1. Writing for Social Change: Blogging with Anne Shiell & Hillary Wentworth Walden University Writing Center

2. Housekeeping Questions Tech trouble? http://support.citrixonline.com/en_US/GoToTraining http://support.citrixonline.com/en_US/GoToTraining Recording: http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/415.htm http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/415.htm

3. Agenda Build on Walden blog requirements Opportunities for writing outside of academic writing (casual, immediate, wider audience) Extend writing while at Walden to the world – Explore new ideas before writing a paper – Develop existing ideas by getting audience feedback – Extend ideas after completing a course

4. Blogs: The what and the why What? “A Web site on which someone writes about personal opinions, activities, and experiences” (Merriam-Webster, 2013, para. 1). Social media tool Updated regularly

5. Blogs: The what and the why

6. Why? Reach millions of people Contribute to the global conversation Give voice to a cause Inform, persuade, connect

7. How to blog: Technical considerations Choose a platform Popular, free, easy platforms: Choose a purpose and a focus Communicate to readers in title, tag line, About section Post regularly At least once a month RSS Feeds Know what’s going on in the blogosphere Blogger WordPress Tumblr

8. Blog post genres Essay or story Poem Profile Interview News blurb Announcement or invitation Review of book, movie, or product Top 10 list

9. Writing for social change Walden’s mission: The university “provides a diverse community of career professionals with the opportunity to transform themselves as scholar-practitioners so that they can effect positive social change” (Walden University, 2013, para. 2).Walden University, 2013, para. 2 How can writing get us there? “The written word drives social change for the long haul” (Dunlap, 2007, p. 25).Dunlap, 2007, p. 25 Permanent, influential, persuasive

10. Writing for social change “Blogs may become this new century’s major form of social protest” (Pipher, 2006, pp. 219-220).Pipher, 2006, pp. 219-220 Social change can go viral Of U.S. adult internet users: – 14% have a blog – 32% read blogs (Pew Research Center, 2010)Pew Research Center, 2010 My blog

11. Social change blogs: Broad focus Sasha Dichter’s Blog http://sashadichter.wordpress.com http://sashadichter.wordpress.com Reflections on generosity, philanthropy and social change Have Fun Do Good http://havefundogood.blogspot.com http://havefundogood.blogspot.com Ideas, inspiration and interviews for fun-loving do-gooders! The Silver Lining Chronicles http://thesilverliningchronicles.wordpress.com http://thesilverliningchronicles.wordpress.com Community engagement, social good, and philanthropy

12. Social change blogs: Narrow focus Beth’s Blog (http://www.bethkanter.org) How Networked Nonprofits Leverage Networks and Data for Social Changehttp://www.bethkanter.org Matthew Richmond (http://mattyrichy.wordpress.com/) Blogging on urban issues, inequality, social protest and more, from London to Rio de Janeirohttp://mattyrichy.wordpress.com/ Men and Health: It’s a Guy Thing (http://itsaguythingblog.wordpress.com) A health resource for baby boomershttp://itsaguythingblog.wordpress.com Jennifer Suzanne Sulkowski (http://cowbird.com/jennifer-suzanne-sulkowski) Focus: Work with a school in Africahttp://cowbird.com/jennifer-suzanne-sulkowski

13. Writing for a blog 1-Minute brainstorm: What would your blog focus be? What are you passionate about? Put your responses in the chat box.

14. Start small: Commenting on a blog From http://www.bethkanter.orghttp://www.bethkanter.org From http://medicineforchange.comhttp://medicineforchange.com

15. Start small: Group blogging / guest posting Universities Fighting World Hunger http://www.universitiesfightingworldhunger.org Focus: World hunger http://www.universitiesfightingworldhunger.org Look for blogs that advertise calls for guest posts Find a blog you like and contact the blogger about the possibility of guest posting Create a group blog with shared authorship

16. Writing for a blog 1-Minute brainstorm: In terms of the writing itself, how are blog posts different than academic papers? Put your responses in the chat box.

17. Writing a course paper vs. writing a blog

19. Writing for a blog: Techniques Different audience than academic writing Ask yourself: – What is my topic? – To whom am I writing? – What is my goal? Personal: – To explore a topic – To develop ideas – To write regularly Beyond personal: – To share knowledge – To inform/raise awareness on a topic – To connect with others passionate about a topic – To create social change

20. Writing for a blog: Techniques Get personal – Describe your experiences and insights – Connect yourself to the issue Get emotional – Use passion- filled language – Include others’ stories – Add an inspiring call to action From http://mombloggersforsocialgood.comhttp://mombloggersforsocialgood.com From http://havefundogood.blogspot.comhttp://havefundogood.blogspot.com

21. Writing for a blog: Techniques Get visual – Embed pictures in your posts (be sure to cite them) – Ensure that they are high quality and work with text content http://www.morguefile.com/ http://commons.wikimedia.org http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/ – Study blogs you find aesthetically pleasing What do you like about the layout? How many images per post? What fonts, colors, and so forth work well for readers?

22. Why is race still an issue today? Comment: Loved your post! Writing for a blog: Techniques Get interactive – Ask questions – Talk directly to readers – Allow comments – Comment on other blogs – Link to other blogs But: This doesn’t mean you should avoid doing your homework! Research still helps. You might be saying, “I don’t have time to listen to another sob story.”

23. Writing for a blog: Case studyCase study What do we like? What could be improved?

24. A blogging toolkit Getting Started “Are you your biggest obstacle? How an Idealist got over her fear of blogging for social change” (idealistblog, 2013) “Are you your biggest obstacle? How an Idealist got over her fear of blogging for social change” Blogger’s “Create a Free Blog”“Create a Free Blog” Grammar Girl’s “How to Get Started Blogging”“How to Get Started Blogging” The New York Times’s “Blogs 101”“Blogs 101” WordPress’s “Getting Started”“Getting Started” Tools and Tips Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (Richardson, 2010) Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success (Safko, 2012) The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success Social Media Today’s “101 Blogging Tips for Beginners and Beyond”“101 Blogging Tips for Beginners and Beyond” Writing for Digital Media (Carroll, 2010). Writing for Digital Media

25. Questions? Now: Type into the Question box Later: Didn’t get to your question? Enter it in the survey after the webinar closes. Anytime: writingsupport@waldenu.edu writingsupport@waldenu.edu