An Aviation Perspective on Blogging

People throughout the aviation world will strongly agree that all pilots share the same personality when it comes to talking about flying. “Hangar Talk” as some call it, is commonly known as pilots talking amongst one another sharing stories either about their own flying experience or what is new in the aviation world. Now, with the use of the internet becoming almost a necessity in modern society, pilots are tending to post their stories, ideas, and information on weblogs. Although it may seem difficult to get used to, blogs can be a great way for pilots to become well known throughout the community and express their knowledge to a larger audience.

Brainstorming Ideas

Because topics concerning aviation are so vast, it can sometimes be hard narrowing down what you would like to discuss. Coming up with new topics each week can also be difficult because posting regularly is essential in order to bring readers back to view your writing. I find that the easiest way to brainstorm ideas is to look at current issues that are affecting pilots and research what is coming out in the media with new technology potentially shaping the future of flying. Readers never like seeing a subject discussed over and over again which means that blogging about current events will help create a strong foundation for viewers to enjoy. Recently developed airplanes, extraordinary firsthand experience, and new regulations are topics that every pilot will appreciate.

From Thought to Print

Blogging is hobby that takes time and allowing yourself to get a good amount of posting in each week can be problematic at times. Jobs, school, and flying in general can take up most of your time but there is always room each day to get at least part of a post completed so that at the end of the week there is a solid amount of information on your blog. Posting regularly each week will help develop a healthy routine that makes the mind flow easier into writing.

Outsiders

Information from outside sources is extremely helpful in developing a blog but you must be cautious in avoiding plagiarism. News articles, aircraft manuals, and statistics are great sources that support your points in each topic. The information must also be credible and pertain to the subject at hand. Never be rushed into writing a blog because at times when you want to finish quickly it is much easier to copy down the information word for word. Stealing other’s ideas always must be avoided, and blogs are no exception because it can extremely damage your reputation as a writer. Cheating is a habit that gets increasingly worse and can damage your style of writing, so it must always be avoided. Always make sure to put a link or some form of citation on your blog when referencing outside sources.

The Attention Grabber

I feel that the most important aspect of every blog comes at the very beginning of each post because the first words and pictures will determine whether the reader stays or goes. A catchy title has proven effective by making your writing stand out and seem interesting to anyone browsing through the blog. The title and introductory sentences need to jump out at readers and not just sit idly by and be easily skipped over. A common saying is that a picture says 1000 words, which is proven over and over again in every blog you post. Your picture is physical proof of why people need to read your blog, but at the same time it must still pertain to the information in the post. It should also stand out and be out of the ordinary such as a rare airplane or home video of an actual event either in flight or on the ground. Regularly check your stat counter to see which posts are bringing in more readers and examine what aspects it has that is grabbing their attention. Stat-counters give an abundance of information on the status of each post such as how long people are reading them, the number of unique visitors, and the popularity of each post. I guarantee that a unique title and picture will always result in a high number of readers.

Don’t Be Lead Astray

Never lose connection with the aviators reading your blog. Each post must be dedicated to the same interests that pilots in general love reading and discussing. A mission statement should be posted immediately after you create a blog to clearly lay out who you are gearing your information towards and what information you will be including and updating. If there are noticeably high counts of visitors on a certain post, give the readers what they want and make a second article either updating or adding on to the details of your first. Readers will gradually not return if they aren’t seeing what they want each week, which again stresses the point of continually updating your blog with new posts to keep the site alive and kicking. Always pay close attention to user comments because they could be made by other professional pilots out there adding crucial points to your topic. People reading your posts are pilots just like yourself, which makes it much easier to know what interests them rather than if you were completely uneducated on aviation.

Be Yourself

Writers can sometimes find it difficult to develop and sustain a voice throughout their blogs, but the key is to place your personality in your posts almost as if they were a journal entry. Never forget to maintain a professional attitude, but at the same time include your own thoughts, criticism, and vocabulary. Third person is not necessary in blogs like it always was in high school composition; instead expressing your thoughts and knowledge is what keeps your blog original and unique from other news articles and books.

One Last Thought

Remember to have fun with your blogs and explore what you want to learn more about in aviation. I found that blogging on your personal choice of topics will yield better results and prevent any repetition and a sense of boredom in the writing. If you see a really cool airplane or have a wild experience flying, write about it and share with the rest of the community. Your readers are or were once in the same shoes you are currently in with your flight training so personal experiences with airshows or even your favorite flight lesson can be a topic of interest to them and bring back fond memories of flying.

Blogging About Music 101

At one random morning in your life, you will wake up and suddenly decide that you will become a blogger. The following is a quick tutorial on how to blog, in this case, about music.

When you first start need to come up with a theme and the objective of your music blog. This is simply done by stating in the first few posts what you will be writing about in your personal blog. You may want to be a critic of music or simply writing about the feelings you come across when you listen to certain music. However, the purpose has to be along the lines of providing the information and your personal knowledge about a certain genre to your readers. You have to become an authority in your genre of music. Someone who writes with knowledge that limited few knows is more noticeable than someone who copy and pastes something from wikipedia. My tip is to just type, type, and type whatever comes to mind… which is my way of expressing my knowledge and opinions in my own voice. As you type, it is also automatic that you apply your own paradigm to writing, because it is your style. However, in my opinion, the most effective way to write is to write some now, set it aside, and return to it later to write some more. That way, you give time for your brain to process some information and actually help the overall structure of your post. Everything tends to be more fluid when you do not write everything in one breathe.

When you experience writer’s block, do not panic. Simply go to other fellow bloggers and read up on their news and information. This is a guarantee that your brain starts to turn and you get hit with a sudden inspiration. If the inspiration comes from a fellow blogger’s post and you feel the need to include a certain statement, be sure to quote the person and link back to his or her site. In the world of blogging, you have to respect the work of other bloggers and linking back and forth also allows you to create affliates which at times attract people to surf into your blog. Most bloggers have a stat counter and can figure out when visitors are coming from. When they notice visitors flooding in from your blog, they will link back to you. When reading others fails, simply pick out something from your favorites and write about the song in detail. When other blogs provide no inspiration and your favorite play list is out of tracks… do not admit to be a bad blogger. Open yourself up and look for other artists of the same genre that you have never heard of. Surprisingly, you will almost always find a new favorite and instantly become a fan.

A fan of a certain artist is certainly a great way of connecting with your readers. I mean if you bad mouth Fergie and some random fan that scans the internet for posts that talk bad about Fergie, then prepare for some put downs. As humans, we have opinions, and opinions like to associate with opinions that are similar to their own. For example, Britney Spears. When she was the “in” thing, she had a trillion fans all over the world, but when she was “out”, her fans nearly became extinct. Why? Because the rest of the world is not her fan anymore. Therefore… association and sweet talking about a certain artist is one way of connecting with your audience and catching their attention. Other ways include: extreme negativity about a certain artist and making up non-logical facts about an artist, but beware that these two methods tend to attract tons of negativity also.

To be a good music blogger, your posts must be colorful. By that, I man that your vocabulary must not be limited to: good, bad, excellent, thumbs up, terrible, and etc. They created the thesaurus for a simple reason. This is a secret, but it is actually for us music bloggers to cheat and make our posts sound like we really know our music. ;) Not saying that we don’t, but it just makes our lives easier that’s all. In addition, do not just write about music and describe it. Upload or find some already uploaded samples for your audience. I mean… “a” song sings (picture says) “a thousand words”. Connect with you music also. IF one song made you sad during office hours, but another song made your day, then write about it. To me a blog is an online journal that gives you a chance for other to read up on at their own leisure.

General Dos and Don’ts:

1. Write whatever you have in mind
2. Do not care about negative comments, if they keep reading your posts… good!
3. Be as critical as you want, but respect the work of other’s.
4. Do not spend 10 hours blogging a day.
5. Do not go off topic. If you are writing about hip hop, don’t go off on a tangent and write about opera.
6. Use the thesaurus, but do not pick the word that you yourself does not know existed at all before you saw it.
7. If you are a daily blogger, then blog daily, if not just follow your routine. Readers will know when to revisit. It is also a good thing to keep readers on their toes.
8. Make absolute statements. Who cares if someone comes and corrects you and makes fun. Sound like you know your stuff.
9. Read the comments and respond appropriately.
10. Have fun, it is not work, you picked the topic. It should be enjoyable.

Guidelines for Writing a Paintball Blog

Sustaining a Theme

Sustaining a theme for a paintball blog is not necessarily the hardest thing in the world to do. Since it is a blog, you don’t have to answer to anyone; everything you say is your opinion. Having said that, you can use your own experiences to relate your views and thoughts to whatever you hope to accomplish with your blog. As long as your posts have a similar feel and/or setup, your mission or theme will shine through your words and give you style and credibility. Sustaining your theme is simple if you prove your points in similar ways (i.e. your experience).

Coming up with Ideas

The best source of fresh ideas for writing a paintball blog comes from your very own experience. A large majority of the talk that goes on at the fields is stories about prior experiences and cool things that have happened in the past. You can draw upon these experiences to create many different kinds of posts. You can post about types of players, different positions and their importance, give a review of a field, or just tell a cool story. You can even combine some of these ideas into one post. For example, you could explain an in-game experience and at the same time comment on a larger overarching issue. If this starts to get a little repetitive check reputable message boards and see what the new buzz is and blog about your own comments or position on the issue. This can also help draw in more readers and possibly bring up more hits for your blog if you are blogging about recent ideas.

Writing Approaches

I think a good approach to writing about a paintball experience is to simply begin telling what happened. I found it allows you to get your thoughts organized enough so you can begin identifying what exactly were the failures and successes of the game or tournament. This, in turn, allows you to develop an overarching piece of advice or sort of a lesson of the day. It is helpful not only to those who read it, but it will also give you a chance to think about your actions and potentially improve your game through deeper reflection. I find that starting out with an intangible of the game can be more difficult to elaborate on without an in-game experience to help the reader really identify with the points you are trying to make.

Including Outside Information

Including outside information can be a really helpful tool when writing blog posts. When doing this, make sure you include where you got the information for obvious reasons. You don’t want to be stealing ideas or information and if it turns out to be false information you can blame it on the source. I would not rely so heavily on using outside information though. This can make your posts sound like more of a “he said, she said” blog. Instead, throw in some information from other sources and then comment on it through your own knowledge and experience. We want to know what you think about it!

How to Catch People’s Attention and Connect with Them

A really easy way to connect with people when beginning a paintball blog is by bringing up something that many people may be insecure about. Examples of this are showing your opinions on certain markers, or commenting on poor shooting stances. I went the way of defining what a paintball poser is. This caught the attention of many people and led to a lot of conversation on my blog about different definitions of a poser. Now that you have the audiences’ attention, you have to keep them interested. After you discuss the controversial issue, prove to be more understanding than they initially thought from your earlier posts. I’m not saying you should lie to them but include their comments in your subsequent posts and elaborate on your posts. This will keep readers coming back for more if they see their input being addressed in your posts.

Developing a Voice

An easy way to develop the voice that you wish to convey is to simply write how you talk at the field. Keep a very conversational, relaxed tone and don’t be afraid to throw in some common terms in paintball. The people reading your blog will start to identify themselves with you and your writing. As I said before, keep it relaxed this is paintball we’re talking about here, not a book report. Writing how you talk about paintball is an important tool in developing a voice. No body wants to read a perfectly grammatically correct story about a paintball game. Throw some life into it! If you caught some dude in his dome, then say it like that! It brings more personality and energy to your posts.

General Do’s and Don’ts

Do: The biggest “do” I can think of is to simply be sincere and earnest when sharing your experiences. If you have been around the game long enough, you know how to spot someone feeding you a bunch of crap and you know that other people can spot it as well.

Don’t: I think the most important thing to remember when writing a paintball blog is to not sound like a jackass. Show that you know what you’re talking about but don’t pretend like you’re the best around. There is always someone out there with more information or experience than you, and in this community they will not hesitate to call you on shortcomings. And don’t blame your own failures on poor officiating. If you’re going to complain about the refs, site a number of instances where they failed as a whole group not just particular calls.

Bloggers Guide For Dummies

If you use the internet to look up anything chances are that you have probably come across a blog or two. Now some of you may think that blogs are lame things that nerd write because they have no social lives, but they are actually a good way to get information out and share ideas with other people that share your same interests. So for the people out there that are interested in blogging her is my little blogging for dummies.
The first step is to develop a theme for your blog, a purpose behind your writing, but probably even more important than that is something that you will be able to sustain over a long period of time. I can’t tell you how many blogs I have seen that have not been updated in a more than a month or two. Sometimes the people writing them simply don’t have the time to sit down and write a new post but more often than not it is because they simply run out of things to write about. The best advice that I can give to anyone that is new to blogging is to pick something that is interesting to you. Doing this will give you a lot to write about right off the bat because chances are that you already know a lot about the topic. Even better than that though is something that you are not only interested in but something that you are actively involved in or are around frequently. This will allow you to have a continuous flow of things to talk about so your blog doesn’t shrivel up and die.
After you have you topic you have to tackle the problem of coming up with ideas for posts. Well, if you have followed my previous advice this should not be very hard at all. Just pick a relatively new event that is associated to your topic and right what you know about it. For example, on my paintball blog I right about new products that are coming out on the market, new fields I have visited, and I also write about my experiences in games.
Now when you start writing your blog there are a few different approaches you can take. Different approaches work for different people. Some people know there topic very well and can simply sit down and bust out a post in no time; sometimes it is not that easy. Sometimes you get put in a position where you know what you want to write about but you just can’t seem to figure out how to write it or even where to begin. One of the best things I have found is to just get up from the computer and walk away. No, not forever, just go do something else and get your mind off the topic. Then come back later with a fresh mind and hammer it out. If that doesn’t work then I have found that it helps to do a little research on what you want to write about and see what other people have to say about it. Now I am not saying go out and steel other people’s idea, but sometimes when you look at other stuff about the topic it will help jog you memory.
However, when writing your blog it is also a good idea to include outside information from other sources. It will help your writing and make your blog more credible to outside readers. Outside information can be anything you want it to be. It can be an article from a magazine or a newspaper that you reference. You can also reference other people’s blogs which will also help in getting you more enveloped in the community. Just make sure you give credit where credit is due and everything will be fine.
So now that you have your blog off and running you may be sitting there wondering why nobody is visiting your page. You may not be doing a very good job of catching people’s attention. A really good way to do this is to write about fresh news. No one wants to read a story about something that happened a long time ago because chances are they already know about it. If you write about new stuff there are going to be more people interested in it and more people looking for more information about it. If there are more people looking for information about something the higher the chances are that someone is going to come across your stuff.
Another very important part of blogging is the ability to connect with your audience. Because when it comes down to it, you could be the best writer on the face of the planet. But if your readers do not like what you are writing you will not survive very long in the community. You have to observe the other people in the group and get a feel for how things work. You can’t just come into a community on a complete tangent and expect them to change their habits just for you. You have to flow with them and you should be accepted with ease.
Now if you think you’re a little rebel and you don’t want to conform to what everyone else is doing there is a way to make yourself stand out of the crowd and that is your voice. Your voice is the way you want your words to sound to your audience when they read your blog. You can make your voice humorous and entertaining or you could make it serious and direct. Your options are almost limitless. You blog voice can be any voice you would use in everyday life, or even one that you wouldn’t.
In the end when you are writing your blog do make sure that you pick something that interests you and something that you will be able write about consistently. Do use information from other sources to back up your posts. Do develop a voice and use it to help connect with your audience. Don’t try to write about something you are completely clueless about. It will just make you look like an idiot.

Healthy Blogging

A Beginner’s Guide to Blogging
For the past four months, I’ve been writing a health and fitness blog as part of my freshman English class. Until recently, however, I was oblivious to the seemingly endless world that is the blogosphere. I learned that there are blogs popping up daily on almost any subject you could imagine. Be it educational, political, pop culture, or the bizarre, each genre maintains its own culture, values, and voice. I choose health and fitness because it was a subject that interested me and I felt that I could offer valuable insights into the community. I call it that, because blogging truly creates a society of its own. This sense of community comes from the common interests of bloggers and a mutual sense of respect created by following the “rules” of the blogging community. I’m writing today to help those interested in blogging to learn these rules and how to become a part of this world-wide network. Blogging can be a fun and exciting experience, connecting people across the globe and making the world feel a little bit smaller.

The Health and Fitness Community
First, let me introduce you to my community. Health is a complex concept that incorporates the mind, body, and spirit. Those who choose to write about health and fitness undertake the challenge of writing about a lifestyle. It is an idea that is wide-ranging, diverse, and often controversial. The health and fitness community as whole focuses on helping readers to reach their common goal of creating a healthier lifestyle for themselves.

Creating a Purpose
One of the most important steps in creating a blog is forming and maintaining a clear goal for your writing. Many bloggers create a mission statement to help potential readers understand the intentions of their blog. When developing your mission statement, think about what you value most. Yet, do not forget to consider what others in your community value. It is acceptable, and at times necessary, for bloggers in a community to disagree. However, being accepted into the community means sharing or, at the very least, respecting the values of other health and fitness writers. It is also important to clearly state what you do not intend to include in your blog. For example, I chose to create a blog that equally covered all aspects of health and fitness. Part of my mission was to provide readers with factual information combined with my own personal experience to help them reach their own fitness goals. What was most important to me was to promote health as a lifestyle. Therefore, I clearly stated that I would not be including any articles promoting diet pills, fad diets, or other unhealthy methods of weight loss. Providing readers with a mission statement help them to get to know your voice and understand your views.

Connecting With Your Audience
As I stated earlier it is important for readers to get to know and like your voice. Your voice is the personality you portray throughout your writing. In the health and fitness community, it is important to be knowledgeable. However, remember not to sound too dry or factual. Reading your blog must be enjoyable. Furthermore, always be true to yourself. If you try to write in a voice that is not your own, readers will be able to tell and will not trust you. Be consistent, but flexible. An article on breast cancer would not require the same tone as a post on the benefits of belly dancing. I try to keep a good balance of factual and personal posts. The personal articles will help readers form a connection with you and keep them coming back for more. I’ve also learned that showing venerability, even if it’s just on occasion, is important. Readers can’t connect to perfection, because no is perfect. Sugarcoating your personal experiences will only create a sense of distrust. In addition, try to make factual articles as interesting as possible. Breaking up an article on the health benefits of rollerblading with a funny antidote about your clumsy first attempt will keep readers interested and connected to your writing.

Keeping it Current
If you want to hold readers attention, you have to keep your topics new and exciting. Be sure to write posts about what readers are interested in right now. The fast paced world of the internet has created an audience with very short attention spans. Update often and keep it current. If Beyonce just produced a new booty shaping workout video, review it as soon as it comes out rather than waiting a week. Readers will respect you and stay interested if you’re the one posting the latest and greatest news. At some point, writer’s block is inevitable. It happens to the best. If you’re lost for what to write next, surf the web, read other people’s blogs, or thumb through some magazines. My favorite source for ideas is health magazines such as SHAPE or Fitness. Be sure to always give credit where it’s due. If you include any outside information on your blog be sure to state the source and, if possible, a link to the site where you found it. We’re not talking MLA format here. A simple, “As stated in a recent study by the American Heart Association…” will do just fine for the blogging community. Another method of getting around writer’s block is posting about something that’s currently happening in your life. Just tried a new cardio blast class? Write about it. Creating a top ten list is another easy way to write an interesting post. Get creative; you’ll be surprised by what you can do.

Facing the Keyboard
When you finally sit down to write, it’s important to find a writing process that works for you. For me, it’s important to come up with a fantastic topic sentence that will really catch the reader’s attention. After that, I try to let my imagination flow and write until I cover everything I wanted to talk about. It’s important to keep your writing concise and always stay on topic. A whole paragraph describing the taste and texture of the Power bar you ate after your run may lose your reader’s attention. Finish with a strong conclusion and any last thoughts or advice. Give it one last read through and then post it. This process may not necessarily work for you, so find what does and stick to it.

Love it, Live it
The most important advice I can give about blogging is to enjoy to topic you’re writing about. The minute it stops being fun, you should stop writing. If you don’t love what you do, it will show through your writing. You’ll be surprised by how much you begin to care about your topic and the audience you’re writing to. Enjoy the experience of blogging. We are fortunate to live in a world where we can all be so connected. We should all take advantage of this opportunity and learn from each other’s experiences. If you reach out and truly get involved in the blogging community, I guarantee you’ll enjoy it. Happy blogging!