Blog Posts: Figuring Out the What, Why, How, and When

What topic should I blog about?

Would you believe there are currently over 172 million blogs? Even more astounding,  more than one million new posts are added to the internet each day. Those are staggering statistics!  

With so many bloggers adding all these posts, it can't be that hard to come up with possible topics, right? Wrong. For some of us, coming up with a topic that you think others might be interested in is a daunting task.

Instead of thinking about a topic out of the blue, you can use some guiding questions to get your ideas flowing. Here are some that I use:

• What have I experienced lately?
• trips?
• restaurants?
• movies?
• books?
• sites in Singapore?
• What have been l learning recently?
• at school?
• outside of school?
• in clubs and activities?
• What's been on my mind lately?
• events at school?
• news and world events?

Still stuck? Take a look at these helpful hints from Kids Blog Club:

• 52 Ideas for Blog Posts

Why am I blogging about this topic?

Once you have a topic in mind, you may want to think about why you are writing about it. It's not that hard, in fact, "it's as easy as PIE!"  You see, when it comes right down to it, there are three basic purposes why bloggers write:

• Persuade
• Inform
• Explore

Take a look at the following blog posts and try to determine why the blogger wrote that post.

ISTA Festival (SAS i)
Mockingbird (Dog-Eared)
Person of the Year (TFK)
Bringing SpongeBob to Life (TFK)
Help Earth (ClimateKids)

RollerSkating (Spider)Dogo News

When you think about your topic in terms of PIE, you'll realize that you can write about your topic in different ways.  If you want to write about swimming for example, you could:

• Write about why this sport is so great. (Persuade)
• Write which stroke is the best and why. (Persuade)
• Write about a recent swim meet. (Inform)
• Write about how to swim a few strokes. (Inform)
• Write about your favorite places to swim in Singapore and ask your readers to add theirs. (Explore)

How should I write a blog post?

Any good piece of writing needs a beginning, middle.  A blog post is no different.  One of the main goals of a blogger is to receive comments from his/her readers.  In this way, blog posts are unlike any other genre.  The best way to engage your reader and include him/her part of your conversation is through good writing.

While each post may depend on the topic and purpose, there are some tried and true tips on the beginning, middle, and end:

• Beginning:
• Hook your reader with a fact, a quote, or an interesting connection.
• Make your topic and purpose clear to the reader.
• Middle:
• Get to the heart of your topic through reasons or detailed explanations
• End:
• Leave your reader with an interesting insight on your topic
• Invite your reader to think, act, or add a comment

When is it time to publish?

Of course another big difference with blog posts is the way it is published.  Once you click that button, your words and ideas are out there for a world wide audience to digest.  With that in mind, you'll want to be sure that your words represent who you are and what you believe in a way that is respectful of any potential reader.

One way to make sure that you are ready to publish is to use the POST Filter, a checklist that helps you revise and edit your ideas so that you can be confident in your work.  The POST Filter stands for:

• P--Purpose
• Do you have a clear purpose why you are writing this post?
• O--Online Features
• Do you have labels?
• Do you have videos, images, and/or hyperlinks to enhance your ideas?
• S--Skillful Writing
• Do you have a catchy tite?
• Do you have a beginning, middle and end?
• Is your writing error free?
• T--Think Before You Post
• Do your ideas fit with the Core Values?
• Did you leave out all personal information?
• Did you give credit for images and videos?

Click here for a copy of the POST Filter checklist.