BlogWritingCourse

One of the coolest aspects of blogging is the creativity it inspires. 

The shift toward Web 2.0 has made each person with computer access an active participant in this changing world.  We have things to say.  We have opinions and ideas on how things are, and how they ought to be.  And we have the ability to network with other people who share our same worldview.

This immediacy can be the perfect birthplace for incredible inspiration! 

For instance, a blogger who is passionate about local food may start a blog about his favorite farmer’s markets and tailgate markets.  Another local foodie may be blogging about the best restaurants in the region.  And yet another blogger is busy posting all the great family-owned businesses in the area.  These bloggers, who will probably quickly happen upon each others blogs, and begin networking, may soon come upon the idea of helping local farmers link up with local restaurants and markets in order to distribute the freshest foods at the most reasonable prices.  It is a win/win situation for everyone - - thanks to some forward-thinking bloggers!

Other examples of this type of positive blogging include the SochiReporter project.  Sochi, Russia is slated to host the Winter Olympics in 2014.  In preparation for this event,  a seminar was created for some of the top journalism and IT students from local universities.  The focus of the seminar was helping these young men and women, many of whom had never blogged before, to cover all different aspects of the preparation that goes into readying a city for the Olympic stage.  The students will be reporting on the changes in their city from their own unique perspectives.  It is likely to be a one-of-a-kind project with fascinating results!

Then you may have also heard the story of a missing teenager from Denver, who was reconnected with her family this past April thanks largely to the efforts of bloggers and twitterers.  Notifications of the Amber Alert connected with the teen went out far and wide across the World Wide Web to help locate the missing girl. 

These are all just examples of how blogging can draw people together for a common cause.  If you have been thinking of blogging as a solitary activity taking place in one room from one computer, and going out to the faceless abyss, it is time to reconsider!  Every person sitting behind that keyboard and screen is interwoven in a complicated and beguiling mesh of thoughts, ideas, and potential for positive change.

Wouldn’t you like to become part of something like that??

Until Next Time,

Most of the articles online today are about blogging “BIG.”  Writing for the masses.  Building traffic.  Networking with other bloggers.  But sometimes, bigger isn’t better.

Sometimes you just want an easy way to let your family and friends keep up with what  is going on in your lives.  And blogging is the perfect vehicle for that.  Sometimes you simply don’t need a complicated website with all the bells and whistles.  You just need a place to share the highlights of your life with your family.

Writing a family blog has a lot of advantages…

• It is a place to keep all your memories in one place.  No more traveling to one place for photos, another place for videos, and yetanother place for journaling your experiences.  A blog lets you do ALL that - - in one simple posting.
• It is an easy way for your loved ones to keep up with what is going on with you.  Long gone are the days of sending a yearly “newsletter” with your holiday card each year.  People who care about you want to hear from you more often than at births, deaths, and weddings.  They want to feel like they are part of your lives.  A family blog provides just that.
• It serves as a multimedia family album.  Trying to remember when Joey lost his first tooth?  Or the name of Kaitlyn’s first friend in preschool?  By blogging those memories, they are permanently weaved into the world wide web - - ready for instant access anytime you need them.

The great news is that you don’t have to be a professional blogger to start a  family blog.  Just by familiarizing yourself with the basics of blogging, like the information you can learn in our free blogging pre-course.  Some blog hosts are even designed particularly for family blogs, with easy tools for adding text, pictures, and video. 

If you have been dreaming of an easy way to archive your precious family memories, then blogging may be just what you have been dreaming about!

Until next time,