Writing In & For Digital Environments

What makes for an excellent blog? First and foremost is the layout. As Hosey points out in Why We Love Beautiful Things, “instinctively, we reach out for beautiful things. Beauty literally moves us.” Shapes, backgrounds, and layouts that feel right, Hosey points out, can be explained by geometry. “Golden rectangles” are the “magical proportions” that draw us in. For example, The Family Bucket List drew me in right away. Not only is the “golden rectangle” used is this blog, but immediately the colors, layout, and photographs drew me in. The white background made the high quality photographs pop, and the font and rainbow hue to the title told me a little bit about the blog beneath it.

As for the content, I find the blog posts that draw me in are the ones written in a conversational tone. As Carroll explains, not only does a conversational tone inject you into your writing, but also it allows a reader to feel more connected with their writer, making digital media personal. Blogging is the perfect platform for this type of writing because there are no rules around structure or grammar. Personally, I like to have a conversation with what I am reading. Take a look at Nomadic Matt’s travel blog as an example of this conversational writing. As Rorabaugh states, “write loosely.” A blog post sticks out to me when I can see writers thought process.

As Morris points out, “digital writing has no roadmap.” Not only in inviting readers to interact with your content, but actually writing content that is eye-opening and unexpected makes for an excellent blog. Just take this post from The Oatmeal. Not only is the format and scroll-down feature of the comic unique, but so is the content. There truly seems to be no roadmap for this blog post, and I found it exciting. What I was expecting to be a sarcastic comic strip about happiness, actually turned into an unexpected commentary about the social pressure to be “happy.”

Those are the things that I personally think make for an excellent blog. I am sure that others have different opinions. The blogosphere is so vast and unruly, that I am not even sure there is such thing as an outline for creating at “excellent” blog.

The first, and most essential thing to a good blog in my opinion is aesthetics. What does the first page look like? Is it messy with adds, does it have a lot of blank space? Of course, the look of the blog depends on what the purpose of the blog itself. Is it a sports blog, therefore more adds? Is it a lifestyle blog and therefore it has a lot of pictures? How a blog looks when the reader is sent to the homepage can really have an affect on whether or not they will continue reading.

For example these two life style, beauty blogs:

http://www.niomismart.com/fashion/eat-smart-launch-party/

This first blog is written by a health and lifestyle vlogger on YouTube named Naomi Smart. Though I love her youtube channel, her blog lacks in comparison. It’s bleak, there is a lot of white space, and the pictures could use some photo-shop to make them more aesthetically pleasing.

The second blog:

https://www.zoella.co.uk/

Also belongs to another YouTuber named Zoe Sugg. Her blog, although not my personal taste, has much more character. Simply the bright colors and the layout already makes is a much more attractive blog that readers will be more likely to click on; especially because the target audience for both blogs are women in their mid teens to young adults.

In this modern age, blogs are very popular, there are thousands of them. Another key aspect of blogging, according to Carroll, the author of Trends in Personal Publishing is the authenticity. Carroll defines authenticity as finding your voice. This is essential in blog writing where connecting with a community is the main focus. I think what makes a blog appealing is that it is more personal than a book. The readers have a more immediate, personal connection with the author. Therefore, it is so important that the character of the writer be seen within the blog based on the language and pictures they choose. As Carroll also says “reveal your identity as much as possible”.On the other hand, this sort of approach can get tricky when politics and policy are discussed, but again that all depends on the readers you want to attract.

Michael Morris says, “We are allowing meaning to come from meaningless.” He goes on to explain that until reader’s comment-on, share, or like a blog post, there is really no point to what is being written about. There is so much information floating around on the web that until someone discovers it, likes it or hates enough to talk about it, it’s just words.

The internet is powerful, influential, and dynamic. One blog can be seen by millions of people across the world moments after it’s posted. Even though there are major benefits to such a rapid form of communication, much of what is written on the internet can be misinterpreted and ruin the way an author is perceived or take away from the message he or she is trying to send.

So what can make or break a blog?

1. Aesthetic

If the readers can’t locate what they are searching for or are unable to find anything interesting to read, they’ll get confused and leave the page. Easy navigation is imperative. Achieve a pleasing look for your readers. Make sure links are easy to read, colors aren’t flashing in their faces, and ads aren’t the largest visual focus. In Lance Hosey’s article, “Why We Love Beautiful Things”, he focuses on the idea that humans are drawn to the visually pleasing. In fact our brain, when triggered makes us “reach for attractive things” he says, and “beauty literally moves us.” If a beautiful sculpture stimulates our brain enough to want to touch it, shouldn’t a beautiful blog do the same? Try finding an appropriate combination of white space and text or  simple colors that blend well together. Don’t be messy and find a balance.

2. Connect With Your Audience

In chapter 7 of Brain Carroll’s book “Writing for Digital Media”, he says  “Blogs offer businesses the opportunity to build informal, lasting relationships with customers”.  Even if your blog isn’t used for business purposes, this can still apply to a personal blog. You need to define who your audience is. A blog written about sports should be catered to the interests of sports fans, a blog written for food should cater to the interest of foodies, and so on. Concentrate on your audiences interests and they will be able to find a way to form a relationship with you and your blog. With a positive relationship formed, the audience can speak well of your blog.

3. Build A Community

The internet allows people from every inch of the world the ability to connect with people anywhere else in the world. Let your blog allow a community to form. Maybe your blog has a comment section or a “like” or “share” option. Allow for your posts to be analyzed so advice can be received. Good feedback is important to improve your blog because people have diverging opinions and ideas that could expand your original ideas. Allow for creativity to flow throughout your blog, and accept feedback with an open mind.

So what can make or break a blog? Keep it simple with not too much crazy colors and ads, find your audience and cater to their needs, and be open to community without getting offended. But most importantly make it something you would want to read because if the ideas are pressing to you,  you will be able to convey them to the readers.

Blogs do not exist for solely for the author. In fact, it is impossible for a blog to exist in isolation from its audience. About digital writing, Sean Michael Morris states in his article “Digital Writing Uprising: Third Order Thinking in the Digital Humanities” that “What gets said is inevitably communal. We create the choir as we preach, and the choir creates us.” In the blogosphere, this is most applicable to the kind of content that is generated on a blog. People react to what is said and add their own thoughts via comment sections. They ask questions and provide feedback, both good and bad. Page views and shares act like votes- the more people read and interact with a piece, the more attention the author/curator will devote to the topics discussed in the article. If an article isn’t getting much traffic, then the author knows to write about something else. The community determines what is produced by determining what they want to consume.

This is also why having a good design is important in blogging. As Lance Hosey says in his article “Why We Love Beautiful Things”, “It should come as no surprise that good design, often in very subtle ways, can have such dramatic effects. After all, bad design works the other way: poorly designed computers can injure your wrists, awkward chairs can strain your back and over-bright lighting and computer screens can fatigue your eyes.” If a website is difficult to navigate or a blog is visually unappealing, people won’t likely be interested. At this point, the internet is full of all kinds of compelling content that checks every box, from style to function, so if a blog lacks in either category, it may find it hard to maintain an audience.

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/graphic-design-is-my-passion

I discovered this blog just yesterday, and it is a perfect example both of good design and community dictated content. The blog itself is about a man who lives in a truck in order to cut down on living expenses. The author’s most recent posting (as of September 14^th, 2016) is a Q&A that reads much like a conversation between readers who’ve submitted questions and the author. Some are suggestions that he talks about considerations and his thought process on the decisions he has reached. As for the design of this blog, it keeps with the minimalist theme. The home page features the most recent posting smack in the middle of the page. Above it is title of the blog, ‘Thoughts from Inside the Box’ with a navigation bar above it that takes you to the home page (most recent post), the very first post, and an index for everything in between. Widgets appear on the side of the posting; the left sports the About and Net Savings boxes, and the right are widgets for questions/comments, a search bar, and a subscription box. This clean, streamline design fits the theme of minimalism and practicality, and keeps the focus on the writing itself. I intend to incorporate these lessons in staying on-brand to my own blog for the duration of this class.

I think I know what I want to blog about. I was toying with a few ideas, like one about improv or maybe doing a “The History of The Internet” bit but instead I decided to choose music.

Not just music though, I want to blog about my new radio show. I know, real riveting stuff. But there is a story to it all, and I intend to tell it.

Heres the preface:

https://stylehitz.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Khaadi-Men-Polo-Shirts-2012-3.jpg

It all started 3 years ago when I joined the radio station here at Dickinson, 88.3 WDCV. It was a blast at first! I love sharing music and talking about it so the radio was a perfect niche to find as a freshman. Everybody involved seemed really cool and the station had tons of posters for bands I didn’t know, however things did not stay groovy for long.

This is where the plot thickens.

As a budding first year I knew that I should probably do something productive with my summer rather than go home and hang out with my cat. I had applied to a few jobs in my home town (professional green polo-shirt wearer at the new GIANT) and (professional orange polo-shirt wearer at Dunkin Donuts); fortunately their people never got in touch with my people. So when an e-mail came across my inbox with an opening for the WDCV summer intern position, I decided to reply.

After a very official, late-night-porch-conference with Ben and Dan, the radio station Seniors with monosyllabic names who were departing that year, I felt jazzed to know that I officially had a gig lined up for the summer. And the best part, no polo shirts.

While the summer went as expected, the problem came when my sophomore year rolled around. The people at the radio station and the Alex from that time had drastically different visions regarding involvement and commitment. I decided that instead of giving my time to WDCV I would allocate it elsewhere and as a result, I burned an entire city’s worth of bridges and felt little to no remorse. It wasn’t until my friend Jon informed me that “pretty much everybody hates you” that I knew I had severely screwed up.

Maybe I should’ve stuck with wearing polo shirts.

For the time being, I will omit the unnecessary details of the humble unpaid internship, as they will be illuminated in further posts. I will however just say that the decision I made on that porch that pre-summer night has been one of the monumental of my time at Dickinson.

I think I finally figured out what this blog will really be about. It will be about resurrection, and the music that brought me out of the ashes of all those bridges.

Check out my show I just aired my first show tonight. It’s every Tuesday at midnight on the internet and the radio.

The track list for my first show was:

1. Midnight Fantasy by Hank Crawford
2. Cubano Chant by Art Blakey Percussion Ensemble 
3. Early In the Morning by Peter, Paul & Mary Peter, Paul and Mary 
4. Flight of The Flamingo by Flamingosis
5. Brunch at the bodega by Flamingosis 
6. Natural Ni Koishite by Perfume
7. Watch Out! by Wells & Fargo 
8. Statue of Liberty. by Phony Ppl 
9. The First Bomb Dropped in Berlin During World War Two, Killed the Only Elephant in Berlin Zoo by My Name Is Ian
10. Promises by Monophonics (sick vid)
11. Alfonso Muskedunder by Todd Terje (also sick vid)
12. 恋するフォーチュンクッキー by AKB48

During our earlier discussion over the Hughes article, we established how technology is considered “the norm” to us. From that, we gave technology a two-part definition that includes modern vocabulary (such as “share,” “like,” “tweet,” and “favorite”) as well as being an innovation. So, with that in mind, thinking of a blog as technology should mean that the blogs I read, share, and bookmark make my life easier…right? I did a little experiment on myself, very much in the How to Be an Explorer of the World fashion, to answer this question. I looked over the blogs I sent to Professor Kersh to add to the in-class blog discussion and analyzed how I use each one and why I deem them an excellent blog — as the prompt for this post suggests I define. A lot of what I found came from our discussion over the Carroll article that heavily generated the words “community” and “connection.” The question raised during our discussion of “what do or don’t we read?” really got my wheels turning to figure out why I read the blogs that I read.

First up: Eventing Nation. I have this website open on a tab on my phone at all times and it’s the first bookmark on my web-browser. This blog connects with equestrians, specifically of the three-day eventing discipline. What I love most about this blog is how it has a variety of information – competition live-blogging, competition recaps, personal interest stories, product reviews, reader submissions, tips from professionals, and the like – all in one place. I am clearly the target audience for this blog, seeing as I read it to stay connected to the world of three-day eventing. I also love the interaction with other readers that Eventing Nation promotes, in comments or reader submission posts, because of the discussion that occurs. I also follow EN on Twitter, which is great for live-blogging during competitions.

Second: Mental Floss. So, funny story. My mom is a scientist and heard about this company from a friend of hers who subscribes to the magazines. For my birthday or something as a kid, my mom got me a subscription…so that she could read the magazine, too. As I’ve grown up and progressed to reading on electronic devices, I’ve followed Mental Floss. Literally, I follow them on Twitter. Sometimes the articles are really bizarre, but most of the time I really enjoy reading what they consider “random, interesting, and amazing facts” as well as testing myself with their “fun quizzes and trivia” almost every day. I also enjoy how a lot of the articles come from recent events, even though they are not directly reporting on the event. For example, I read an article about the different between Great Britain and the UK that was published shortly after the Brexit announcement.

Third: Le Monde. As a technology, this website has made my life a lot easier over the course of my French major! Le Monde is essentially the New York Times of France – in fact, their website design is very similar. I actually do not read American news websites all that often (if ever?), such as NYT, but I check LM frequently for world news. I think that my major has really opened my eyes to other cultures because in so many of my classes I am learning about another culture, as well as how other cultures view my own culture – the American culture. I tend to read more of the reporting articles as opposed to the writer-blog articles due to the fact that I am more interested in LM as a news source telling me the basic questions of who, what, where, why, and when.

A general take-away from this self-experiment is the design of the blogs. Eventing Nation has the “busiest” website of the three, due to the high amount of ads and graphics. I still think that it’s a fairly clean website, but not as clean as Mental Floss or Le Monde. Eventing Nation recently changed the layout of their website away from the traditional blog style that they first used (and is now listed as an option at the top) into a homepage similar to that of Mental Floss or another news website.

Another discussion point during the Carroll article was that of being a responsible reader. I think that it was really interesting to think about why I like the three blogs I mentioned because it explicitly unpackaged my implicit feelings.

When evaluating a blog, the first aspects I consider are whether or not it’s visually appealing, easy to navigate, and up to date. A blog could contain incredible posts but, if they aren’t presented in a desirable format many readers will move on. Therefore, the design and accessibility of a blog is crucial to attracting an audience and keeping them interested. In his article, “Why We Love Beautiful Things” Lance Hosey explores a few physical and biological causes of attraction.

Blogs are useful for providing short entries that can be easily absorbed by the audience. As a result, long chunky paragraphs are usually a turnoff and can deter potential readers.

http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/tldr1.gif

That being said, form should follow function when it comes to designing a webpage. BuzzFeed, a popular blog among young adults, contains short posts involving pictures, videos, and memes. On the other hand, blogs like KevinMD target an audience of health care professionals and medical students and the format is much different. This demographic spends time reading scientific papers, and by the nature of their profession is interested in educating themselves on healthcare related problems. Thus, pictures aren’t necessary to keep the reader engaged, and a lengthier post is unlikely to deter them from frequenting the blog.

Regardless of the readership, blogs should always stay current and be easy to navigate (Carroll 159). If a blog reports on a variety of topics, the reader should be able to click on a tab that will take them to sports news without having to sift through political pieces. Readers want to know what’s the latest news or laugh at a new batch of funny memes so give them what they want!

http://kaleenaskaleidoscope.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/are-you-not-entertained-w-text-720×396.jpg

After a blog has established itself as functional and visually appealing, the author(s) need to gain the audience’s trust. Many people have had the embarrassing experience of reading something on the internet and sharing that information, only to find out it wasn’t true. Readers want to be able to trust the information that’s being passed on to them and the best way to build their trust is by being transparent and having a code of ethics as an author (Carroll 158). The sources used in an article should be linked to a webpage or, at the very least, be listed at the end of an entry.

The last and most important quality of a blog is that the posts don’t die once they’re published. The articles an author posts should encourage conversation to flow from them and create an interactive community involving the audience (Morris 2012). I couldn’t help but notice the similarity in which he talks about digital writing and the way people describe the Constitution as a “living document”. The words in the Constitution have gained new meaning as they have been analyzed by different audiences with different perspectives over time. The Constitution’s value is rooted in how it is used and applied, not simply how it is interpreted. The same is true with blogging.

Carroll, Brian. Writing for Digital Media. New York, NY: Routledge, 2010. Print.