According to CNET news, there are two new blogs born every second! With so many blogs out there, how can we tell which ones are credible and professional and which ones are just nonsense? And how can you make it so that your blog is professional and credible too? There are lots of ways to make the most of your blog. Just like writing an article for a newspaper, practicing good journalism skills is essential when publishing any writing, even on a blog.
During the first few weeks of the semester, I was feeling overwhelmed by all this talk of blogging. I wasn't even sure what blogging was! Luckily Dr. Spaulding recommended a great book to the class called The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging, which I ordered off Amazon.com. This book does a wonderful job outlining the things that make a good blog a good blog. For example, when i first made my blog I made the same mistake as many other first time bloggers: black background with white font. After reading the Huffington Post, I discovered that a background like that distracts readers and can even hurt their eyes. I quickly changed my background to grey with a dark blue font. And thats just one of the many tips offered. I recommend this book to anyone who has not blogged before or just wants to learn how to be a better blogger.
Besides that, there are a lot of great websites out there that offer tips on how to be an effective blogger. Problogger is a blog that focuses on teaching people how to blog. The author offers 10 tips for writing an effective blog post. I think you will find these tips helpful. Another website that offers great tips is a blog titled Web2Center. Here, the author offers 24 tips for creating great blog content.
There are some criteria that I think are important to have in a blog. First of all, a blog has to be creative and playful. One great idea for a blog is creating a photo blog such as the Fine Art Photoblog. By doing something creative, it is more likely that people will want to look at your blog and categorize it as a "great blog".
Second, I think a blog should you reflect your personality. If you are funny, then let your blog reflect that. People may not always agree with what you have to say, but that doesn't matter. AN example of a great blog that does this is the Humor Gazette in which the author uses satire to make fun of public figures, and sometimes even himself. His personality shows through and that is what makes a truly great blog.
Third, I think a great blog should be on a topic you are passionate about. If you truly care about your topic, posting won't be a chore, rather it will be something you honestly want to do not because it is an assignment, but because you want people to read it. The Invisible Children blog does a great job of doing this. It is full of information about upcoming events, photos, videos, and mission statements to tell what the organization is about. Passion on your topic is essential to making a great blog.
During the first few weeks of the semester, I was feeling overwhelmed by all this talk of blogging. I wasn't even sure what blogging was! Luckily Dr. Spaulding recommended a great book to the class called The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging, which I ordered off Amazon.com. This book does a wonderful job outlining the things that make a good blog a good blog. For example, when i first made my blog I made the same mistake as many other first time bloggers: black background with white font. After reading the Huffington Post, I discovered that a background like that distracts readers and can even hurt their eyes. I quickly changed my background to grey with a dark blue font. And thats just one of the many tips offered. I recommend this book to anyone who has not blogged before or just wants to learn how to be a better blogger.
Besides that, there are a lot of great websites out there that offer tips on how to be an effective blogger. Problogger is a blog that focuses on teaching people how to blog. The author offers 10 tips for writing an effective blog post. I think you will find these tips helpful. Another website that offers great tips is a blog titled Web2Center. Here, the author offers 24 tips for creating great blog content.
There are some criteria that I think are important to have in a blog. First of all, a blog has to be creative and playful. One great idea for a blog is creating a photo blog such as the Fine Art Photoblog. By doing something creative, it is more likely that people will want to look at your blog and categorize it as a "great blog".
Second, I think a blog should you reflect your personality. If you are funny, then let your blog reflect that. People may not always agree with what you have to say, but that doesn't matter. AN example of a great blog that does this is the Humor Gazette in which the author uses satire to make fun of public figures, and sometimes even himself. His personality shows through and that is what makes a truly great blog.
Third, I think a great blog should be on a topic you are passionate about. If you truly care about your topic, posting won't be a chore, rather it will be something you honestly want to do not because it is an assignment, but because you want people to read it. The Invisible Children blog does a great job of doing this. It is full of information about upcoming events, photos, videos, and mission statements to tell what the organization is about. Passion on your topic is essential to making a great blog.
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