In teaching, we always look for the "a-ha!" moments. Those are the times when some great realization appears -- either on your part or the part of a student. They're few and far between, but worth taking note of when they occur. Captured here are my "a-has!" so far about blogging.
You gotta have voice. Great blogs are not just great collections of information -- they're great reads. Over the past five years, my writer's voice has definitely changed ... and not for the better, it would seem. Too many years of writing professional emails that emphasize brevity and clarity have squelched my writer's personality. I can see that I'm going to have to work hard on the very item I try to emphasize to kids: think about your purpose and your audience, and write for them.
Everything is food for the blog, and in the case of this blog, that could not be more true. Dinner isn't just about getting a healthy meal on the table. It's also about staging the scene, taking the picture, and thinking ahead to the post. And the props! You've got to have props! Plates, placemats, cutlery ... heck, even a bag of chips becomes a prop. Right now, I'm taking my pictures with my cell phone camera. Hardly professional, but it gets the job done.
Don't worry about the fancy stuff ... just post. If you wait to post until you think of the right name or design a logo, you'll never get started. Start posting even if you don't have the template of your blog set up or have a symbol that represents you. Let's face it -- no one's reading this blog anyways (laughing). So really, in the beginning, it should be about the writing. Tinkering with logos and designs can come after you have something to tinker with.
Use what you've got. That means software, recipes, tools -- just stick with what you know in the beginning. I designed all of my graphics using Publisher (not very exciting or artsy, but they get the job done.) My pictures are taken on my cell phone camera, and that Publisher-designed logo is placed on top of them courtesy of a free, wonderful, easy-to-learn program called Paint.NET. And my recipes ... well, right now, they're whatever's on the table that day. I find, however, that I'm constantly thinking about opportunity. What do I see, hear about, think about that can be used in the blog? It brings a purpose to everyday activities that is new and different.
Read, read, read and research. I've got to remember to keep up with my favorite food blogs because they're what inspired me to do this.
And lastly, give credit. One item I've realized by reading so many food blogs is that no one expects a blog to constantly create new recipes. A new reason, a new spin, a new approach, a new thought about something already out there is often the only reason you need to write. But with that comes a new responsibility -- giving credit. Provide links back, tell where you found something, and give credit where credit is due.
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