[This was originally published on my other blog. I have a new class this semester that requires a public blog so I’m moving posts from that blog to this one.]
This week’s assignment: 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?
As a future sexual health educator, I follow a lot of sexuality related blogs. One blog that I frequent often is Good Vibrations Online Magazine (somewhat NSFW). The site has 8 main pages in total. 5 of these pages take you different areas of the site and each of those pages have their own sub pages. The remaining 3 pages take you to the Good Vibrations (also somewhat not NSFW) store site where you can purchase items or find out about upcoming events or workshops. The multiple pages might feel a bit overwhelming initially for the new reader; but that feeling quickly passes once you dive in and start surfing the site.
The goal of Good Vibrations is to promote a world that embraces healthy sexuality and sex positivity. The blog site does this task efficiently. Information is provided without judgment by a multitude of writers. The writers range from doctors to therapist to people just sharing personal experiences. A key component of best practices for blogs is the frequency of posts. Good Vibrations is updated regularly with at least 3 new postings a week.
The blog also offer links to Good Vibrations’ Twitter, Facebook, and Pintrest pages. The blog also includes an RSS feed which is a must for any blog that wants to its readers to always be update on the latest postings. One flaw that I noticed with this site revolves around sharing of posts to one’s own social networks. I’m used to finding the share options located directly above the specific posts or right below. On the Good Vibes site, the options to share a particular post are found in left hand sidebar. For me, that falls under poor web designing and doesn’t follow the logic of most blogs.
If you’re not quite sure what you want to learn about you can use the “search,” box that is found on every page of the blog. You can also take advantage of the “tag cloud,” which allows you to click on a specific word and you will be directed to every post that was tagged with that word.
Overall, the Good Vibrations site embraces best practices when it comes to operating a blog. They update regularly, posts are easy to read, and information is plentiful and easy to find.
Mistress of Info 