The purpose of a blog is to present ideas in an accessible and more informal way than in formal academic writing such as essays or reports. Blog posts are typically short pieces that integrate your personal experiences with some analysis. It is important to remember that blog content is designed to be shared. When you are writing a blog post you are writing for a wider audience, not just your teacher.
Compared to a formal academic writing, blog posts give you more freedom to discuss personal experiences and emotional reactions to the content. This is a place to let your thoughts meander a bit. Even though a blog post is more informal than most academic writing, it still needs to be logical and it still should make sense.
With this less formal format, you can be creative with structure. You can emphasise important points in a range of ways: short paragraphs, bullet points, bold text, italics, underlining, and headings. Because blogs are an electronic platform, images, videos and links are helpful to demonstrate your thinking.
As with other assessments, you need to include correct referencing using the St Clare’s College Referencing Guide.
The title of your blog post is perhaps the most important element. This is how most people will determine if your post is worth the time to read. Your title should communicate the central purpose of your post. It should be brief and catch the reader’s attention.
Include your main point here. It is the first thing that readers see and it needs to make them want to read on.
This is where you add more detail. Use short paragraphs in this section (2-3 sentence paragraphs whenever possible). You can also use section subheadings to divide sections of your post. This will help readers navigate the post and find exactly what they are looking for, especially when scanning. Bullet points can be used to keep your post concise and allow for easy reading.
You can include supporting images and links throughout the body of your post. These may be used to support main ideas, illustrate concepts, show screen captures and provide further information. When including images and links, be sure to pay attention to how they affect formatting — no one likes to read a messy post.
If using quotations or information from other sources, make sure you intext reference correctly using the college Harvard Referencing Guide.
Tie things up at the end with a conclusion summing up your points, much like you would in an essay. Don’t use this as the time to bring in new points or reference your sources.
If suitable, add a ‘call to action’ at the end. What do you want your readers to do with the information you’ve given them? Should they make a comment, have a discussion or share your post?
Use a funny, interesting title.
Write in first person.
Write in a friendly, informal style.
Include credible evidence supporting your claims, with links to journal articles and other sources.
Include relevant photos/video clips/visual images of data.
Write in an active voice (see below) with concise sentences.
Use clear, well-edited writing.
Use short paragraphs – dense content can be difficult to read online.
Use headings and subheadings within the body of your writing if suitable.
Active vs. Passive Voice
In a sentence written in the active voice, the subject of sentence performs the action. In a sentence written in the passive voice the subject receives the action.
Active: The cat scratched the man.
Passive: The man was scratched by the cat.