Multimedia Tools

The Internet is where we go to find information, entertainment, to build and sustain relationships and to experience new things. The best online formats for websites, blogs, and social media, feed our desire to accomplish several of these things in one place. Spaces that are social yet also teach us new things or are entertaining, are beneficial to meeting our needs with both less time, and less exertion. Sites that serve several purposes and also play at our different senses are adding one more layer that keeps viewers interested. Video, sound, graphics and games all are all additions that either increases the functionality or the appeal of a particular site or message.

http://gph.is/1gDIqY9

See, a Phylicia Rashad GIF makes readying this post much more pleasant!

I admittedly am not particularly a fan of websites that begin to play music when I arrive. I understand that the music sets a particular mood for the visitor, but I usually find that I am not in an appropriate place for unsolicited music to begin playing. When the music does not place me in an embarrassing position however, I do find that it is a nice touch. Have a click here and take a guess at what type of food the restaurant serves – the sounds will give it away before the visuals.

Video has the ability to stimulate two of our senses at the same time, and it has never been easier to video to share. Here’s a video I created on iMovie a few years ago from Afghanistan to send to colleagues back in Georgia.

Google probably is one of my favorites for incorporating multimedia into their main page in a minimalist way with a big impact. Google Doodle’s are a nice nod to memorable date on the calendar, but it’s even more special when the Google Doodle is interactive. This Google Doodle is from the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

https://www.google.com/doodles/slalom-canoe-2012

Blog: Best Practices

For me blogs hang on to the peripheral of my free time. For me, the role they play is similar to magazines – there are so many that I enjoy and want to keep up to date with, but life gets in the way and I fall off as a faithful reader. However, there are some that I always finding myself coming back to over the years and I know the same quality blog will be there when I return. These include hair care blogs, beauty blogs, style, natural living, lifestyle, political, social commentary and humorous social commentary.

Recently I’ve been in search of great food blogs and when I came across 15-year-old Kelly’s Foodie Fiasco I was instantly hooked. I find it very telling of the times that one my newest favorites is written by a teenager, and for that reason I will use her blog to outline some blogging best practices.

Have personality

Though it might be acceptable for Kelly to just share recipes and photos of food that she makes, what makes hers unique from other blogs doing the same thing is that you get a true sense of who she is from her posts. She shares stories of high school exams, her backstory of being over weight anddepriving herself of food, and little vignettes explaining how she came across certain recipes. This style makes her relatable to different readers and opens her up to be someone that readers can feel like they know on a personal level.

Update often

This might be obvious, but it is also the thing that sets bloggers up for long-term success. Kelly’s blog has lasted three years which means that she has carved out time to make updating a priority. For me personally I know that once I get attached to a particular blog it’s disappointing when the frequency of post drops off, yet I have also attempted to blog a few times and I know how difficult it can be in the beginning to remain vigilant about updating frequently when you aren’t even sure who is reading. I admire anyone who can make it through the uncertain beginning and continue a timely posting schedule – a necessity to any successful blog.

Use multimedia tools

When you arrive on the Foodie Fiasco Blog you are greeted with a slide show of photos from featured recipes. This gives you a glimpse of what you can find on Kelly’s blog right away. This particular blog does not use a wide variety of multimedia tools such as video and other types of presentations, but the one tool she does use is the first thing you see when you arrive at her blog. I admit I enjoy blogs that incorporate a lot of video, and this is something she may venture into in the future but for now she uses mostly still photography to tell the stories of the process of creating her food.

Encourage participation

Of course encouraging commenting is one way to keep readers involved, but my particular favorite is giveaways! Everyone love free things especially as it relates to a subject they are interested in – people who are reading food blogs love winning food items. On Foodie Fiasco, Kelly has giveaways on a regular basis. These giveaways become an opportunity for her to increase her followership across different social media networks, since following and commenting is apart of the process of entering the particular giveaway. Another way Kelly encourages participation on her blog is by hosting forums where readers can share their own stories and recipes and have conversation with other readers. This is not something always found on blogs but a great way to get readers not only interacting with the author of the blog but also amongst themselves. Readers can come to the blog not only to read content, but also to catch up on relationships created through the blog.

Be organize and searchable

I hate when I read a post on a blog, only to go back and never be able o find it again. Foodie Fiasco offers a recipe index broken down by category and a simple search box. These are simple yet important additions for any blog. If great content is present on the blog, then readers will want to revisit past posts. Making this an easy task for the reader is key. The blog also has an easy to navigation menu at the top of the page, which allows you to move through the different sections of the blog with ease.

Market yourself and your brand

Being a blogger today means having a presence in many more locations than just your own URL. Kelly can be found on all of the major media outlets making her assessable to her audience wherever they may be on the web at any given moment. She maintains a Facebook fan page, a Pinterest board, a Twitter account, an Instagram account, a StumbleUpon page and a tumblr page. All of these places are different platforms to build her brand and maintain and build her audience. She also has available links to get in contact with her for opportunities for collaboration, advertisement and for press.

Of course this list could be altered for different types of blogs. There might be other things a news related blog or a blog tied to a corporate entity may need to ensure they are doing to be successful, but I consider this list a start to creating and maintaining a successful blog.