Making My First Blog

I have read my fair share of blogs over the years but have never really given much thought as to what makes a good blog or what makes one appealing to me.  I have subscribed to many blogs and found them very enjoyable to frequent as well as informative, but still never gave much thought to why I chose that particular blog over another.  Before this course I hadn’t a reason for developing a blog, nor the desire to create one for the simple fact that I felt no one wanted to hear what I had to say.  With that being said, this course required I create one so I first had to come up with a theme that was worth posting.  The topic I finally decided on was the process of my recent move from North Dakota to Dubuque, Iowa.  The concept I decided on was to showcase the homes I looked at for potential purchase and comment about the good and bad of each.

 Before I began publishing my messages to the blog, or perhaps even before I began designing the blog itself I had to first think about the core message, the purpose and determine the target audience and then begin the design process from there.  An added twist to the process was to integrate what I have learned over the time spent here at Ashford studying communications.  By simply designing from the audience’s perspective and the core elements required by this course I had a greater chance of drawing in more interest from my fellow students and hopes of meeting the mark set by my instructor.  If the reader finds the design, layout, background and color appealing they are more eager to read and subscribe to the blog.

After researching the internet for examples of good blogs and inadequate blogs I read an article written by Michael Martin called 7 Elements to make your blog look great. This article itself was a post on Michael Martin’s Blog.  Martin is a freelance web designer that specializes in designing and customizing blogs for his clients.  Based on my research I have found that there are several key elements that are required in order to ensure a well designed blog is both visually appealing and functionally effective.  Structure, form and functionality are crucial to attract and retain viewers to a blob site.  Structure and grid-based design are the corner-stones of a well laid out blog. (Martin, 2010).  Without a pre-conceived structure my blog might be perceived as cluttered and unorganized, difficult to follow causing poor viewer satisfaction. 

Focusing on the small details will yield dividends in the grand scheme of the overall design and functionality of a blog.  If I could anticipate the wants and needs of the viewers entering my site and ensuring accurate and credible content I would give the reader the confidence that this is a well thought out and reputable site.  Clarity and emphasis can be an asset when designing and developing a blog by strategically routing the attention of views to key elements, text or graphics.  Emphasizing one area to ensure it stands out against a vague background is an example of such tactic.  By following these important techniques I believe I have focused attention to pertinent elements I want my target audience to notice first and when interested find additional information.

References

Blogger.com (2011). Retrieved from the internet on April 4, 2011 from http://www.blogger.com/choose-ad-location.g?blogID=472526159031089621

Martin, M. (2010). Problogdesign.com. Retrieved from the internet on April 4, 2011 from http://www.problogdesign.com/design/7-elements-to-make-your-blog-look-great/