7.4: Writing Skills- Blogging

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In this unit, we take a break from paragraph writing to look at another form of writing: blogging. The two readings in this unit are both by successful bloggers.

What Is a Blog?

The word blog is short for web log. A blog is a website that is run by a person or group, and that is updated regularly with new contributions, called blog posts. Some blogs are run by community groups, tourism organizations, and even government departments. Other blogs are run by individuals with particular interests.

A person who decides to have their own blog, like Cait Flanders and Joshua Becker, is called a blogger. Many of these individual blogs are very personal in nature; the blogger develops a relationship with the readers.

Blogs can be on just about any subject. In this unit, we have looked at two blogs on living a simple life and spending less money. Money is just one subject; you will find blogs on the internet about baking, motorcycles, fashion, skiing, weight loss, hairstyles, soccer, music, and just about any other subject.

Sometimes, people use a blog as an online journal. In many cases, the blog is unlikely to be read by anyone outside the blogger’s circle of friends and family members. Sometimes, however, a personal blog with relevance to other people may attract a following. An example might be a blog about someone’s experiences raising a special needs child, or one about someone’s recovery from a serious illness.

Today, blogs are very easy to create using programs like WordPress, Wix, and Weebly. Anyone with something to say can make a blog; no special computer skills are needed, and there is no censorship or control of blogs. With this in mind, you need to remember the following:

The language in the blog may not be perfect. Blogs are not usually edited, and you may find grammar and spelling mistakes.
The information presented in the blog may be inaccurate, or it may be biased. The writer may have made a mistake with the facts presented. The writer may also have a particular point of view and may present a one-sided argument.

Read with caution!

What Makes a Good Blog?

Blogs, especially individual blogs, are very personal. There are no rules; the appearance and style of a blog depends on the individual writer. However, there are some guidelines that successful bloggers follow:

Know your audience. Who are you writing for? What do your readers already know about the subject? What do they want to learn about?
Allow your own personality to shine through. A blog is not a textbook; it is about the experiences of one person. For a blog to be successful, the readers need to know something about the writer and to make a connection with that person. Write as if you are writing to someone you know.
Don’t make your blog posts too long. The idea with blog posts is that they should be read quickly, perhaps with your morning coffee. The two blog posts in this unit are quite long; many blog posts are quite a bit shorter.
Use bullets and numbers to break up the text. Readers don’t want to struggle to read the blog. Notice that Joshua Becker wrote his blog post in Reading 2 in point form. Many bloggers also use photographs. This is especially true of blogs about fashion, travel, cooking, and other subjects that lend themselves to pictures.
Share your blog. Many blogging platforms allow you to easily post a link to your blog on Facebook, Twitter, and other forms of social media. If you don’t tell people about your blog, they won’t find it!

You Try It!

Find two blogs about a subject that interests you: a hobby, a job, a type of food, a medical condition, or any other personal interest. You can find these by entering subject and blog into Google or another search engine (e.g. fishing blog or fashion blog). For each blog, complete the table. Here are some ideas to get you started:

A fishing blog

This blog contains articles about fishing and boating written by various experts.

https://www.takemefishing.org/blog/

A fashion blog

The blogger writes about clothing, hair, makeup, and other personal topics.

http://www.thesmallthingsblog.com/

A health blog

DiabetesSisters provides advice and support for women with diabetes.

https://diabetessisters.org/

These are just three examples that are easily found online. There are thousands of others!

Blog 1
Name of blog and URL (website address)
Who is the creator of the blog?
Who is the blog written for?
What kind of information is provided?
What do you like about the blog?
Anything you don’t like?
Blog 2
Name of blog and URL (website address)
Who is the creator of the blog?
Who is the blog written for?
What kind of information is provided?
What do you like about the blog?
Anything you don’t like?

In Bring It Together: Writing Task you will try writing your own blog post. Use what you have learned in this section to help you.