Blogging Tips

When I started blogging, I thought that having something to write about and a computer are enough.  I was able to publish a number of articles alright.  When I needed video which is not often, I go to YouTube.  As the number of my articles grew, my confidence grew alongside to insert videos for both my Blogger and Wordpress blogs.  For the longest time, my blogs only contained pictures or images from Google Images, Flickr or Picasa. 

I write my blog posts when the children are not around to compete for internet connection.  Not having them around is both a blessing and a bane. If they are around, I can always ask them about technical issues.  But when they are in school or elsewhere, I can download or upload blog posts, music, video, pictures quite faster.

When I took up the Certified Blog Entrepreneur Program from the Ateneo, I learned that grabbing a few images from Google or Flickr to enhance my article, is not as simple as copying and pasting.  I have to be sensitive to the issue of fair use.  But what is fair use?  From Jonathan Bailey's "The Basics of Fair Use", fair use sets a guidance to the use of somebody's work in limited situations.  Copyright is affixed to a work the moment it is published either offline like books, magazines, and other printed matter or online like blogs, websites, e-books, e-magazines and etc. It gives the author or copyright holder certain exclusive rights to the work and derivative works based on the original work.  

To add a touch of accuracy and lessen my dependence on other's works, I found out the necessity of having a digital camera at my disposal anytime.  No need to lug an SLR for me.  My motto is that if I have to read the operating manual before I can use it, then it is not for me.  I hate reading instructional materials.  A digital camera is now a must-have and I don't leave the house without it in my bag together with my wallet, cellphones, pen holder and make up kit.  Having my own camera at any time enables me to shoot anything that can be used in my future articles.  

Aside from my digital camera, I have a notebook which I can use when ideas pop out of the things, places or people that I see or meet in the course of daily activities.  Depending on the time or circumstance, I can compose a draft of an article while waiting for my turn at the doctor's clinic or while waiting for my hairdresser to finish the job that I asked him to do.  I only write on my notebook if I forgot to bring the Asus notebook.  I find it easier though to do my articles if I use my computer.

I attend to as many activities as I could.  Activities are a goldmine of writing materials.  Writer's block is a reality that affects all writers, professionals and amateurs alike.

Read, read, read. Read anything that could be useful to your articles.  News, both online or printed, are good sources of what's hot.  Writing about what's hot helps the article to get as many hits as possible.  My article The PNR Trains got a lot of hits that tripled the number of readers for my other blog Bicol Express when I published it after GMA7 made a story on the resumption of the service of the PNR trains.  I got free promotion from that GMA7 telecast.

Write regularly, once a week is okay.  Remember readers are like lovers, out of sight, out of mind.  Just kidding.  Writing regularly makes the blog site easily found by the search engines. 

I think I have already covered the most important things that a would-be blogger or writer has to have and to do.  Good luck and happy writing. 

   

Getting Ready for College

My youngest child Kara is entering fourth year high school in two days.  She is excited to start her last year at the School of the Holy Spirit of Quezon City for the simple reason that her classroom is air-conditioned.  Only the classrooms in the Seniors' wing are air-conditioned because the wing is situated in the warmest part of the school.

Senior year, being the last year before the big leap to college life, is a time for preparations.  First thing on the list is the one-month review for the different college entrance examinations that Kara will be taking.  During my time review classes were non-existent.  You just go to the admin office of the school to get the test permit and appear on exam date on time.  Maybe getting into your school of choice today is getting tougher and more competitive hence the need for review classes.

I am already a veteran in preparing my child as Kara is my third child getting into college.  Like her two older siblings, Marco and Nina, Kara had her review at the Loyola Student Center (LSC), one of the pioneers and is reliable.  Review classes do not come cheap.  This time I forked P10,000.00 plus another P1,500.00 for her review books.  With Marco and Nina, I paid almost 50% less than what I paid for Kara's.  Marco, being a product of the Ateneo High School, paid P6,000.00+ inclusive of books.  I don't know what's the arrangement between Ateneo and LSC why Ateneans have to pay less than what other mortals pay.  For Nina's turn, I had to pay the regular price as Nina did not come from Ateneo (an all-boys' high school).  Good thing LSC was giving out big discounts if you enroll as a group of at least six reviewers.  I gathered five of Nina's classmates and we all were able to avail of a big discount that included books in the package.  Let me share you a tip.  As early as December of your child's junior year, start inquiring from LSC as promos are being given out on a first come, first serve basis.  I wasn't able to avail of the promo discount as it was already closed when I enrolled Kara.

After setting aside a month of her two month summer vacation for the review classes, Kara readied the requirements for her application for University of the Philippines' UPCAT.  She submitted her application form and requirements for the UPCAT at her school's guidance office.  That spared her the long queue at UP.

For her applications to other schools, she googled the websites of these schools of the schedules of giving out of application forms, requirements to be submitted and the actual schedules of the entrance examinations.  These websites are also a rich source for what courses or programs are being offered by the schools.  Some schools post the course syllabi that give a good picture of the description of the course.  Different schools have different names for their course offerings.  For instance, a marketing degree in UP or De La Salle University has its equivalent in Ateneo de Manila Universtiy - BS in Communications Technology.

The review, the submission of the application forms and requirements, the entrance examinations come after the child has chosen her course.  I advised my daughter that she must choose a course that she's passionate about or something that she's interested in.  A simple exercise would be to ask this question:  "How do you see yourself doing five years from now?"  Choosing a school is secondary.  The choice of the school will have to depend on the answer to the question.  There are schools that are known for certain degree programs and it would be better for the child to go to the school where his course is best offered.

I hope I was able to give some pointers to parents who are doing this for the first time.  Don't be ashamed to ask questions to the admin people of your child's preferred schools.  You're paying good money just by applying for their entrance exams.  Good luck to all of us.