Week 5 Final Project: Blog Reflection Paper

 

My experience building a blog

In retrospect, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about blogs and creating my own for the first time. I’ve heard of them before, but I have never actively read, viewed, or been very attentive to them. However, spending more time creating one, I have a newfound appreciation for creating content using this format and I will surely continue making a few more of my own in the future. I think it would be a great opportunity to learn through research and networking. Plus, I may even be able to generate passive income from my content, create a sense of community, and possibly even come across career opportunities.

Blog practices I incorporated using research

The are many elements in my blogs design, aesthetic, and content flow that I have incorporated from the research I have done. Through research, I have developed a better understanding of the best practices to implement to further the chance of having a successful blog. Some of these elements I have incorporated in my design and aesthetic are the use of a “Magnetic Headline” graphics, a color scheme that has good contrast, a professional look, and a font that is easy to read. I have also made it a priority to create a layout that is user friendly, intuitive, and easy to navigate allowing viewers to access and read content with ease (Totka, M.)

Difficulties I encountered building my blog

Overall, and for being my first go at creating a blog, I found the process of creating a blog to be rather straightforward. I did however, run into one issue that took a while for me to figure out. Instead of scrolling down my content page searching for a specific post, I wanted to create a “recent post” link that would make accessing a post faster. I experimented with the gadget features for at least an hour before figuring out how to successfully link a posts URL into a page gadget located in my sidebar. Once I figured this out, I was quickly able to add hyperlinks to all my posts making my blog page easier for users to navigate and to access specific content.

The potential a blog has as an educational tool

The potential that my blog and other blogs have as an educational tool is immense. I’ve never factored into account the potential a blog has until now. The amount of research I’ve done just to create my posts has allowed me to learn an incredible amount already. That is also not factoring in what I can learn from other blogs and what information I can gather by interacting, networking, and collaborating with other users. This space is a vast ocean full of diverse content I have yet to tap into. There are so many outlets and perspectives to dive into. I will definitely be using this format to learn more about subjects that interest me in now and in the future.

How will I maintain and improve my blog as time progresses

My intention is to have a blog that is successful and according to the article “How to be a successful blogger”, it takes hard work, inspiration, creativity, and persistence. (Wilson, J.) As I do plan on working on my blog(s) in the future, I will continue to create new content and as I learn, I will gradually add new pages and gadgets as well as aesthetics and design elements. I would also like to incorporate google AdSense, affiliate marketing, e-commerce, and other platforms that will allow me to generate passive income. Another intention I have for the use of my blogs is to create a sense of community, network, and collaborate with people who share similar interests. I am excited for this journey, as only time will tell were it takes me.

 

 

CITATIONS

 

Totka, Megan (2019, December 31), “The 8 Essential Elements Of A Successful Blog Post “

The 8 Essential Elements Of A Successful Blog Post (forbes.com)

 

      Wilson, J. (2023, March 10) “How to Become a Successful Blogger and Make Money in 2023?” www.onlinedecoded.com/steps-successful-blogger-make-money/#0-how-to-become-a-successful-blogger