On blogging

The idea of what we now know as “blogs” first appeared on the World Wide Web in the mid-1990s. The term is a shortened version of “weblog,” and was first used to refer to a record, or a log, other websites that a user came across, typically recorded in reverse chronological order (see https://online.ndm.edu/news/communication/history-of-blogging/). Blogging quickly evolved from a simple log of resources, to a form of the daily “dairy” to record events and reflections on things happening in one's life, to ways to share information and advice (starting with what was known as “mommy blogging,” to the vast array of various themes and purposes that now constitute the millions of blogs that are on the web. Today, blogging offers an amazing degree of flexibility and creativity, readily accessible to anyone with an interest in writing for the public. All you need is an idea that you want to write about, the dedication to write, a computer or mobile device that connects to the internet. Other than the cost of your device and your internet connection, you can blog with no restraints other than your time—and a place on the internet to post what you have written! Of course these assets—your ability to write, your computer, access to the internet, and your time—have a certain cost involved, but other than this, you can blog to your heart's desire at no cost! Regular, frequent “informal” writing is a discipline that all successful authors practice; this discipline can serve the ongoing purposes of improving your writing. This is something that all seasoned authors perpetually seek to accomplish! Blogging is less formal than journal or book writing; you can use a more personal, creative “voice” that will ultimately contribute to the quality of your more formal writing. Blogging gives you an opportunity to try ideas and get audience feedback, similar to the kind of feedback you might receive in response to a presentation. People who read your blog post can often comment in response to your ideas, or contact you through other social media channels to express their opinions and ideas in response to what you have written Writing blogs is like “thinking” time … you can focus on aspects of your work that you may be struggling with and in so doing clarify and sharpen your ideas preliminary to putting things all together in a traditional publication. Recognition of the “impact” of blog posts is growing, represented by the “altmetric donut.” The colors of the donut represent the different sources from which the item received attention, as shown in Figure 1. Blog posts can be short and sweet—in fact the shorter, and the more engaging the style, the greater the chance that your post will be noticed. Start with a story, or tell a joke or a riddle. Keep the message focused and to the point, without “side” trips of explanation and discussion. You can include links to other web sites that provide more information and explanation—but keep your post to less than 1000 words—the shorter the better! Use color and illustrations to draw attention and interest. You can take full advantage of the old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words.” If you keep your writing in first person story-telling style, what you write about will almost always lead to a photo to go along with the words! You do not have to wade through the complex process of submission to a traditional journal and the peer review process. These long-standing traditions of professional publishing are invaluable in assuring the quality and integrity of published content. Various websites do use some form of review and many provide feedback for the content they post, but the purposes of these quality control measures are different from the purposes of scholarly literature. Website managers are focused on timely publication that engages the public audience effectively. Blogs are rapidly becoming a new form of scholarly communication that draws on many of the ideals of the open-access model—blogs are also referred to as short-form%20digital%20publishing (https://medium.com/advice-and-help-in-authoring-a-phd-or-non-fiction/shorter-better-faster-free-fb74bddaec03). As co-authors Dunleavy and Gilson wrote on the London School of Economics blog; “… in research terms blogging is quite simply, one of the most important things that an academic should be doing right now.” (https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2012/02/24/five-minutes-patrick-dunleavy-chris-gilson/). Colors of the altmetric donut. The amount of each color in the donut will change depending on which sources a research output has received attention from. Source: https://www.altmetric.com/about-our-data/the-donut-and-score/. There are two options for a place on the internet to post what you have written—a website that is owned and hosted by someone else, or a website that you own and host. Writing blogs for someone else's website is a logical place to get started. Many groups who host a website for a particular audience—an organization, club or hobby group, for example—are eager for members and other stakeholders to contribute to their site by writing blogs. These are “multi-authored” blogs written by people who are either recruited or who volunteer to write blogs. The web managers typically provide some guidelines for blog contributors that help you to remain focused within the general purposes and requirements for their particular site. See, as an example, the Nursology.net blog guidelines here—https://nursology.net/about/contribute-to-the-nursology-net-blog/ If you choose to blog using your own website, you will need to create the site—which you can do for no cost. With a very modest additional cost (<$100 USD a year), you can add certain bells and whistles to your blog, but your blog can be dynamite without the bells and whistles. The bells and whistles typically include access to pre-designed fancy themes and layouts that make your site a bit fancier and perhaps even more “professional” looking. Your site will consist of at least one page, but you can add additional pages as needed. Most very simple websites include at least the “home” page that people view when they enter the URL for the site, and one additional page giving some information about the person or group of people who owns the website. The “home” page can be either a static page where the content stays the same until you change it, or it can be your blog which shows the most recent post, with the content updating every time you write a new post. Here is an example of a website that nurse Beth Powell created solely for the purpose of publishing a blog post every Friday—https://myfmm.blog/. She has steadily posted every Friday since she started in 2012! Her primary audience is her family and close friends, but her marvelous story-telling ability provides an interesting short message every week that inspires reflection and meditation on basic life lessons. She now has over 1200 followers! The site features her weekly posts with the most recent first, and one page—her “about” page gives a short summary of her background and the inspiration for writing this blog in memory of her minister father, an English pastor who transported his Welsh family to Jamaica when she was a child. Here is an example of a website with a static front page—https://peggychinn.com/, which is a site that serves as a personal, professional and political resource for colleagues, friends and acquaintances. This site also has a “blog” that you can access from the main menu, but the main front page will only change when the site owner deliberately changes the content. You use a static front page when your purpose is to provide information or resources to viewers that does not change substantially over time. The COVID-19 pandemic and intersections with the challenges facing nursing and knowledge development in nursing—29 posts (https://nursology.net/category/covid19-pandemic/). Racism and the decolonization of nursing knowledge—15 posts (https://nursology.net/category/racism/). Contemporary professional issues such as political aspects of nursing as a profession, the legacy of early nursing leaders, global and international concerns—38 posts (https://nursology.net/category/professional-issues/). Given this overview of the idea of blogs and blogging—how about giving it a try!! The first step is to start following and reading blogs that interest you! One excellent blog I recommend to anyone who is engaged in writing of any kind is a blog by Pat Thomson, Professor of Education in the School of Education, The University of Nottingham—https://patthomson.net/. Her blog is directed toward doctoral students and anyone else engaged in serious academic writing but I recommend it for anyone interested in the general topic of writing! It is engaging and fun to read. Her guidelines for contributing to her blog, which she does accept occasionally, are excellent guidelines for anyone getting started with blogging. Follow her on Twitter @ThomsonPat. Next, identify and follow blogs in your field of interest to learn what is already “out there.” In nursing, the American Journal of Nursing blog—“Off the Charts” is an excellent source of current information about the nursing profession in general (https://ajnoffthecharts.com/) that I highly recommend. As you browse through blogs in your area of interest, notice which sites encourage and invite contributions, and follow their guidelines. Nursology.net (https://nursology.net/) encourages guest bloggers and offers clear guidelines for getting started! If you are interested in contributing ideas related to nursing activism, the NurseManifest website regularly publishes posts contributed by volunteers (https://nursemanifest.com/) and has a “contact us” form you can use to get started. If you are interested in starting your own website and blog, there are hundreds of places to start! The “WebsiteSetup” site gives a clear, simple and accessible guide that you can refer to (https://websitesetup.org/#step-1), or you can engage a consultant to do all or part of the work to get you started! Blogging is a big undertaking when you first start! But it is time to recognize that this is now an essential part of the world of scholarly communication. It is an excellent way to nurture and develop your writing skills, from the nuts and bolts level of writing, to the process of focusing and developing your ideas and finally to the process of producing a finished product to be read by a public audience. It can be a path to move away from the mere drudgery of writing, to a rewarding and satisfying experience where your creativity and talent flourishes! The author declares no conflicts of interest. Peggy L. Chinn, RN, PhD, DSc(Hon), FAAN is Professor Emerita of Nursing at the University of Connecticut. Her BS in nursing is from the University of Hawaii, and Master’s and PhD degrees from the University of Utah. She is the Founding Editor (now Emerita) of Advances in Nursing Science. Her published works focus on nursing knowledge development, feminism and nursing, the art of nursing, nursing education, LGBTQ health, and anti-racism in nursing. She is co-founder and web manager for Nursology.net, and blogs regularly on Nursology.net, Advances in Nursing Science, and Nurse Manifest. She is an active member and volunteer leader (with Leslie Nicoll) of the International Academy of Nursing Editors (INANE). Since retiring in 2003, she has taught doctoral level courses using hybrid methods (online and face-to-face) for the University of Connecticut, Florida Atlantic University, and Louisiana State University. In September 2020, she joined Lucinda Canty and Christina Nyrati to launch the “Overdue Reckoning on Racism in Nursing” project, an ongoing project that brings nurses of color to the center in acknowledging the reality of racism in nursing, and begins a process of healing and change.