I’ll be presenting a session titled Communicating, sharing, and learning online: A guide for starting your own blog on April 21st at the TCC Worldwide Online Conference. I’ve attended this event twice, but this will be my first time presenting here! Per the conference tip sheet’s instructions I’ve tried to keep my slides simple. There are a lot of related resources I would like to share with the session attendees, so I’ve collected them here in this post.
My main objective with this presentation is to encourage my fellow instructional designers and technologists to consider blogging as a professional development activity. I think there are a lot of unique approaches and stories out there and sharing them via blog can be educational, helpful, and cathartic. I do not claim expertise where blogs are concerned, but I do believe in the learning benefits and potential for collaboration.
Whether or not you attend this conference or session, please reply with additional suggestions for us all. Thanks!
Choosing a Blogging Tool – Many free options available! Obviously I have a bias here but encourage you to explore and compare. What are your favorite bloggers using? A nice comparison of WordPress and Blogger is available online.
Finding Your Voice
I challenge you to find someone who explains this any better than Jess Jurick did at WordCamp Miami. Check out her presentation online.
Setting Goals
I lot of people actually blog about blogging (it’s not just me). Take a look at what some of them are saying about setting goals for the experience and for the process itself.
- Develop an Editorial Calendar for Your Blog – Problogger
- BlogCatalog – Explore blogging groups and directories
- 10 Reasons Commenting is Good for Bloggers – Chris Garrett
Writing Ideas
So, you would like to give blogging a try but don’t know what to write about? Where is your expertise? What are you interested in? Here are a couple of nice lists to get you started.
- 100 Blog Topics I Hope YOU Write – Chris Brogan
- 20 Ideas for Writing a Blog Post – About.com
- 10 Tips for Writing a Blog Post – Problogger
The “Cool Kids”
I am showing a few examples in the presentation itself. Who are the big names, leaders, influencers in your field of expertise or area of interest? Check out their websites and blogs. What are they talking about? Which posts get the most response?
- Top 10 Social Learning Blogs – Blogs.com (Jane Hart)
Some Things to Think About…
…As you get started
- Enjoy the process
- Take risks, experiment, ask for feedback
- Consider your copyright options
- Copyright Law: 12 Do’s and Don’ts – DailyBlogTips
- Creative Commons
- Attend social media events in your area – WordCamp, BarCamp are two. There are others out there as well.
…After getting set up
- SEO: Search Engine Optimization – 100 SEO tips
- Does Your Blog Need a Disclaimer? – The Blog Herald
- Adding images, video, presentations, etc.
As you move forward with your own blog, remember your goals. Revisit them frequently!
[View presentation slides via slideshare.]
Image credit: Stock.XCHNG
Design Doc 
Melissa,
Thanks for sharing this. I started a blog last summer, but only made one post. I may have to reconsider and have another go at it.
Ryan
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Hi Ryan,
You bring up a nice point here. It’s your personal blog, so when life gets hectic you can walk away for a while and then when you’re ready, start again right where you left off. I encourage you to give it another go! Once you ‘find your voice’ you’ll be off and running.
-Melissa
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