Entry #1 The New Newspaper?

    

Or

Blogs have become the new newspaper. Only a few decades ago people used print media, mainly newspapers, to get most of their information. Whether it be Hollywood gossip or how to improve their life, it was all there between the creases. After looking at several blogs it was pretty clear that people have used technology to enhance their writing topics and thus, more and more people are drawn to online platforms to get their information.

    One blog I recently read about fashion called TheBlondeSalad was basically click bait. I believe this is so the authors intended audience, who I’m assuming is only on the blog in the first place because they’re bored, will be enticed by flashy pictures of celebrities and catchy one liners to stay on the blog. There is very little actual content and what is there is stuff that the common person couldn’t and probably shouldn’t ever wear. There’s also a lot of ads. It makes me uneasy when a blog just looks like one big advertisement designed to make the author money. We all know of an item that’s invaluable or super innovative and I guarantee everyone at some point has said either out loud or to themselves “whoever invented that deserves to be a millionaire.” This blog definitely is not the case. I want to avoid this pitfall when writing my own blog by not putting ads on there and by making sure my content is interesting and purposeful.

   Contrast that last blog with this one: TeachJunkie, this author has a clearly stated intent and does a great job of sorting all the information into easy to find topics. There is a wealth of knowledge in the blog and the author, knowing her audience, has done a great job of making her blog clean and clear. There isn’t a lot of wasted pictures or ads to get lost in. I also really like that the author has a short little bio about herself so you kind of get to know her and see how genuine she is in wanting to help people. The theme of the blog is also pretty relaxed, it humbly says, “this is what I’ve learned over the years, here it might help you”, instead of “I know everything because of how many years I’ve been teaching, let me educate you.” When writing my own blog I hope to emulate the style used in this blog.

    Another example of a great blog is actually one from Katherine Heigl called Badlands Ranch. This blog is all about dogs, which is her passion. She, much like the previous author, does a great job of compiling information pertinent to the readers in an easy to discern fashion. Right at the top it has links to some really common questions dog owners have. Her handcrafted dog food is specifically made with scientifically proven ingredients and is geared towards the working professional who loves dogs because the price tag is definitely prohibitive for anyone not in that category. The blog is well put together, it’s so informational that you forget she’s even selling dog food. By the time I was done browsing the blog, I was convinced that this was the only food I wanted to feed my dog. Her love for dogs really shows in the blog and I can only hope that my passion for the fire service too will be evident in my blog.

    You can use technology to enhance your writing, but whether it’s in a blog or with print media, just make sure what you write about is worthwhile. One of the lines I really liked from the TeachJunkie blog was THINK before you speak. Is what you’re about to say Truthful, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, and Kind? I want to inspire the next generation of thinking firefighters with my blog and give them a solid foundation on which to built a successful and safe career. I want to THINK before I type.