Secrets of a Killer Blog Post: Images

You already know that well-researched, high-quality content is the backbone of a killer blog post. But don’t underestimate the importance of a strong visual component when you’re composing your latest and greatest update for your audience

The human brain processes images in as little as 13 milliseconds—less than the blink of an eye.

A post with an image is far more enticing to the bounce-happy readers of the Internet than one without, and is more likely to be shared on social media as well.

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Blogging is not Dead Yet! And it isn’t Tweeting

Podcasting News in talking about blogging notes that pundits always say that blogging is dead.

They went on to say:

The NYT said that blogging was dead because the young are switching to Twitter – as if they were interchangeable.

Stats from Nielsen, though, show the number of blogs growing at a steady pace for six years, from about 36 million in ’06 to 173 million last year.

Here’s how they profile bloggers:

  • Women make up the majority of bloggers;
  • Half of bloggers are aged 18-34;
  • Bloggers are well-educated: 7 out of 10 bloggers have gone to college, a majority of whom are graduates;
  • About 1 in 3 bloggers are Moms, and 52 percent of bloggers are parents with kids under 18 years-old in their household; and
  • Bloggers are active across social media: they’re twice as likely to post/comment on consumer-generated video sites like YouTube, and nearly three times more likely to post in Message Boards/Forums within the last month.

While the buzz may wear off blogging, podcasting and other forms of citizen media, it probably means that the technology has matured and moved into a steady growth phase – exactly what the Nielsen stats show.

Petite teen becomes big voice in fashion world

Reprinted from the Seattle Times for class.

At home with 13-year-old Tavi Gevinson, one of the young bloggers turning the fashion scene inside out. Tavi’s Style Rookie blog (tavi-thenewgirlintown.blogspot.com) has caught the attention of fashion magazines, stores and designers.

By Megan Twohey

Chicago Tribune

Tavi Gevinson, pictured December 22, 2009, is a 13-year-old fashion blogger from Oak Park, Illinois, who has taken the fashion world by storm with her blog, Style Rookie.

Enlarge this photoHEATHER CHARLES / MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

Tavi Gevinson, pictured December 22, 2009, is a 13-year-old fashion blogger from Oak Park, Illinois, who has taken the fashion world by storm with her blog, Style Rookie.

Tavi Gevinson sits in her home amongst fashion magazine clippings she is using to make a collage, December 22, 2009. The 13-year-old fashion blogger from Oak Park, Illinois, has taken the fashion world by storm with her blog, Style Rookie.

Enlarge this photoHEATHER CHARLES / MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

Tavi Gevinson sits in her home amongst fashion magazine clippings she is using to make a collage, December 22, 2009. The 13-year-old fashion blogger from Oak Park, Illinois, has taken the fashion world by storm with her blog, Style Rookie.

CHICAGO — Tavi Gevinson sat in a west suburban cafe consuming cheese pizza, hot chocolate and a fruit roll-up — the type of meal you’d expect from a 13-year-old.

As she nibbled, a receptionist from her doctor’s office came over to say hello, while a waitress wondered aloud if she was related to another teenager in town.

“As you can see, my fame is extraordinary here,” Tavi said, her 4-foot-6 frame barely visible behind the table. “Seriously, no one around here has any idea who I am.”

No idea that since she began blogging about fashion from her suburban bedroom at age 11, Tavi has become an international sensation, viewed as one of the most popular — and controversial — figures in the world of high fashion.

No idea that when she’s not studying for a science test, having sleepovers with friends or attending summer camp, the 8th grader can be found in the front row at New York’s Fashion Week, adorning the cover of ultra-hip Pop magazine and helping to launch a new fashion line for Target.

The daughter of a high school English teacher, Tavi combined her razor-sharp writing skills, precocious attitude and Internet savvy into a high profile in the fashion community, using her youth and small size as bold exclamation points.

“She’s only 13, but Tavi Gevinson has the fashion world enraptured,” gushed Harper’s Bazaar in the introduction to a column Tavi penned for the January issue, making her the youngest writer ever published in the magazine.

Like a pint-sized suburban superhero, Tavi passes her days as a typical middle school student before transforming by night into a celebrated author and star of her blog, Style Rookie. She posts artistic photos of herself dressed in cutting-edge outfits and serves up sophisticated musings on the latest fashion trends, drawing nearly 30,000 viewers each day.

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