What Blogging Platform is right for you?
1. What do you want to do with blogging? What do you want to mainly use your blog for? (or something like that)
a) Mostly view
b) Mostly post
c) Read and post equally
d) Only view
2. To whom are you trying to reach? What audience are you reaching out to? Who is your blogs target audience?
a) Teens
b) Parents
c) Adults
d) Like-minded individuals
3. When it comes to creating and maintaining the look and availability of your blog, what do you look for?
a) Something that is easy to use and navigate. Also, it has to be completely free.
b) Something that is easy to use like above but I am okay with some accounts not being free.
c) Something that I can customize to the best of my ability and I would like the option of it being free or not.
d) I would prefer not to.
4. What forms of media do you want to post?
a) Visual media (pictures, video, art, etc.).
b) Text (reviews, opinions, critiques, and/or news, etc.).
c) All types of media, a wide variety, anything that strikes my fancy… bla bla bla…
d) I probably won’t post.
5. How long do you want your posts to be?
a) Short, sweet, and to the point.
b) Not much more than a quote or paragraph. Just a thought or two.
c) At least 500 words or more.
d) I probably won’t post.
6. How much time do you have to post?
a) I don’t have a lot of time. My lifestyle is always on the go and want to post things that I just come across and is really interesting.
b) I have some time. I want to put some intention into my posts but I don’t want to spend an hour or anything on it
c) I have plenty of time. A lot of what I want to post is work related or a serious hobby.
d) I probably won’t post.
7. How often do you want to post?
a) A few times a day.
b) A few times a week.
c) A few times a month.
d) I probably won’t post.
Your ideal blogging platforms may be…
…if you picked mostly A’s, you like getting to the point. Look for a platform that will allow you to post short thoughts and ideas using many different types of media. Some platforms you should look into include Tumblr, Twitter, Pinterest, Reddit.
…if you picked mostly B’s then your interests and abilities could be fulfilled by almost any of these blogging platforms. Having multiple blogs that offer different audiences and content displays may appeal to you. This will also give you a blogging advantage because having multiple blogging platforms increases the amount of people who can and will see your blog.
…if you picked mostly C’s then chances are that you have a big focus on content and would like to put extra planning and care into every post Platforms that allow you to express yourself a little more extensively than a strict microblog like Twitter maybe don’t even mention Twitter and just say microblogs because the quiz taker might get confused and think twitter is the blog for them may be for you. Check out WordPress, Blogger, and Tumblr and see what appeals to you the most. You can use them all, too. We love crossing-blogging!
…if you picked mostly D’s, you are a true browser! Look into RSS feeds to help you manage all the blogs you want to follow. Every blogger and every blogging platform has interesting information in different formats. The trouble is that they are spread out all over the web!
To explore these blogging platforms some more, there’s still time to participate in some of our Blogtober workshops.
Blog with the Best: WordPress and Blogger
If you’re going to start blogging, do it right! Learn about two of the most popular blogging websites, WordPress and Blogger. We will cover how to set up accounts, personalize your blog and get started blogging as well as show some popular librarian examples.
- 10/18: 2-3
Pinterested?: Pinterest for Libraries
Does Pinterest have a use beyond cute crafts and delicious recipes? Find out what all the buzz is about, and learn how Pinterest can benefit you and your library. We will look at how to create and maintain an account, example libraries, and ideas for marketing your library.
- 10/19: 12-1
- 10/23: 12:30-1:30
Twitter: Don’t Say It! Tweet it!
Sometimes the best way to communicate is by making it short and sweet, which is what Twitter is all about. We’ll take you through how to effectively use Twitter and what exactly libraries and librarians are doing to communicate using this microblogging platform.
- 10/17: 5-6
- 10/22: 12-1
Everyday I’m Tumblring: How to Show It Rather than Tell It with Tumblr
Even though Tumblr was originally intended for visual artists, it has expanded out into a mini blogging universe where visuals and sound bites are the key to communication. Libraries and librarians of all kinds can profit from this media, too, as we will discuss and show how accounts like the Library Journal and the New York Public Library have become successfully popular.
- 10/31: 2-3
Reddit – All About It!
Looking for one easy place to find the internet’s top trending stories and memes? On Reddit, “The Front Page of the Internet,” users submit links and vote on their favorites. In this workshop we’ll talk about how reddit started, how to navigate it, and how to tailor your newsfeed around your interests by subscribing to subreddits – follow everything from r/bicycling to r/libraries (in addition to much, much more).
- 10/18: 12-1
- 10/24: 2-3
- 10/25: 12-1
Real-easy Site Stalking: RSS Feeds
It’s great that I found all of these awesome blogs, but how do I make time to check them all? Fear not! With the use of RSS feeds, you can pull and summarize all of your favorite blogs in one place. The workshop will go over what is an RSS feed’s purpose and background, as well as walk you through a sample reader.
- 10/26: 12-1