Talented Communications Student Seeks to Use Social Media and Technological Skills in her New Career

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Megan Garza
St. Edward's University
Communications Student
Email: meganlgarza [at] gmail [dot] com
Blog: http://prmediamaven.blogspot.com

Talented Communications Student Seeks to Use Social Media and Technological Skills in her New Career

Joining a successful technology organization is anticipated after upcoming college graduation.

Austin, TX -- November 29, 2007

• Megan LeeAnne Garza - graduating with a Bachelor's of Arts in Communication from St. Edward's University in Austin, TX on December 15, 2007 - seeks a challenging career that will merge her interest in communication and technology.


• Megan plans to utilize her talents in presentational speaking, writing, customer service, and proficient computer knowledge in an online marketing position.
  


• She is often described by co-workers and supervisors as a self-starter who is patient, diligent, organized who thrives in a fast-paced work environment.


• Computer Skills include proficiency in: PC and Mac use, Microsoft Office, Windows Vista OS, Audacity, Adobe Dreamweaver and Photoshop. She also has blogging experience and is social media literate.


• Megan is "Web Essentials" Certified by St. Edward's University, which includes classes in HTML, CSS, graphics and web accessibility. She also created a web site to be graded for certification in Summer 2007.


• Since August 2004, Megan has worked at the St. Edward's University IT Helpdesk, where she assists students, faculty and staff in-person and via telephone to analyze computer troubleshooting issues (internet connectivity, software support, virus/spyware issues). As a senior student worker, she is also responsible for training new employees.


• In Fall 2007, Megan was granted a Marketing internship at the Austin-based non-profit Knowbility, Inc. Duties included contacting donators, non-profits and affiliated companies via email, making calls to media outlets, writing articles for Knowbility's newsletter, photography and photo-editing, proofreading grant proposals and outgoing emails, and working all events.


• Honors and Awards include: Dean's List since Fall 2004, St. Edward's Trustee's Scholarship, two-time winner of the Dean's Scholarship, and being featured in a 2-page spread of St. Edward's University Viewbook, a booklet mailed to prospective freshmen about her work experience in IT (nominated for the article by her supervisor) in Summer 2006.

MULTIMEDIA ELEMENTS:

Download Podcast: Social Media for Non-Profits	Download Web Video Project: Religious Tolerance - "The Golden Rule

QUOTES

Feedback written by Megan's Helpdesk Customers:

• "Megan [was] very helpful and knowledgeable. The time frame was very quick. Going with out a computer is hard, so its good to have it back! Thank you for your help!" - a student, 2007


• "Megan was great in assisting in the matter. You at IT have a great dedicated worker and willing to help someone like me that is limited to computer knowledge. Thanks Megan." - a staff member, 2007


• "Hats off to the Help Desk once again! You all are great to help work through to the resolution of a problem. Even when the first call didn't succeed with what we were trying to do, subsequent calls were able to find a workable solution. A+++++ for effort, determination, and helpfulness. Thanks so much! :)" - a staff member, 2007
  

About Megan:

Megan LeeAnne Garza has attended St. Edward's University for 3 1/2 years pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Communication at St. Edward's University in Austin, TX. Before attending St. Edward's, she attended Communications Arts High School in San Antonio, TX where she won the Faculty Scholarship and was named "Best Senior Communicator" in 2004 by the CAHS faculty. When she's not catching up on her RSS feeds, Megan enjoys reading, drawing (she recently illustrated a storybook for a friend's wedding proposal) and making homemade organic bath products for her friends and family. She lives in Austin, TX with her puppy.

RELATED LINKS

Media Maven: The Social Media PR Blog

Megan's blog for her "Internet and Social Media for PR" class

Megan's Technorati Profile


Megan's LinkedIn Profile

Technorati Tags:
student | job search | public relations | social media | technology | blogging | marketing | communication | St. Edward's University | Megan Garza | customer service | technical support | non-profit

Blogging like a Human in a crowded 'sphere

So you're ready to shake up the social medias. You're ready to have some authentic conversations. You dream of becoming a Technorati star, an influencer.

But how will you separate yourself as a blogger from the rest of the sphere? Why read you and not one of the other kazillion blogs out there?

In the end, it comes down to substance of course, but just as equally... s t y l e. How you write is probably what will distinguish you immediately from the pack, especially when you're discussing topics a lot of people are covering. This gets back to the Cluetrain we were just talking about: sounding like a thinking human, not like an echo.

Here are ProBlogger's 5 tips to help you stand out. Some good advice there - I especially like #5.

Building on those, here's my suggestions from a person who follows a variety of blogs spanning various topics:

1. Have a sense of humor. I think even a formal blog could do with a little humor. To me, humor is also memorable, which will make me remember you/your post.
2. Brevity. I'd rather write a shorter, more concise post (depending on the topic) than a dissertation. Unless I'm really interested in the topic of the post I'm more likely to skim a longer-than-your-usual post.
3. Break it up. I love lists. When it comes to blogs, I like short paragraphs because breaking down the text makes it easier to digest. A big block of text is a turn-off - my eyes don't like it and I'm much more likely to lose interest faster.
4. Pictures with Purpose. Pictures rule, but only if it actually has something to do with what you're talking about. Pictures are a great way to grab attention, break up the flow of text and visually demonstrate an idea. However, pictures are annoying when 1) there are too many in a post and I have to keep scrolling past them and 2) they are random stock photos that don't really add anything to my understanding of your topic. If you don't often have pictures, try popping one in when applicable, but don't feel pressured to spam your posts with unimportant pics.
5. Bold is Beautiful. I like when bloggers do this, but like any suggestion, it can be abused and misused. I like the idea of bolding your key ideas/main idea. Think in this way: "if the reader only looks at my post for 5 seconds - what do they absolutely need to read?" But bold with caution, don't go crazy. Perhaps even try color, but that can be misleading because people might think it's a link.
   

What annoys you about the way bloggers write/format posts? What do you really like that you try to emulate?

Cluetrain's 95 Theses Response

Not long after the Internet begins to go mainstream, the writers of the Cluetrain Manifesto post their 95 Theses in 1999 about how information and communication accessible to anyone with an internet connection will change the future of how people and companies interact. 8 years later, we can we still learn something by getting back to basics.

2. Markets consist of human beings, not demographic sectors.
3. Conversations among human beings sound human. They are conducted in a human voice.
22. Getting a sense of humor does not mean putting some jokes on the corporate web site. Rather, it requires big values, a little humility, straight talk, and a genuine point of view.

I think this is the crux of what web 2.0 should mean for PR and marketing professionals. No matter how you're trying to engage with customers, sounding like an actual person counts for a lot. Aren't blogs more interesting when the writer is easy to understand with a bit of humor and personality? In practice, it might be more advisable to have a group of employees blogging rather than a CEO - multiple, down-to-earth voices are going to be more interesting and provide more frequently-updated content.

10. As a result, markets are getting smarter, more informed, more organized. Participation in a networked market changes people fundamentally.

This is something I've learned particularly from this class - once you start particpating in discussions, reading blogs and listening to podcasts, it's hard to stop! Suddenly the Internet becomes more than Google and Facebook and it becomes a way to learn, stay on top of your industry and your interests and even get involved.

39. The community of discourse is the market.

This reflects the idea about how non-CEO company bloggers may be a better solution because they'll get updates posted more timely and frequently. I'd rather read a blog that's contributed to by multiple employees for this reason - unless your CEO is really good about posting in a reliable time-frame. What could be worse than a CEO blog only updated rarely and randomly? Most would say they shouldn't even bother.

40. As with networked markets, people are also talking to each other directly inside the company—and not just about rules and regulations, boardroom directives, bottom lines.

Again, what a great resource employees can be- they are knowledgeable about their company and industry, and those who can write will come off more humane and real should they become bloggers or podcasters. Employees have ideas and recommendations, and they need to be tuned into.

64. We want access to your corporate information, to your plans and strategies, your best thinking, your genuine knowledge. We will not settle for the 4-color brochure, for web sites chock-a-block with eye candy but lacking any substance.

If I'm going to read a company blog, it should be a bit more substantial than posts of press releases. Let's talk about hot topics, innovations, events, etc. Ever seen an amazing website with sparse content? What's the point of dazzling me with your website if it isn't substantial? That's the key to the Cluetrain, I think: say something, and make it substantial.

74. We are immune to advertising. Just forget it.

This one I don't know about. Advertising still fascinates us - especially when it's memorable, like being unique or really funny. How often have I gone into dorms and seen the student's favorite magazine ads, movie posters, etc used as decor? I don't think we're immune completely, but rather extremely tolerant to what's been done to death. For advertising to work, it's going to need to be innovative to grab our attention.

78. You want us to pay? We want you to pay attention.

Cluetrain in a nutshell. I'm not going to invest in some expensive product if I don't respect the company that made it. Dell is a good example of a company trying to turn their image around. Apple learned how to turn a new, greener leaf. They listened: the company is better for it and their customers made a difference using the internet as their vehicle for change.

The Future of Blogging: Market your Blog

There's been discussion of my fellow classmates looking to take what they've learned from this social media/internet for PR class and using it after the semester ends by launching their own blogs. I sincerely hope that there are some great new blogs coming out of this class as we pair our interests with our new web 2.0-ness. Today, I'd like to offer a great page of resources from ProBlogger that lists all of the great articles that resulted from their "31 Days to Building a Better Blog" project.

This page, and ProBlogger in general, is a great one-stop shop for blogging resources - especially for those interested in gaining more readers and publicity for your blog (and who isn't?).

If you think you'd like to take this a step further and turn blogging into a job, then check out ProBlogger's Job Board, which lists companies who are looking for bloggers to write about a specific topic or industry.

Who out there is starting their own blog after this semester? I know Aisa is.

Super Cool: User-Generated Greatness = Suzi Blu + To-Do List blog

Most of you know about the run-away success of blogs like PostSecret, which just won the 2007 Weblog Award for Best Blog, but I wanted to share two of my favorite user-generated successes that are under the radar that exemplify the humanness of web 2.0 - isn't that what this is all about?

Suzi Blu's How To Keep an Art Journal (YouTube Series)

My rejuvenated artistic side and my love for Moleskine notebooks has brought me to Suzi Blu's endearing web series. Along with keeping a weekly vlog video, she has a little mini-series called "How to Keep an Art Journal" that was inspiring and charming. Suzi is sweet and very encouraging, and I found her own artwork and mentality about art and life inspiring. Check out her website (where she links to her eBay auctions of her original works) and her blog.

To-Do List (Blog)

Similar to PostSecret in that viewers can submit their own work, this blog features scanned hand-written to-do lists about anything and everything from groceries to "should I ask her out?" pros and cons. The submitted works are addicting to read (usually a marker of a web success) and now the creator of the blog (hosted by Blogger and featured in their "Blogs of Note"), Sasha Cagen, has published a collection of these lists in a book a-la-PostSecret. Sasha has also been featured on NBC as a result of her work.

Who are the web 2.0 stars in your eyes?

A Lil' Bit of LinkLove

Though these sorts of posts aren't the most exciting reads, at least I can point my readers in the direction of some interesting articles I've harvested from my prolific RSS feed that I just can't keep up with. Here's some of the articles I actually stopped to read:

Technology:

Microsoft happy with Vista, despite adoption- (Ars Technica) Seems that Vista is proving profitable in that sales are up (because XP is no longer an option) and the corporate world is starting to slowly adopt it. Personally, I don't think there should be any rush for businesses to adopt Vista unless they're already planning on upgrading their computers as well.

RSPlug.A Mac OS X trojan: a new threat, but the sky is not falling- (Ars Technica) You will cry too when it happens to you. Just because getting a virus on a Mac is very unlikely doesn't mean you shouldn't be wary. At least wear protection and get an anti-virus program on.

Public Relations:

PR-Squared's Social Media Tactics Series: Blogger Relations- (PR Squared) Todd puts out another public service. This one is in the form of a bookmark about blogger relations.

No need for media relations — not when you make the blacklist!- (Tough Sledding) Bloggers are quickly coming up with their own "Do not spam" lists concerning poorly distributed press releases and pitches. A wrong move, an agency blacklisted. Get out those bookmarks!

Everything I Needed to Know about PR I learned from Office Space- (Technosailor) Just for fun. Movie clips that exemplify PR 101.

How to Talk like a PR Blogger

Cruising the PR blogosphere has not only taught me so much about social media and the PR industry, but also some PR 2.0 lingo. Next time you're catching up on your PR industry RSS feeds, you may come across some words and phrases unfamiliar to the noob PR student.

snarky - I've seen this word used a lot and had no real idea what it meant beyond what I could gather from context clues. luckily one of our texts, The New Influencers, provides a definition in the glossary! Paul Gillin defines "snarky" as "Early twentieth century British slang for 'to nag' or 'to find fault with.' In the blogosphere, it is frequently used as an adjective for cynical or sarcastic" (pg. 222)

snake oil - a term I've seen tossed around by those who hate the idea that PR is using social media as a cure-all for the industry's woes or to discount those entrepreneurs who think their Web 2.0 startup is going to be the next MySpace. This one I had to look up on Wikipedia: "The expression is also applied metaphorically to any product with exaggerated marketing but questionable or unverifiable quality."

"drinking the Kool-Aid" - seen this one in multiple places as well. Urban Dictionary gives us this definition: "A reference to the 1978 cult mass-suicide in Jonestown, Guyana. Jim Jones, the leader of the group, convinced his followers to move to Jonestown. Late in the year he then ordered his flock to commit suicide by drinking grape-flavored Kool-Aid laced with potassium cyanide. In what is now commonly called "the Jonestown Massacre", 913 of the 1100 Jonestown residents drank the Kool-Aid and died. One lasting legacy of the Jonestown tragedy is the saying, “Don’t drink the Kool-Aid.” This has come to mean, "Don’t trust any group you find to be a little on the kooky side." or "Whatever they tell you, don't believe it too strongly". The phrase can also be used in the opposite sense to indicate that one has embraced a particular philosophy or perspective."

Urban Dictionary example:
Chris: I'm thinking about attending a PETA rally
Donna: Whatever you do, don't drink the Kool-Aid!

Want some examples of this lingo in action? Type in any of these words into your RSS search and I'm sure you'll come up with multiple blog posts including these phrases. Try it yourself! As always, if you have more to add then please comment and submit your definition!

Group Podcast: Social Media for Non-Profits

The JenKasMeg Show – Social Media for Non-Profits

:28 sec – Jennifer: Social Networking

3:44 min – Megan: Blogging

My Sources: RB Digital Rodeo and NetSquared

7:08 min – Kassie: Twitter

This podcast is the result of a class project for our "social media and internet for PR" class. This podcast was made in Audacity. The song we used is called "Move Your Body" by miyoshimasato.

New Influencers: Tools of the Trade

At the risk of being redundant (Shane beat me to it :P ), I thought Chapter 9 of The New Influencers was the chapter the reader was waiting for the whole time: the chapter about making all of the aforementioned tools work for you and what steps a marketer/PR pro could take to get started integrating social media into their practice.

Lemme break it down for you, based on the chapter, because lists are beautiful:

1. Keeping track of the buzz: check out Nielsen BuzzMetrics to see who's talking about you and your product. Set up some Google Alerts to monitor what the media is saying.
2. Read up on the Big Boys (and Girls!) of Blogging: Search for the influencers in your market by searching your company and products on sites like Technorati and BlogPulse. Technorati has a mysterious way of calculating the "authority" of a blog, which apparently "is determined by a proprietary formula that factors in inbound links and the activity level of a blog" (pg. 165). The chapter also highlighted Opinmind, where you can do a search and it will come up with two lists: those who spoke favorably and those who didn't - I searched "Mac" on there and got some stark results.
3. Keep tabs with RSS and social bookmarking: Now that you've found a slew of influencers (bloggers, podcasters and the like), you can keep up with them by bookmarking articles, etc. using tags on a site like del.icio.us where you can tag everything pertaining to your company and products, as well as add your own commentary as to why you saved that link. A cool feature is seeing how many other people have saved that link and what their comments were. Check out how others are tagging pages that reference you: "they're a small window on how others see you. They can help you spot opportunity" (pg. 170). Tag the good and the bad news. This can help you organize the points of contention people have with your company. For following blog and podcasting discussions, set up an RSS feed for those sites and get all of your reading done in one place - but don't get carried away!

So now you know a little bit on finding and keeping track of what's being said about you, and now you're in on it? So how can you reach out and get involved? That's for another day/post, but in the meantime, here's some good advice about starting with the right perspective and how to not pitch to bloggers.

Blog Action Day: "Greening Your Workplace"'s Greatest Hits

This post is in honor of Blog Action Day.

But there really is a point in making even the smallest of changes. For example, if 20 employees turned off their PC during a lunch hour, your company would save over 3700 watts of electricity in just 60 minutes; that’s enough power to keep an energy efficient lightbulb burning for over eight and a half solid days! -"Green-up your workplace," Big Green Switch

Google "green workplace" and you'll get a lot of hits about ways you can do your part to think of the Earth at work. In a discussion with some techies from SEU and Dell about recycling, everyone agreed that while we were awesome recyclers at home, we were ashamedly not so at work.

Why? While we dutifully recycle our paper, plastics and glass at home, at work it can be more difficult and admittedly a bit inconvenient. Here at work we recycle paper, but to put your water bottle in a bin on another floor - and it's the only one in the building.

Without further ado, my favorite green workplace ideas inspired by Treehugger:

1. At the end of the day, shut down computers - don't let it sit overnight or hibernate.
2. Unplug what you can. Even when you have electronics turned off, they are still using energy so that they can come right back on when you tell them to. If this is a pain, at least unplug things you don't use often, like appliances.
   
3. Purchase recycled printer/copier paper. Try to print on both sides of the page and always preview your prints to avoid accidental prints that waste paper and ink.
   
4. If possible, consider alternate ways to get to work: carpooling, public transit, biking or walking! Executives: consider giving perks to employees who use alternate transportation.
5. Try to organize a recycling initiative if there isn't one in place and encourage it's use. Make bins easily accessible to avoid the laziness factor, like bins in the break room and small paper recycling bins in offices.

I think the best list of the most useful and realistic ideas came from Suite101's "The Green Workplace" article, so definitely check this one out.

With a few changes, I think most businesses shouldn't have a hard time coming up with a feasible environmental policy that will contribute to smart usage and employee awareness. Even looking up these different tips has already given me ideas about making efforts here at work, and I'm sure I'll be further inspired by the thousands of blog posts that will be posted today.

Super Cool: "Citizen Marketers" co-author Jackie Huba talks to our class

Today in class we were lucky enough to have Jackie Huba, co-author of "Citizen Marketers: When People Are The Message," visit our class to talk to us about using social media in PR, marketing and in the corporate world. She showed us clips and examples from points brought up in the book then generously took several questions from us students.

We discussed the ethics of companies and bloggers working together, such as when companies send free gadgets to bloggers asking them to write about them - do they keep the gadget? Can the bloggers give an honest review? Will the blogger need to add a disclaimer to the post?
When asked about reasons why a company may be hesitant to have a public blog, she said the concerns she heard most frequently were that they were concerned about consumers using the blog as a soundboard to vent all of their grievances on, or that having a blog would take up to much human power to monitor it. Ms. Huba suggested that while it is true that readers may leave many negative comments on the blog, at least these issues are being told to the company's face. Consumers are already voicing their issues and concerns about products and services anyway, so you as the company might as well hear it straight from them so that you can decide what to do with all of the instant feedback you'll receive, for better or worse.

The hour with Ms. Huba passed quickly - she was engaging and had intelligent, insightful comments and answers for us. I really appreciated her coming to talk to us, as well as for signing a copy of my book. :)

Keeping out the Social Networking Peasantry

The New York Times' tech article "The Gated Social Network" discusses the trend that new social networking sites are designed to keep the layperson out, and only allow certain applicants access to their network. The article features a modeling social site that accepts you based on appearance and the "Diamond Lounge," that will only accept celebrities and other such A-Listers.

I suppose that everyone likes belonging to an exclusive club, so it makes sense that you should be able to gloat about such a thing online. I guess that's how you know you're "in" with the cool kids, and it's a sign of the times to see such invites being extended to hard-working bloggers.

If anyone has any further examples, I would love to hear about them. We always talk about social media and web 2.0 as an open door for the average joe to start up and make a difference. But what if we're not invited?

9/20: Update: Sign up on inviteshare.com to get sent invitations to betas and invite-only sites! I received an invitation in a few hours to join the beta invite-only Yahoo! Mash, so look me up if you get an invite too. Fight the Power!

PR 2.0: don't ignore bloggers, or they'll end you.

Perhaps it just seems so obvious.

After reading the first chapter of Citizen Marketers: When People Are the Message, I couldn't believe that there are still some companies are ignoring bloggers. How can businesses not respond to the influential blogs that revolve around their products? For example:

"Coca-Cola does not engage in conversation with its fans or citizen marketers....it tends to ignore or dismiss the work of everyday people." - page 13, Citizen Marketers

This just seems crazy.
Engaging with bloggers seems a critical part of PR today. Ignoring your bloggers can only hurt you; sticking your fingers in your ears and yelling "LA LA LA" is not going to make the criticisms go away. Rather, not addressing a significant issue voiced by bloggers is only going to make it worse. I like the approach that the authors describe on pages 17-19, where HBO and BMW took the bloggers and bulletin-board posters into account (begrudgingly by HBO and pro-actively by BMW) and came out the better for it with increased revenues and customer satisfaction.

On a personal note, my career interests lie in bringing my internet and technology interests into my PR work, so this is right up my alley. Monitoring and interacting with today's social media movers-n-shakers would not only be fun but also rewarding for my clients.

"What does this means for crisis prevention and positive reputation management? It means that companies ignore blogs and other online commentary at their own peril." - Michael Sydner, "Ignoring Blogs: A Recipe For Reputation Disaster"

9/18 - Update: And speaking of Coca-Cola....
Today, PR Squared posted the blog entry "Red Tape Won't Stop Social Media From Changing Your Website (Eventually)," about companies (including Coca-Cola) that are continuing to resist getting social media involved on their websites.

"To ignore an opportunity to create a convenient spot for users to collaborate & discuss the brand is going to be akin to a criminal offense among tomorrow's web strategists." -Todd Defren, PR Squared

That's really all there is to it. Like his blog entry says, there's still time to be pro-active about integrating social media into their PR strategies. Companies here in the 21st century need to engage in a two-way discourse with consumers because the consumers are already talking.

Web comics affect ideas and purchases of their readership

Though not as easily created by the average internet user as blogs are, web comics are becoming more prevalent on the internet – with just as dedicated readerships. For the web comics whose subject matter deals with the realm of videogames and the latest techno-gadgets, featuring a daily or weekly comic strip on their site is only one of the services they provide.

Whether placed below the strip-of-the-day or elsewhere on the site, many of these gaming-themed web comics feature frequent commentary by the authors and artists. Often they’ll discuss the daily strip, but what is most important as a PR professional to be aware of is that these popular web cartoonists also love to rant or rave about the newest video game releases and the latest news of interest to gamers. These blog postings that are coupled with the newest strip (that most likely is a critique of a game or a company itself) ensures that daily readers will be exposed to the passionate opinions of the authors.

"Play it, and you'll know what I mean." - Tycho, of Penny Arcade

Videogame Web Comics of Interest (comic strips and gamer blogs):

• Penny Arcade
• Ctr+Alt+Del
• GU Comics
• Little Gamers
• Dueling Analogs

The Five Commandments of Blogging

According to Paul Gillin's 2007 book The New Influencers: A Marketer's Guide to the New Social Media, he describes the "emerging standards" of blog maintenance that are a "kind of a Five Commandments of social media". Let's discuss:

1. "Thou shalt link" - couldn't agree more. Nothing gets my goat like reading an interesting blog entry that is sadly without any links. The importance of links are two-fold: (1) it hearkens back to "citing your source," and not linking to where you pulled your quotes or what other blogs you mention is unprofessional and could be considered stealing! and (2) links direct your reader to where they can learn more about the topic of your post that would be of interest while giving yourself some credibility.

2. "Thou shalt not diss" - disagreeing is expected, but disrespect is uncalled for and in the end will only hurt yourself. Be civil in your disagreement will lead to a much more productive debate on your part - set an example!

3. "Thou shalt be transparent" - this kind of honesty is what makes blogs so interesting to read. Posting with integrity and fairness will come through in your writing. Sure, bloggers are leaving themselves open to attack, but comments and emails about your post and addressing them will show that you value the feedback you receive.

4. "Thou shalt comment" - what's the point of the interactivity of blogs if no one comments? Join the conversation and give your opinion or offer further information about the topic. This is what creates a lively discussion and a more engaging blog to read!

5. "Thou shalt not blather" - like I'm doing right now. My high school English teacher had a saying that he would always say when a student asked how long a paper should be:
"Your paper should be like a woman's skirt: short enough to be interesting but long enough to cover the subject." Now that is a good simile.

In order to be taken seriously, I think you as the blogger must take your work seriously. These are some good guidelines for conducting yourself on the internet, which is relevant to this class since most students are new to blogging and don't know where to start or what's expected of a good blog post.