I am thrilled to have been invited to talk at a non-fiction writers' festival on June 6th called "Reality Bites" at the Sunshine coast.In the morning I am joining Matthew Cashmore, Rhonda Hetzel and Annette Hughes on a panel to discuss blogging. And in the afternoon I have an hour to run a blogging workshop.
An hour isn't very long, as I think all I'll be able to manage is:
- Identify goals and objectives for keeping a blog, including name and 'brand'
- Set up blog with appropriate settings
- Consider privacy, security and comment policy
- Set up profile
- Learn how to upload images
- Write first post.
Image: 'Oh no, here come the Bloggers' Brett L.
www.flickr.com/photos/51035767928@N01/68953352
6 comments:
To your ambitious list in only one hour, I would add:
1. create a blog purpose statement (why am I writing this)
which leads into
2. Who is my audience (self or others, and if so, then who do I want to do what with this)?
An ambitious list indeed. Congratulations and have a great.
On a different note, what a fantastic shirt! I think I want one. I already have a button that says "I'd rather be blogging."
:) Ah geek fashion. You know I love it!
Ahem, sorry that was supposed to say "have a great time." :)
Hope all is well. Take care!
Hi Jeffrey & MIke, thanks for your comments. I agree, this list is way too ambitious, especially if there is a big class-I'll just have to see how I go.
I would suggest focusing on looking at what a blog is, in all its shapes and sizes, in the hope that the skeptics in the group (and there's always 3) get turned on to the idea.
Then I would select one blogging platform (blogger) and get everyone set up with a blog with a first post. Make everyone write down their blog URL, user name and password.
Sign out of the blog and close down the browser. Start it up again and access their blogs through their blog URLs with the signin in the top right. Log back in to write another short post.
Sign out and back in again and look at settings.
Finally, if there is time, finish by showing them your blog, your widgets, your photos, videos etc.. and then show them your RSS reader where you will subscribe to each blog.
You'd be lucky to get through all this. The thing that can help is a good printed step by step (if you create one please add it to the wiki you helped me with). And to demand that everyone follow your steps, and look at you.. no checking email or mucking about with things other than what you're showing them :)
I get people to turn off monitors when I'm showing something (good for a laugh and a power trip). I demonstrate once in full, then I demonstrate again as they follow. Then I walk around and help the lost souls catch up before starting again.
In the end we had about 20 people which was a nightmare - some wanted to know how to set up a blog from scratch and some had blogs and wanted to ask more advanced questions. In the end, we were able to split the class in half & I worked with the newbies.
An hour is hopeless, so I did the best I could & got people to make an account and then I worked through the settings. There was no time for anything else.
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