Read my BLOG!

"Links are one of the most powerful parts of your blog. Not only are links noticed by search engines, but they also act as a tap on the shoulder to other bloggers who can easily identify who is linking to their sites."
Read more at: 15 Tips to Increase Blog Traffic


"Write great headlines and subject lines. If people see an entry with a truly eye-catching lead, they're more likely to read it than something that seems dull or dry."
Read more at: How to Get People to Read Your Blog


"If you’re a blogger and you’re looking to grow traffic, put yourself in the mind of bloggers with large readerships: They’re busy, they have huge egos, and they need to constantly post new, interesting stuff to satisfy their readers’ voracious appetites for content. Could you write one piece of excellent content for them?"
Read more at: How to get 150,000 People to Read Your Blog Post in 1 Week


"The most significant way to develop a loyal online following is by creating useful content that readers will consume and share."
Read more at: How to Make Your Blog Get Real Attention

Most Popular Educational Blog Sites

Create a blog using one of these host sites

Blogger: http://www.blogger.com/home
This is my personal favorite for its simplicity of use with a moderate amount of freedom to personalize. The blog you are currently reading was created on Blogger.

Word Press: http://wordpress.org/
This blog host site is supported by our district tech people and it has lots of options for customization. However, I find it a little more complex than Blogger. If you feel you are tech savvy and willing to learn through trial and error, you should have minimal issues. If you're a digital immigrant, I do not recommend this for your first blog.

Edublogs: http://edublogs.org/
This blog host site is made for educators! I have limited experience with it, but have heard fantastic reviews from teachers who not only want to create their own blog, but also want their students to create them. As with most educator products, there is a free version with minimal capabilities and a $7.95/month version with all the bells and whistles. Compare the two HERE.

Sample blogs from real people

If you'd like to take a look at a few blog designs from these sites, try these:

BLOGGER:
http://doliteracy.blogspot.com/
This is the 'home base' blog for the course I teach at UST. You can see links to my students' blogs along the left-hand side.

http://jessicacrooker.blogspot.com/
This is my personal and professional blog. It's a tool I use for reflection and to continue pushing myself to write--something I love to do, but have not prioritized doing since college.

WORD PRESS:
My former colleague, Todd, is brilliant and an avid blogger. Here's his professional blog for educators:
http://relentlessteaching.com

Todd also leads Real Men Read, a book club for boys, at Eastview High School in Apple Valley. Here's a link their blog:
http://evrealmenread.wordpress.com/

EDUBLOGS:
Karen Burkhartzmeyer is a former graduate student of mine from UST. She took the blogging idea and ran with it last fall by having her journalism students create blogs on which to publish their writing. Ask me for the password! She shared it with me, so you could see how edublogs works.
http://pajournalism.edublogs.org