5 Things We Learned Blogging in College — When No One Even Knew They Were Talking About It

A Guest Post by Holly McCarthy

The blogging phenomenon has been growing exponentially over the last several years and has become one of the primary modes of information dissemination in the process. Besides information, people are able to analyze, express opinions, and target specific audiences with which to share their thoughts and feelings.

There are many people out there who have been blogging for far longer than you might think. Many things we consider standards of blogging seemed to have developed out of the ether, so to speak, but they started with these first pioneers of the blogosphere. The thing is, most bloggers did these things and helped to pave the way without even doing it consciously.

Some things we learned blogging in college, when no one even knew they were talking about it:

• Voice
  The importance of voice in writing is something we learn along the way as writers. It distinguishes us from the others and demonstrates our ability to express ourselves. In some cases, blogs have adopted a unified voice that gives them both authority and credibility, while in others the uniqueness shines through. In both cases, the voice of the author is important and relevant to readers.
• Relevancy
  As blogging started to grow, young bloggers realized that you had to keep things relevant in order to attract readers. What is the point of writing and putting yourself out there if nobody is reading what you have to say? Common sense dictated that if you wanted to be read, you had to write about what was going on. This helped in the development of niche blogging.
• Carving out your niche
  Niche blogging came about as a response to demands from the readership. As blogs became more prevalent, the need to get more specific began to arise. Your blog couldn’t just talk about anything and everything; you risked losing your readers if you didn’t maintain some sort of focus. Finding and developing a niche was simply a natural progression toward the blogosphere we now know.
• Networking
  Another thing that happened along the way was the realization of the importance of networking. Long before all of the social networking and Web 2.0 developments, people had to promote themselves, and this involved developing a network of people with which you shared your posts. Emails were the preferred mode of dissemination, and we tried hard to get our content read. It was the only way to make sure that what we were doing was getting read — and it allowed for feedback as well.
• Determination
  In the beginning, all things are a labor of love. With goals in mind and finding new and improved ways to get things written and published, the blogosphere has grown to its current incarnation. The determination of those who’ve worked so hard over the years has paid off, and we are now able to write, publish, develop content, and spread the word with more ease than ever.

We learned standards and quality goals just by doing it. Go figure.

Holly McCarthy writes on the subject of continuing education online. You can reach her at hollymccarthy12 at gmail dot com

Thanks, Holly!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!