Blogging: A Rationale

When we create a blog, we are creating a space in which we can express ourselves. The author of a blog is free to build any kind of structure and design possible. We are free to post opinions, thoughts, beliefs, and any other information that we choose. The power that we have over the art of blogging is substantial, but like all power, it can be abused. Bloggers must take care to make their designs palatable to the general public in order to gain an audience. A blogger who builds a page that does not appeal to readers will quickly find himself without any. I would like to address my thoughts on blog design and purpose, and to explain why I choose to build and write in certain ways.

The purpose of a blog is to provide a forum for expression. Blogs can range from personal sites used by individuals, to professional sites used by public personalities, to collaborative works associated with corporations or government agencies. Every person or group who builds a blog site will have different end goal in mind. Individuals may simply seek an outlet for creative endeavor. A professional author may blog with the intent of connecting with an audience. Companies may use blogging for PR, advertising, or community service purposes. Each of these goals is undertaken with the purpose of providing information to a mass audience. I undertook the creation of my blog with a combination of two purposes in mind: personal expression and academic development. Even though I have been involved with creating web pages and blogs before, I was extremely glad of the criticism and critiques from my classmates. This academic development helped me to gain a better perspective on design and writing.

Design is one of the cornerstones of blogging. Without a design that is appealing and accessible, an audience will not react positively. Without positive response, a blogger will be unable to build a sizable audience, thus defeating the purpose of creating the blog. When it comes to design, I generally choose more neutral color schemes, so that backgrounds and other elements will not overwhelm the content. This is not to say that bright colors are out of place, though. To me, there are two priorities that should be worked towards in blog design: consistency and compatibility. Because of the large number of different items that can be customized on a blog’s layout, it is important that color schemes and fonts are kept consistent across the board. Sections and postings that have varying text sizes and styles, and headers and backgrounds in different colors will create a sense of disjointedness for the reader. Colors should be compatible and complimentary, even when used for contrast. Color selections should also compliment any background images that are used.

Even with an effective design, though, the heart of blogging is creating content. Since the author is exposing work to a mass audience, that work should appeal to the audience as much as possible. Sometimes, the audience for a blog is almost predetermined. Take the example of a large corporation that starts up a blog to communicate its ideas. The audience, of course, consists of existing customers. The content that is delivered by the corporation must provide those customers with the information that they are looking for, whether that be support information, product recalls, or coupons and discounts. By giving the readers the content that they seek, the creator of the blog solidifies the audience and can accomplish goals.

The final component of blogging is the audience. Whether it is preexisting or being newly built, the audience determines the success or failure of the blog. In the example I used above, consider the audience for a corporation’s blog. Customers who already partake in the company’s goods or services are the preexisting audience. By providing timely and complete information on the blog, the corporation can generate goodwill among its customers and reinforce brand loyalty. This by necessity dictates the content. New blogs which seek to build a new audience are not under the same restrictions. A new blog seeks to build an audience around the content, rather the other way around. This is, in the end, one of the greatest strengths of the blog: the ability to find an audience that will be receptive to the author’s ideas.