DIY is not just for music and arts: its for journalism too.

A few weeks ago Ryan Singel came to my City College of San Francisco online reporting class to talk about the current state of the journalism industry, and the effect blogs have had on it.

Ryan Singel. Photo from Contextly

The former City College journalism student and co-founder of Threat Level, a privacy and online security blog said that blogs are "the world's easiest publishing system."

That quote stuck with me got me thinking.

The focus of my blog is to highlight the vibrant music scene in the Bay Area which, despite what some people are saying, is still very much alive and active. There are plenty of bands working hard and carrying a do it yourself, or DIY attitude.

As a journalism major as well as avid Bay Area music fan and supporter, I think this DIY mentality applies to both areas.

Creating a community of independent journalist and bloggers will help strengthen the industry, just like it does with musicians and artists.

"Bloggers should be lifting each other up," said Singel. "You're more similar to other writers more than anything."

Applying a DIY mentality and making your presence known by making phone calls, collecting sources and writing stories is a great way for fresh reporters to start.