All About Two-Way Communication
by Danielle Wood
Today I head off for a blogging conference called Blogher. I’m not quite sure what to expect. But I am sure that what I find out will likely have far reaching consequences for the site.
As Director of Editorial for Education.com, I’m in the unique position of trying to think like our users and deliver what I believe will be useful and relevant to them, while also considering their actual comments. It’s an interesting balance, because on the one hand I want to offer content people didn’t even know they were looking for, until they found it. I want to attract a wider audience. But on the other hand, these are new-fangled times. And unlike the old days, I can look at the data and see what people actually want to see, I can take into account what I know our audience is searching for, and make sure we can answer those questions well.
As the web grows up, the way that people use it changes. People expect the ability for two-way communication, not just with other users but with experts and journalists.
Everything we write here has a comment area below it. As a busy parent, I rarely take the opportunity to comment on something I read on the web. No time! But as an editor, I scour the site for feedback, curious what’s working for our readers and what is not.
Blogher will be all about reader-writer communication. But as I pack my bags I want to encourage you to share your thoughts. Which columns are working for you? How do you want to communicate with the site? Do you wish the columns were more blog-like? Which are your favorites? Let’s start that conversation. I’m listening.
Danielle Wood is the Director of Editorial for Education.com. You can reach her at editorial@education.com
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