Blog Posts Week 4 and Week 5– How To
Directions: For the next two weeks your writing task is to teach something using words. Using the seven steps listed in the article we read in class, create a 300-500 word post demonstrating How To do something. Be creative. The key to this assignment is detail, clarity, organization, and visuals.
Reminder:
Bloggers: These assignments are due Friday by 9:00 p.m. If these posts do not appear on my blog feed by that time, they will be considered late. If you complete the posts by Monday morning at 8:00, you can still get 80% credit for the assignment.
Blog Commenters: Your comments need to be posted to the blog post of the week by Monday at 2:00 p.m. If you post your comment on Tuesday, it will be considered late. If you post a comment after that time, you will receive no credit. If for some reason you cannot post your comment directly on the blog due to some technical difficulty, please email me your comment so you can receive the credit for the assignment.
How To
Write A How-To Blog Post
Guest post by Blog Manager Robbi
Hess
If you’re like many
people who read blog posts, it’s likely because you want to learn something,
right? In a world crammed full of work, life, spending time with family
and pets, giving your time to a blogger and her blog post is a gift. If you
like to walk away from a blog post having learned something or if you write
blog posts and want your readers to walk away having learned something, writing
a great how-to article is the way to go.
Here are seven steps to
penning a great how-to article for your next blog post:
1.Choose a topic that
you’re passionate about and one in which you have a deep understanding. If
you’re uninterested with the topic, it will show through in your words and if
you are unsure of the topic, your reader will walk away more confused than
enlightened.
2.Choose a headline that
lets your reader know exactly what he will learn, for example: How To Travel
Cross Country With Your Cat, or Seven Steps To Make Your Blogs Sing.
3.Start your how to piece
with an overview. Explain to the reader why you’re writing the how to and what
your expertise. Explain who will benefit from the topic and how.
4.If your how to requires
planning and preparation (How To Give Your Dog A Bath) explain what supplies
are needed, how much time will be necessary, and any tools necessary. If your
how to article will require your reader to have prior knowledge, you can either
direct them to an article you’ve written previously or explain where they can
get the prerequisite knowledge.
5.Pen your how to with the
assumption that while your reader is eager to learn what you’re writing, she
has no prior knowledge. What is obvious to you may not be obvious to the
reader. For example, if you’re a master chef and are writing a How To Make The
Perfect Pie blog post, assume that your reader will need exact measurements
rather than “a pinch of salt” or a “pre-warmed oven.”
6.Use photos or videos, if
possible, to illustrate your points. Write the how to in simple language and
break the entire how to into easy to read bullet points or numbered steps.
7.Wrap up your how to blog
post with a summary paragraph. Invite comments and success stories from your
readers. Keep the comments open to those readers who may not have been
successful at implementing your how to knowledge.
What expertise do
you possess that would lend itself to a how to blog post?
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