Friday, January 07, 2005

Guidelines for beginning bloggers

I'm sharing this list that I found tonight for all the other UAB bloggers who started blogging along with me last semester. It is a great list . . . look here for more info.

The following is a list of guidelines for beginning bloggers developed by George Siemens in December 2002:

1. Start. As stated earlier, blogging is best learned by blogging...and by reading other bloggers. So...start.
2. Know your motivation. Why are you blogging? What do you hope to achieve?
3. Link. The heart of blogging is linking...linking and commenting. Connecting and communicating - the purpose of the Internet.
4. Experiment. Developing a writing style is an evolutionary process. Try different approaches and formats until you find one that fits your message, audience, and personal motivations.
5. Use life and your experiences as your "idea generation" file.
6. Get an opinion. Then express it.
7. Express your personality...let your humour, your perspective on life, and your values shine in your writing.
8. Post regularly. This is important - readers drop off/lose interest with irregular blogs (syndication and aggregators allow blog readers to stay in touch with infrequently updated blogs - more on that in the section "Extending Blogs").
9. Keep writing clear and concise. Avoid jargon...but utilize the unique aspects of the medium (visual, links, sound). Focus on communication (function) before form.
10. Write for a reason, not recognition. Most bloggers have small audiences. Satisfaction is derived from the writing process, not the audience response.

7 comments:

RahX said...

I blog therefore I am. A blogger.

I'm much like the spam in your email. You don't want me, I don't make much sense.

Kittaroo said...

Pshhh, well, I'M not getting a blog because I prefer live journal which is pretty much the same thing. Anyway, these blog things sure are neat and you know what else is neat? facebook! It's the new crack! Everyone should join --->www.thefacebook.com

Unknown said...

Not to be one of those weird non-choir member posters (ahem, nick. just kidding. sort of) but i think, dr. copeland, that you could have made this blog much shorter by doing a little something like this.
Guidelines for Bloggers:
1) don't blog like Francesca
because, in essence, that's what it says.

Choral Advocate said...

francesca I had no idea I was a weird non choir member...I thought of myself as an alum...

Unknown said...

Nick! pay no attention to me! i was making a joke. i think you're fantastic and you aren't just alum, you are THE alum. (i'm not quite sure what that means, but it's supposed to be nice.)

Choral Advocate said...

Fran you are awesome...but dont feel bad because I am a weird choir nerd...I know this and am currently in a 12 step program...however, on this whole blogging thing...I cant focus enough to do all those things Dr. Copeland mentioned so just keep that in mind when you read mine...peace

Katie Mo said...

hey Nick, the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem! hehehe. okay, sorry. bye.