Teaching how to set up and maintain a blog was something plain and simple years ago . Nowadays things have become more complex… much more: HTML5, SEO, personal brand, positioning, ads, affiliation, social media… Those aren’t but a few terms to take in count really seriously. Enrich your lessons! Blog version: http://andonisanz.blogspot.com.es/2014/10/blogging-for-students-is-not-only-about.html

1. Teaching how to set up and maintain a blog was something plain and
simple years ago . Nowadays things have become more complex…
much more: HTML5, SEO, personal brand, positioning, ads, affiliation,
social media… Those aren’t but a few terms to take in count really
seriously. Enrich your lessons!
A black­hole­mass
like concentrated knowledge pill about blogging for students:
1. Your personal blog:
a. Blogger: it’s integrated in Google and it gives many useful stats, but you have to
promote it (#4) and look for readers.
b. Online articles sites:out­of­your­blog
publishing sites, like ezinearticles, or
hubpages. You’ll be likely to have more visits.
2. Your articles:
a. Measures: try something like three hundred word articles, redacted in no more
than one hour, five to seven articles a week.
b. Be original, different, specific, unique, constant, fascinating, provocative...
c. Other: grammar, style… ensure the communicative process takes place, i.e, what
you mean is what it’s been understood.
d. Ease things up: links to other pages (e.g definitions to Wikipedia).
e. Open up comments to know about your audience’s opinion (and watch out
trolls).
3. Tools:

2. a. Google docs: easy to work online, insert things, thesaurus, copy&paste it to
blogger… You can even write through your mobile or laptop.
b. Google drive: keep things safe and anywhere.
4. SEO it: make Google find your articles more easily.
a. Your blog:
i. Article structure: title, head, body (inverted pyramid).
ii. Blogger’s options: tags, keywords, search description...
iii. HTML­format
it: <title><h1><h2><b><i>,<a href>...
iv. Include your bio, social networks links, contact info, an article index…
v. Provide enough text.
vi. Decorate it: images, videos, animations, embedded resources (apparently
Flash is not welcome).
vii. Include options for subscription, sharing…
viii. Include information for the search engine: meta, title...
b. Word strategy:
i. Check trending words (Google Trends) and write about them.
ii. Analyze buzzwords about your blog’s subject and decide how to use
them.
c. Social networks (the relevant ones):
i. Publish your links in Google+ (it’s indexed by Google), Twitter… Use tools
as Everypost to publish in several places at once. Use whole links, with the
titles on them.
ii. Register your blog in directories.
iii. Post carefully in sites like Reddit (watch out not to be banned).
iv. Make people identify you easily: subject, knowledge, blog, name, brand,
colors, logo, quality...
d. Multipublish:
i. For each entry of your blog, republish!: slideshare, issuu, online articles
sites… Don’t forget to include your bio on the last page.
ii. Link your blog to those sites and vice versa.
e. Signature: include your blog’s link in your mail/forum/… signature.
f. Be just and don’t:
i. Use farm links.
ii. Publish in dark sites.
iii. Be untrustworthy.
iv. Ask people to click or visit your pages.
v. Be offensive.
vi. Use proprietary resources.

3. 5. Analyze everything:
a. Google analytics.
b. Blogger’s stats:
i. Audience (countries…): you may write in English but also have visitors
from Spain (like me).
ii. Sources: important, as you know what publishing sites are proving more
useful to spread your words.
6. Social impact:
a. Klout: check your social impact score.
b. Kred.
7. Ads?
a. Adsense.
b. Affiliation sites.
c. Dangers:
i. Loss of credibility.
ii. People fed up of ads.
iii. Ads not related with your blog’s main subject.
8. Readapt/rearrange/replan/rethink.
And to finish, a board with some useful tools (evolving unstoppably):

4. http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/blogging14

5. BIO
Andoni Sanz /ʌnˈdɔnɪ sʌnθ/ is a Computer Scientist working as a STEM
Teacher and IT researcher. Google Certified Educator and Moodle expert
he’s immersed in a non­stop
research on technology applied to education
combined with the latest pedagogy trends, as b­learning,
gamification or
flipped classes.
Actually he’s working on a project called Gamecodization: teaching coding
through video games.
For more information or to contact him:
Blog: http://andonisanz.blogspot.com
Website: http://www.andonisanz.com
Coding: http://www.gamecodization.com
Twitter: @andonisanz