School Leaders Blogging!
Recently the Vancouver Sun’s Education writer, Janet Steffenhagen, presented a list of BC School Superintendents who blog. I followed the links and with considerable interest noted the variety of blog presentations.
I say with considerable interest because these bloggers represent the top of the administrative and leadership heap for the school districts they lead. Their readership consists of a more diverse mix than most bloggers have to consider. They are writing to their bosses, the Board. Also their staff, their principals, teachers, students and the toughest crowd of all, their students’ parents. So, how do the leaders of the fundamental educational pillar in our communities present? What do they present?
I toyed with the idea of a superintendent blogging report card but decided against this. Here however are the basic items I consider when reviewing or developing and invite you to add your own.
- Who is the blogger? Much can be learned from how the ‘about’ page. Personal identity, goals of the blog, corporate identity…
- Who is the intended, identified audience? Does the writer identify who she/he is writing to?
- Read the comments? Are readers engaging with the writer? Is dialogue encouraged or is the blog intended as a newsletter? (there are better platforms for this) Are easy sharing tools provided for the reader?
- Dedication. How frequently does the blogger post?
- Photos. How are photos managed? When you click on the an image, what happens? Huge, unwieldy download or nice, quick, expanded view?
- Blog design. Is the blog inviting? Does it make you want to get to know the blogger better and share the link with others? Is it part of the School District website or a stand-alone? Which do you prefer?
- Access. How does one find it? Search in Google by author name and blog title. Does it show up?
- Social Media Policy. Generally not readily apparent but I would be curious if the blog is guided by a policy of the Board. After all, the blog content must be defendable, like everything else an educational institution does.
While blogging has been around for a while, for many institutions it is a new venture. Like everything else the institution does, blogging involves an investment of resources. Time to write, time to research, time to edit, gather and edit photos, develop guidelines, write policy and evaluate.
While some of the blogs on this list are clearly in early days, others were engaging, well considered and warrant return visits. Interesting reading. Thank you.
