This is an overview of blogging for students who have never created a blog before.

Transcript:
Student Blogging Prompt

Blogging is a popular way for people to share their thoughts and ideas with the world.

While they originally started in the 1990's as weblogs, they grew in prominence over the next two decades, as it became easier to edit, add multimedia, and leave comments.

So, how does a blog work?
A blog can be broken down into a series of blog posts. Most bloggers create new posts on a regular schedule – either daily, weekly, or monthly

Blog posts go in a reverse chronological order with the newest posts at the top and the older posts at the bottom.

Most blog post have a compelling title that is capitalized. They often have shorter paragraphs and even bulleted points or lists. Many bloggers break information down using headings and they also include a few visuals or videos. They tend to use tags or categories that connect to other posts.

Unlike a journal, which you write for yourself, or an essay you typically send to your teacher,
a blog is a platform for sharing your voice with a larger audience.

So, where do you start as a new blogger?

A great first step is to spend some time exploring blogs.

It might be a fashion blog, a foodie blog, a gamer blog, a hobby blog, a movie blog,
a music blog, a sports blog; you get the idea.

Ask yourself, "What are they doing well?" and "Where could they improve?"

From there, you will figure out your overall topic for your blog. What interests you? What do you geek out on? What expertise do you have? What questions do you want to answer?

Next, you'll determine your blogging approach. Some bloggers write personal reflections and engage in storytelling. Others advocate for things they care about. Still others share ideas. Or you might give practical help and show people how to do things

You'll also want to determine your audience. Who are they? What do they like? What do they want to know?

It can help to think through the layers of privacy
Level 1 is where you keep your posts private
Level 2 is where you share it with a small group, including your teacher, a classmate, and your family
Level 3 is where you share it with your whole class or even the whole school
Level 4 is where you share your work with the whole world

Next, you'll want to create your actual blog. Some people use their names, but others choose to have a title, like you would in a book or a newspaper. You might also choose a theme and a visual aesthetic.

Then, start blogging! In this early stage, you might take some time to jotting down ideas for blog posts.

You might want to start with a list of questions you can answer or ideas that you have.

Consider doing a listical using the prompt "Seven Fascinating Facts About ______" or you might do a how-to post with, "Step-by-Step directions for __________." Or maybe come up with a few Q&A ideas.

You might also need to set up some norms for yourself regarding what you will and will not do as a blogger. Finally, engage with your audience by responding to comments.

Remember that it's an experiment. Some posts will work well and others won't. But that's okay. What's important is that you're sharing your voice with your world.