13
Jan
2011

Better blogging

categories: Mrs. McGriff

How can you write a better blog post–one that gets people commenting and clicking the “like” button to share with all their friends?  Here are eight steps I came up with from completing Kickstart Activty 2 – Posts!  The Heartbeat of the Blog to get you on your way to better blogging:

  • Write from your heart:  You will write much better if you write about what you know and love.  You are an expert on something.  Share your passion with the world whether it is music or the outdoors or books.  Bill Howard’s Outdoors shares a love of hunting and fishing of all types. 
  • Hook your reader:  Craft a title or headlline that creates curiosity in your reader.  Follow that with a lead that grabs your reader by the shoulders and drags them into your post.  Elana Johnson dares to bare all in “Tell the Truth Tuesday:  Confession.”
  • Connect with other blogs or websites:  Don’t just tell about great resources you’ve found.  Create a link that can direct your reader there, too.  Mrs. Anderson brings together students, books, GoodReads and a writer in her student interview with Julia Karr. 
  • Go easy on your reader:  Break up your writing into short paragraphs.  Use bullets or numbers or headings to break up big chunks and direct your reader through your post.  Check out Beth Revis’s review for the Bookinistas.
  • Be conventional:  You know how distracting it is to read something with lots of spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes.  Take time to get it right before you publish.  Remember you can edit later if you find a mistake. 
  • Include visuals:  Go ahead and embed that video or add a picture.  You can even add music.  Make the most of the web.  See Tessa Gratton get a tattoo in honor of Blood Magic, her first novel.  However,
  • Respect other people’s creative work:  Take advantage of Creative Commons licenses that give you rights to use images and music in your posts.  Give credit to the creator.  Stealing others words and ideas hurts, as Saundra Mitchell shares.
  • Ask a question:  What response do you want from your readers?  Ask for it!  Then respond to their comments to keep the conversation going.  The bloggers at the League of Extraordinary Writers are awesome at this. 

What tips do you have for writing a great blog post?

22 Comments on Better blogging

  1. Ruary
    February 6, 2011 at 6:21 am (13 years ago)

    Hi!
    Oooooops! Forgot to check the speech marks when I pasted the HTML. Here goes again Room 9 St Pats

    Reply
  2. Ruary
    February 6, 2011 at 6:18 am (13 years ago)

    Hi!
    Great set of guidelines. Applies to other writing as well. Check out my blog at Room 9 St Pats

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      February 6, 2011 at 4:05 pm (13 years ago)

      I tell my students that good writing is good writing is good writing…no matter what they write!

      Reply
  3. Sheri Edwards
    January 18, 2011 at 11:53 pm (13 years ago)

    I agree with Kami and Anne — your format and links helped drive home your tips on blogging. I think helping students connect and comment on other blogs is crucial to opening minds, ideas, and their own blogging. And what really encourages the students are the comments back. Give some and you get some ! 🙂 Thanks for the tips.

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      January 19, 2011 at 6:41 am (13 years ago)

      Thanks for dropping by and commenting. I’ve been working hard this year to increase commenting, both by students and other readers. The other teachers in my building have been great about visiting students’ blogs and leaving encouraging words.

      Reply
  4. mrsdkrebs
    January 16, 2011 at 10:26 pm (13 years ago)

    Mrs. McGriff,
    Great blog post. Like Anne, I love how you provided so many links to illustrate your key points. I learned a lot from the your post and from others you linked to. Thanks, Denise

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      January 17, 2011 at 8:31 am (13 years ago)

      I’m glad you liked the links!

      Reply
  5. Anne Mirtschin
    January 15, 2011 at 4:06 am (13 years ago)

    You have given us some great pointers to consider when writing effective posts. What I particularly liked were the number of links given under each of your points! Thanks for taking the extra trouble to provide us with these. Therefore, your point about connecting to other blogs or websites is illustrated beautifully in your post.

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      January 16, 2011 at 6:28 pm (13 years ago)

      I had fun finding my favorite posts for each of them. Plus, I got to share blogs that I enjoy reading. Now if my students will just pay attention and write more blog posts!

      Reply
      • Anne Mirtschin
        January 17, 2011 at 1:52 am (13 years ago)

        Hi Kaye, thanks for visiting my blog and commenting. In response to your comment, students always like shortcuts. At least they are acknowledging some opinion on the blog post, if they hit the ‘like’ button. We have a cross culture blogging challenge amongst students. They were grouped to ensure that all students had someone visit their posts and comment. As they all wanted a comment, they became quite industrious at writing. What blog platform do you use and how can students get a ‘like’ button? I would like to add that to mine and I know my students would!

        Reply
        • Mrs. McGriff
          January 17, 2011 at 8:31 am (13 years ago)

          I use edublogs. On my blog I activated a feature that allows people to link to Facebook with their “like” button. Many of my students are on FB, where the comments are usually shorter, or just a click of “like.”

          I like the idea of pairing students with students from another place and culture. How did you find another classroom to work with? Where is a good place to look for those connections?

          Reply
  6. Jennifer Sparrow
    January 14, 2011 at 3:44 pm (13 years ago)

    I like your tips to connect to other’s blogs and to ask a question at the end of the blog to start the conversation. The greatest challenge I find is the “Hook your Reader” suggestion. How do you hook your readier?

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      January 14, 2011 at 4:14 pm (13 years ago)

      I don’t know that I always succeed in hooking my readers–especially my 8th grade readers, otherwise known as my students. For my book responses, I try to start with something about the book that I think will grab a reader’s interest. They often mirror the books talks I give in class. I must have succeeded with yesterday’s round of books. All of disappeared from my room before lunch!

      Reply
  7. Laurie Fowler
    January 14, 2011 at 3:37 pm (13 years ago)

    I liked your list of ideas for better blogging and I liked the formatting of bullets and bold print. I need to improve the way my blog posts look on my page, I think. Also, I enjoyed the blogs you mentioned the Bookinstas and The League of Extraordinary Writers. I am, however, most glad that I read this post this week, because I plan on using the Saundra Mitchell post in my discussion with both my undergrad and graduate students on copyright and fair use.

    Thank you for the great links and wonderful insights. My ideas for better blogging are here http://lauriefowler.blogspot.com/2011/01/teacher-blogging-challenge-2-five.html.

    Laurie Fowler

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      January 14, 2011 at 4:04 pm (13 years ago)

      Saundra’s post hit me hard. I haven’t shared it with my students yet, but I hope to use it to make copyright issues more personal to them. She expresses the artist’s frustration very eloquently. Let me know how it goes with your students.

      Reply
  8. MrDCarson
    January 14, 2011 at 9:22 am (13 years ago)

    Mrs McGriff,

    Thank- you for sharing on comment on my post. I teach Grade 7 in Ontario, Canada.

    I really enjoyed reading your post, and I think you have created a great set of steps for students to improve their post. I especially like the step where you discuss Creative Commons. This is something I have been focusing on in my class this year.

    How well do you think students understand creative commons?

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      January 14, 2011 at 4:03 pm (13 years ago)

      It’s been a slow process to get them to understand creative commons. I plan to share Saundra Mitchell’s post with them to help put a personal connection on the issue. It’s hard when they are surrounded by copyright infringement.

      Reply
  9. Kami
    January 14, 2011 at 8:05 am (13 years ago)

    I wish we had an option to edit our comments in the same way that we edit our posts. I usually spot my slips in convention after I had hit the send buttom 🙁

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      January 14, 2011 at 8:31 am (13 years ago)

      I’ve been there! I have seen some bloggers who correct mistakes in a followup comment with “oops! I meant to say…”

      Reply
  10. Kami
    January 14, 2011 at 8:03 am (13 years ago)

    Great tips!
    I will try to follow them in my following posts.
    It’s always been difficult for me to include visuals, and most of the time I simply don’t do it, but I will try in the future.
    The same with lists, I wasn’t aware of how good and helpful they are to “go easy on your reader”
    Thanks for your post!

    Reply
    • Mrs. McGriff
      January 14, 2011 at 8:31 am (13 years ago)

      I hope it helps! Good luck with your blogging.

      Reply

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