I was podcasting with Sean Gaillard recently and we talked a bit about this. I asked him what made him hit publish and were there blogs he started but then abandoned? He said once he started a post, he generally worked at it and hit publish, rarely abandoning an idea. He then turned the question back on me and asked what my response to the same question would be. I decided I needed to reflect more on this, as I have abandoned posts I've started before. He challenged me to blog about that. Well, Sean, here is what I've come up with...
If you do a search for writing a good post, there is plenty of advice out there. Most of these Blog-sages" look something like this. They all talk about having a catchy title, tailoring your post to a specific audience, adding in visuals, keep the post short and sweet and end with a call to action. I must admit, until today, I haven't really considered this. I like a catchy title, but I don't always come up with one. I tend to keep my topics centered around education, but I can meander too. I often ask a few questions at the end, but more to encourage some feedback, than a call to action.
If I think about blogs that I enjoy reading, I don't think they follow all of these rules or sometimes any of them. They may be about teaching, but often they are not. Sometimes I interpret them through my educator's lens, but sometimes they are just fun. I love Doug Peterson's weekly post "Whatever happened to" - it often brings back memories of my childhood or forgotten technology. Some blogs I enjoy are long, some are just a paragraph. Debbie Donksy's blog is always one that challenges me to think deeper or in a new direction about something, but they are generally much longer than one paragraph. David Carruthers has a great blog that generally is short and to the point - but so powerful. Heidi Solway has a personal blog that always makes me laugh. And Sean Gaillard's posts almost always bring up a Beatles reference that make me start to sing along.
I guess I follow the "there are no rules in blogging" maxim, whether it's one I'm reading, or one I'm writing.
So, what prompts me to hit post? Hard to say. Sometimes I am driving home from work and reflecting on something that's gone well, something that's gone horribly wrong or just something I'm thinking about. Let me tell you...I've written some pretty amazing posts in my head on that drive home. Then I sit down at the computer and it all just spills out of me like a tap has been turned on. Or, I sit down at the computer and... nothing. The idea that formed on the drive home just doesn't work when I try to put it to paper. Maybe it's because I've had too much time to think about it, and talked myself out of it. Maybe the fire I felt on the drive home has been extinguished by the time I get home, or I get sidetracked by some other chore or some other idea. Perhaps that is a post that just wasn't meant to be. I still save the false starts. Maybe they are an idea that needs more time to become fully formed. Eventually, I come back to them with a clearer idea of what I'm trying to share and finish the post. Maybe I don't go back to that original idea at all and go on to something new.
A while back, I saw a tweet that said "podcasting is the new blogging." For me this is not the case. At least with my I Wish I Knew EDU podcast it isn't. The podcast is a chance for me to talk to other Educators, get them to share the great things they are doing and share some of the wisdom that they've gained in the classroom with new and experienced Teachers. It's not about me. I may be directing the questions and reflecting on what they share, but the podcast is about them. Certainly, talking to these folks has lead me to blog (like right now), but it really isn't the same as blogging.
Blogging comes from inside my head and heart. It is less in the moment and more reflective. I don't spend a lot of time writing it, but I may spend a bit of time thinking about it before I actively start typing it out. I've spent a few weeks thinking about this post. But, I'm writing it down in one sitting and will likely hit post once I've read it over once and checked it for spelling mistakes (undoubtedly missing a few). Once I've got the idea out of me and digitized, I need to set it free by hitting publish.
I guess if I'm going to sum up my definition of a good blog post, it would not be about the rules. A good blog post, whoever writes it, comes from inside the writer. It's real. It's passionate. It gets me thinking, gives me something new to try in the classroom, makes me laugh or it chokes me up a bit.
My blog posts aren't going to always connect with every reader. That's cool. Maybe this one hasn't connected with you - although if you've read this far... 😉
Your thoughts on what makes you hit publish, or what makes a good blog post? Drop them in the comment box below.
Ramona, I agree with you on so much of this post. I subscribe to many teachers' blogs (like yours) using Feedly, and what helps me read their post is a photo. If the title is there (and it's catchy) that helps, but a photo makes me look twice before I scroll past. I LOVE the bird photo you've got in this one - THAT caught my eye! Thanks for sharing - I'll have to figure out what causes me to hit that "publish" button!
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