How To Bling Your Blog - TCEA 2010
Submitted by lee on Tue, 02/16/2010 - 10:12am
Staci Perkins and Mark Weems had a great session on how to “Bling Your Blog!” I was intrigued simply by the title, so I knew I had to attend this one. After chatting with a lot of TCEA attendees, this was a hot one but I know everyone couldn’t attend, so I’ve put together a recap of tips and tricks for your blog.
Tip #1: Don’t overdo your text! Remember that sometimes less really IS more and who wants to come to your blog to read a novel? So, add pictures, graphs, charts, videos, etc…
Tip #2: Ask an experience blogger to guest post on your blog! Not only does this draw in your existing audience but this will draw in their audience as well! This will create more opportunity for interaction.
Tip #3: Embrace pop culture! Let’s face it, pop culture isn’t going away. So, why not embrace it, and incorporate it with your blog. There are tons of movies created based upon books, so bling your blog with movie trailers that are based on books!
Tip #4: Nobody commenting on your posts? Create a poll! I once heard a very popular blogger say that the reason people don’t comment is because you write TOO well. Crazy? I think not. Just think about it. If you write something “too well,” there is no room for conversation. Spark some interest with a poll! This will encourage collaboration and communication.
Tip #5: Create fonts for your blog! It’s not too much work, I promise! With Cool Text, YOU can create your own fonts!
Tip #6: Host a giveaway or a contest! Maybe it's a pizza party or maybe you get something for free - giveaways and contests will attract more traffic to your blog.
Tip #7: Enable comment moderations. Yes, you want people to interact with you on your blog by leaving comments. But no, you don't want students leaving inappropriate comments or using bad language, so enable comment moderation and control your blog content!
Tip #8: Add a "fake" bookshelf! Maybe your blog is a classroom blog and you have 5 books your class will be reading. Why not showcase them on your blog so they can see what's coming up? Or simply showcase the books you're reading!
Tip #9: Spice up your photos by adding different effects, fonts, shapes, frames - it's easy!
Tip #10: Include your students! There are fun ways to do this - how about creating a comic? Maybe the top student of the week or the top reader of the week gets to create a comic that will be featured on the classroom blog for an entire week! That way you're incorporating Tip #6 (create a contest) AND you're including your students!
Resources
- Shelfari - Bling your blog with a bookshelf!
- Picnik - Bling your blog with photo effects!
- Make Beliefs Comix - Bling your blog with comic strips!
- Audio WidgetBox - Bling your blog with audio!
- Poll WidgetBox - Bling your blog with polls!
So, start "enriching your blog beyond the ordinary!"
