Friday, May 23, 2014

Blog 8-Best Practices


“How sweet it is” is a blog written by a woman with unlimited energy.  She blogs about food, her life in general and posts reviews of products that she uses but never a product that someone has sent her for a review; this is spelled out in her FAQs section.  Her writing style is informal, as in she writes how I believe she would speak; lots of energy and humor.  Her recipes are thoroughly explained though with tips and advice; her passion for food shines through in her recipes and in the blurb that precedes the actual recipe. 

 

Some best practices that I believe are important when it comes to blogging are a level of professionalism, honesty, humility and real life topics.  By professional I am speaking to the fact that spelling and grammar are still essential to a blog regardless of the purpose of the blog.  A blogger should never share something (such as a recipe) as their work without credit to the original blogger.  When I’m exploring a blog, I enjoy a mix of things, such as, food, beauty products and pictures of travels.  I get some of my best ideas for road trips from other blogs.  Photography can intrigue readers to explore new areas they’ve never thought to before.  Bloggers should write about their interests but in a way that gets their readers excited about the same things and then those readers will spread the word about that blog to friends and family, growing the audience of the blogger.

 

Bloggers should be held to a certain standard; similar to traditional journalists.  This week we read the Food Blog Code of Ethics and in my opinion this code of ethics should be followed by the blog I spotlighted and similar blogs.  Offering links to original sources, revealing biases and being accountable are the major points to the Food Blog Code of Ethics that should always be followed.  

 

References

Burton, B & Greenstein, L. (2011). Food Blog Code of Ethics. Retrieved from
             http://foodethics.wordpress.com/

How Sweet it is. (2014) [Blog] Retrieved from http://www.howsweeteats.com/.


Response to Krista: http://khixson11.blogspot.com/2014/05/font-definitions-font-face-font-family.html?showComment=1400863723214#c6495753225434529205

May 23, 2014 at 9:48 AM
Krista,
This is a well written and thought out blog post. The best practices that you’ve included in this post are very important to a lot of readers. I personally, when reading a blog can be immediately turned off if the grammar and spelling is awful. I feel that if a blogger is going to post work online they should take the time to proof-read and ensure that they are presenting a solid piece of work. The third point is great as well, just because the code states that it is for journalism professional, does not limit it to that profession only. If a person is going to write for the public they should absolutely follow some set of guidelines.
Best,
Nina
 
 
Hi Cathy,
I agree with your best practices; especially the one about keeping the blog up to date. I, too, will not continue to visit a blog that is not updated frequently. The yoga blog that you highlighted is a great example of how a blog should look and interact with the audience. The articles are relevant and diverse. They have a mix of instructional, humor and interest pieces. Great example!
Best,
Nina
 

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Blog 7 - PRESS RELEASE


PRESS RELEASE

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

 

The End of a Great Life

 

State College, PA-January 22, 2012

 

Today is a hard day for the Paterno family and the Penn State University family, as the great and beloved coach, Joe Paterno, AKA “Joe Pa” of Penn State University’s football program has lost his battle with lung cancer at the age of 85.  He is survived by his family, who say that he fought until the end.

 

Despite a scandal that darkened his final days at Penn State, he is remembered for his hard work and dedication in developing a remarkable football program.  He helped to train and support nearly 350 of his players that made it to the NFL.  Not only was he a major figure in the football program but he was highly active and a significant supporter of the university in general.  Over the course of the time he spent there, he donated upwards of $4 million dollars to the university.

 

He ended his career at Penn State as the leader in career wins for Division 1 coaches.  His team appeared in 37 bowls and walked away with 24 wins.  In 1986 he was named Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated.  He was truly dedicated to his team and school.

 

“Success without honor is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger but it won’t taste good.” – Joe Paterno

 

###

 

Reference:

Joseph Vincent Paterno. (2014). The Biography.com website. Retrieved May 17, 2014 from

http://www.biography.com/people/joe-paterno-9434584#final-days&awesm=~oExO6ZoFvEW6jQ

 

 

FACEBOOK POST:

JANUARY 22, 2012

Today we are sad to hear that the great Joe Paterno has passed away from his fight with lung cancer.  He had a long successful career as the football coach at Penn State University.  Despite the Sandusky scandal at the end of his career, he is still remembered as the powerhouse coach that led his team to victory many times.  He will be greatly missed.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Social Media Tools

My three attempt with social media tools:


Pinterest:         http://www.pinterest.com/lanina1317/

Twitter:           https://twitter.com/NinaCrucitti

 
 
 
Social media applications are a personal preference based on an individual’s goals.  Facebook is great for reconnecting with friends and family.  For professionals, there is LinkedIn.  LinkedIn is similar to Facebook but instead of sharing your plans for the weekend or pictures of children, pets and trips; it is used for professional networking.  One can list education information, past job history and skills and then the user can build networking circles.  Twitter helps a person reach a much broader audience.  It is also a valuable source for meeting people that share similar views or others that don’t share similar views and the opportunity to learn from those people is greater.  Pinterest is another helpful source for sharing information.  Many different blogs are using Pinterest to share their posts, whether it is food, clothes, organizational tips, baby information and wedding tips as well.  The possibilities are vast for what you can find on Pinterest.   Social media grows with popularity every day and with every new user.