The Cebu Bloggers Society’s recent content editing seminar was both a refresher course for media practitioners and a discussion of important writing tips for bloggers.

Although the seminar, for the most part, dealt with elements commonly known to journalism, the facilitator—Lorenzo Niňal—purposely (I must say) extended those elements (objectivity, public concern, impact of story, etc.) into the realm of blogging.

Blogging, after all, starts with writing substantial content, hence highlighting a common denominator it shares with journalism. You see, both areas involve writing–whatever it is, be it a photo caption, a shout-out, a mad poem, a romantic letter, a controversial news story, or an inspiring profile written intently through a mobile device or scribbled furiously behind rummage sale receipts or fast food table napkins.

Most importantly, both journalism and blogging involves writing through a medium that reaches out thousands of people daily. That substantial audience reach alone marks the important role of both bloggers and journalists as responsible writers and editors.

And it was to stress this vital role that prompted Niňal to hand each eight of us at the seminar short notes on journalism, prod us to read and understand each line, and entertain us with stories on snakes and hopeless police blotters.

The three-hour seminar was held last Aug. 23 at the Enovlink Training Center along Osmeňa Blvd., Cebu City.

I must say Niňal was straight to the point and admitted that he knows more copy editing than content editing. Despite that, he managed to draw the somewhat thin but distinct line between the two types of editing.

One of shout-outs he made that I think we should all take to heart was for one to know the fundamentals of writing first—much better to master them—before he or she can decide to move one rung up and improve (or mess up) others’ works.

Some CMC members of Cebu Bloggers Society with Sir Niñal (Photo/FocalGlass.com)

And another thing: continue to read whatever you can find or hold on to, be it an FHM magazine or an intriguing news clip posted through Facebook. And, of course, learn from them.

P.S. Niňal, who is fondly called as Insoy by his colleagues and friends, is my Cebuano Writing teacher in college and one of the copy editors at Sun.Star Cebu. Apart from keeping a band called Missing Filemon, he also manages a non-government organization he formed called Tsinelas Association Inc.

Below are brief details about Tsinelas:

Tsinelas, formed in October 2003 and registered with SEC in February 2004, is a non-government, non-stock, non-profit organization that gives educational assistance to poor students in mountain barangays and depressed areas in Cebu.

It is composed of students, professionals, priests, seminarians, and social workers sharing a passion to be a service of others.

One of its objectives is to spend for the students’ basic school needs, school fees, uniforms, and school supplies.

Read more about Tsinelas Association Inc. here.