Blogging turns 20

Blogging is 20 years old. Facebook 10. Twitter going on 8.
Wow.
Here's an evaluation and comments on blogging by pioneers in The Guardian.

expectations

Your attention span is about this
short.
So writing for a blog should be too.
Otherwise your readers' eyes will go
elsewhere.
So how do you write well for a blog?
Nothing new, just more emphasis.

• Short words, 
• short sentences, 
• short paragraphs.
• Grab readers' attention with a strong first sentence
• Get to the point
• Break up longer blogs of copy with things like bullets, or caps, or bold face type
• Be specific with details
• Have fun (did you ever see that point in previous instructions on writing?)

Read these 12 tips from Writers' Digest

Read this in depth analysis from ProBlogger
Read tips from author of Blogging for Dummies about

• Overview of a Blog Post
• 5 Tips to Write Great Blog Posts
• Blog Posting Frequency Overview

Post something on your blog, about how you're going to write for your subject, addressing your readers.

Blogging jobs open

Read this story about the Washington post.Hiring Bloggers

Little Boxes by Pete Seeger

Are you my type?

Doesn't matter what you post if people can't read it, or if it's hard to read. Your job is to make it easy.

1. Read: 

http://blog.fonts.com/2012/02/07/10-web-typography-trends-to-watch-in-2012/

2. How does the type measure up on your blog? One good thing, one weakness? Post in comments below, by 5.pm. Wednesday, Jan. 29.

 

Clark’s Guide to

Readable Typography for Blogs

(Or anything, for that matter)

1.         Serif—Easiest to read

2.         Sans Serif—harder to read the smaller it is or the more of it there is

3.           Most body type should be about 12 point in size

4.           Script is hard to read--invitations only

5.           Italic is hard to read

6.         Only center type

          On Invitations,

            Or Titles, not

            On most  material

7. ALL CAPS IS HARD TO READ

8.                  REVERSE TYPE 

should be at a
Minimum
And bold

And small san serif 
is hard to read
As is colored type
on reverse  

10.             Screens can make type hard to read

Especially over sans serif

Or heavy and colored screens

11.               Weak colors disappear

12.               Colored type isn’t as effective
As black type, or dark type on a light background

13.      Don’t  Mix Lots of Type Faces

14.            Stick with a few

                  that are compatible

A link to check out

bloggingyour passion.com

only to scan for ideas

Today's other assignments

1. Your blog is up
2. Add profile and photo
3. Follow BlogblogUCO and Coffee with Clark
4. email link of your blog to tmclark44@gmail.com
5. By end of class today
6. From previous assignment (10 in 20), or elsewhere, for Tuesday Jan. 28, have two blogs selected, urls, and titles written on a piece of paper to hand in at start of class, that you might want to adopt for study.

Find 10 in 20

Find 10 in 20 and evaluate one

Take 20 minutes. Go to
 blogoklahoma.com and to
http://technorati.com/blogs/top100/
http://www.blogher.com/network
http://www.bloggersblog.com/blogalistlinks/


1. Find ten blogs of interest to you. Copy links to your blog.

2. Choose one of the blogs you discovered today, or another one you prefer.
Write a two paragraph evaluation of the blog, addressing the following ideas:

1. What are its strengths?
2. What ideas about blogging and your blog do you get from it?
3. What are its weaknesses and how could be improved?

Be sure to include the link to the blog, and include at least one visual image, plus labels at the end of your post.

List by end of class today. Comment by 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24

Blog ideas and set up

Ideas and tutorial

Take 10 minutes to scan this link.
Ideas for your blog
Then view this tutorial

Comment below about the article Ideas for your blog by 5pm Monday, Jan 20.
Try to have your basic blog set up, or wait till we do it together on Tuesday, Jan. 21.

Blog assignment one

Welcome, get busy, Spring bloggers--Due Thursday

1. Welcome bloggers. Check and read these links by Thursday.
http://trends.e-strategyblog.com/2012/08/01/the-state-of-the-blogosphere-2012-infographic/2383
http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/newswire/2012/buzz-in-the-blogosphere-millions-more-bloggers-and-blog-readers.html
2. Read the Intro and part One of this link by Thursday.
http://technorati.com/social-media/article/state-of-the-blogosphere-2011-introduction/


3. What have you decided for a title for your blog?

4. Do you have a separate gmail account yet?

5. Once that is set up, become a follower of this blog, and Coffee with Clark.

6. Assignment: In the comments section below, post a two sentence comment about what you think the state of blogosphere 2012 means to media today, by 5 p.m. Aug. 21.

7. Assignment: view this blog, before 5 p.m. Aug. 21: Blog tutorial