my blogging experience

Thoughts on blogging-

Successful blogging is more like a speech than a traditional piece of written work.

You need to grab your audience's attention.  Why would someone read your post?  You only have a limited amount of space to share your message, as they have limited time, so get them interested quickly.  This can be done in a variety of ways, as long as it's done.

Know your audience.  Who are you talking to?  The message you send should be tailored to your target audience.  That makes it more impactful.  For example, this semester, our class was our audience.  We had the benefit of knowing we could connect from shared experiences.

Give them something that makes them want to act.  Motivate.  Educate.  Commiserate.  Build a community.  If you read a blog that shares recipes, I imagine that trying one or passing it on to another would be a useful thing.  If you read a blog that discusses the pros and cons of the new iPad, you are being educated.  The popularity of mommy blogs show that sharing experiences is useful.  

Successful bloggers use images(pictures and/or video), to relay arguments through emotional appeal and visual rhetoric.

A picture says a thousand words and along with your written post, you get to direct what those words are.  

Visual images should aid in your audiences understanding.  

They should facilitate in them remembering your message.  

They should identify you as the author.

Successful bloggers create an identity for themselves.  

Who you are and how you present yourself assists in engaging with your audience.  This can be achieved both visually as well as in your written words.  

Visually, you can create identity through the design of your blog page, avatars, or actual pictures of yourself.  Visual identification gives credibility to your message by giving you social capital.  You are what you present yourself to be.

Through your written words, you can develop a personality.  Your personality should come though in all of the media you use and enhance the content of your message.  Some blogs may be better written in a sarcastic voice, others would benefit from an upbeat sense of optimism, others somber contemplation. Find the best voice to connect with your audience

Successful bloggers collaborate.

Blogs exist within the blogosphere, a community of bloggers that collaborate with one another.  They share content, link to one another, comment on and recontextualize to make their own.  Blogs are powerful because they have these powers.  Otherwise, what would separate them from traditional printed works.  They are unique because the creator is at the same time the audience.  

Lastly.

 An interesting as well as educational way to assist in learning to find our voice as a blogger would be to create a blog that provides all of the above for us, rather than reacting to prompts.  Throughout the semester, the most successful blogs had these qualities.  Biker Chick's snarky words.  Cindy Wold's interest in owls and outdoor hiking.  Bradford's unique voice and qualified connection to online communities.  Each of us had a moment of authenticity.  I would look forward to hearing more of that. 

Thanks to all.