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Online Journaling
What is a blog?
A blog is an online journal, usually of a
fairly personal nature.
The beauty of a blog is that it can be about
whatever you want--your ballroom dancing hobby, your parakeet
farm, your crazy stories from working in technical support,
or just your day-to-day life. Many online blogging interfaces
are so easy to use that they require little to no technical
knowledge! If you think that other people would be interested
in what you have to say, blogging could be for you.
We thought it
would be good to bring in an expert to help explain blogging!
We would like
to thank Jessica for her excellent tips on Blogs!
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Top Ten Tips from
a Blog Addict
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By Jessica Northrop
1. If you're not tech-savvy, don't
worry about it! Blogging interfaces like Blogger, Typepad,
and LiveJournal make it easy to set up a blog in less
than 10 minutes. However, if you want to do any customization,
HTML knowledge is a must. Do a little research and start
learning those basic HTML tags!
2. If you wish to remain anonymous,
do not create an obvious blogger ID (i.e. your name,
a well-known nickname, etc.) that will be easy for people
to find if they look you up in a search engine.
3. Find your online niche and your
online "voice." Many bloggers write entries
that are a mix of personal anecdote and commentary on
anything from pop culture to politics. To really draw
readership, you have to figure out your writing voice
and stick to it. You'll develop reader loyalty with
consistency, and you'll come out on top of the heap
if you can figure out what makes your blog different
(and more entertaining) than the others.
4. Remember that blogging is fast
becoming a valid media source. Bloggers such as Wonkette
and Matt Drudge have broken incredibly important stories
by getting the facts and blogging them for the world
to see. If you're looking to be the next Connie Chung,
blogging may be good practice. But just like in any
journalistic venture, integrity is key. If you do go
the j-blog (journalistic blog) route, treat it as you
would a freelance writing piece. Always make sure your
sources are credible, the facts are correct and your
writing style reflects your inner professional. If you
want people to take your breaking news seriously, poor
copy riddled with typos is not the way to put your best
foot forward.
5. Try and blog on a regular basis.
Not only is it great writing practice, but if you develop
a readership they are going to be looking for fresh
content at least once a week.
6. Read other people's blogs to get
a feel for what the "blogosphere" is like.
There are a lot of interesting people out there with
a lot of interesting things to say. What makes you different?
Reading other blogger's work is a great way to figure
that out.
7. Include links whenever possible.
If you reference a past blog entry that is in your archive,
find the link and include it so new readers won't be
in the dark. If you're talking about the hottest new
website or a cool Flash game, then provide your readers
with a link so they don't have to do a websearch just
to find out what you're talking about.
8. Some bloggers make their killing
on gossip, but unless you're a mover and shaker in a
major metropolitan area, don't try to be one of them.
Make an attempt to protect identities in your blog--it's
an unwelcome surprise for your friends to be surfing
the web and come across a detailed description of their
drunken behavior at your last party, posted for all
the world to see. Create aliases for frequent characters
in your entries or refer to people in general terms,
especially if you have something less than sweet to
say. A blog is not a weapon to hurt people with.
9. If you're at a loss for what to
blog about, there are plenty of resources to help you.
Writing prompts are a great place to start. The Internet
is full of resources for writers that offer daily writing
prompts, journaling prompts, and story starters. The
blogging world also refers to "memes," or
contagious ideas or patterns of information, that many
bloggers will adopt and write about. It's not a meme
until everyone's doing it!
10. Have fun! Blogging is an incredibly
unique way to harness the power and scope of the Internet
and make your voice heard. Blogging is what you make
of it--just don't forget to make it work for you.
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May We Suggest....
Resources on Online Journaling
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The Weblog Handbook
Practical
Advice on Creating and Maintaining Your Blog
by Rebecca Blood / Paperback / July 2002 / ISBN 073820756X
Blog on
Building
Online Communities with Web Logs
by Todd Stauffer / Paperback / Oct 2002 / ISBN 0072227125
We've Got Blog
How Weblogs
Are Changing Our Culture
by Rebecca Blood / Hardcover / July 2002 / ISBN 0738207411
We Blog
Publishing
Online with Weblogs
by Paul Bausch; Matthew Haughey; Meg Hourihan / Paperback /
Aug 2002 / ISBN 0764549626
Complete Idiot's
Guide to Creating a Web Page & Blog, 6th Edition
by Paul McFedries / Paperback / Sept 2004 / ISBN 1592572677
Return to the Different Styles of Journaling Page
Also, as a bonus, recieve our
useful PDF file entitled:
30 Journaling
Prompts to Get You Started...
FREE when
you join our newsletter!
Visit
our Newest Site... Journaling Prompts for a month of writing!
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