Summer 2013 NMDL

How to effectively use and optimize a blog

Submitted by Student on Mon, 06/03/2013 - 2:46pm

 

Uses of a Blog

      A weblog, or blog for short, is a very ideal channel for conducting a public conversation and expressing your opinion on a specific topic of your choosing. Creating a blog provides an outlet for users to express their opinions and provide insight on anything they may be passionate about. Composing your own blog posts along with commenting on other's posts is a great way to be recognized by professionals in the field and create connections with others who are passionate about your topic. Being able to collaborate with a network of peers is a great way to gain insights and information on your topic, as well as, see what other bloggers may think about your opinions. Additionally, blogging can be a very important tool for marketing and public relations. According to David Meerman Scott, author of "The New Rules of Marketing and PR", there are four distinct uses of blogs for marketing and PR:

  1. " To easily monitor what millions of people are saying about you, the market you sell into, your orginization, and its products."

  2. " To participate in those conversations by commenting on other people's blogs."

  3. " To work with bloggers who write about your industry, company, or products."

  4. " To Begin to shape those conversations by creating and writing your own blog."  

Resource from page 64 of David Meerman Scott's "The New Rules of Marketing and PR."

How to Become A Better Blog Designer

     Due to the fact that there are more than ten million blogs available to view via the internet, creating a blog that has a unique spin and personality is a key component to attracting the attention of potential viewers. Jennifer Apple's Blog Tutorial supplies readers with a variety of design elements which explain how to enhance the generic blog appearance and personalize and update your blog design to attract more traffic. Apple has recommended design updates such as, personalizing the logo or banner, take advantage of free blog templates and layouts, and use unique fonts that will give your blog a personal touch. 

Resource from page 231 of Derek Mehraban and Richard T. Cole's "The New Media Driver's License Resource Guide."

Link URL: "http://www.photoshopsupport.com/tutorials/jennifer/blog-templates.html"

 

7 Ways to Improve Your Blog Writing

James Chartrand's "7 Ways to Improve Your Writing... Right Now" is a great resource for individuals who are new to the wide world of blogging, including myself. It clearly highlights 7 very important tips that can quickly enhance your skills with creating great blog posts.

  1. Be clear and straightforward with your posts- Getting straight to the point and being as simple as possible is an important component to hold the reader's attention.
  2. Shorter posts- Shorter posts with plenty of paragraph breaks is also a great way to ensure the readers can absorb the information in your posts.
  3. Chunk information into groups of three- grouping data and information into groups of three bullet points or three steps is ideal. Readers tend to comprehend and remember information better if it is in "triads".
  4. Watch your Tone- assuming that the readers can pick up on the tone or attitude in your writing can be a common mistake for rookie bloggers and can easily give readers the wrong ideas.
  5. Food, Sex and Danger- interestingly, these three topics are very important to readers and tend to keep their attention. Attempting to relate your article to one of these three topics can be a great way to keep readers glued to your page. 
  6. Short, sweet paragraphs- Long paragraphs can be very boring for readers, especially online; therefore, breaking your information and opinions into concise paragraphs is ideal. Also, using bullet points and sub-headings is a great way to ease the information search for readers.
  7. Stay on Topic- This one is pretty obvious, keeping a main point to your posts is essential. Having too much content or content that is independent from your topic can easily confuse the reader. 

Resource from page 59 of Derek Mehraban & Richard T. Cole's "The New Media Driver's License Resource Guide".

Link URL: "http://www.copyblogger.com/fast-writing-improvement/"

 

Check out my personal blog: http://hubertal.newmediadl.com/

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