Featured image via Pexels
Welcome back to my wonderful world of blogging. And yes, I say “back” not as a nod to rear anatomy, but to remind readers that this is not our first trip to blogging land. In fact, loyal subscribers will know that this site was actually started last semester as a part of my multimedia storytelling course. Now, I’m back and better as I tackle a new semester and a new course: Visual communications.
This time around, I hope to only expand on the skills that I have already picked up. This means becoming even more well-versed in digital storytelling, and figuring out new ways to communicate in this rapidly advancing technological age.
Because I am already somewhat familiar with this curriculum, my expectations for this class are very high. I look forward to adding more tools to my digital backpack and creating more compelling content.
Last semester, I pushed myself to get personal with my digital creation. This was a challenge for me because I usually enjoy telling other people’s stories, not my own. However, I learned that the best content is the most authentic content, and there’s nothing more authentic than turning the camera on yourself for a change. Although this was tough at times, I found it incredibly rewarding to see my own truth documented. Thus, this semester I look forward delving deeper into what I already started. I plan to get even more intimate with my storytelling, pushing myself even further to see what I am truly capable of.
This blog will be a living, breathing testament of this journey. Okay, maybe not literally, but you get the point. I hope this platform can learn and grow with me, evolving just as I evolve. Before this growth can occur, however, we must first build a good foundation. Luckily, Mark Briggs’s “How to Blog” section in Journalism 2.0 helped outline some key points to keep in mind.
As easy a blogging may seem, there are in fact some guidelines to making this platform the best that it can be. For example, Briggs recommends using a voice that combines both authority and personality when blogging. This means letting your readers get that sense that you know what you are talking about without sounding like a generic textbook. When it comes to journalism, I can oftentimes get too caught up in relaying straight facts and information, that I forget to cater to specific audiences. Thus, this blog will be great practice in conveying messages that are both impactful and unique to my own style.
Another tip Briggs underlined is the important of consistency when blogging. He suggested looking at a blog almost as a notebook, meaning a space to regularly jot down your thoughts. While deadlines will hopefully help me stay consistent on this platform, it can still be incredibly easy to fall behind and lose momentum. Posting regularly, however, is something Briggs points out as key to building an audience that follows your progress rather than randomly checking in now and again. As my schedule becomes busier and life gets more hectic, it’ll be nice to stay grounded with this constant. Especially as I get more into the routine of blogging, I’m excited to test myself by keeping up with such a regular mode of communication.
Alongside this blog, I will also be video blogging, or vlogging, my experience as well. Whereas written word can only convey so much emotion, vlogs are a lot more useful in transferring my energy across a screen. Below, you will find my first vlog of this course where I talk about my expectations for the semester to come.
Stay tuned for even more content and even more digital stories.
nyah terrilyn 