It’s official, my knowledge of the bloggersphere has been extended well beyond posting pictures on Instagram. During week 1’s lecture and readings i’ve not only gained insight into effective blogging but also the real purpose of what it’s all about. As Darren Rowse says in his article, “good writing, … in the end is good writing.” Now for some, this may be quite a vague statement but to me it clearly describes the way in which one should compose said blog posts. The main points i gained from this article were that the purpose of your blog and its contents is to gain a reaction from the reader and that upon reading your posts, they should feel compelled to respond and “take action” to some extent. Rowse explains that it is essential to have a catchy, yet effective headline to draw attention to it whilst keeping in mind it’s suitability in relation to your intended audience (also an important factor to consider). When composing said post, you should be making a “promise” to your readers and in the first opening sentences, one should “expand on and deepen the promise made in the headline.”To me its blatantly clear that your blog should be structured clearly and in relation to the purpose of your blog; this includes the use of images related to the topics you discuss and the headline of your blog inparticular. Making your blog posts “skimmable” allows for your audience to get the general gist of what you’re blabbering on about without actually having to read the entire theses you’ve been typing for the past 5 hours. In short, what I gained from this article is that to be an effective blogger, in your posts, be persuasive, emotive, logical, believable and most of all, enjoy yourself!
The second article by Rebecca Blood, really gave me an insight into the do’s and don’ts of blogging which focused mainly on the ethics involved and gave a lesson on blogging etiquette (a much needed wake-up call for me as a complete novice at blogging). According to Blood, a successful blog’s two greatest strengths are its ability to filter and disseminate information to a broad and widely dispersed audience, and that its positioned outside the mainstream of mass media mediums (alliteration un-intended). It was made clear to me that blogging has little financial gain for most bloggers and in this way, a weblog’s greatest strength is also its fatal flaw. Blood suggests that when writing a blog post, mainly publish facts based on your knowledge of them – spectulate on topics that interest you and relate to your blog’s theme. Referincing is a key component mentioned by Blood as this allows readers to judge the accuracy and in the same respect, the insightfulness of your posts. Always correct or edit any misinformation and write every post like it’s the most developed and interesting post you can possibly make it; as though it’s had years of thought and you’ve poured your little heart out into it.
The video perscribed called “Did you know 4.0?” made me realise just how insanely innovated and developed the world has become but also how bloody massive it is! Yes, i may sound a little naive in admitting this but some of the statistics in this video astounded me and i found myself saying “Oh my god!” out loud several times. (Feel free to leave at any moment if my cliched-ness utterly perplexes you)
Upon reflecting on these readings (/watchings) and week 1’s lecture, it’s been made fairly clear to me of how i should be conducting myself and the mindset I need to be in, in order to develop an effective and interesting blog and gain the interest of my intended audience (which at present is still undecided). It made me realise the enormity of the bloggersphere in general and just how public posting online has become. The information that has been made to me in week 1 is something that i will surely take into account when constructing future blog post and has given me the confidence to do so. I’ve had to think hard about just what exactly it is that i want to achieve as an end goal in developing my blog but i’m also greatly anticipating the reception my weekly posts will receive, and the skills i will gain that can be put to use in my future careers.
Well that’s all from me for today, so as the French say, à Bientôt!
Aiyana Levin 