Here they are: those first day back to school jitters. I hope I am not the only one that feels like this. Despite all my worry and apprehension, the first week of classes went by without a hitch.
I was able to meet my fellow classmates and instructors, and immediately I felt like I was in the right place. The room was full of like-minded individuals with similar goals and passions- and yet from surprisingly different fields of interest. My nerves have subsided and the excitement has kicked in.
When we were told our first assignment was to create a blog, my first thought was what if I have nothing worth "blogging" about. Honestly, my biggest fear is who will want to read it?
(small note to self, do not google "reasons not to go to graduate school" after you have already registered for the course)
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http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ABlog_(1).jpg
To blog or not to blog?
I begin with listing all the reasons blogging is good for my health. I figure that validating the benefits will provide me some encouragement and motivation. This always works for me when I am trying to convince myself to hit the gym or wake up early to get some work in. The pros always outweigh the cons. The article The Social Dimension of Blogging about Health: Health Blogging, Social Support, and Well-being states the following:
"The public record of one’s experiences created through blogging may serve as a beacon to weak ties with similar histories who are motivated to provide information and emotional support....reasons that blogging might serve as a mechanism to marshal social support from both strong and weak ties and, as a result, foster positive outcomes for bloggers’well-being...."
" Stephen A. Rains & David M. Keating 2011.
I believe that if the target audience is receptive to your blog, the benefits of blogging will be achieved. It will be a way to journal and reflect on your thoughts, bolster self-esteem, and find others who may relate to your story or provide another point of view.
Hi Rose,
ReplyDeleteGood to know that I am not the only one getting nervous about going back to school. Your post comes at the right time as I was trying to see the benefits of blogging. I am more at ease now. Thank you very much.
Great post! I'm glad you questioned the process of blogging! There are definitely pros and cons to the process and in the HEAL cohort we're still experimenting with the structure. What I will say is that the quality of content that you post plays a major role in the audience that you will attract. Maria Popova's blog "Brain Pickings" is one of the best out there in terms of providing readers with well-developed and thought-provoking posts: http://www.brainpickings.org
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Jacqueline
Thanks for this Rose. You are definitely computer savvy. I love the way you link things, and am really grateful that you didn't link "reasons not to go to graduate school". I am glad that you are on my 'must reads' assignment list. I anticipate getting a lot from your blogs. This will be a journey and I'm looking forward to working with you on our first group assignment.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Mary-Ann