Tips for New Student Bloggers

Recently, I have been asked a few times what tips might I give new bloggers. The following is an updated set of tips I first posted in May, 2012.

What tips would I give to new bloggers?

1. The first and most important tip is to have a go. Sometimes people are held back because of a fear others mightn’t like what they post or people might think them dumb. It’s true, there are some people out there who only want to criticise others but you will find the majority of people are supportive. For younger users, there is always comment moderation. A trusted adult checks on comments before they are allowed on the blog. When I first started this blog I had no idea it would be visited so many times.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

2. The second is to make posts. There is no use setting up a blog if you don’t intend making regular posts. While people may enjoy what you write, they will stop visiting your blog if nothing new appears.

Adding  graphics, sounds and video clips can add to your posts but the work should be your own. If using something another has made, make sure you have permission and give them credit. On this blog, many photos and graphics have "Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes." under them. If you are using them for school work, I have given you permission to use them.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

3. The third is to visit other blogs. It’s not only polite to visit a blog of someone who regularly visits your blog, it’s also an opportunity to add comments to another person’s blog. When you do this and possibly add a link to your blog in the comment, the other person is more likely to visit and comment on your blog.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

4. The fourth is to be positive in comments. I like to look for the good things in a person's post and highlight these in my comments. I also might make suggestions on how a student’s post might be improved. I never say their post is bad. They have taken the time to share their ideas and I appreciate what they do and know they’re doing their best.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

5. The fifth would be to try to reply to anyone who leaves a comment on your blog. I try to write a reply on my blog to any comments left. This can sometimes take up a reasonable part of my day. Any comment left on my blog normally gets a reply thanking them for commenting. I always add a little extra in my reply to acknowledge what they have written.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

6. The sixth tip is one I don’t always use due to lack of time. In your comments, it's okay to ask questions of the person who wrote the blog if you want to carry on a discussion with them. Questions invite the person to answer you.  🙂

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

6 thoughts on “Tips for New Student Bloggers

  1. Emily

    Dear Mr. Mannell,

    This is really helpful. I am deciding whether or not to make a personal blog. The pictures are so adorable. What would you recommend my blog to be about?

    Sincerely,
    Emily
    Techie Kids

    Reply
    1. rossmannell

      Post author

      Dear Emily,

      Thank you for leaving a comment. Animals are my favourite photographic subjects.

      It would be hard for someone to choose a subject for another person’s blog. it’s a personal choice.

      Think about the things you are interested in sharing with others. It could be one topic or a number of them.

      This blog, for example, was started when I found just writing comments in a comments box on a person’s blog didn’t allow me to share videos, photos, audio or links. I didn’t realise how successful it would be when I started.

      Other blogs I have are on the Blogroll on this page. Some aren’t used often and one is waiting for a reason to be used. The second most successful is where I share short stories usually limited to only around 100 words. (Ross’s Writing Blog)

      The newest blog is The Writer’s Club to be used for an international group of student writers. Since it was started, I have been very busy with this blog so little has been added.

      When I have time, I hope to make a series of The Writer’s Club entries on how I develop a story from the idea through to the edited, finished story. The hope is to show student writers how a story is written.

      * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

      Here are extra blogging tips for you but you might need help with Tip 2 and 3…

      Tip 1

      Starting blogging about different things you enjoy. Visit other people’s blogs and leave a comment for them but make sure you add a link to your own blog. Watch to see what topics get the most visits and comments. This will show you what others find most interesting. You can then narrow your post topics to the things you and your visitors love.

      Tip 2

      Do you notice on the side bar of this blog I have a section called Categories? Setting up categories is a good idea if you want to write on more than one topic. When you write a post, you can choose which category or categories the post belongs to.

      If you were to click on the Category, “Dance, Drama and Performing”, a post written for a Canadian class appears. The post is about many different topics but a comment for Davis talks about a small school’s play I had sent them on DVD. This is why the post was in the category. It also appears in others.

      People click on a category and can see all of your posts on that topic.

      Tip 3

      Do you notice on the side bar there is a Search widget*? If you add one of these, visitors can search for key words. All posts with the word or words will be found. I searched for Techie Kids and, at the time of the search, it found four posts.

      ABOVE ALL OTHER BLOGGING TIPS, have fun when you blog. I know I do. 🙂

      @RossMannell

      * WIDGETS are the little add-ons we can put on side bars of blogs. You will see I have 9 on this blog. They can be tricky to set up so you may need help.

      Reply
  2. Emily

    Dear Mr. Mannell,

    Thanks for the tips and I will probably start my blog over spring break. I will try to leave a link for it when I get it up and running. It will probably be about dance and cheerleading. Thanks again for the tips!

    Sincerely,
    Emily
    Techie Kids

    Reply
    1. rossmannell

      Post author

      Dear Emily,

      They are good topics to write about. Dance in many forms is popular around the world. Even though there isn’t as big a following here in Australia, we also have cheer leading squads. One team did very well in our “Australia’s Got Talent” show. I am amazed at the acrobatics involved in the routines.

      I’d be glad to visit your blog when you are set up. 🙂

      @RossMannell

      Reply

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