Blogging

Creating a Weblog

By Dariush

forInstruction Skills Workshop (ISW)

7-9th August, 2012

Course outline

Part I•What is a blog?Part II•How to create a blog?•Step by step Blogger tutorial

Learning objectives• To lean the definition of blogs and blogging

• To understand the importance of blogs

• To learn Basics of blog creation

The Birth of Blogs

• The earliest blogs started in the late 1990s as online diaries.

• Individuals posted information on a daily basis about their lives and opinions.

• The daily posts were listed in reverse date order, so readers viewed the most recent post first and scrolled through previous posts. The format provided an ongoing inner monologue from the writer.

• As blogs evolved, interactive features were added to create a two-way conversation (and not just a monologue) by leaving comments on the posts.

What is a Blog?• A weblog, or simply a “blog” is a web-based application which contains periodic, reverse

chronological ordered posts on a common webpage.

• Blogs can be used as a

-Personal journal or diary

-Class project page

-Bookmarks or links page

-Etc

• Blogs are usually (but not always) written by one person and are updated pretty regularly.

• Blogs are often (but not always) written on a particular topic

• there are blogs on virtually any topic you can think of

Blog = Journal, diary?• Blogs are just online versions of paper based

journals or diaries, right?• Wrong!• Blogs range from the personal to the political,

and can focus on one narrow subject or a whole range of subjects.

• Blogs change the way of producing news in 21st century and makes it to come from professionals and personals.

Blogs and free medias

• The new face of the Russian opposition is a young blogger. At 2:15 p.m. on Monday, he called his huge internet following to a 7 p.m. demonstration at to protest. Thousands showed up and the protest was broken up violently and arrested.

• uprisings in the Middle East proved that citizen journalists provide valuable news coverage. 

Publish your thoughts

• A blog gives you your own voice on the web. • It is a place to collect and share things that you

find interesting• Many people use a blog just to organise their

own thoughts, while others command influential, worldwide audiences of thousands.

• Professional and amateur journalists use blogs to publish breaking news, while personal journalists reveal inner thoughts.

Part II- Creating a blog

Review from the previous session:•Definition of a blog•Importance of blogging for our generation

Intention & Specificity

Questions:•Who is your audience, really?•What is your blog about?•What similar blogs exists?Answers:Chose a topic that you are passionate about

Blogging services

QuestionsHow you want your blog hosted?Answers:Find a host•Free Host providers• Host the blog by your self

Recommendation: Blogger service

• Blogger is a well known free web-based hosting provider

• No need for any codes, programming or scripts

• Full control over the look and design of the blog and on publishing the posts

• www.blogger.com

A title• Your title defines your blog• It can be your domain name

A template

Start Blogging!

• Easy as that!

Customize the blog

Write anything!

Simply Published!

Engaged with others• Blogging is about connecting with and hearing from anyone who

reads your work• Comments let anyone, anywhere, offer feedback on your posts• Interact with other authors and bloggers to share your thoughts• Share your experience – When you learn something new, tell your

readers about it. • Be unique – If you are the same as everyone else, why would

anyone visit your blog? • Optimize your blog for search engines-• Social networks - Create a Strong Presence on Social Media

Websites• Bloggers work together (read, quote and link)- motivation

Questions

• What are the differences between blogs and websites?

• What is the differences between blogs and wikis