lecture 2 blogging

19/04/2023

Khansa Tarar 1

LECTURE 02How to Blog?

Course: Introduction to New Media

Course code: NM401

Course Instructor: Khansa Tarar

19/04/2023Khansa Tarar 2

An interesting blog may be a good way to boost your

presence on line.


What are Blogs

A weblog is a blog.“A blog is a type of website that is usually arranged in

chronological order from the most recent ‘post’ (or entry) at the top of the main page to the older entries towards the bottom.”

“A blog is a Web site that functions as a journal, or a diary, or a place to post your thoughts and opinions pertaining to a particular subject matter.”


Examples

BuzzMachine by Jeff Jarvis: http://www.buzzmachine.com/

a blog by a journalist, expressing his opinions on the latest news stories.

Library of Congress Blog: http://www.loc.gov/blog/

example of a government entity using the blog format to make public their events.

http://www.buzzmachine.com/

http://www.loc.gov/blog/


Types of Blogs

“Personal blogs: The personal blog, an ongoing diary or commentary by an individual, is the traditional, most common blog.

Corporate blogs: A blog can be private, as in most cases, or it can be for business purposes.

Question blogging: is a type of blog that answers questions.

By Media Type: A blog comprising videos is called a vlog, one comprising links is called a link log, a site containing a portfolio of sketches is called a sketch-blog or one comprising photos is called a photoblog.

By Genre: Some blogs focus on a particular subject, such as political blogs, travel blogs, house blogs, fashion blogs, project blogs, education blogs, niche blogs, classical music blogs, quizzing blogs and legal blogs (often referred to as a blawgs) or dreamlogs.”


Uses

• Blogs are often considered personal diaries

• They also have other uses• Professional brochure

• Dynamic web site

• Other uses


How to Find Blogs

Blog Search Services Blog Search Engine: www.blogsearchengine.com

Google Blog Search: www.blogsearch.google.com

Technorati: www.technorati.com

http://www.blogsearchengine.com/

http://www.blogsearch.google.com/

http://www.technorati.com/


Starting a blog

• Starting a blog is simple. You can just go to one of the various free blogging platforms, create an account, select a template, and start blogging.

• Keeping it up and making it interesting for yourself and for others, however, requires dedication

• Blog only if you like to write, and you are confident you'll have the constancy to do it. If you are bored by your blog (maybe you have chosen topics not because they interest you, but only because you thought they may attract more readers), it will be even more boring for your readers.


Domains

• You should get your own domain for your blog.

• Even if you don't start hosting your blog on your own domain, it is a good idea to buy the domain name: you can use it later, and at least this way you prevent others from using it.


Redirects

• If you can, also get names and domains that are similar to your own, then redirect your traffic from them to your main blog or site.


Redirects

• For example, besides http://aboutranslation.blogspot.com, I have http://abouttranslation.blogspot.com (two t's). I created that blog with the sole purpose of redirecting to About Translation..

http://aboutranslation.blogspot.com/

http://abouttranslation.blogspot.com/


Free blogging platforms

• Blogger and WordPress. Blogger (owned by Google) is free. WordPress also is free, but you may have to pay for some features. There are other blogging platforms available, both free and not, such as TypePad Micro, etc.• Blogger

https://www.blogger.com • WordPress

http://wordpress.com

https://www.blogger.com/start

http://wordpress.com/


Creating an account

• Blogger

• Go to https://www.blogger.com

• Sign in using your Google Account login

• Click on Get Started

• WordPress

• Go to http://wordpress.com

• Click on Sign up now

https://www.blogger.com/start

http://wordpress.com/


Selecting and using a template

• Blogger• Once you have created your blog, you have access to a dashboard for all

your blogs.


Selecting and using a template

Using the Template link, you can browse from the available templates, and in Layout you can edit and customize it.

Warning: if you plan change you template significantly, be ready to get your hands dirty with HTML, XML and CSS.

From your dashboard you can also add posts and pages, view the stats for your blog, adjust your settings and moderate your comments.


Selecting a template

• WordPress

• Once you have created your blog, you have access to a dashboard for all your WordPress blogs.

• Select a blog, select Appearance

• You get to the Manage Themes page, where you can browse and select from the available themes

• Once you have selected a theme, you

may customize it

• In WordPress, some of the features are available only to paying customers, but there is plenty of scope just using the free ones.


How to personalize your blog

• All blogging platforms offer many templates you can choose from. At first you might want to select a template and use it “as is”; later you may decide to customize it. Customizing an existing template may vary from easy to difficult.

• You can add an RSS / Atom feed to your blog (so people may subscribe to it and follow it with readers such as Google Reader)

• Reader comments

• Tabs and info about your blog

• Statistics

• Other things



• Reader comments

• Decide how to handle comments

• Allow them or not

• Moderate them or not

• Moderate only those that are older than a certain number of days.

• Beware of blog spam (comments left on blog posts with the only purpose to attract visitors to some Web site or other page).



• Tabs and info about your blog

• If your blogging platform features them, use tabs or separate pages.

• You can have one page for your posts, and other pages for more permanent information (about you, your blog, links to your best articles, and so on).



• Statistics

• Not only will they tell you how many hits you got, but also which pages attracted the most visitors, where your reader came from, and technical information such as the operating system and browser used by your visitors.

• Some blogging platforms offer tools to track statistics. In Blogger you can use Blogger’s own, or you can add them yourself.

• http://www.google.com/analytics/

• http://sitemeter.com/

• http://www.bravenet.com/webtools/counter/index.php

http://www.google.com/analytics/

http://sitemeter.com/

http://www.bravenet.com/webtools/counter/index.php



• Creating your own title banner using a graphics program helps making your blog stand out


How to Write your Blog

• How to find topics to write about • Ideas from the work you are doing

• Books you are reading

• Tools you are using

• Problems you are facing

• Interesting news and information you have found on other blogs or other web sites



• Decide what your target audience is: • Other translators

• Prospects

• Others

...and write with that in mind

Try to write simply and interestingly, if it bores you, it's going to bore your readers more



• Other ways you can personalize your blog • Many gadgets are available to help making your blog more attractive:

• Blogroll (a list of links to other blogs)

• Buttons that show your blog ratings

• Links to your archive (the list of your older posts)

• Categories or tags to help users find your posts on a specific subject

• Search box to allow readers to find specific topics

• Slideshows

• Polls

• etc.



• How to find topics to write about • Ideas from the work you are doing

• Books you are reading

• Tools you are using

• Problems you are facing

• Interesting news and information you have found on other blogs or other web sites



• How long should your posts be? • A good length is usually about one screen (people don't want to

scroll down too much when reading on-screen)



• Decide in what language to write your blog

• Language Proficiency

• Grammar

• Rich Expression



• I usually write short blog posts in Blogger's built-in editor.



• To edit my blog posts I often use Style Writer (available from Editor Software: http://www.editorsoftware.com), a program that helps tighten my writing

http://www.editorsoftware.com/


How to make your Blog Known

• Comment on other people's blogs

• Offer to exchange links

• Offer to guest blog

• Invite other people to guest blog on your blog

• Most of all, write something interesting

• Make sure your blog is public, and freely accessible by search engines


Selling Space on your Blog

• InLinks: http://www.inlinks.com/

• Compete: http://blog.compete.com/

• Google Adwords: http://www.google.com/ads/

http://www.inlinks.com/

http://blog.compete.com/

http://www.google.com/ads/


Where to Advertise your Blog

• Blog Catalog: http://www.blogcatalog.com/

• Blog Top Sites: http://www.blogtopsites.com/register.php

• TopRankBlogs: http://www.toprankblog.com/rss-blog-directories/

http://www.blogcatalog.com/

http://www.blogtopsites.com/register.php

http://www.toprankblog.com/rss-blog-directories/


How to make Money Blogging

Sell advertising. This is likely the most common means of leveraging a blog to generate income.

Help sell others' products. Here is another click-through opportunity. Affiliate programs enable your.

Solicit contributions. Ask for contributions. If, for instance, your small-business blog supports a cause or issue in some fashion.

Market your services in your blog. Many people associate blogs exclusively with a cyberspace-based soapbox — a place to shout your opinions and little more than that.

Use a blog to deepen your existing customer relationships. Nor does any marketing material inserted in blog content have to be limited to bringing in completely new business.◦ Wuorio, J. (2009). How to make money from your blog: 5 tips. Retrieved from

http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/marketing/online-marketing/how-to-make-money-from-your-blog-5-tips.aspx




• Set up a Blog using tips in the lecture

• On seventh week your Blog site will be evaluated

• Relative grading will be held

• Try to get maximum comments and likes

• But do not forget the importance of effective content: language, creativity, innovative title, relevance of title, template

Tip: Read, like and comment on each other blogs

Mid Term Assignment

lecture 2 blogging

Documents

type of blog

main blog

interesting blog

blog format

common blog

google blog search

library of congress

house blogs