Blogging about Politics

TAKE A STAND!

When it comes to discussing politics on a blog the one thing that comes before all others is taking a stand on every issue. If you are considering starting a blog on politics first ask yourself why you are doing it. Finding a purpose for your blog is critical to locking in a constant audience. If you are like me chances are you want to share your opinions and see what people have to think. The one thing that I made sure not to do was constantly summarize the news, people can get news from the mainstream media much easier and with far more credibility. If your purpose is to offer news or facts that are not mainstream then by all means do so. When trying to come up with a purpose make sure that you find something sustainable and have a plan for coming up with new posts. The idea of coming up with a purpose for your blog is pretty self explanatory but I would also advise you post some sort of a statement describing your purpose just so potential readers can have a quick look at what they are in for.

Keep it Moving

A blog like any work of literature needs to flow, without new posts and new ideas your reader base will wither away. When it comes it comes to politics getting ideas is pretty easy, watch the news, read the paper, browse other blogs. At any given time there are always some hot button issues that people want to hear about and by observing the mainstream media you can home in on those issues. By offering posts on current issues you can keep your blog relevant. For instance, talking about the morality of stem cell research in relation to abortion may have been an extremely relevant a while ago but now with the new research that is coming out the issue is no longer as relevant. While throwing in some posts about issues relevant to you is always fine make sure to keep your blog in tune with the rest of the world, it is simply good kairos.

Style

We all have our own writing style and it grows with us as we go through life. That being said, stick your style and don’t attempt to sound like another author (unless satire is your game). As far as your writing process goes I would recommend first finding an issue that you have an interest in. Next do your research, try to determine the facts and understand the points of view that others have about this issue. Once you have the facts and understand the issue form an opinion based on the facts and write you piece. I would advise writing it on a word processing program such as Word and then copying it to your blog so as to catch spelling and grammatical errors.

Citations

Unlike most research papers blogging makes citations easy with the ability to link facts directly to their source. While it is still appropriate to say something along the lines of “according to……enter fact” so that the reader does not have to follow the link to determine credibility, the ability to do so is always a plus. When it comes to facts I find that good sources are new providers such as CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, The New York Times, and The Washington Post (just some examples there are many more including non-electronic sources such as books). When citing opinions the realm of possibility becomes far greater encompassing many other sources including the myriad of other blogs on the internet. When posting most of my facts come from come from modern news sources I prefer my supporting quotes and concepts to come from classical literature and long dead people. Although this does breach the idea of good kairos I discussed before I find that many of this sources are beyond question and when it comes to the quotes unlike quoting a living human the character of the dead is well known and unchanging (for instance quoting Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho on June 10th about his opinions on homosexuality would have lead to a lack of credibility in an article). By no means am I saying not to quote the living, just be careful how you build your arguments around those quotes.

Keep’em Reading

If you don’t care about people reading what you are writing then a journal is probably a better idea for you. With a journal you can still jot down your ideas and you don’t face any criticism about them. On the other hand blogging is not just about having an idea, it is about bouncing that idea off of others all over the world and possibly allowing them to cite you in their arguments. This in a way relates to style, as a writer you need to connect with an audience by catching their attention and maintaining it. The key here is to develop a clear and consistent writing voice. Think of your favorite writer, composer, director, sculptor, painter, musician, architect, or singer. For most people it is the style of a person at their particular trade that creates favor. So it is for the writer as well, while you shouldn’t fear the evolution of your writing over time switching between writing styles for every different post (baring outstanding reasons) can create distaste from readers who cannot grasp your message clearly in your new style. For instance writing in iambic pentameter this week and then switching to haiku’s next can create disfavor, if all your posts are serious with the exception of one satirical post it can be confusing to readers. Point being, pick a style and stick with it, use writing styles and wording that speak to your target audience and then focus on your ideas rather than your conveyance.

Key Points

All of the above were some key points for your blogging but first and foremost remember to pick a topic that you enjoy, nothing would be more detrimental to the success of your blog than for you not to enjoy it. Pick a topic you care about and have enjoyed for some time rather than a spur of the moment idea (Don’t make a blog called “Why I hate cops” five minutes after you get a ticket, you will lose interest and it will flop). Most of blogging is learn as you go and these are just some pointers, my advice would be to set your topic and tone, start typing and just let the ideas come as you go.