It’s not unfair to say that the years you spend at college can be some of the busiest years of your entire life. Most students have multiple classes and subjects to juggle. They might also work a part time job. Then there’s trying to keep up with the rigorous social life demands that arise from these first years of independent adult freedom. Something that is also incredibly popular among students is the practise of blogging about their experiences on a dedicated internet platform. Whether this is to sharpen writing skills during college, a form of creative escapism away from class papers or simply something to be able to look back on after graduation, there can be lots of obstacles in the way of being a great blogger. If you already write a blog or are thinking of starting one and want to know the best tips and hints for being as proactive as possible, read through these helpful pieces of advice as a good starting block.
1. Choose Topics Wisely
Make sure that you choose your subject matters and topics wisely so as not to be too offensive or abusive. This will help you to reach as wide an audience as possible with your content. Remember that your words might come back to haunt you, even in the context of a small college blog. Make sure that you don’t post anything you might regret should somebody find it in a year or in five years.
2. Make The Time
A good blog post isn’t something that can be cobbled together and written in a matter of minutes. You need to make sure that you find the time to plan out a piece of writing, because if it isn’t good, then it is only going to reflect badly on you, nobody else. You should also aim to post regularly. This will keep your readers happy and give you some structure.
3. Be Honest
Author integrity and authenticity is what people look for when they are reading blogs. No matter what you write about, it has to feel real and like something that you are truly interested in. No matter how mundane you feel your personal experiences are, they will be much more interesting to read than false fabrications that don’t ring true to you as a person. Be yourself, don’t try to please the crowd.
4. Accept Feedback
After all, what is the internet if not a place where anonymous people can voice their opinions about absolutely everything? You should be ready for the fact that people are going to comment on your blog. Hopefully it will be positive feedback, but that may not always be the case. Be prepared to take some negative hits but, remember that as long you’re happy with your work, that should be all that matters.
5. Include Photos
Purely text blogs can often be a little hard on the eye for internet users. It’s always a good idea to include images in your posts to give the blog a nice aesthetic balance. These can be photos that you have taken yourself or photos found online that relate to whatever you are talking about. Always remember to make sure that you either have permission to use them or give credit in captions.
6. Be Calm About Mistakes
Remember, blogging isn’t the be all and end all of professional writing. Every blogger in the world has made multiple mistakes on several occasions, and that’s okay. It’s all part of the learning process. If, for example, a photo that was important in your post is removed due to licensing issues, then you can always spend some time trying to find another suitable one.
7. Enjoy What You Do
The majority of blogs are not income generating and therefore are solely passion projects for their writers. To make the experience worth it, you really need to write posts that you enjoy doing instead of writing about subjects that you think an audience most prefer to read. Stay true to your own interests and your blogging career will be a fun and fulfilling one.