Blogging Tips

As you use your blog you will develop your own style of writing, but keep in mind the general suggestions below. For some examples of previous student work, see the best of ds106 work as self selected by Spring 2013 students and note their use of hyperlinks, media, and writing

Write in your own voice. This is not a blue book exam or an english essay- it is okay to be personal, to say "I", to have a few typos, to be conversational. Let your personality come through, play with your writing voice. Write like you are telling a story, create an arc, a sense of play.

Give Context Look at your blog post as if it is the only thing a visitor sees from your site- will they understand what the topic is? Do they have enough context to know what you are writing about? Each blog post should be able to stand on its own as an understandable morsel of information.

Grab 'em with a strong headline The title of your blog posts are going to be what people see as they scan ds106 content, so be creative with how you title your work. Do not just call it "Audio Assignment" or "Final Project", play with the wording, use puns, make the title of what you write act like the trailer for a movie.

Link, link, and link The web is a web because of its hyperlinks- when you write and refer to things that have more information (something from this site, a movie title, a song name, a political character), add links to provide pathways for your readers. Link to your previous work that is relevant. Link to other blogs from students in class. Link and link often. Make sure you know how to use the hyperlink tool in the wordpress editor

Use Media (a lot of media) This ds106 experience is all about creating and using media! Get in the practice of using images, embedded media in your content. Make it work with the text you are writing.