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But I’ve Never Written a Blog! How to Blog the CRPD Anyway
By Andrea Shettle, MSW | March 19, 2008
Blogging Guidelines:
How to Write a Great Blog for the RatifyNow CRPD Blog Swarm 2008!
Blogging the International Disability Rights Treaty
What’s the RatifyNow CRPD Blog Swarm 2008?
RatifyNow.org is celebrating the first anniversary of the international disability rights treaty, called the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), by hosting a blog swarm! That means we’re looking for writers to contribute blog posts about the treaty to the RatifyNow CRPD Blog Swarm 2008.
Yes, you can contribute even if you don’t have a blog: writers can send your blog post to RatifyNow@gmail.com and we’ll try to find a home for it.
If you missed the original announcement about the blog swarm, it’s at http://ratifynow.org/2008/03/11/join-crpd-swarm-2008/
I’ve Never Written a Blog!
Perhaps you weren’t sure you should participate because you’re new to blogs and aren’t sure how to write a blog post. If so, please read on. Perhaps these guidelines will help.
If you’re an experienced blogger, then feel free to violate every guideline listed below, if that’s what works best for your loyal audience. These are just suggestions for people who aren’t sure how a “blog post” differs from other kinds of writing. Obviously, the main rule is that your blog post should in some way relate to the theme of the blog swarm: it should celebrate, or promote, or educate people about the CRPD.
Keep it Short
See if you can keep it below 600 words. Or at least, try not to go too much above 1000 words.
Yes, we’ll still accept longer posts. Some great, widely-read blog posts happen to be 1000 or even 1500 words long–or longer. If it is well written, engaging, interesting, and “fresh” (i.e., not exactly like 10 other blog posts on the same topic), then you’ll probably still find an audience for it. But in most cases, shorter is better. Many readers may click away if your post is too long or dry to hold their interest.
Hint: for the first draft of your post, write it to whatever length you think it needs to be. Then when you’re done, look for ways to express the same ideas in fewer words.
Keep it Informal
As a general rule, an informal writing style tends to work best in blogs. No, this does not mean that you should use “teen text-message talk.” But it does mean that a blog post is not your doctoral thesis, nor is it a report for your boss.
Think of it as if you’re opening a conversation with a group of friends you haven’t met yet. In other words, write the way you would talk if you were in your own living room or kitchen—not at a university lecture.
This is Not an Intelligence Test
No, you don’t want to “dumb down” your ideas. If you genuinely need to use a sophisticated word or a complex sentence to get your ideas across, fine.
But many ideas that are expressed in heavily legal or academic language could be expressed just as well, or even more clearly, in shorter sentences and simpler vocabulary. Give it a try.
Why? People absorb complicated ideas more easily if they can focus on understanding concepts—not on decoding new vocabulary or unraveling convoluted sentences.
Consider Relating Your Ideas to Your Own Story
Consider relating your ideas to your personal experiences and observations. For example, has your human rights ever been violated because you were disabled? How might the CRPD have helped you fight back more effectively? Or, have you seen other people’s human rights violated because of their disabilities? Might the CRPD have made a difference?
Personal stories or anecdotes—if you feel comfortable sharing them—can be a great way to bring human rights issues to life.
If you go this route, then you can probably get away with a longer post. One, your blog post will hold your readers’ attention more easily than a dry legal discussion. Two, you may need more words to both share your story and also expand upon your ideas.
Research
Want to learn more about the CRPD before you start writing? A list of helpful links (organized according to how much time you have!) are available at:
http://ratifynow.org/2008/03/17/researching-the-crpd-on-line/
Topic Ideas
Don’t know what to say in your blog post? Skim through a list of possible topic ideas at:
http://ratifynow.org/2008/03/18/topic-ideas-for-the-ratifynow-crpd-blog-swarm-2008/
Topics: CRPD Blog Swarm! |
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