why do you blog? April 9, 2008
Posted by Rob LeFebvre in blogging.trackback
Why do YOU blog? Comment here, at this post: http://aquaculturepda.edublogs.org/2008/04/09/share-your-blogging-experience-tips-for-participants-from-open-pd/
My response?
Where you blog and how long you have been blogging for?
I’ve been personally blogging since 2003, I think, on blogspot.com. I’ve moved personal blogging to a self-hosted WordPress site since then. I also have a new quasi-professional blog about educational technology. https://edtechak.wordpress.com . I also microblog at twitter and tumblr.Why you blog? How does it benefit you or your work?
I blog to create and participate in a community of users. Whether it’s a personal interest, blogging allows me to see a wide range of thoughts, ideas, and concepts that I probably would miss on my own. I blog to share the knowledge that I have that others might not, because above all, blogging is a participatory sport.How blogging has helped your students and how long have you been blogging with students (if applicable)
I moved out of the classroom to become an inclusion facilitator in the late ’90s, and currently consult as a special ed teacher, so don’t teach in a classroom.Why you feel blogging is important
It’s important to be part of a community. That’s what being human is about.What are the 3 most important tips you would share with a new blogger?
- Don’t sweat the small stuff – It will never be perfect. Use that to your advantage.
- Write – Consistently put “stuff” on the page, even if it’s a link or web summary. Make sure to take time for it on a regular schedule.
- Network – read, join, and comment on other blogs. Make sure to use trackbacks on your own blog.
What are YOUR thoughts? Comment here, and on the blog linked.
Ed Tech and Distance Learning in the Last Frontier 
Hi Rob – thanks for being patient and waiting for my blog to come back online. Also thanks for taking the time to write this post, comment on Lee’s post and my post. Yep I’m a twitter-a-holic but still haven’t got into using Tumblr. Can you tell me a bit more about how you use tumblr and how it fits between blogging & twitter for you? Wow 2003 how much do you feel blogging has changed from 2003 to now? I like your tip of don’t sweat on the small stuff — sometimes the best posts are the ones that are slightly wrong and these create the greatest connection with your readers. Also like the writing and network tips – I have very set routines for blogging — so aren’t going to cope well when I go away next week :(.
Hey, Sue, your blog is great. Thanks for starting the conversation. For me, blogging started out as a way to share thoughts about my life, my kids, etc. with people who lived really far away (Alaska is far from ALL my peeps). Since then, it’s taken on a more rich dynamic. It’s why I have more than one blog: a personal one and a professional one, for instance. More topic-specific than general.
As for tumblr, I just recently used it as a moblog, while I traveled to Boston. It was easier to send photos and updates to tumblr from my iPhone than it was to send them to flickr or my personal blog.
I blog for all the reasons you have put there, Rob. I use it to get information out to my students and to the wider midwifery community (I am a midwifery lecturer). It is a record of my web 2.0 journey as well as a bit of an experiment ie I am working through issues that I hope to use later in my teaching. It is also a way of building my professional presence or identity – marketing myself. cheers Sarah
Hi Sarah! Good to hear that resonates with you. I really like your point about blogging being about subjects not quite on topic, like web 2.0 or techie stuff. It keeps my interest on the blogs I read, as well as provides a wider base of common ground. 🙂
@Rob did you say Alaska? That is a far way from anywhere? Hadn’t thought of using Tumblr for moblogging — might have to check it out.