Hey Everyone!
It’s crazy to think the semester is coming to an end. I have learned so much valuable information that will give an advantage in the communication field. Our class was called Strategic Message Design and the main focus was about message development for marketing communications. This included PR, advertising, social media and design.
In order to have successful communication you must strategically plan what the target goal is, and how you will execute that goal. A main misconception I had was, “It can’t be that hard to run your own blog or professional Twitter account.” I was wrong. There are so many “do’s and don’ts” if you want to come off as an expert. So I thought this blog post would be great to talk about what I have personally learned from this blogging experience, and if I plan to continuing what I started on my WordPress account.
Blogging Do’s
- Come up with a great idea to talk about
- Think of a catchy title
- Share what you know or what you have researched- add links and videos
- Be open to positive criticism
- Be interactive
Blogging Don’ts
- Don’t write a novel- 500-800 words max
- Don’t leave large amounts of time between your blogs- be consistent
Every decent blog has a great idea or topic behind it. My class focused on any aspect of communication. This can help gain a better following, because your readers can know what to expect from your blog. Readers love links, videos, and bulleted lists. I bet when you first scrolled down my blog you read the “do’s and don’ts” first. If the bulleted lists grab attention, then your reader will want to know more about what you have to say. Videos and links make a blog more interactive and provide an added element of entertainment.
The most helpful thing I would recommend to new bloggers like myself would be to create an editorial calendar. An editorial calendar helps you space out when you’re going to blog, and what you’re going to write about. Being a college student it was difficult for me to stick to my calendar, because I constantly had projects or assignments popping up every other day, as well as school organizations and club meetings taking up a lot of time. If you try to stick to a calendar you can spread out the writing over a few days so your not forcing yourself to write everything in one setting. Also if you don’t have anything more to say, don’t drag it out. If it was painful for you to write more content, it is going to be painful for the reader to read it.
I found this really interesting blog by this guy named Jeff Bullas. He talks about “What are the 10 Secret Benefits of Blogging.” Check it out if you have a chance. Click here.
I think this blog has been an overall positive experience. It was fun to have fellow classmates comment on each other’s posts, because we all worked really hard on this project. If I continue to blog, I want to focus more on my hobbies and other classes I’m taking. I have learned a lot about myself during this journey and think it has made me a better writer.
Liz
I agree about the novel writing. I often have a hard time making my posts more than 600 words because I feel like I’m rambling, losing the interest of the reader. When I have had a post that may take more space, sometimes I divide it into two parts. You can publish Part I, wait a day or so and publish Part II later. Maybe you are more likely to keep your readers attention (assuming they come back for part two). Who knows.
Hey Liz!
I enjoyed reading your blog post about blogging! Great tips! I had a few problems with blogging like finding the time to write it and finding a good interesting topic. Before this course I didn’t know so much went into blogging and that there were rules. After this class I think I’ve learned a lot about blogging and how to be a successful blogger.
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