Blogging

What’s a blog?

• This is a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group that is written in an informal or conversational style.

What is the format?

There isn’t one – it’s an informal communication medium. However, there are common factors:

- Date- Heading- Text in paragraphs

Quick investigation

• Let’s look at a few blogs to see if we can find other features to make blogs look more authentic and professional.

Deloitte Digital

Code Conference 2015July 8th, 2015 by Hadi Michael, Andrew Plummer & June Chuang

Code is one of the most exciting technical events of the year, bringing together world-leading JavaScript and web professionals. The event is produced by Web Directions and curated by John Allsopp. This year’s event covered a range of hot topics which explored the current and future state of the web as a platform.

Read more

TopicsAll (109)Around the Office (6)Awards (3)Centre for the Edge (15)Design (20)QA and Engineering (8)Strategy (49)People (49)Research (51)Social (39)Mobile (23)User Experience (14)Web (32)

Formatting ideas

Credit the writer / writers

Underline key words and links

Use a “Read More” tag

Use columns

Include a topic list

Body of the textCode is one of the most exciting technical events of the year, bringing together world-leading JavaScript and web professionals. The event is produced by Web Directions and curated by John Allsopp. This year’s event covered a range of hot topics which explored the current and future state of the web as a platform.

Talks examined topics such as Web Animations, Front End Ops, Service Workers, Streams API, HTTP/2, ES2015 and much more. This post covers some of our favourite talks from the conference.

Hadi Michael on HTTP/2 [ > identifies the writer]

Mark Nottingham is currently Chair of the IETF HTTP Working Group and has been closely involved in the development of HTTP/2. His talk not only introduced the protocol, but also conveyed some best practices that will fundamentally challenge the way we build web applications today.

In summary, HTTP/2 offers a fully multiplex binary protocol, with header compression and server push. This means that we will see improved network utilisation, as only one connection will be established per origin and browsers need to do less work to figure out when/where to send requests. It also enables servers to put responses in the browser’s cache, before the browser knows it requires that resource.

Pictures can be effective

Sarah Mitchell Sarah Mitchell

Head of Content Strategy at Lush Digital MediaFollow

Referencing?

Normal referencing rules still apply

A blog can be informal but the writer still needs to acknowledge her sources.

Bona fide thought leader

In a business universe where many people call themselves mavens and gurus, Nguyen is a bona fide game changer, always ready to provide well-considered views and lead debate on trends and issues relating to the social media and marketing landscape. His work on virtual leadership has changed the game for many, especially his novel views on global conferencing (Nguyen 2012).

How informal is informal?

• If you want to be taken seriously as a business blogger, don’t make your diction too informal – “Hey, wassup dudes? D’ya dig the bizness world, bros and sisters? I dig it too, mos’ def, so here’s the deal – listen up, you money chasing freako!”

This style won’t impress many business people and it isn’t going to get you marks in your assignments.So what can you say?

Blog style

You can use “I” a fair deal because your viewpoint is an integral part of a blog. (In essays, the word “I” seldom appears.)You can use casual speech like, “I reckon”, “That’s fine”, “It’s a fantastic perspective”, “That argument’s a bit off-beam”, “What she argues is OK” Colloquial language (“OK”), emotive language (“fantastic”) and contractions (“that’s”) may be acceptable, even in an academic context.Remember, though, that your blog assignments are “pretend” ones, not real ones, so it might be better if you keep things semi-formal and do not overplay the informal approach.

Finally …

As always, answer the question that you have been given. Keep that question in view the whole way through and address it constantly.If you make a genuine and solid attempt to answer the question, and you keep to the format, you will always pass.

Some reputedly good Aussie blogs• 1. Global Copywriting• Sarah Mitchell’s blog was originally set up as a way to support her company, but Global Copywriting has transformed

into something much more valuable. Regular updates on the nature of copywriting and how to improve your own marketing efforts make it worth visiting often. The occasional guest contributor helps keep the content fresh.

• 2. CP Communications• Public relations and social media is an area where a lot of entrepreneurs tend to drop the ball. CP Communications’

blog, run by managing director Catriona Pollard, gives advice on how to manage your public and social presence. The topics are broad, too, covering information on how to draft press releases to understanding Google tools.

• 3. Paul Wallbank• Paul Wallbank is one of the country’s leading technology experts and analysts, appearing in a number of

publications, (including SmartCompany). The strength of Wallbank’s posts come from their variety, with recent examples including a post on the Dell buyout, the past 15 years of radio and technology, and debating whether kids in school should be using laptops.

• 4. Switched On Media• Digital marketing group Switched On Media runs one of the most comprehensive and informative blogs in the

country, writing posts from practical lessons on how to utilise certain social media platforms to broader entries on key industry trends. A focus on the Asia-Pacific region, and a watchful eye on current events, makes this a blog worth reading.

• 5. Jim Stewart• SEO is an area where frequent updates can do your head in. Jim Stewart’s blog – a lot of which is available

on SmartCompany – gives regular explanations on the latest Google changes. A weekly video is the highlight, where Stewart explains in clear language what the latest changes are and why you need to know about them.

Practice task

• Imagine that you are one of Australia’s most successful business leaders. Write a short blog of about 300 words titled, ‘The secrets which made me successful.’ Share these secrets with your thousands of admiring fans who wish they could be like you. Strive to sound friendly, confident, encouraging and empathetic. Adopt the persona of a leader with wisdom to share.