Over the past weeks we’ve slowly been launching blogs across bbc.co.uk’s various “properties’ (we call them “divisions”, which is as ironic as much as it is accurate it it’s literal sense. Hey don’t even get me started – we had to create a “blog steering group” to unite the divisions…)
I’ve been involved with the project from it’s beginning – the ‘blog summit’ last year, no less – as the unofficial blogosphere and technical platform advisor.
The blogs themselves are great – but rather than a round of momentous back-slapping, the initial launch was commemorated more with a sigh of relief that we can finally be seen to be ‘getting it’. I think it was worth the wait, just.
So now you know that we have blogs – seeing as you probably didn’t know we did until now – I can now announce the fabo-tastic BBC Blog Network Portal which aggregates all of them together.
If I’ve had any involvement in this project, it’s to ensure that the blogs became a cohesive ‘Network’. I like to describe it as:
“a structured content horizontal that spans our diverse content verticals”
(see, I can speak executive too!).
The ‘glue’ that creates this cohesion is the Blog Portal itself – an immediate + up-to-date snapshot of the conversations happening within the fabric of our divisions verticals.
Ok, if you consume blogs strictly by RSS then yes, this approach is not going to be for you. But don’t forget this is a mainstream content offering as much as it is a niche blogosphere offering and we need to keep the licence fee payers as happy as we aim to keep the bloggers happy too.
So please check out the BBC Blog Network, which so far consists of:
- Paul Mason, Newsnight
- Nick Robinson, Political Editor
- World Have Your Say
- World Update with Dan Damon
- North East Wales Blog
- + Many more to come…
… and please check out the BBC Blog Network Portal at http://blogs.bbc.co.uk.
Do let me know what you think – either by commenting on this post or by sending your feedback to the BBC directly.