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Former news ed’s training blog passes a million hits

A blog set up by a former news editor turned lecturer to teach students how to build an online audience has chalked up its millionth page view.

The site, www.wreckoftheweek.co.uk was started by Sue Greenwood, now a senior lecturer at Staffordshire University.

Although ostensibly a property blog about renovating houses, Sue uses it to teach students about blogging, search engine optimisation and social media.

The site, which features properties ripe for renovation, has also been boosted by the rise in popularity of TV programmes on the subject.

Said Sue:  “Initially, I wanted to prove that the things I was telling my students – about picking the right blog subject, the right name; about SEO and using social media, were valid,” she said.

“I was teaching students how to blog as part of getting them to become more entrepreneurial and to value their expertise. However, I hadn’t tried blogging myself and it was important to me to test the practise behind the theory.

“So I decided use it as a testbed for all things I was trying to teach my students. It isn’t meant to be a big, flashy website but an example of what they can easily do themselves.

“It’s about being passionate about your subject, using the medium well and responding to your readers. I spend time working with the analytics: what search terms bring in visitors; what posts are popular; how many pages visitors look at.

Sue previously worked at The Sentinel, Stoke, Hull Daily Mail and Bradford Telegraph & Argus and was at one time a regional managing editor for Northcliffe newspaper websites.

She added:  “Once you leave the newsroom to go into teaching, you have to work to stay current in terms of journalism practice and new possibilities.”