, many thanks for this info.

Your interview is very interesting indeed; clear signals there of what's beginning to happen now.

I'm watching this space, as Jem suggested.

[Paul Mason]

Hi I am Paul Mason, the other BBC blogger :) Actually it is a bit more complex (and discouraging) than you suggest - we are all moving off typepad into moveable type hosted behind the BBC's stern and oh so British firewall and corporate brand - that is what Nick's blog is a trial for. I cannot say I am turning cartwheels with delight over it - but if its a price to pay for pulling the BBC systemically into the world of blog, then I am going with it for now - but rest assured: if I think it will turn out as yet another faux foray I will throw my toys around and you guys will have to pile in in my support.