Post on 23-Dec-2015
Writing for Social Change: Bloggingwith
Anne Shiell & Hillary Wentworth
Walden University Writing Center
Housekeeping
• Questions
• Tech trouble? http://support.citrixonline.com/en_US/GoToTraining
• Recording: http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/415.htm
Agenda
• Build on Walden blog requirements• Opportunities for writing outside of academic
writing (casual, immediate, wider audience)• Extend writing while at Walden to the world– Explore new ideas before writing a paper– Develop existing ideas by getting audience
feedback– Extend ideas after completing a course
Blogs: The what and the why
What? •“A Web site on which someone writes about personal opinions, activities, and experiences” (Merriam-Webster, 2013, para. 1).•Social media tool•Updated regularly
Blogs: The what and the why
Why?•Reach millions of people•Contribute to the global conversation•Give voice to a cause•Inform, persuade, connect
How to blog: Technical considerations
Choose a platform•Popular, free, easy platforms:
Choose a purpose and a focus•Communicate to readers in title, tag line, About section
Post regularly•At least once a month
RSS Feeds•Know what’s going on in the blogosphere
Blogger WordPress Tumblr
Blog post genres
• Essay or story• Poem• Profile• Interview• News blurb• Announcement or invitation• Review of book, movie, or product• Top 10 list
Writing for social change
• Walden’s mission:The university “provides a diverse community of
career professionals with the opportunity to transform themselves as scholar-practitioners so that they can effect positive social change” (Walden University, 2013, para. 2).
How can writing get us there?“The written word drives social change for the long
haul” (Dunlap, 2007, p. 25).• Permanent, influential, persuasive
Writing for social change
• “Blogs may become this new century’s major form of social protest” (Pipher, 2006, pp. 219-220).
• Social change can go viral• Of U.S. adult internet users:– 14% have a blog– 32% read blogs(Pew Research Center, 2010)
My blog
Social change blogs: Broad focus
Sasha Dichter’s Bloghttp://sashadichter.wordpress.com
Reflections on generosity, philanthropy and social change Have Fun Do Goodhttp://havefundogood.blogspot.com
Ideas, inspiration and interviews for fun-loving do-gooders!
The Silver Lining Chronicleshttp://thesilverliningchronicles.wordpress.com
Community engagement, social good, and philanthropy
Social change blogs: Narrow focus
Beth’s Blog (http://www.bethkanter.org)How Networked Nonprofits Leverage Networks and Data for Social Change
Matthew Richmond (http://mattyrichy.wordpress.com/)Blogging on urban issues, inequality, social protest and more, from London to Rio de Janeiro
Men and Health: It’s a Guy Thing (http://itsaguythingblog.wordpress.com)A health resource for baby boomers
Jennifer Suzanne Sulkowski (http://cowbird.com/jennifer-suzanne-sulkowski)Focus: Work with a school in Africa
Writing for a blog
1-Minute brainstorm:
What would your blog focus be? What are you passionate about?
Put your responses in the chat box.
Start small: Commenting on a blogFrom http://www.bethkanter.org
From http://medicineforchange.com
Start small: Group blogging / guest posting
Universities Fighting World Hungerhttp://www.universitiesfightingworldhunger.org
Focus: World hunger
• Look for blogs that advertise calls for guest posts
• Find a blog you like and contact the blogger about the possibility of guest posting
• Create a group blog with shared authorship
Writing for a blog
1-Minute brainstorm:
In terms of the writing itself, how are blog posts different than academic papers?
Put your responses in the chat box.
Writing a course paper vs. writing a blog
Writing a course paper vs. writing a blog
Writing for a blog: Techniques
• Different audience than academic writing• Ask yourself: – What is my topic?– To whom am I writing?– What is my goal?
• Personal:– To explore a topic– To develop ideas – To write regularly
• Beyond personal:– To share knowledge– To inform/raise awareness on a topic– To connect with others passionate about a topic– To create social change
Writing for a blog: Techniques
• Get personal– Describe your
experiences and insights
– Connect yourself to the issue
• Get emotional– Use passion-
filled language– Include others’
stories– Add an inspiring
call to action
From http://mombloggersforsocialgood.com
From http://havefundogood.blogspot.com
Writing for a blog: Techniques
• Get visual– Embed pictures in your posts (be sure to cite them)– Ensure that they are high quality and work with text
content• http://www.morguefile.com/• http://commons.wikimedia.org• http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/
– Study blogs you find aesthetically pleasing • What do you like about the layout?• How many images per post? • What fonts, colors, and so forth work well for readers?
Why is race still an issue
today?
Why is race still an issue
today?
Comment: Loved
your post!
Comment: Loved
your post!
Writing for a blog: Techniques
• Get interactive– Ask questions– Talk directly to readers– Allow comments– Comment on other blogs– Link to other blogs
But: This doesn’t mean you should avoid doing your homework! Research still helps.
You might be saying, “I don’t have
time to listen to another sob story.”
You might be saying, “I don’t have
time to listen to another sob story.”
Writing for a blog: Case study
• What do we like? What could be improved?
A blogging toolkit
Getting Started•“Are you your biggest obstacle? How an Idealist got over her fear of blogging for social change”
(idealistblog, 2013)•Blogger’s “Create a Free Blog”•Grammar Girl’s “How to Get Started Blogging” •The New York Times’s “Blogs 101”•WordPress’s “Getting Started”
Tools and Tips•Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (Richardson, 2010)•The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success (Safko, 2012)•Social Media Today’s “101 Blogging Tips for Beginners and Beyond”•Writing for Digital Media (Carroll, 2010).
Questions?
Now: Type into the Question box
Later: Didn’t get to your question? Enter it in the survey after the webinar closes.
Anytime: writingsupport@waldenu.edu