Learning to Blog 101
Several months ago, I took a workshop on learning how to blog well and all the problems of blogging. The workshop title was "Blogging for the Classroom" however, we covered all types of blogging.
I paid big bucks to take this class (got teacher recertification credits though) so now you get to see the synopsis of my course for FREE.
I have also incorporated TBlog features in this general article.
How generous is that of me to share with you? You can always leave a comment as an appreciation token.
First off, what is blogging?
Blogging is an online web log or web journal or diary. It can be personal, business, or professional.
Blogs are easy to use and most have the option of using HTML but most of them have automatic editors that you can use with ease.
You can also share pictures!
What are blogs about?
It depends on what you want your blog to be about.
Some people focus on one theme whether it be a hobby, sport, interest, politics, consumer info, travel, or just a blog about your everyday life, rants, complaints, vents, opinions, etc.
You decide what you want to write about.
It can be short and to the point, or long and detailed.
Just don't bore your readers, they may not come back so make sure your posts are interesting and noteworthy.
People read your blog and may comment on what you have to say making it an interactive experience! Who does not love comments on something they wrote or a private tmail!
How often do I have to blog?
You can post several times a day, once a day, once a week once every two weeks, maybe once a month. Any time is a fine time and on your dime.
The more often you update, the more readers you may have visiting and commenting.
How do I get readers to my blog?
You need to tell people about your blog so they can visit. If you belong to groups, you can leave the URL in your email signature. Make sure this is ok with your group because some groups do not allow this.
If you have a profile page in a group, you can also list your URL there too.
Here at TBlog, they set it up as a community and every post is categorized publically so people can visit from the category or by the rotating recent blog listing.
People can also click on Users Online under the search on the left to see who is online at the moment and can visit a blog from there or from the tblurt tag board if that member has posted there. (Little red button takes you to their blog, and green button to their profile.)
Here at TBlog, you can also ask people to be your friend or you can type in their user name under bookmarks if you wish to see the latest post in their blog and come on over for a visit.
Your bookmark list (next to visits in the menu bar above) lists the most updated blog first to the blog with no updates last. Very handy tool.
You can check out other member's friends also and read their blogs too.
What about writing a post?
When writing a post, you can create one off line with your word program and then just copy and paste it onto a new post, categorize it, and publish. It is that easy. I will be writing a tutorial on how to use the editors to help you make full use of TBlog features soon.
When writing a post in your word program -- use your spell check!
Use complete sentences and proper language and proper punctuation.
Write in paragraphs. Paragraphs make it easier to read a blog. One paragraph is a thought with supporting information. I know we looked at lots of blogs and ones with no paragraphs, forget it, I will not read. Also if the language is bad, I don't read it either. So if you want blog readers, you need to use your former education -- you did not learn all that English (or language skills) for nothing. If you weren't paying attention, then you need to relearn it all.
Your use of sentences, paragraphs, language, and punctuation ;is a reflection of who you really are.
You want to look smart and believable! You want readers to connect with you!You want readers, who may become commentors, to come back for a visit in the future.
Save your post in your Word Program and create a "blog file" ;. This is your backup for two reasons:
A) if you lose a post or need to review or revamp it, you can off line and just republish it.
B) If you decide to move on elsewhere and leave all the rest of the TBloggers behind, you can repost your whole blog.
About Comments --
Comments can be set in any blog for either anyone on the net to comment (opening you up to some spam maybe), or just members of that site to comment or no comments at all.
I noticed at TBlog if you have "members only can comment", that any non-TBlog person visiting cannot view the comments at all. In this case, you must be signed in in order to view the comments made or make a comment in a blog.
Some blogs even allow people to comment if they are approved by the blog owner.
What is a permalink?
This is the URL where your blog entry sits. Each entry has it's own URL. Here at TBlog, we do not have permalinks listed after each post, they are contained when you click on comment and the URL in the address bar is the URL for that post.
What is a trackback?
This is how another blog can refer to your posting as a reference to their posting on the same or a similiar subject. A trackback can create traffic to your blog. There are no trackbacks available at TBlog. This is nice since they can be very confusing so simple is best if you just want to blog without worry at TBlog.
What is RSS?
RSS - Really Simple Syndication -- is a service that you subscribe to that you can add certain blogs that have RSS to a reader. You just have to check in with your RSS service and click on the blog and be taken right to it rather than typing in a URL or clicking on your favorites and finding it. When viewing your RSS reader, you see all updated information. A very handy tool only if the person has a blog with RSS availability.
At Bloglines, you can check it out for more information.
Here is a useful article on RSS: How to Explain RSS the Oprah Way
I am tired of blogging! It is too much work, I don't like writing anymore. I just don't have the time in my busy real life to continue.
Well, it is important that you remove all info on your blog and shut it down.
No one likes to visit a site that has not been updated for ages.
Here at TBlog, I noticed no delete account button. I guess you would have to email the management or Rocky to do that for you.
Other blogs may or may have an automated delete this blog button.
It was strongly stressed in the class to remove a blog you no longer have interest in.
Another issue is that if you leave your account opened, and you have comments set to "anyone on the net" -- your blog may become infested with unwanted spam.
We talked about other blog sites, pros and cons of using them, various features, vs other sites.
Mostly as teachers, one of the issues that came up, was if you used a free site for students, and there were fixed ads on the site, remember the students may see ads that are very naughty and unprofessional. So we were warned.
Another issue that was a heated discussion was about specific personal information in profiles and in blog entries it self. Over at that other site that is in the news so much, information about location and school, age, even a good picture of yourself, could make you an easy target for a reader of your blog with bad intentions in your general area. Think carefully about the personal information or photos you put in your blog, especially if you are young.
Other information such as where you work (meer mention of the company for instance), or people you mention, could be found in a search. We discussed cases where people lost jobs when they found negative things about a company in their blog entry.
One way some of this information is found out, is if you use your work computer to update your blog, in the history file, there sits your URL. So anyone who is on your computer does have access to your "private" site, which is not private anymore.
TBlog has a great search in association with Google.
Then the issue came up about sites with not too many administrators operating it. If they decide to give up their server space or something happens to that one administrator, then there goes your blog and your hard work down the drain.
We were told to pick a place that was reliable.
So now why I choose TBlog as my off shoot pet proje ct? -- I just thought it was a very nice place. I liked the templates, and I liked the ease of use --- haha -- I hear some laughter there! Once I got use to the controls, I think they are great.
My initial intention to use this blog changed when I saw what the atmosphere was here but that is all to your benefit, you are getting help so you don't go insane! Anyways, TBlog is a nice everyday people sort of blogging experience.
I also like the tmail feature here and the stats. Very cool features.
We discussed more but at this point, this is a basic introduction.
I hope this has helped someone here get a better understanding of blogging or TBlog use.
My next article will be about using the posting editors. So come on back for more help and ideas to make your tblog better.
