Choose a blog and analyze the functions and substance of the blog as a form of writing and information delivery. In your opinion, what are the “best practices” when creating a blog to ensure appropriate form, function, and substance? Provide a link when responding to classmates and post your opinion along with your rationale.
What is a blog? That is a question that until recently, I have always asked myself. When I first read this assignment, I was 110% positive I was going to choose a sports blog as my topic as that is all I know. I, however, have recently noticed that I tend to follow a many blogs without even noticing and thought about writing on one of those. When I started writing my blog about one of the other blog sites I read frequently for this assignment, I couldn't help but realize how drawn to ESPNBOSTON I was. I was unable to get more than a few sentences in before I realized that I have to write about the New England Patriots Blog on espnboston.com because I literally check the blog out about five times just to keep up with what is going on daily. When it comes to blogs, I have recently been able to dissect and understand what it is that makes a blog a blog. When creating a blog, you need to be able to keep in focus the audience that you are trying to write for, you need to be truthful and accurate and you need to be able to accept criticism and feedback.
Blogging opens up many avenues for people to interact with one another and to speak their mind on a particular subject. Because I have been able to understand from my perspective what it takes to create and maintain a quality blog, I have been able to start searching around the web for other blogs that I find interesting. Although many catch my eye and peak my interest, I have a hard time leaving my sports blogs. To me, the New England Patriots Blog on http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots is my bread and butter. They keep you up to date with the daily news about the team, you can interact and comment on each blog, and you are able to view the other sports teams in the area such as the Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins if you choose. I would be a hypocrite if I chose to write about any other blog that I read without mentioning this blog.
A few things I have learned from blogging myself for assignments in the class and by reading blogs on a daily basis is that in order to keep your audience and to keep followers to your blog, you need to be accurate and you need to be able to put in words your opinions and facts about what you are blogging. If you are not staying true to the intent of the blog; such as blogging about food and movies when your main audience are sports fans, then you are losing the point. It seems pretty simple when trying to blog and when trying to create your own blog. Without followers, your blogs will just be empty words that are never read. You need to make sure that you capture your readers attention and that you do it in a manner that allows them to feel involved.
The New England Patriots Blog at http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots is all Patriots all the time. Although I follow this blog more than any other on ESPNBOSTON.com, is ironic as baseball is my favorite sport but football allows for weekly conversations and can intrigue me on a day to day basis. This blog stems from quarter by quarter reviews of each game, to practice updates and even personal interest stories on the players. I can choose and decipher between what information I am looking for and what topic peaks my interest that day. ESPN is a trustworthy source as they have been reporting on sports for over 30 years and are considered the worldwide leaders in sports. If you are a DIEHARD passionate fan of all things Boston when it comes to sports, then this site is the place to visit. Like I said, I follow mainly the Patriots blog, but you can choose to follow the Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins and even local colleges. The beat writers for this blog are incredibly knowledgeable as most have inside access to all things Patriots. They can get inside the locker room and get quotes and updates daily from the team and they can create a sort of relationship between the players and the fans. Because of my familiarity with ESPN and sports in general, I can relate to the blogs on ESPNBOSTON.com. I have over 26 years of experience either playing, coaching or watching sports and because it is my passion, I easily can remember players names, stats, records, etc without even blinking. ESPN is and always will be a trusted source for me and will be something that I continually monitor and follow because of the writers they have and the knowledge they share about the New England Patriots. All in all, the New England Patriots blog at http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots provides readers with everything they want to know about the team and is a blog site that I would reccomend to any Boston sports fan. To check out ESPNBOSTON, visit espnboston.com and roam around until you find your team of choice.
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