Blogging is a great way to network and showcase experiences and technical skills, however, it can be a daunting task to post blogs for an assignment. Having a basic guideline of items to include or topics to write about will make it much easier to complete, and the aim for this article is to walk you through the steps that will help you to complete a blog post.
Topic
Draw from a personal experience. It is very difficult to write about something that you haven't experienced yourself, so try to choose a topic that you are directly involved with or care about. Choose one clear and direct perspective that allows you to expand on ideas and give a background to what you are writing. Some examples could be an issue you've had and found a solution to, tips on different aspects of professionalism, general advice about something you do well, or a technical walkthrough of something you found difficult. Make sure you are passionate enough about the topic and that you have enough original ideas to complete the blog.
Writing the Body
After you've determined the topic for your blog, do some research and start with key points that you'd like to bring up. This could be a list, bullet points, or just basic words and sentences that you would like to use. People often have a hard time starting a writing assignment, so the point of this step is to get the key points recorded. Remember, you can always go back and revise during the editing process, so record as many key ideas as possible to the blog. This will begin to take the shape of your rough draft and will allow you to fully fledge out and expand upon the ideas and key points that were already recorded.
Connecting the Dots
As you finish filling in different ideas and points, you may start to connect them to each other in a fashion that strings the ideas together coherently. Make sure that your blog reads well by reading it aloud to yourself. Any words or sentences that sound out of place or don't fit together should be revised to fit the tone and order of your blog. Any irrelevant content should also be removed.
Proofreading
After you’ve finished connecting the different points of the body of the blog, go through it and make sure it is eloquent and conforms to grammar rules. It is very important to make sure the blog is clear and concise, especially if it will be representing a company you work for. Make sure that due diligence is given to removing any errors that may be present in your blog, so make sure you have others proofread it and make sure that the article and subject make sense.
Posting
After writing, proofreading, and peer edits, you are now ready to post your blog. Many different variables effect the visibility of your blog. Tags, photos, formatting, and even time of posting can affect how many others read your blog. Make sure you add relevant tags that accurately describe your blogs, so that people who are searching your topic on the internet can find your article easily. Photos work as a dual purpose, adding visibility by showing on photos searches as well as making the blog look nice. Formatting will increase the amount of credibility afforded to your blog. Time of post will increase visibility when posting to feeds, as other content can push your post lower before peak browsing times hit.
I implore those that have trouble with writing to give these tips a try. While writing can be a difficult process, it is also a creative endeavor, so have fun with it!