Blogging Boot Camp for Writers
An Interactive Learning Module
Copyright 2007. Vicki Caruana. All rights reserved.
By Vicki Caruana
“Do I need a blog?” – that’s the question…well, actually, what you’re really thinking is, “Do I really have to have a blog?” as if you’re asking your mother if you really have to eat your vegetables.
Those of us who have blogs will tell you “Yes,” and those in marketing circles will also tell you “Yes.”
“Isn’t a blog just an online journal or diary?”
No, it isn’t. They began as such but have evolved into something so much more powerful. We are at a point in our society that the information we have always relied on just isn’t enough. Those that provided the information (whether it was historians, researchers, statisticians, and proclaimed experts in their fields) no longer have the corner on the information market, and this is good news for writers.
You’ll hear more about the Web 2.0 I’m sure, but what we’re talking about here is the fact that we can all be a part of the conversation now. We can all add knowledge to the bubbling pot of information the web manages. Blogs help do just that.
Wikipedia is a prime example of every day people, like you and I, being able to add to the knowledge base. Here is their entry for “blog.” As an online encyclopedia, Wikipedia is contributor written, and people can add to or edit the existing content whenever necessary. If you see an error or an omission, you can make a change. Each and every one of us can sign up to be a Wikipedia editor. Even those historians, researchers, statisticians, and experts didn’t always get it right. Bias wrote our history books. The Web 2.0 makes it possible for us to set the record straight. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t problems with this idea or that people don’t take advantage of it, but there are always other people who catch it and call people on the carpet for misleading the public. It’s working. We should all be a part of the conversation so that we control what is said about us and what we believe.
Another characteristic of Web 2.0 is the desire and goal to make providing and accessing information free to all. There are many, many tools available for free if you look for them. Some of them are incredibly cool! I admit it is a reaction against the software developer moguls who make their products expensive and out of reach of the masses, but that’s not a bad thing.
Google is a great example of this. If you go Google’s site, you will see how many different tools they have available. Most of these were free services and tools they acquired from other companies. You can incorporate these tools into any blog. For example, Google Video allows you to search for or upload/download free video clips. They offer a calendar, a way to manage your contacts and databases, and much, much more. Spend some time at Google and find the tool that will make your blog more attractive and interactive.
“Collaborative creation of content (and subsequently knowledge) is conceptualized as Web 2.0 -- blogs, wikis, flickr, YouTube all being examples of social networking and collaboration. You can get what you need, say what you want to say, learn what you want to learn, manage your own environment and own your world through the tools and processes that are part of the web itself. Web 2.0 provides tools that make this process and engagement easier and, actually, quite compelling.”
Carol Thomas, Senior Media Consultant, Ruby Media Partners
Partnerships are what Web 2.0 are all about, and if you’re smart, that’s what a blog should be all about, too. The web is about community! As a Christian, that should make you smile, since we are all about community too. How can your blog foster “community”? Think long and hard about this before you begin.
Which leads us to designing a blog –
There are many different types of blogs out there, even within the publishing and/or Christian community. It’s important that you visit a few to get an idea of what you like and what you don’t. Here are some guidelines:
Have a Mission/Vision/Purpose Statement
If this is something you have never done, do it now. Everything you write should point to fulfilling that mission/vision/purpose. Here is mine:
Vicki Caruana educates and encourages kids and those who live and work with them to strive for excellence.
This is what I hope my visitors will take away from their experience with my blog (and everything else I do, write, or speak about).
Whether your mission/vision/purpose is stated or unstated, make sure your design reflects it. Mine is not explicitly stated on my blog; it underlies it. I do have a blog “purpose” stated, however. “Where parenting and education coincide and collide.”
Categories of blogs fall into categories: promotional/marketing (for self, ministry, or product), service (outreach oriented), informational (providing information on a particular topic), social commentary, entertainment, Shout Out! (electronic soap box). A combination of any of these also exists. Mine combines many of these. My challenge is do that in a way that makes sense and meets the needs of the visitor.
Make Sure Your Navigation is Simple
How do you want people to navigate your page/blog?
• Text driven?
• Symbols?
• Pictures?
• Combination?
Provide Relevant and High Interest Content
• Update regularly
• Focus on vision/mission/purpose
• Point to additional resources
• Provide relevant links
• Invite guest columnists/bloggers
Information Should Be FreeInformation is more and more accessible. If you limit your visitor’s access to your information by charging for it, you will not be attractive to them and you will not get repeat visits or
• Give away as much as possible.
• Downloads of articles you’ve written, workshops you’ve led, radio spots you’ve done, television shows you’ve been on, etc.
• Tips – advice comes in many shapes and sizes – “A Tip a Day/Week” – example from Terry Whalin’s writing/publishing blog
• Anything that connects your audience to your vision/mission/purpose
About You – Blogger.com offers a profile box for this purpose; include your contact information here as well
Enable Comments – allow visitors/readers to comment on your posts, however, moderate them.
Incorporate New Media – become familiar with podcasting, video casting, live chats, etc. and incorporate them into your blog. I’ve just started experimenting with my own online radio show.
Include Credits – always credit the pictures, photos, articles, or other resources you use in your blog to the appropriate people/organizations. Know your copyright lawin this respect and reference your sources appropriately. Always ask permission to reprint someone else’s material. Make it enticing to them by offering to shamelessly promote their product or website on your blog. It is YOUR responsibility legally to know what is for “fair use” or “public domain.” If you prefer to use something that is “stock,” then you need to be willing to pay for it.
• Istockphoto.com
Offer a Blogroll – you can easily list other blogs that either offer your visitors more information on your topic or are somehow otherwise connected to your vision/mission/purpose by using Bloglines.com. It will create a list for you and provide you with the HTML code to put on your blog so that the list shows up on your blog and when you update the list, it updates it for you automatically on your blog. Bloglines.com walks you through this process. Registration is necessary, but free.
Become a Part of the Larger Conversation – One way to do this is to visit other people’s blogs on a regular basis and leave a comment. This comment can be tracked back to your own blog. Often you will get visitors because you left a comment on someone else’s blog. Another way to do this is to continually widen your audience by making the topics of your posts relevant to more people. You’ll have to widen your focus – many of us are too narrow in our focus. However, this is only necessary if you think your vision/mission/purpose has anything to do with outreach or social commentary. If you want to make an impact, you’ll have to swim in waters you may even think are shark infested! For example, in my blog Standing Up for Your Child, I periodically post about controversial topics (abuse, the sanctity of human life, Hollywood, the HPV vaccine, etc.). When I do this, I am NOT doing it for shock value. I am doing it because it I am passionate about the topic and yet, it still fits within my vision/mission/purpose. Sometimes it invites comments contrary to my own views, and that’s fine. I allow those comments to be seen. It’s a part of the conversation and conversations are not one-sided.
Pay a Designer – You may be thinking, based on some of the blogs you’ve looked at, that you want to jump right in an pay a blog designer to make you look good out there on the web. This is fine, however, I encourage you to experiment on your own first for a while. It’s important for you to find out if blogging is really for you. Will you post regularly? Give yourself enough time to make sure you have enough content to really meet the needs of your audience on a regular basis. Become a part of the blogging universe and get to know what people are like who love to blog! If you don’t end up liking it, then there’s no real reason to spend money on a designer to create something you will not be faithful to. Blogger.com provides all the point and click tools to create wonderful looking blogs. And it doesn’t cost a thing. Try it there first (or at another free blog service).
If you do eventually decide you are ready to pay a designer, it may cost you anywhere from $35 - $100 per blog design. It is quite reasonable at this point because everyone and his mother is learning how to do this. Look at blogs you really like and there should be a credit for the designer that you can click on for contact information. I’ve used two different designers so far:
Bluebird Blogs– see their samples
Splat Designs
Set Up a Marketplace – as a writer, there’s a good chance that you still want to sell your books online if you have a blog. A blog is really no different than a website, and you can have a “store” on it. Personally, I don’t have the time or resources to maintain an actual online store. There are ways around this time consuming task. Amazon.com Associatesoffers you a way to “build a store” online. Another way is to use PayPalfor this purpose. I use amazon.com associates. Take a look at my store.
Capitalize on W.O.M. – Word of Mouth Marketing Association is key to an author’s success in sales. A blog helps you spread that word of mouth. It will be a great place for you to announce the release of your newest book, post your speaking schedule, and gain reader feedback. Angela Hunt does a great job on her blogwith W.O.M.
Examples of Blogs
A Life in Pages– Angela Hunt, novelist
The Writing Life– Terry Whalin, literary agent/writer/editor
Seek First His Kingdom– Rachelle Gardner/freelance editor
Your Writers’ Group– Mick Silva, editor, Waterbrook
Relevant Blog
Media Bistro
Word of Mouth Marketing Association
We CAN Promote Our Books!
An Interactive Learning Module
Copyright 2007. Vicki Caruana. All rights reserved.
By Vicki Caruana
“Do I need a blog?” – that’s the question…well, actually, what you’re really thinking is, “Do I really have to have a blog?” as if you’re asking your mother if you really have to eat your vegetables.
Those of us who have blogs will tell you “Yes,” and those in marketing circles will also tell you “Yes.”
“Isn’t a blog just an online journal or diary?”
No, it isn’t. They began as such but have evolved into something so much more powerful. We are at a point in our society that the information we have always relied on just isn’t enough. Those that provided the information (whether it was historians, researchers, statisticians, and proclaimed experts in their fields) no longer have the corner on the information market, and this is good news for writers.
You’ll hear more about the Web 2.0 I’m sure, but what we’re talking about here is the fact that we can all be a part of the conversation now. We can all add knowledge to the bubbling pot of information the web manages. Blogs help do just that.
Wikipedia is a prime example of every day people, like you and I, being able to add to the knowledge base. Here is their entry for “blog.” As an online encyclopedia, Wikipedia is contributor written, and people can add to or edit the existing content whenever necessary. If you see an error or an omission, you can make a change. Each and every one of us can sign up to be a Wikipedia editor. Even those historians, researchers, statisticians, and experts didn’t always get it right. Bias wrote our history books. The Web 2.0 makes it possible for us to set the record straight. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t problems with this idea or that people don’t take advantage of it, but there are always other people who catch it and call people on the carpet for misleading the public. It’s working. We should all be a part of the conversation so that we control what is said about us and what we believe.
Another characteristic of Web 2.0 is the desire and goal to make providing and accessing information free to all. There are many, many tools available for free if you look for them. Some of them are incredibly cool! I admit it is a reaction against the software developer moguls who make their products expensive and out of reach of the masses, but that’s not a bad thing.
Google is a great example of this. If you go Google’s site, you will see how many different tools they have available. Most of these were free services and tools they acquired from other companies. You can incorporate these tools into any blog. For example, Google Video allows you to search for or upload/download free video clips. They offer a calendar, a way to manage your contacts and databases, and much, much more. Spend some time at Google and find the tool that will make your blog more attractive and interactive.
“Collaborative creation of content (and subsequently knowledge) is conceptualized as Web 2.0 -- blogs, wikis, flickr, YouTube all being examples of social networking and collaboration. You can get what you need, say what you want to say, learn what you want to learn, manage your own environment and own your world through the tools and processes that are part of the web itself. Web 2.0 provides tools that make this process and engagement easier and, actually, quite compelling.”
Carol Thomas, Senior Media Consultant, Ruby Media Partners
Partnerships are what Web 2.0 are all about, and if you’re smart, that’s what a blog should be all about, too. The web is about community! As a Christian, that should make you smile, since we are all about community too. How can your blog foster “community”? Think long and hard about this before you begin.
Which leads us to designing a blog –
There are many different types of blogs out there, even within the publishing and/or Christian community. It’s important that you visit a few to get an idea of what you like and what you don’t. Here are some guidelines:
Have a Mission/Vision/Purpose Statement
If this is something you have never done, do it now. Everything you write should point to fulfilling that mission/vision/purpose. Here is mine:
Vicki Caruana educates and encourages kids and those who live and work with them to strive for excellence.
This is what I hope my visitors will take away from their experience with my blog (and everything else I do, write, or speak about).
Whether your mission/vision/purpose is stated or unstated, make sure your design reflects it. Mine is not explicitly stated on my blog; it underlies it. I do have a blog “purpose” stated, however. “Where parenting and education coincide and collide.”
Categories of blogs fall into categories: promotional/marketing (for self, ministry, or product), service (outreach oriented), informational (providing information on a particular topic), social commentary, entertainment, Shout Out! (electronic soap box). A combination of any of these also exists. Mine combines many of these. My challenge is do that in a way that makes sense and meets the needs of the visitor.
Make Sure Your Navigation is Simple
How do you want people to navigate your page/blog?
• Text driven?
• Symbols?
• Pictures?
• Combination?
Provide Relevant and High Interest Content
• Update regularly
• Focus on vision/mission/purpose
• Point to additional resources
• Provide relevant links
• Invite guest columnists/bloggers
Information Should Be FreeInformation is more and more accessible. If you limit your visitor’s access to your information by charging for it, you will not be attractive to them and you will not get repeat visits or
• Give away as much as possible.
• Downloads of articles you’ve written, workshops you’ve led, radio spots you’ve done, television shows you’ve been on, etc.
• Tips – advice comes in many shapes and sizes – “A Tip a Day/Week” – example from Terry Whalin’s writing/publishing blog
• Anything that connects your audience to your vision/mission/purpose
About You – Blogger.com offers a profile box for this purpose; include your contact information here as well
Enable Comments – allow visitors/readers to comment on your posts, however, moderate them.
Incorporate New Media – become familiar with podcasting, video casting, live chats, etc. and incorporate them into your blog. I’ve just started experimenting with my own online radio show.
Include Credits – always credit the pictures, photos, articles, or other resources you use in your blog to the appropriate people/organizations. Know your copyright lawin this respect and reference your sources appropriately. Always ask permission to reprint someone else’s material. Make it enticing to them by offering to shamelessly promote their product or website on your blog. It is YOUR responsibility legally to know what is for “fair use” or “public domain.” If you prefer to use something that is “stock,” then you need to be willing to pay for it.
• Istockphoto.com
Offer a Blogroll – you can easily list other blogs that either offer your visitors more information on your topic or are somehow otherwise connected to your vision/mission/purpose by using Bloglines.com. It will create a list for you and provide you with the HTML code to put on your blog so that the list shows up on your blog and when you update the list, it updates it for you automatically on your blog. Bloglines.com walks you through this process. Registration is necessary, but free.
Become a Part of the Larger Conversation – One way to do this is to visit other people’s blogs on a regular basis and leave a comment. This comment can be tracked back to your own blog. Often you will get visitors because you left a comment on someone else’s blog. Another way to do this is to continually widen your audience by making the topics of your posts relevant to more people. You’ll have to widen your focus – many of us are too narrow in our focus. However, this is only necessary if you think your vision/mission/purpose has anything to do with outreach or social commentary. If you want to make an impact, you’ll have to swim in waters you may even think are shark infested! For example, in my blog Standing Up for Your Child, I periodically post about controversial topics (abuse, the sanctity of human life, Hollywood, the HPV vaccine, etc.). When I do this, I am NOT doing it for shock value. I am doing it because it I am passionate about the topic and yet, it still fits within my vision/mission/purpose. Sometimes it invites comments contrary to my own views, and that’s fine. I allow those comments to be seen. It’s a part of the conversation and conversations are not one-sided.
Pay a Designer – You may be thinking, based on some of the blogs you’ve looked at, that you want to jump right in an pay a blog designer to make you look good out there on the web. This is fine, however, I encourage you to experiment on your own first for a while. It’s important for you to find out if blogging is really for you. Will you post regularly? Give yourself enough time to make sure you have enough content to really meet the needs of your audience on a regular basis. Become a part of the blogging universe and get to know what people are like who love to blog! If you don’t end up liking it, then there’s no real reason to spend money on a designer to create something you will not be faithful to. Blogger.com provides all the point and click tools to create wonderful looking blogs. And it doesn’t cost a thing. Try it there first (or at another free blog service).
If you do eventually decide you are ready to pay a designer, it may cost you anywhere from $35 - $100 per blog design. It is quite reasonable at this point because everyone and his mother is learning how to do this. Look at blogs you really like and there should be a credit for the designer that you can click on for contact information. I’ve used two different designers so far:
Bluebird Blogs– see their samples
Splat Designs
Set Up a Marketplace – as a writer, there’s a good chance that you still want to sell your books online if you have a blog. A blog is really no different than a website, and you can have a “store” on it. Personally, I don’t have the time or resources to maintain an actual online store. There are ways around this time consuming task. Amazon.com Associatesoffers you a way to “build a store” online. Another way is to use PayPalfor this purpose. I use amazon.com associates. Take a look at my store.
Capitalize on W.O.M. – Word of Mouth Marketing Association is key to an author’s success in sales. A blog helps you spread that word of mouth. It will be a great place for you to announce the release of your newest book, post your speaking schedule, and gain reader feedback. Angela Hunt does a great job on her blogwith W.O.M.
Examples of Blogs
A Life in Pages– Angela Hunt, novelist
The Writing Life– Terry Whalin, literary agent/writer/editor
Seek First His Kingdom– Rachelle Gardner/freelance editor
Your Writers’ Group– Mick Silva, editor, Waterbrook
Relevant Blog
Media Bistro
Word of Mouth Marketing Association
We CAN Promote Our Books!
Wylie- Merrick Literary Agency
Chip MacGregor’s Blog
Apples & Chalkdust
Standing Up for Your Child
Brain Food - example of a blog under construction
Getting Started
• Go to Blogger.comand sign up for your free blog – you will need a Google account to do that though. So if you don’t already have one, they will set that up for you as well.
• Think up a cool name for your blog – something catchy – it’s not unlike coming up with a title to a book
• Start small – you can always add more later
• Build little by little, but add content (post) regularly
• Keep all your photos that you want on your blog in one place like PhotoBucket for free
• Visit and comment on other blogs regularly – be seen and be supportive of the blogging community
• Include a stat counter on your blog to track visitors. You can add one free at statcounter.com. Here’s one of one of mine.
• If you see something you like on someone else’s blog, “steal” it – you can find out the “source code” of the element and then copy and paste it into your own template
• Know a little about HTML codeso you can add some interesting features along the way
• Think “outward” – outreach, service, etc. Navel-gazing gets old fast!
• Keep it focused on your vision/mission/purpose
• Enjoy your blog! If you don’t enjoy it, don’t do it.
Chip MacGregor’s Blog
Apples & Chalkdust
Standing Up for Your Child
Brain Food - example of a blog under construction
Getting Started
• Go to Blogger.comand sign up for your free blog – you will need a Google account to do that though. So if you don’t already have one, they will set that up for you as well.
• Think up a cool name for your blog – something catchy – it’s not unlike coming up with a title to a book
• Start small – you can always add more later
• Build little by little, but add content (post) regularly
• Keep all your photos that you want on your blog in one place like PhotoBucket for free
• Visit and comment on other blogs regularly – be seen and be supportive of the blogging community
• Include a stat counter on your blog to track visitors. You can add one free at statcounter.com. Here’s one of one of mine.
• If you see something you like on someone else’s blog, “steal” it – you can find out the “source code” of the element and then copy and paste it into your own template
• Know a little about HTML codeso you can add some interesting features along the way
• Think “outward” – outreach, service, etc. Navel-gazing gets old fast!
• Keep it focused on your vision/mission/purpose
• Enjoy your blog! If you don’t enjoy it, don’t do it.
2 comments:
Thanks for mentioning my blog, I appreciate it. This is a GREAT article. You should definitely publish it. I'm going to link to it today.
Thanks! I created it as a "learning module" for online use. All I ask is that you pass it along. I love your blog BTW.
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