I've done something I hope I don't regret: I've agreed to teach a Blogging 101 course for the Arizona State University Lifelong Learning Center here.
It began as a discussion with the director about teaching a writing class. Someone else is teaching a Writing Your Family History course. Offering a course like Writing for Publication might be too depressing. Traditional publishing has become so difficult these days that it's hard to know what to tell an aspiring writer. But there are some wonderful alternatives, particularly blogging, as I've discovered the past eight months.
Now that I've agreed to teach the class, I suddenly feel quite inadequate. I just started my blog late last October. So I'm still a relative novice at all this. What was I thinking???
Many of you are so much more experienced than I am in the blogging world -- and I'd love your help and suggestions.
What advice would YOU give someone who is thinking of blogging but a little nervous about it?
What do you wish you had known at the beginning?
Do any of you do private blogs for family and friends only?
What has surprised you most about blogging?
What do you enjoy most? Least?
Those of you who have a lot of Followers: how did you get so many Followers?? Is it a matter of writing a wonderful blog that touches a lot of readers? Reaching out to others by commenting on their blog posts? How do you encourage people who regularly read your blog to become Followers?
Do any of you make money with your blogs? Or do you blog primarily for pleasure?
If you were teaching this class, what are some things you feel the students absolutely must know??
Thanks so much for any comments and suggestions you can offer!
I truly appreciate your expertise and insights!
It began as a discussion with the director about teaching a writing class. Someone else is teaching a Writing Your Family History course. Offering a course like Writing for Publication might be too depressing. Traditional publishing has become so difficult these days that it's hard to know what to tell an aspiring writer. But there are some wonderful alternatives, particularly blogging, as I've discovered the past eight months.
Now that I've agreed to teach the class, I suddenly feel quite inadequate. I just started my blog late last October. So I'm still a relative novice at all this. What was I thinking???
Many of you are so much more experienced than I am in the blogging world -- and I'd love your help and suggestions.
What advice would YOU give someone who is thinking of blogging but a little nervous about it?
What do you wish you had known at the beginning?
Do any of you do private blogs for family and friends only?
What has surprised you most about blogging?
What do you enjoy most? Least?
Those of you who have a lot of Followers: how did you get so many Followers?? Is it a matter of writing a wonderful blog that touches a lot of readers? Reaching out to others by commenting on their blog posts? How do you encourage people who regularly read your blog to become Followers?
Do any of you make money with your blogs? Or do you blog primarily for pleasure?
If you were teaching this class, what are some things you feel the students absolutely must know??
Thanks so much for any comments and suggestions you can offer!
I truly appreciate your expertise and insights!
Congrats and I think you will be splendid. The only thing I wish I had known in the beginning is that it is my blog and I can blog when I want to. If it becomes like a job with self imposed deadlines, time to rethink.
ReplyDeleteWhat surprised me the most is how involved you get in the lives of your readers. You begin to care,to feel their sorrows and enjoy their triumphs. That is a good thing.
Arkansas Patti
Betty above is absolutely right about commenting-- It takes comments to make comments. I'd also add it takes meaningful comments to build blogging relationships-- And some of my blogging relationships are priceless.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started blogging a couple of years ago I had many of the same questions so I too, asked the questions. You can find readers answers here...
http://www.thefiftyfactor.com/2009/12/info-page-crazy-little-thing-called.html
I hope it helps. Good luck with the class. jj
Thanks so much, Betty, Patti and Joanna! I really appreciate your comments AND your encouragement! And Joanna, your link to your own blogging info is fabulous! My goodness! I've already learned so much for myself as well as for the class! Thank you all again so much!
ReplyDeleteI did the same thing last spring for our community college and had a just a few people in the class. I used Blogging for Dummies to help me plan my course outline. I didn't go into any HTML stuff, just used the blogger templates. Email me your address and I'll mail you the Dummies book if you'd like it.
ReplyDeleteJann
Thanks so much, Jann! I have a copy of Blogging For Dummies that I just bought and, like you, am planning the course outline with that book very much in mind. But I so appreciate your offer. I'm planning to make this a very basic course, utilizing Blogger step by step, because the population is older and people I've talked with about it are very nervous about technology. I don't know how many (or, more likely, few) will actually sign up for it. Isn't it funny? Blogging is such a pleasure, one would think classes would be crowded. Thanks again for your kind offer!
ReplyDeleteI know if you were teaching in my area, I would sign up. You have gotten some great suggestions. I believe there are few people who make good money blogging. It is a full time job for them. I followed blogs before I started, got to know some of them. I wanted to be able to communicate with them and other like minded people. There is also a lot of communication that goes on behind the scenes. Private email is where some of the greatest friendships develop. Blog about what interests you and write from the heart. The phonies are recognized and soon ferreted out. Don't let blogging take over your real life relationships. You are correct, blogging is a pleasure. Just make sure it stays that way.
ReplyDeleteRespectfully, Ginger
Thanks so much, Ginger! I appreciate your comments and suggestions. I know YOU could each me more than a few things about blogging, so I appreciate your generosity in saying you would sign up if in the area!
ReplyDeleteI'd LOVE to teach this class! Here's my take on why blogging is the best thing that ever happened to me...
ReplyDeleteWhat advice would YOU give someone who is nervous? Never be more open about deeply personal or private things than you would be to someone you might talk to in a crowded venue where you could be overheard by a specific person, boss, colleague, etc. Things are out there and shared. That's part of the joy of blogging. You can use real names (I do) or initials, explain to your friends and family why you might want to use their photos, but ask. You can delete comments you find unacceptable, but really -- few of those come along. Be authentic. If you are nervous about privacy, start with something safe -- a blog of photos or about travel that reveals little of your personality. You'll find that you'll start wanting to share it.
What do you wish you had known at the beginning? -- How addictive it was!
Do any of you do private blogs for family and friends only? -- No.
What has surprised you most about blogging? -- The genuine friendships and support. Meeting bloggers who seem like you've known them since you were children. Surprise presents in the mail from like minded friends who know you "need" this cool piece of ephemera or bit of art. Learning new things about everything from cooking to life lessons. Sometimes bloggies are there more than people you see everyday.
What do you enjoy most? Least? -- Most, the friendsships. Least? The guilt when I don't have the time to visit as much as people are visiting me.
Those of you who have a lot of Followers: how did you get so many Followers?? Is it a matter of writing a wonderful blog that touches a lot of readers? Reaching out to others by commenting on their blog posts? How do you encourage people who regularly read your blog to become Followers? -- I don't worry about followers. I put out a google widget and people signed up. I never mentioned to follow, never had a contest like some I've seen. Comments and visiting -- well, it takes a friend to be one, so unless I'm in a bad period, I try hard to visit everyone once or twice a week at least. I'd do more if I could because I love to visit. Contests are fun, too. I do them for milestone posts or events. I've discovered other blogs this way, too and love it when people discover me. Oh, and key words in the tags.
Do any of you make money with your blogs? Or do you blog primarily for pleasure? -- All pleasure. I don't have time to manage a monetizing blog.
If you were teaching this class, what are some things you feel the students absolutely must know?? -- It is a supportive, wonderful community and great way to meet like-minded people and even unlike-minded people who have many fine qualities and shouldn't be written off because you may not agree with all they do, yet are kind good people. Try it. You'll like it! (And then you'll start a second one which is hard to keep up, but you'll try...!!!)
Thanks so much for your very helpful and insightful comments and suggestions, Jeanie! I really appreciate your help!
ReplyDeleteSorry I missed this earlier, Kathy. Hope I'm not too late to be of use.
ReplyDeleteWhat advice would YOU give someone who is thinking of blogging but a little nervous about it? Jump right in and have a go. It’s easier than it looks and so much more fun.
What do you wish you had known at the beginning? Probably everything I’m about to write :-)
Do any of you do private blogs for family and friends only? No, though I guard my family’s privacy by writing under a pseudonym.
What has surprised you most about blogging? How very much I enjoy it – the writing, the choosing of photos, the comments and my responses, even wrestling with the vagaries of the Blogger software.
What do you enjoy most? The writing and the comments.
Least? The sometimes refractory software.
Those of you who have a lot of Followers: how did you get so many Followers??
Is it a matter of writing a wonderful blog that touches a lot of readers? Reaching out to others by commenting on their blog posts? How do you encourage people who regularly read your blog to become Followers?
I have a modest number of followers and am still surprised to have so many. I was lucky enough to get put on someone’s blogroll from the very beginning and so garnered a few comments with my very first post. I hope people who visit enjoy my blog and I try very hard to write well and interestingly and to respond to every comment I get.
Reading other blogs, commenting on them and staring to follow them are really important in helping your own blog to become more widely noticed, as well as being great fun to do. I’ve never encouraged anyone to become a public follower – it’s just happened and I am very content to know that my blog is read by a number of others (no idea how big that number is) who aren’t shown as followers.
Do any of you make money with your blogs? Or do you blog primarily for pleasure? No money, just for the great pleasure and satisfaction blogging gives me.
If you were teaching this class, what are some things you feel the students absolutely must know??
• Decide on your platform – Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad or another.
• Decide whether you will blog under your own name or anonymously.
• Decide what kind of blog you want to write and how you want it to look.
• Remember that once published, a blog post is out there permanently, so write with care and only what you want to be known for.
• Be generous with your comments on other people’s blogs and with inclusion of others’ blogs on your own blogroll. The blogging community, in my limited experience, is kind and encouraging to newcomers, so try to be the same yourself.
Thanks so much, Perpetua, for your very helpful comments! Your timing is perfect: I'm right in the middle of teaching my class and everything you wrote will be helpful to them!
ReplyDelete