Slides to help get students in the right habits when blogging.

1. Social Media CourseDr. Matthew J. Kushin Assistant Professor Department of Communication Utah Valley University profkushin.wordpress.com mkushin@uvu.edu @mjkushin

2. Blogging best practices Dr. Matthew J. Kushin Course: profkushinsocial.wordpress.com

3. Writing Style Put the reader first Write eye-catching headlines with context Write professionally – write, re-read, edit Be organized! Convey positivity, passion & knowledge

4. Ask for Action! End blog posts with a call to action Ask a specific question and request comments

5. The look & feel Your page should be professionally formatted, organized, and easy to read Use bullet points and other strategies to make the content easily digestible Its better to blog often and write shorter posts, than write long, infrequent posts Embed photos, videos often

6. Link Out! You’re a hub of information for readers don’t be greedy and try to keep your reader on your page. It won’t work. Readers want to see you as a place to begin learning in their larger info search Always link to any content you mention, such as an online poll Blogs, videos, articles, etc. Let me say that again: Link out to other content often!

7. Converse If you’re going to get involved in your niche, do it right: Remember: Social media is not about “the hard sell” Comment on other blogs in your topic Don’t ask people to come back & read your stuff. Comment just to be involved in the convo

8. Advice Avoid changing font/colors. Use clean, simple formatting. Link text or images Don’t display links URL (e.g., http://google.com) Instead: embed the link in text Only use images you have the rights to use Original content or Creative Commons Don’t plagiarize other people’s work