#THEBLOGGINGSTRATEGY AT #THENEWYORKTIMES.

The newspaper's deputy managing editor discusses what's in store for blogs at the Times .

The newspaper's deputy managing editor discusses what's in store for blogs at the Times
At The New York Times, blogs aren’t  overtaking traditional news, nor are they threatening to put the paper’s print  edition out of business, says Deputy Managing Editor Jonathan Landman.
“Blogging is just a  technology—it’s not a spiritual thing,” says Landman. “It allows us to deliver  news in a certain way, and it allows engagement with the readers.”
So, Times editors aren’t viewing blogs as some magical device that  turns newsgathering on its head. Nevertheless, the paper has responded to the  social media revolution by creating about two dozen blogs on everything from  politics to wine.
   
While many media outlets use blogs to offer a looser, more informal style of  news reporting, Landman points out that Times blogs vary widely in  style, depending on the subject matter and the audience.
 
What Times editors like about blogs, he explains, “is that they can be  adapted to many different purposes. For instance, we have ‘Diner’s Journal’ [written by restaurant critic Frank Bruni], which has short essays every few  days—whereas, our World Cup blog  was very different because it was live.”
The World Cup blog, which ran over  the summer, featured minute-by-minute posts as play progressed. Bruni’s blog,  on the other hand, reads more like a series of short articles.
   
Likewise, the frequency of posts varies depending on the subject matter and the  style of the blogger. Blogs about business or politics tend to have several  posts each day, while feature-oriented bloggers might only post a few times a  week.
 
It’s hard to say who’s reading the blogs versus who’s reading the Times Online  (or the print edition), and whether the blogs are attracting a new audience to  the paper and its online properties.
“We don’t have precise audience  information, but we can pick up anecdotal evidence by looking at the comments  section of the blogs,” says Landman.
Readers of Bruni’s “Diner’s  Journal” appear to be serious foodies who most likely are also readers of the  paper’s print edition. On the other hand, the temporary World Cup blog drew a  temporary audience of sports fanatics.
   
That impermanent blog for the World Cup proved to be the most popular blog to  date from an audience standpoint, Landman says.
However, as far as permanent  blogs, “DealBook,” which chronicles financial happenings including IPOs and  mergers and acquisitions, claims the biggest audience.
   
For those who wonder how journalists split their time between their “regular”  assignments and their blogs, Landman explains that at the Times, the blogs  generally work in tandem with other print or online assignments.
 
What’s in the future for Times blogs?
Landman says readers can expect to  see growth in all subject areas, but during election seasons blogs on politics  will probably crop up with more frequency.
Here’s a list of Times  news-oriented blogs (most home pages for blogs contain e-mail links for  contacts):
The Caucus: A look ahead at the 2008 elections, as well as November 2006  midterm elections. Kate Phillips is the key blogger, although other Times  political writers weigh in.
DealBook: Edited by Andrew Ross Sorkin, DealBook covers breaking news  on the world of finance, and frequently links to outside news sources such as  the Associated Press.
 
Pogue’s Posts: David Pogue, who writes a weekly technology column for the Times, posts every couple of days on personal technology news.
Diner’s Journal: Restaurant critic Frank Bruni augments his weekly reviews with  postings on dining trends and such diverse topics as how he keeps his weight  down.
The Empire Zone: This blog covers politics in New York,  New Jersey and Connecticut, and is written by several  writers on the local politics beat.
The Public Editor’s Journal: Byron Calame, the paper’s readers’ representative, blogs  about complaints regarding Times coverage, and how news decisions are  made.
Screens: Times TV critic  Virginia Heffernan writes about Web video and how it’s changing the worlds of  news, business and entertainment.
   
These “Times Select” blogs are available only to  subscribers of this enhanced news service:
Domestic Disturbances: Author Judith Warner covers “modern parenting” and posts  every Friday.
On the Ground: Pulitzer prize-winner Nicholas D. Kristof, an op-ed  columnist for the Times, blogs about international and humanitarian  issues.
Notions on High and Low Finance: Chief financial correspondent Floyd Norris covers finance  and economics.

Living Design: Allison Arieff, the former editor of Dwell magazine, blogs on “design in daily  life,” including architecture and product design.