A Blogging Journey
Imagine you are sitting in front of five
bright glowing computer screens, each one displaying the home sign-up page
for new bloggers. How do you choose one? If you are here, chances are you
homeschool. By choosing Homeschool Blogger, you are not only starting a
blog, you are joining a community of people who have a heart for home
education. Maybe you have made the decision to start your own weblog, but
you are not sure where to begin. Perhaps you already operate a blog
elsewhere in the blogosphere and are considering another one dedicated to
homeschooling. This article will address how to get the most benefits out of
your blogging experience by discussing ways of getting started—choosing a
theme and setting limits—as well as discussing your blogging
responsibilities, customs related to socializing in the blogosphere, and the
rewards of belonging to a homeschool community.
The first place to start is to ask yourself what would you do with your own
weblog—why does anyone have a blog? The answers to this question are as
individual as the person hosting the site. Some people can be described as
“lifestyle bloggers,” writing daily posts about everyday happenings in their
personal lives. There is a lively story to be told in each waking and
sleeping moment and they are there to relate the event. Other lifestyle
bloggers like to post about entertainment—books, favorite music, classic
movies, contemporary movies, new releases, and TV shows. Not all
entertainment has to be posted with favorable reviews. Sometimes, dislikes
and critiques can be just as entertaining. Among lifestyle bloggers, one
will also find thought-provoking themes related to philosophical,
psychological, and sociological topics. In these entries, people post their
views on life, their beliefs in God, their daily Christian living, and
theories regarding the interactions of people as seen through observations,
personal experiences, and research. Finding great satisfaction in sharing
online, these are bloggers who write their daily thoughts like a journal.
They may even publicly publish daily prayers, quotes, or poetry. Choosing a
homeschool blog community opens a whole set of unique options.
By creating a homeschool blog, you could talk about the curriculum,
materials, and resources used within your home. This could include teaching
techniques, individual lesson plans, and aspects of support for other
homeschool parents and support groups. Some bloggers have chosen to feature
their homeschool-related businesses, while others provide words of
inspiration. We all could benefit from suggestions for organizing our
schedules to assist us in being more efficient as we juggle daily living
around the homeschool life. Let’s not forget sharing parenting tips to
manage all those issues that arise when rearing a child. Relaying
information for field trips, events, and community resources is another good
use of a blog. You could also feature homeschool stories found circulating
in the news from the U.S. and around the world. If you have found your way
to Homeschool Blogger, then chances are that you have a heart for
homeschooling and you have a unique voice to share on a specialized topic.
Don’t stop there! Let’s explore a few more options.
Weblogs have their roots in politics and newsworthy events. Therefore, you
will find many blogs that tell details of happenings that are not available
through the mainstream media. Political or news blogs not only report on the
national level, but also on the state and within individual communities. It
could be centered on a particular political party, bipartisan, or bills in
legislation. For others, it is an outlet to share a personal political
commentary.
Blogs can be centered on so many different subjects. Webtech blogs focus on
resources that are available for computers, easier blogging, and assistance
in traveling on the Internet. Photo blogs, whether containing work by
skilled photographers or novices, are also appreciated—especially by those
of us who are technically challenged. Hobby blogs include art, scrapbooking,
needlepoint, crochet, knitting, sewing, and cooking. Speaking of cooking,
food and beverage blogs can make the mouth water with delicious descriptions
of different cuisines or reporting on food-related festivals. You do not
have to choose a single theme. Many bloggers combine a myriad of subjects in
their daily posts.
Narrowing the theme will give your blog direction. Communicate through the
written word about what you know and readers will visit your blog to hear
what you have to say on your area of expertise. Just about every subject
imaginable is floating out in cyberspace, but no one is exactly like you
with your perspectives, knowledge, wisdom, strengths, gifts, and talents. It
is the individuals behind the blog that make it special. Blogs can be
further personalized by adding special features.
BlogMapper allows you
to create specialized maps to add to your home page. Calendars can be
obtained through
localendar.com, pictures can be added through
flickr.com, and weather
forecasts displayed from
Bloglines; all for free. Site navigation and specialized link buttons
can also be created by
Adam Kalsey
Button Maker,
Brilliant Button Maker, and Online Button Maker.
Now that you have an idea for a theme, devise a catchy title that reflects
that theme. You will also need to create a username. Your username is a
handle that identifies you. Because you will be using your username
frequently, choose something short and easy to type. After you have
signed-up with Homeschool Blogger, you find yourself sitting in front of an
empty text box that is awaiting your post for publishing. What do you say?
First, consider setting your blogging limits. These will be the topics that
you will or will not discuss with the public. Content might need to be
limited based on what you or a member of your family represents—such as
occupation or role in a social setting. On a more personal level, some
refuse to share pictures of their children or use their children’s and
family’s real names. For others, this is not an issue and they will share
many details about their family. Some prefer not to discuss problems in
personal relationships. While some bloggers are out to expose fraud, others
prefer not to offend anyone by stating criticisms. There are those whose
lives are like open books and will share openly on any given topic. Only you
can decide on what is right for you. There are no written rules about what
is correct or incorrect. Limits may become more flexible over time as you
become more comfortable within the blogging community. Use extreme caution
in printing any information that could lead to personal identification like
exact date of births, maiden name, street addresses, phone numbers, etc.
Next, consider if you have any blogging responsibilities. I have heard
bloggers testify that, since their blog is public, they feel a
responsibility to the readers to post something new everyday, especially if
they operate a site based on news reports, legislation, or commentary. Most
bloggers just try to post as frequently as time allows to keep the content
fresh. Bloggers have a responsibility to provide links in their individual
posts when citing or discussing other sites on the Internet—products,
businesses, books, movies, etc.—much like an author or reporter. It is also
important to proofread your material before clicking on the “add entry”
button for publication. You will find really prolific writers in the
blogosphere and within this community, but don’t worry if you lack writing
skills. Blogging is not about being a proficient writer. It’s about
communication and sharing yourself with others. First and foremost, to get
the most out of the blogging experience, it is important to write for
yourself. If one only posts what they think the visitors want to read,
blogging will quickly become a burden instead of the rewarding activity it
is meant to be!
You are now armed with a theme for your site, have an idea of limits, and
also have developed guidelines about your personal responsibilities.
Gleaning inspiration from anything the world has to offer to augment your
theme, you are ready to write your thoughts, proofread, and add a new entry.
After that, you are prepared to begin socializing in the blogosphere.
Socializing occurs by visiting different blog sites. When you land on one
that appeals to you, leave a comment with your username and/or your URL. Let
them know you are a first-time visitor and what you like about their site.
Hopefully, they will return the visit to your blog. At any time during the
process, you can add them to your list of friends, to your links on your
sidebar, or to a custom blogroll like
BlogRolling.com,
Bloglines, or
Technorati.com.
This provides you with a quick means to visit your favorite sites again and,
by using a custom blogroll page, you are notified when your favorite web
sites have been updated. With a custom blogroll, adding links is just a
click away. Instead of having to tinker with HTML codes in your template—as
you add blog links, they will in turn link to you. Make sure you have turned
on your RSS feed in the control panel. This Rich Site Summary (or Really
Simple Syndication) delivers updates to web-based content so readers can
monitor their links in one location. It is customary to add links to those
who link to you. To add links outside of the Homeschool Blogger community,
follow the HTML codes in your template under “Links.” Cheat sheets and tags
for HTML codes can be found on the Internet from such places like Webmonkey,
HTML Goodies, and Web Source. If you wish to reference something you have
seen at another’s blog, provide a link in your post text to their post or
home page. To reference an isolated post, simply click on “Permalink,”
usually found underneath the post and next to the comments. That entry then
appears on a single page. Then all you have to do is copy and paste the URL
into your post with the "add link" feature in your add entry. At the bottom
of your text entry, there is a “Trackback” space where you can also add that
blogger’s Permalink URL. This sends a “ping” notifying the blogger that you
have referenced their post. Practicing these customs is one way to judge
your blog success.
Measuring your success depends on what you view as important. Many bloggers
ascertain their success by adhering to the customs of linking: the more
people that have linked to their site, the more readers they have attracted.
There are several avenues to monitor your links—Who Links to Me,
Technorati.com, and Truth Laid Bear. The Truth Laid Bear is a fun site that
has categorized bloggers in an Ecosystem according to the number of blogs
that link to your site. However, Truth Laid Bear only reads blogs that have
registered with the Ecosystem. For others, success is measured by the daily
hits on the blog site. If this is important, you will want to add some kind
of site meter, like Site
Meter or Web-Stat.com,
to your template that will monitor your stats and referrals. By adding a
site meter, you also know who has been to your site and you can return the
visit. Others blog for the conversation, interaction, and feedback;
therefore, comments are essential. It is through the comments where blog
friendships begin to bud and bloom.
Blog friendship is a real concept. We tend to share more of ourselves on our
blogs and on the blog of others than with many of our face-to-face friends.
I have been amazed at how easy it is to get to know someone through his or
her writing. Each person has a distinct writing style that says so much
about that individual. Writing is personal and it seems to foster quick
connections here in our community of friends. We laugh, we cry, we agree,
and we may even delve into heated discussions. One blogger compared it to
stopping by a neighbor’s house for a quick cup of tea. It would be difficult
to visit someone's kitchen on a daily basis for stimulating conversation and
not consider them a friend. This is the real reward of participating in
Homeschool Blogger, to become friends with homeschool enthusiasts from
around the world. This is where the real blogging journey begins.
Barbara Martin resides in Oklahoma,
where she has homeschooled her two boys for four years. Barbara holds a
Master’s Degree in a sociological discipline and is skilled in group
dynamics, personal and family development, and facilitating support groups.
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