What an informative session we had with Anupama Dalmia!
Anupama began by discussing what blogging is. From there, we went on to so much more – blog formats (including vlogs and micro-blogs), finding your niche, and starting your own free blog. She then introduced the children to SEO and the backend, showing them how easy it is to start the process of blogging.
Importantly, she answered the question of why blogging could be a good idea – to build a discipline around writing. Once we start blogging, there is often a sense of accountability, the idea that writing and posting content is something that we need to do regularly and systematically. Where do we begin? How do we get noticed? What can we do to increase the reach of our blog posts? Anupama discussed all this and more in a single hour!
When guest speakers repeat something I keep saying in class, I’m always happy. For instance, I often ask children what the purpose of their piece is. What do they want the reader to feel? What are they trying to do with their writing? Anupama phrased it as WIIFM – what’s in it for me? As the audience, this is the question we ask. Why should I read your blog? It’s important to be able to answer that!
With this workshop on blogging (guest session #24!), we’re now drawing to the end of another writing programme. In October, the twentieth batch of my online writing programme will begin!
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