It's Christmas break here in ATL - a glorious and much needed time to rest, relax, and recharge. I have successfully finished grades and I even took a full day off of the computer to do the whole holiday hoopla thing with the family. Now, in the blissfully quiet mornings when my coffee and I can be together in peace, I am able to do a little dreaming and planning for next semester.
I am on the prowl for other schools out there doing what I'm wanting to do - or what I think I want to do. There are several resources hailing the philosophy of 21st Century Literacy (a new term I ran across yesterday for what it is this class is trying to be) but I am struggling to find examples of what that actually looks like. Until now. I saw this video from Coral Reef High School and I can't stop smiling. Finally, a point of view from the students themselves as to what the possibilities are for a new kind of learning:
Check it out.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Viral Videos - Guest Blogger - Phoebe Thiraveja
What’s that new video everyone’s been talking about? You’ve seen people in class watching them, and they’re telling you that you HAVE to watch it. People have posted it on your facebook wall or sent you links to it. When you clicked it, there were already hundreds of thousands (and sometimes millions) of views. What makes these YouTube videos so popular? Is it its entertainment value with something weird like unusual talents? Is it because it’s really funny or relatable? Or is it the hottest new song with an awesome music video? Whatever its significance, its addictive to watch and instantly “viral”.
Marketing companies have seen the appeal in this, and have made it their source of promotion. Some PR companies like The Commotion Group specialize in viral video marketing. They take the product of their clients, and try to make a viral video with it. If the video does not reach at least 100,00 views, they won’t charge for it. The co-founder of The Commotion Group, Dan Ackerman Greenberg, gave tips for making a video viral. First off, content is not necessarily king. It’s great if your video has excellent content, that’s what will bring people back to watch it; but if you want to get it “out there” first it’s good to “keep it short, design for remixing, don’t make an outright ad, make it shocking, and use fake headlines.” Secondly, you need to get your blog on the “Most Viewed” page. That’s particularly difficult if you just post a video, and let it sit on the Internet gradually collecting views. You need to advertise. Advertising is becoming less of a challenge in the modern world with help from social networking sites. You today have countless resources; by posting your YouTube video to your facebook or twitter page, linking it on your blog, or sending out e-mail lists or just showing it to your friends in person. Lastly, make what the viewers see before they click, interesting. You need a catchy title; something that will bait people into wondering what your video is about. Also, put up an tempting thumbnail. If your title doesn’t cut it, the picture just might.
Let me leave you with this thought. How do you personally hear about viral videos? What sort of ideas do you have we could use for promotions and advertising? (i.e. Events at school or products at school)The idea of viral YouTube videos has caught the attention Saturday Night Live. Watch the video below as they make fun of all of its “viral” aspects.
SNL-I Didn't Ask for This
Source:
Secrets for Viral Videos
Marketing companies have seen the appeal in this, and have made it their source of promotion. Some PR companies like The Commotion Group specialize in viral video marketing. They take the product of their clients, and try to make a viral video with it. If the video does not reach at least 100,00 views, they won’t charge for it. The co-founder of The Commotion Group, Dan Ackerman Greenberg, gave tips for making a video viral. First off, content is not necessarily king. It’s great if your video has excellent content, that’s what will bring people back to watch it; but if you want to get it “out there” first it’s good to “keep it short, design for remixing, don’t make an outright ad, make it shocking, and use fake headlines.” Secondly, you need to get your blog on the “Most Viewed” page. That’s particularly difficult if you just post a video, and let it sit on the Internet gradually collecting views. You need to advertise. Advertising is becoming less of a challenge in the modern world with help from social networking sites. You today have countless resources; by posting your YouTube video to your facebook or twitter page, linking it on your blog, or sending out e-mail lists or just showing it to your friends in person. Lastly, make what the viewers see before they click, interesting. You need a catchy title; something that will bait people into wondering what your video is about. Also, put up an tempting thumbnail. If your title doesn’t cut it, the picture just might.
Let me leave you with this thought. How do you personally hear about viral videos? What sort of ideas do you have we could use for promotions and advertising? (i.e. Events at school or products at school)The idea of viral YouTube videos has caught the attention Saturday Night Live. Watch the video below as they make fun of all of its “viral” aspects.
SNL-I Didn't Ask for This
Source:
Secrets for Viral Videos
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Linking Your Blog to Social Media - Guest Blogger - Taylor Tucker
Taylor Tucker
Connecting your blog to social medias
To get your blog noticed, it helps to connect it with facebook, twitter, and other social medias. It is always a good idea to have your blog connected with services like these, because of the popularity and huge member database. Comment Integration is the main purpose why everyone does this. Its so visitors can easily put a comment on your blog using their facebook or even their twitter. Visitors will no longer have to use many different accounts; this way they can use one account to link to many others. Some services that allow for this to happen are, WP Facebook Connect (Word Press), Intense Debate, the one that we use, Blogger, and Disquis. These are all services that help you to connect your blog to other social medias very easily. There are other ways you can do this but these are strongly recommended.
Connecting your blog to facebook isn’t just for teens either. This is also very common I the business world. Many companies or self owned business do this so they can be noticed more than they are. Other reasons for using this is because its simplicity, Pro-effect, meaning this leaves your blog looking “professional”. This is not only telling people how to connect your blog to facebook, but also its introducing people to facebook and twitter who have yet to discover it yet. There are many different social medias out there and connecting them all together makes them even better.
Connecting your blog to social medias
To get your blog noticed, it helps to connect it with facebook, twitter, and other social medias. It is always a good idea to have your blog connected with services like these, because of the popularity and huge member database. Comment Integration is the main purpose why everyone does this. Its so visitors can easily put a comment on your blog using their facebook or even their twitter. Visitors will no longer have to use many different accounts; this way they can use one account to link to many others. Some services that allow for this to happen are, WP Facebook Connect (Word Press), Intense Debate, the one that we use, Blogger, and Disquis. These are all services that help you to connect your blog to other social medias very easily. There are other ways you can do this but these are strongly recommended.
Connecting your blog to facebook isn’t just for teens either. This is also very common I the business world. Many companies or self owned business do this so they can be noticed more than they are. Other reasons for using this is because its simplicity, Pro-effect, meaning this leaves your blog looking “professional”. This is not only telling people how to connect your blog to facebook, but also its introducing people to facebook and twitter who have yet to discover it yet. There are many different social medias out there and connecting them all together makes them even better.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Getting Your Blog Noticed: Guest Blogger - Katie Hayes
Blogs have become increasingly more popular over the last few years. Blogging has been the greatest break through in popular journalism in the past few years as well. I myself have never had a blog until this year. When I first created one I had no idea what to write or how to manage a blog.
Since I have done research for this project on how to get your blog noticed, I have learned some many new things on how to write a blog and how it works. The book that I used for my research was, “ The Huffington Post: a complete guide to blogging.” This book had many great ideas and useful tools on blogging.
The first thing I came across in this book was what to write about. There are three main things one should keep in mine when you are writing on your blogs. First, write about what you love. You need to “Blog your Passion” and figure out what you really love. Second, you need to be specific enough to create a community. You need to have a good idea of who will be following and reading your blog. And third, you need to choose something broad enough to sustain your interest. If your write things worth reading and you are consistent about posting, overtime your readership will evolve and expand with you.
I then learned how to make a blog memorable. There are five main ways to make it more memorable than others. First, to be “sticky”, a message has to relate directly. Next is, a message is more memorable if it makes the reader react emotionally. Third, memorable messages often include an element of surprise. The next way to make your blog memorable is to steer clear of confusion because it then causes distraction. The final way is to blog often on topics you are interested in. I really like these five tips because they are short and easy to incorporate into your own blog.
Serious bloggers ask themselves two very important questions: Who is visiting my blog and how can I attract more visitors. The best way to attract visitors is to create a convincing content. There are three ways you can go about this. The first being, write on top of the news. If big news breaks out people will be interested in finding posts about this topic. The second way is to offer facts, not just opinions. A blogger should get facts, quotes, or statistics to support their opinion. The third way to create a convincing content is to give something a new spin. Specific opinions have most likely been repeated so much that they have become a cultural wallpaper.
The last thing I read about getting your blog noticed were the tools. When you create persuasive content, other activities will increase the chance that other people see. Some tools that would help with this would be to alert your own networks, optimize your search engines, comment on interesting posts on other people’s blogs. A major key thing you need to keep in mind when writing is moderation.
I really think that blogs are a great source of technology. I believe that it will be a great use for businesses and major companies. However, to have a successful blog I believe that you will need these tips to get your blog noticed and memorable.
Happy Blogging Everyone!
Since I have done research for this project on how to get your blog noticed, I have learned some many new things on how to write a blog and how it works. The book that I used for my research was, “ The Huffington Post: a complete guide to blogging.” This book had many great ideas and useful tools on blogging.
The first thing I came across in this book was what to write about. There are three main things one should keep in mine when you are writing on your blogs. First, write about what you love. You need to “Blog your Passion” and figure out what you really love. Second, you need to be specific enough to create a community. You need to have a good idea of who will be following and reading your blog. And third, you need to choose something broad enough to sustain your interest. If your write things worth reading and you are consistent about posting, overtime your readership will evolve and expand with you.
I then learned how to make a blog memorable. There are five main ways to make it more memorable than others. First, to be “sticky”, a message has to relate directly. Next is, a message is more memorable if it makes the reader react emotionally. Third, memorable messages often include an element of surprise. The next way to make your blog memorable is to steer clear of confusion because it then causes distraction. The final way is to blog often on topics you are interested in. I really like these five tips because they are short and easy to incorporate into your own blog.
Serious bloggers ask themselves two very important questions: Who is visiting my blog and how can I attract more visitors. The best way to attract visitors is to create a convincing content. There are three ways you can go about this. The first being, write on top of the news. If big news breaks out people will be interested in finding posts about this topic. The second way is to offer facts, not just opinions. A blogger should get facts, quotes, or statistics to support their opinion. The third way to create a convincing content is to give something a new spin. Specific opinions have most likely been repeated so much that they have become a cultural wallpaper.
The last thing I read about getting your blog noticed were the tools. When you create persuasive content, other activities will increase the chance that other people see. Some tools that would help with this would be to alert your own networks, optimize your search engines, comment on interesting posts on other people’s blogs. A major key thing you need to keep in mind when writing is moderation.
I really think that blogs are a great source of technology. I believe that it will be a great use for businesses and major companies. However, to have a successful blog I believe that you will need these tips to get your blog noticed and memorable.
Happy Blogging Everyone!
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