The Student Affairs Wiki

Tips for Blog Writing Excellence:

• Write in the active voice: subject – verb – object.
• Keep sentences short and simple. Make them easy to digest.
• Discuss one idea per paragraph. Huge chunks of text might be appropriate for an academic essay, but on the web, shorter paragraphs are easier on the eyes. Gotta love those line breaks.
• Always credit your sources. If you respond to something you found on the web, or post about something you found on another blog, provide a link and give credit to the original author. It’s not just good etiquette; attributions can build relationships.
• Format image sizes to fit the blog. Again, ask permission and/or give credit when using someone else’s work! CreativeCommons.org has a search tool you can use to find CC-licensed images and media.
• Headlines – Use [TAGS] at the end of your headlines, when appropriate. This way, folks who subscribe via RSS aggregators will know if the post is a [POLL], [IMAGE], or [VIDEO]. Sample headline: “Cross Comparing Campus Interest Tag Clouds [IMAGE]”
• If your posts are syndicated from your personal blog, tag your SA-related posts, to make sure that they’ll be posted. You can use either #sachat or sachat.

For more information on writing for the web, check out:

Red Sweater: The Elements of Twitter Style
The Economist: Style Guide for Journalists
The AP Stylebook on Twitter
Dictionary.com
ProvenanceUnknown: Style Guide for Writing on the Web
Blogussion: Better Blog Titles