Blogging Concepts for HBCU Students to Reflect
William Jackson, M.Ed.
HBCU Alumni – South Carolina State University
HBCU Instructor – Edward Waters College
Social Media Visionary for #MyQuestToTeach
Share your voice, share your story, let the world
hear you.
1. Why Do You Blog – bloggers must have a reason to
do what they do. There should be passion and commitment
when putting fingers to keyboard. Why you blog is a very
important statement and should have a definite answer and
purpose.
During the blogging process “why” may change just as
content changes, every blogger should have an answer
as to Why Do You Blog.
2. Who Is Your Demographic – an important element
to go consider is: Why is; Who is your demographic?
Is there an age group, gender, nationality, lifestyle,
culture or specific group you want to connect with?
People enjoy having a connection with bloggers. Any
successful blogger knows who their audience is and
tries to give them what they need and to provide
relevant content.
3. What Type of Content Do You Share – sharing is
very important.
You want your audience to understand that you are sharing
a part of yourself with them. You’re not thrusting things
down their throat, but providing something that they need
or as you grow in your writing giving your readers something
they think they need. Create the atmosphere of sharing
which helps in receiving feedback from the
reader/viewer.
4. How Do You Support Your Brand
Do you have a domain name, are you using a free site, is
there a lot of advertising, is there adult content, video,
audio, and multimedia?
Supporting your content on a platform requires some
research on your part to validate you and build your
Brand. In the educational, political, and business
environments you have to backup what you have stated
with dynamic information links, quotes, and data.
In your blogging you’re competing with traditional media
so go that extra step to help readers understand where
you’re coming from, how it can help them and where else
they can go for additional resources.
5. Do You Use Photos, Video, Graphics – The power of
a picture, video or multimedia element can never be under
estimated. If there is a video that can be used or you create
your own do it. This provides an extra element to attract
and keep readers to your content.
Search Engine Optimization(SEO) does need help with text
(words), but additional elements that provide audio
(podcasting), video (YouTube) and multimedia to create an
interactive platform. Never be scared to branch off into
new areas to help engage and excite your readers.
6. Do You Offer A Service – What can you provide your
audience? What type of service or services do you have?
The popular blogs of relationship building, natural hair, nails
(hands and feet) provide a service that can be seen and is
engaging.
There is a service that results can be seen. Think hard on
what service you can provide if this is your choice. Be sure
that you can keep your customers happy.
7. Do You Evolve – One of the important things about
blogging is keeping and expanding your audience, that
means evolving.
No blog stays the same just as people change, there is an
evolutionary process that writers go through. Just as age
and maturity happens so should a bloggers content evolve
because their readers evolve and change. What you wrote
3 years ago will not be of the same interest for your readers
now. Their lives have evolved (changed) so as a blogger
your content must evolve also.
8. Do You Have a Brand – Can you Brand yourself to
the public?
What are you known for, what does the title of your Blog
bring thoughts and feelings of? Branding is important
because of the interest it generates in readership. Creating
a Brand allows for Marketability and potential profits.
Branding shows you, who you are so the public will make
that connection.
9. Can You Be Marketable – to make money is only one
important aspects of blogging. Eventually a blogger considers
how can they make money so must be wise in how they Market
their content.
This may take a team to get the word out about you and
promote what you are doing. Social Media tools are diverse
this must be strategic in application.
These elements are worth considering and using as a
guide to anyone blogging. Your blogging content, goals,
designs and objectives will change the more you blog so be
ready to make adjustments and evolve to keep pace and
stay important enough to be followed, read, quoted, inspiring, engaged and influential.
