LTT: Weekly Blog Challenge – Task 2

Welcome to Task 2.

In Phase one of the Technolog-e sessions, we looked at Educational uses of Blogs. Now, in these five short tasks (should take no more than 15 minutes each), we’ll be exploring some of the techniques you can use to embed blogging into your work, engage your colleagues and your students.

Looking back at Task 1

In task 1 (getting started), you set up your first blog and wrote your first post. What a great achievement!

Here are some of your new blogs;

• Lisa Faulkner (Acting WeLC – Grafton)
• Linda Johnston (FeLC – THRAPS):
• Julie Robbins (FeLC – Arts & Media)
• Regan Harding (WeLC – Ballina/ W’bar)
• Lynne Ridley (WeLC Kempsey)
• Donna Guiver (WeLC Tarree)

Well done… that’s a great start.

In some of these blogs, I can see real potential to engage and connect not only with your colleagues, but students, industry and community.

Task 2 – Spend some time on your About Me/ Profile page

The About Page of your blog is a VERY important part of your blog. It gives you a chance to connect with your readers on a more personal level. Here’s mine.

This page gets checked out to see who you are before they decide whether they want to read your blog or how much they are likely to engage with you. Rework it regularly. I have run some audits on my blog and this page does get as many visits as the front page.

Your task is to develop your About/Profile page, and here are some tips on how to get your readers interested;

• Talk about yourself before your role – examples: Sue Waters | Michelle Martin | Kate Quinn
  

• Try to avoid acronym’s and ‘techie’ words and phrases – like “new and emerging technologies”, “personalised learning environments” and “pedagogy”, unless you are writing to explain what they are

• Include your picture or a personal image, include some personal things that allow people to see what they have in common with you

• List any other online spaces that you have that your readers might like (e.g. myspace, lastfm, twitter, wiki’s, del.icio.us, etc)

• Spell out subscription options – RSS… so readers can be notified when you post something new (need some help?)

• Provide a way for your readers to contact you. Some free blogs have Contact Forms as part of the deal, check your blog settings and options.

* Remember not to put too much personal information here, it’s open web. Check our Team security & privacy page from our session with Sue Shelly.