1. Consistency:
Whatever you choose to blog about, be consistent in your content, quality, and frequency. No one values a site with little content, random posts and many different themes. Make your blog a go-to resource for topics such as education, math, lesson planning, policy or any other subject that interests you. Content is most important. If you make it too long, readers will stop reading and move on.
2. Avoid pointless arguments
On pedagogy, political ideology and other topics. It’s good to have the occasional rant. I’ve done it; my blog on Verbal Feedback Stamps reached 20,000 people in less than a week. It’s not a good idea to write blog posts that attack other bloggers. This is a no-brainer for me. This is a waste of time and your readers, as well as a way to create a rift within the industry. We can’t all be on the same page; we don’t all share the same ideas, methods and systems. This is something we must accept. It will be difficult for us to agree on a single policy and procedure with over 8,2 million students and 25,000+ schools in England (source). It’s the same in the blogosphere. Accept that others may have different opinions, and yours is only one of many.
3. Blog and share resources
Many of my Twitter followers and readers say that I have a lot of resources to share. This is my favourite part of online life; I share what I do in my daily work. When I share professional resources, I make sure to credit the school where I work. I also self-regulate permissions and content. I limit photos of students and keep those of colleagues and school to a minimum. This gives me the freedom to be more creative and expressive when I share my personal views and the resources I have created at home. I also attribute my work to my teacher-ID online, @TeacherToolkit.
4. Share what works
Many people are quick to criticize gimmicks and fads. I know that I have received many. You must be true to yourself and only share what you know works in your classroom. Social networks are full of this expression: “What works for my kids in my school may not be the same for your kids in your school. And what works for you may not be the same for mine.” But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try out ideas shared online. Teachers bounce ideas off each other, adapt resources, share freely, or start a monetized forum for paid content. Teachers are always looking for new ways to engage students and bridge the gap between them and their teachers in the classroom. Or worse, they will sweep away ideas that sell snake oil.
You need not be afraid if you find something successful in your classroom. Spread the word!
5. Write about your passions:
For me, I write blogs about teacher workload, lesson plans, marking, and teaching and learning. As a senior leader in a school, I write about school policy, the impact of government changes, and how they affect schools, school leaders, and teachers. I have written the occasional blog post on OfSTED and shared ideas about Twitter and blogs to encourage other educators to do the same. My blog readership is low when I write about topics that are unfamiliar to me. For example, psychology and other subjects which I am not familiar with, such as teaching English or maths. Stay away from unfamiliar content. These blogs can take longer to create, have fewer readers and possibly attract more criticism.
6. Avoid blogging about products
They do not attract any readers. My blog is becoming more popular, and I am receiving a lot of requests to share press releases and product reviews. Also, educational news. You will spend hours editing and negotiating online content. Then, you’ll be asked to fix broken links, adapt screenshots, or change words. It may be helpful when you are running out of ideas for your blog, but others will question the time invested in relation to your values, audience and content. These blogs are a complete waste of time, and you should also ask them.
7. Blog to reflect on yourself and your professional development.
My first blog was a way to begin an online journal. I never imagined my website would become what it is now, with a large voice in the online education sphere. This was not my original motivation for blogging. I’ll repeat: blogging was, for me, a way to express the work I was doing, my feelings and emotions about teaching, and, I suppose, a place to post my thoughts so that one day someone would read them and contact me to ask me some questions. In one sentence, I would say that blogging has made me a more effective teacher and school leader. I’ve met new people and new colleagues.
In a more general sense, I have travelled to other countries to give talks on education. I have been invited to lead and speak at several conferences. An editor at a renowned publishing house read my blog and asked me once to write a novel. My second book was published last week. My blogs have influenced and informed government policy; they’ve also supported other schools, teachers and leaders across the UK. I have written countless articles and have appeared in The Guardian and TES. Now I write a regular article for Schools Week. I’ve been to meetings with the DfE and Ofsted, as well as think tanks. The list is endless.
Here is a snapshot of some of the many opportunities I have had over the last three years.
8. Blog occasionally:
You can tell your readers more about you. You will want your readers to know you are more than a teacher. It’s not necessary to reveal your entire wardrobe or what you ate for lunch. However, a heartfelt blog post can help readers learn who is behind the website. Blogposts for Father’s Day, Christmas and summer holidays are good examples.
9. HTML:
There is a lot to choose from, but it’s not overwhelming for a new blogger. The pre-determined HTML code takes away the headache for wannabe bloggers and allows them to focus on their content instead of design.
As you expand your blogging skills, you may want to take more control of your blog or website’s appearance or functionality. In August 2015, I moved away from WordPress.com to host my website here. It looks much better, my readers are happier, and it feels more user-friendly.
10. Listen:
Your readers will sometimes criticize, suggest and appreciate what you write and share online. They will occasionally criticize or suggest, but most likely, they’ll understand and enjoy what you share and write online. My best advice is to tailor your content to your readers. It is so important to me that I am soon going to offer a forum where my readers can suggest topics for me. This will hopefully help those who regularly check my website to see updates. This will help others feel more confident in their blogging, and, most importantly, it will improve the connection between you and this website. There will be more to come…
