One of the best ways to improve your writing is to read everything you can get your hands on. Chances are you're already doing this. It seems that people interested in writing also are avid readers. If you haven't developed a reading habit, you should. Books, newspapers, magazines, blogs... it doesn't matter what you read, as long as you … [Read more...]
How to Get More Blog Comments
You write what you think is a meaningful, important post on your blog. Then you wait. And wait. And wait. What are you waiting for? The comments. It feels so good to get comments on your blog. Comments help you know that real, live people are reading your posts. Those analytics are not just a scam. Comments also show that people care … [Read more...]
5 Places to Find Images for Your Blog Posts
You've written your blog post, now comes the most difficult part of blogging—finding an image to accompany the post. I spend at least an equal amount of time searching for an appropriate image as I do researching and writing the post. It really is the most difficult part for me. However, knowing where to find images (information I learned … [Read more...]
How to Write an About Page
If writing can sometimes be painful, writing about yourself is excruciating. I watch each year as talented students with impressive resumes struggle through drafting cover letters when applying for jobs. I advise them that highlighting their professional skills is not bragging and that "selling" what their unique skills and experiences can do … [Read more...]
How to Choose a Blog Name
You've embraced the reasons to blog, determined your niche and are ready to choose your site's name. The only problem is that you have no idea where to start. There are many approaches for how to choose a blog name. Here are some best practices I identified: Make it integrated You want the site's name and the URL to match. This means you may … [Read more...]
Why Blog?
I probably looked at him like he'd morphed into a unicorn. My dissertation adviser heard about this blog and wondered out loud how I managed to find time to post on it daily. It was a legitimate question. I am a full-time professor, collegiate media adviser and doctoral candidate, on top of that, I have two active preteen children. It's logical … [Read more...]
Blogs Worth Reading: News By Design
This guest post was written by my friend, Chris Lusk. When I met him, Chris was a promising collegiate journalist. He is making truth from that promise as a designer at the Orange County Register. I hope you'll help me in supporting Chris's new project. You can find Chris on Twitter via the link above or on Facebook. Help! I need, well... … [Read more...]