Blogging and HTML Tips

Dear Applicants,

We want you to have the most useful tools in your pocket to participate in a Web 2.0 world. We thought you might enjoy some tips on blogging and making your journal stand out. So, as we promised last week, we have included some information and suggestions for you! Have fun, and remember, learning new technology is just like learning a new language--you have to practice, practice practice!

What are Blogs?

A blog is a personal, online journal that is frequently updated and maintained. If you blog, you are called a ‘blogger’. Blogs can be open for the general public to view, or they can be kept private. They are organized like a journal or diary with entries arranged in the order you write them and automatically stored on the website that hosts your blog. On PulseWire, your personal journal is a blog!

With a blog, you can share your stories, report on breaking local and regional events from the ground, conduct social action campaigns, and share experiences and offer support to each other in an increasingly interconnected world.

Why Blog?

Blogs provide a way to challenge prevailing myths about different countries, people, cultures, and issues by providing thoughts, opinions and commentary directly from people on the ground. We can raise awareness about situations in our lives that may not otherwise be covered by the mainstream media. Through the connections we create with other organizations and individuals worldwide, we can transform the shape and direction of the global conversation. We can share, build, and create solutions for a better future!

Your blog is your space to find and share your true and authentic voice. It is a place to share your inspiration, stories, art, knowledge, and vision with the world. Blogs allow each of us to comfortably be ourselves, and connect with a global community. We can reflect, ponder, hope, connect, and support one another on this journey of self-discovery and global change.

Effective Blogging

Here are just a few tips for writing a powerful blog:

• Use your VOICE
  Visionary
  Original
  Informative
  Clear
  Engaging
  


• Write from your heart


• Add humor when appropriate


• Don’t be afraid to be bold or provocative


• Be concise (keep your message simple and straightforward)


• Give your blog an interesting title


• Use visuals: photos, sketches, cartoons, etc


• Use the tools & your space creatively—make your blog your own!

Using HTML

HTML is a programming language that allows you to alter the display of your text. With HTML, you can make words bold, italicized, and add hyperlinks, create lists, and perform countless other functions. There are millions of codes for HTML in the virtual world, but this section will give you just some of the basic HTML tools you can use on PulseWire. We hope this will dispel the myth that technology is overwhelming, and allow you to have some fun with your journal!

How to write basic HTML:

If you would like your text to be bold, then place your text between the following code:
your text

If you would like your text to be italicized, then type:
your text

If you would like to link to worldpulse.com but have the words World Pulse appear rather than a long link, then type:
http://www.worldpulse.com\">World Pulse

If you would like to create a list then use the following:

• First item
• Second item

Which looks like:

• First item
• Second item

Example

You have a beautiful voice. We want to hear your story! Follow this link to join PulseWire.

Using HTML code, this would be entered in your journal as:
You have a beautiful voice. We want to hear your story! Follow this http://www.pulsewire.net\">link to join PulseWire.

We hope you have fun trying these HTML tricks in your next journal entry! Remember, you can review your journal entry first before making it public. Just click “Preview” at the bottom of your entry. Once you have reviewed, hit “Submit”.

Happy Blogging!
Scott