Tuesday, June 03, 2008

What "EDA Blogger Birds" Could Squawk About

Next week at the Design Automation Conference, a few leading EDA bloggers are arranging an impromptu "Birds of a Feather" session at DAC. There have been several posts discussing the event. Informal Blogging Event at DAC Gains Interest has a good summary.

Although I'm not sure I'll be going down to Anaheim, I'm very intrigued by the event and would like to attend. What topics would EDA bloggers talk about? Here are some that I would like to discuss with my brethren:

  • Online magazines, vendor communities, "DeepChip", and blogs: what each is good for.
  • What to write about. What not to write about. What I really want to write about, but am afraid to.
  • Frequency and regularity of posting.
  • How to build audience. How to track audience. Support each other through linking and commenting. Use pictures? Polls?
  • How to foster discussions. Pros and cons of comments. Need for an all-EDA bulletin board.
  • Team blogging. (multiple authors contributing to one blog)
  • Beyond blogging: social networks (LinkedIn, Plaxo). The Twitter phenomenon.
  • Can you make any money? Ads: google or sponsored.
  • For readers: how to find and follow blogs.
Incidentally, I've been blogging about EDA and Semiconductors for three years! My first post was about TSMC and low-power design; topics that are if anything, more relevant today.

3 comments:

John said...

Hi John - great post, and I'm glad you weighed in on the subject. I'll take your list and see if I can't float some of your ideas to the room - and make sure your blog gets a mention. You're a blogging old-timer now - 3 years!

It should be an interesting session.

Cheers,
JMF

Sandeep said...

I have an interesting suggestion - corporate responsibility in blogging.

How does one keep to the line (in terms of trade secrets, intellectual property) while blogging. On the other side, will it help to have a corporate blogging policy - like Google, Yahoo, MSFT, now do?

JL said...

Great list! Now I won't have to think up my own questions to prime the discussion ;-). Take it easy,

JL