A Waterfall Does Just That--Allow The Water To Fall
What Makes a Good Blog?
In a two to five page paper, discuss your findings from the evaluation of your fellow students’ blogs. Explain the components and elements required to develop and design an effective and visually appealing blog. How will you incorporate this knowledge into your own blog? Cite each of the blog websites that you evaluated in this Week’s Discussion assignment.
We ask the question “why create a blog”? The reasons can be as varied as the individuals creating them. When creating a blog, it is important to determine in the beginning what the purpose is. Knowing this helps one to stay on track while developing the format for the blog. Objectives such as to inform, entertain and persuade are just some reasons for blogging. Other reasons include to express opinions (Trenholm, 2008), advertise, educate or just gossip. The bottom line is they serve some purpose or function. Knowing the purpose or function helps to shape the layout of the blog’s format.
There are some elements that one can expect to find in a blog, regardless of its purpose. “They include an owner’s profile, graphics, pictures, feedback, links, archives, navigation bar, statistics, feeds, labels and subscription links, to name a few” (Adeleke, 2011). Additionally, a blog can incorporate the same elements that are found in other types of electronic media. Namely, real-time data, marketing and public relations information, graphics and other visuals, links to other sites, photos, owner’s profile, a place for customer feedback, e-newsletters, archives, rss and custom feeds and also advertisement (Lannon, 2008). Again, the content is dependent upon the purpose of the blog.
A good blog will arrest the reader’s attention with the title or a captivating phrase. Furthermore, it compels them to read on by the attractive layout and design. The skillful use of colors and fonts and graphics further enhances the overall appearance of the blog. It gives meaningful information in a pleasing format and provides links to other relative sites. A successful blog will allow for comments and feedback, while being objective in its presentation.
I had the opportunity to evaluate a number of blogs this week and my findings were interesting. I learned that there are always ways in which to improve the effectiveness of a blog. I also learned that in thinking like this helps me to view my blog with a critical eye and objectively critique it. Skill, experience and creativity are key components to keep in mind while successfully revising and improving a blog.
For instance, one blog I reviewed http://www.bdd-divaclub.blogspot.com/ by Traci Fields. It was very effective in its design layout, format, tone, content and was very appropriate for its audience. As stated earlier, there are always ways to improve if we look with a critical eye. In this case, I suggested the use of interactive characters which would take the blog up another notch. Her response led me to believe that she had not considered this option before.
Another blog I surveyed was http://christopher-bennett.blogspot.com/ by Christopher Bennett. Chris’s blog was impressive in that it conveyed a professional tone throughout. The colors, fonts and graphics selected worked together to produce a harmonious effect. One thing that appeared lacking was the use of more “eye-appeal”. The air of somberness and formality pervaded the presentation. My suggestion to rectify this was to add more elements, such as a video, photos or perhaps clip art. This would relax the rigidity of the formal tone of the blog. A good blog can be professional and exciting at the same time. It is all in the mind of the creator.
Finally, the last blog I critiqued was http://speakitliveitloveit.blogspot.com/ by Rosemary Austin. I feel a special connection to this blogger because we are cut from the same cloth. We are both writers and have a love for words. The bold, energetic title is aggressive and the color format for the background and fonts are stimulating and work well together. With so much to say, the words would be enhanced with more graphics, pictures, photos or even clip art. Additionally, exploring the various gadgets available can promote this blog to the next level.
Critiquing others’ blogs has given me insight into the necessity of objectivity and creativity. There is no “wrong” or “right” way to format a blog. There are fundamental elements that must be included for a blog to be effective and productive, but how one goes about accomplishing that is up to the blog creator. As a result of this experience, I can experiment with the array of other gadgets, colors, fonts, formats, links, feeds, etc. to enhance my final product. Also I can continually improve and update my blog for maximum efficiency. What makes a good blog? Freely using these elements to meet the need of the purpose of the blog with continual evolution is a good starting place.
References
Adeleke, L. (2011). Article “Why Create a Blog?” Retrieved on 02/11/2011.
Lannon, J. M., (2008). Technical communication. (11th ed.). Boston: Pearson Longman.
Online Dating Cartoon. (2009 ). 576 X 483 . 55kB . jpeg. http://www.webdonuts.com/2009/09/online-dating/. Retrieved on 02/14/2011
.
Richlovsky, P. (03/25/2008). "Blogging Tips From an Expert Blogger - Social Media/Web 2.0 @
www.fathomseo.com. Retrieved online on 02/14/2011.
Trenholm, S., (2008). Thinking through communication: An introduction to the study of human
communication. (5th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
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