WELCOME TO

BLOGGING 101

Instructor: Samantha

What is a blog?

Web

+

Log

=

Blog

From Google:

Noun: a Web site on which an individual or group of users record opinions, information, etc. on a regular basis.

From Dictionary.com

Noun: a Web site containing the writer's or group of writers' own experiences, observations, opinions, etc., and often having images and links to other Web sites.

Elements of a blog

Posts Links

ArchivesComments

This is the main content of your blog. Each entry to your blog is called a post. Posts are listed in reverse chronological order so that the most recent post always appears at the top of the page.

Comments allow others to discuss what you have said in your posts and gives you a venue to interact with your readers.

Links send your readers to other websites or blogs that have a similar topic to yours and can give them further information.

Your archives include every post ever published on your blog, making it easier to go back to older posts.

Other Blog forms

Not every blog looks like text on a page. Different sorts of media

can be used to share a person’s interest on a subject.

Some blogs can be:

Vlogs (Video Logs)

Picture Blogs

Podcasts (Audio Logs)

These types of blogs generally require special equipment such

as digital cameras, video cameras, and audio recording

equipment. Whereas general blogs only require a basic

knowledge of computer and internet fundamentals.

Who Blogs?

The President (via White House

Staff)

http://www.whitehouse.gov/bl

og

Actors/Film Makers like John

Cusack

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

/john-cusack/

Writers like Dave Barry

http://blogs.herald.com/dave_

barrys_blog/

Critics like Roger Ebert

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebe

rt/

Organizations like the Library

http://www.cpplcentral-

ref.blogspot.com/

Everyday Moms

http://www.breakformoms.blo

gspot.com/

DIY Enthusiasts

http://www.notjustahousewife.

net

You!

http://www._____.blogspot.co

m

But what do I blog about?

What

are

you passionate

about

?

People blog because they have something to say that they want to share with the world.

A mother might blog on the challenges of raising four sons,

A gadget lover might blog about the latest in tech gossip,

An artist might blog about pieces they find particularly fascinating (or dull).

So the question here really is, what are you passionate about? Is it a topic that you think you can write about in many posts?

Popular Blog Topics

• Poop&Boogies: Father sharing stories of parenting & life in generalPersonal

• Aesthetic Nest: Creative journal for party, craft, & decorating ideasDIY

• Vivi’s Random Ramblings: Collection of random posts by a well-travelled photographerTravel/Photo

• Engadget: daily coverage of news concerning gadgets & consumer electronics Technical

• FP Passport: Foreign Policy news of the dayPolitical/News

• Pioneer Woman: Cookbook author & blogger extraordinaire!Business

Popular Blogging PlatformsB

log

ge

r

• Free

• Easy to set up and begin posting

• Requires a Google Account

Word

pre

ss

• Free or Fee

• Interface not as intuitive

• Finished look can is cleaner

• Popular with serious bloggers

Wee

bly

• Free or Fee

• Blog is part of an overall website

• There are themes to choose from, but not very many.

• Hard to customize themes without HTML &CSS knowledge

Tum

blr

• Free with Fees for some themes

• Many themes to choose from

• Can be a little confusing

• Not as easy to customize the look

If you’re thinking it, chances are someone else is too! So ask

away!

Any Questions?

Let’s Begin!

Open www.blogger.com

Sign in with your Gmail account

information

Do

This

First!

Congratulations!

Post

Writing a Post

A Note on adding Pictures

Pictures are a great way to add interest to

your blog posts. But beware of adding

pictures from the internet. Some pictures

have copyright restrictions that are not

always obvious.

The most cautious course is to never add

pictures that you do not know the rights to.

A more risky course is to add the picture if

there is no obvious copyright attached, but

always link the picture back to the source

you took it from.

Widgets

Widgets are another great way to add interest

to your blog. Popular widgets include:

Twitter feed reader

Goodreads widget

Librarything

Pointers

Subject, have a topic in mind and make sure it is something you can write about many times without losing interest.

Privacy, blogs are visible to anyone on the internet, use good judgment when posting personal information, pictures, or opinions that can get you fired.

Commitment, if you wish to attract readers, they must have something fresh to come back to. Good blogs are updated frequently therefore require a time commitment from the blogger.

Writing Skill, you don’t need a PhD, but you should be able to string a sentence together and not use text speak. If writing is not your thing but you really want to express an opinion, consider vlogs or podcasts.

Reading other Blogs

One way to discover what qualities you want

your blog to have is to read other blogs.

An RSS reader can automatically pull posts

from blogs you enjoy and keep them

organized in a reader.

Google Reader is a popular RSS feed reader,

and is already available to you now that you

have a Gmail account.

Any Questions?

Last chance!