Blogs

[Lyrima]

So, I was thinking it would be neat if my daughter could start an online blog that others might read. She's nearly 13, but she is an exceptional writer with a lot of opinions.

I think it would help her in so many ways if she could put her passions to paper and then have her convictions tested by those who question her assertions.

I know she's young and it might be hard to believe that she has stuff to say that has relevance, but I read an essay she wrote for class that absolutely moved me. Once I get her permission, I'll post it here to see if you all agree with my assessment.

That said, she's intrigued by the idea of a blog.

Where do you set one up? How do you gain readership?

[Lyrima]

Just a sample of her writing. This is an assignment for class, the stats included are accurate as far as she knows from her classwork.

She wrote this without help from me.

If she can write like this about an assignment, I can't help but wonder what her writing will be like if she feels passionate about her topic!

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February 15, 2010
Dear Mr. Ban Kai-moon,

   Our planet is being torn apart by lack of a vital resource. It seems so simple, but it is such a large issue that it cannot be resolved in just a decade. It is the very sap that keeps us alive, yet some live without it while others waste too much of it. Our sources of it are running dry, while the precious little we have left is terribly polluted. Without it, we die, but so much of it is unclean that we die anyway from drinking it. We need to solve these issues. We need another water decade.

   It is so unfair that our water is distributed so poorly that Americans swim in 150 gallons a day, while in Kenya they only have 12 gallons to use. 1.1 billion people don't have enough clean water to drink; they are part of the 80 countries in the world with water shortages. Even at home in the United States, 36 states are expected to have problems getting enough clean water to everyone within three years. The vast amounts of water we use include running many appliances, such as faucets, washing machines, dish washers, showers, lawn sprinklers, pools, and toilets, that can all be upgraded to low-flow or environmentally friendly versions. Working to minimize wasted water through these upgrades would save very large amounts of water. Even something as simple as encouraging people to eat less meat would help conserve water, because meat requires much more water to raise than crops do. Since 1950 demand for water has multiplied by six while the population of the world has only doubled, and it is expected to get worse. Within the next 20 years, experts expect that demand will increase by 40%. Industries and homes are using much more water than they used to. Problems like this can only be fixed with avid work to change culture. Even after a decade of focus, demand greatly outstrips supply.

   Our sources of fresh water are getting lower. There is only so much on earth- less than O.8% of the Earth's water is available for humans to use- and what we have is getting lower. Ground water sources, which have taken thousands of years to fill, are being drained at an alarming rate, much faster than they can be refilled. Wells must be dug even deeper. Even as the water underground is being sucked away, the water above ground is very much at risk as well. Glaciers, which used to be a reliable source of fresh water, have been melting. Mountain glaciers in Peru have melted by almost 30% and may have disappeared entirely by 2022. In the Himalayas, new lakes, such as Imja Lake, have been formed from melting glaciers. Locals do not have the money or the knowledge to harness the lake's power or use its water, however, so it is entirely wasted. Glaciers are also the source of many rivers. Those rivers will run dry if the glaciers melt. Lakes, such as Lake Mead in the United States, are being drained shocking amounts. This particular lake is short 5.6 trillion gallons! If the water level drops just 45 more feet, many homes and businesses will be without hydroelectric power. Dams will not be able to generate electricity if the pressure from the lake is too low, which it now runs the risk of doing.  These problems need to be addressed, and we must use our few sources more wisely. Using them wisely includes not polluting them, which sadly is also a major issue.

   Things that should not be there are finding their way into our precious few fresh water sources. Sewage, industrial and agricultural waste and chemicals like pesticides, fertilizers, and gas leaks are some of the pollutants. Fertilizers make algae blooms boom, which blocks sunlight for the wildlife and affects the oxygen levels in the water, causing there to be less fish to eat and the water unfit for human consumption. Wetlands are also sensitive to pollution, which causes water to be even dirtier because wetlands act like filters for the water they surround. The Ganges River in India is so polluted that it is 200 times above the safe bathing pollution level, and 30,000 times above the safe drinking level. However, many people there are so thirsty they both drink and bathe in it. 2 out of 5 people in the world lack enough clean water to keep good hygiene, and in Africa 1 out of 3 face constant lack of water. Good hygiene is essential in the prevention of water-born diseases like diarrhea and intestinal worms. There are simple and easy solutions to make sure that these diseases don't spread as fast, like life straws which filter the water. More than five million people die of water related illnesses. Spending funds on getting life straws to more people would mean a great improvement in the number of cases. Water is essential for survival, but it can also lead to disease and death if not cleaned.

   Humans can survive for a long time without food, but only days without water. It is required by every part of the body to function. Every day, every person needs about 13 gallons of water, of which six to eight glasses should be used for drinking, and the rest for cooking and keeping clean. It is absolutely vital to every person, so it should be a priority. With work, funds, time and effort, there is hope. Every person can do their part to conserve water, and making that clear to the public is fairly simple. I believe that continuing to work towards a future where every person on Earth has enough clean water is a worthy goal to proceed with into the next decade.

   Sincerely,
      K

[Ravenns]

I have used this one:

https://www.blogger.com/start

This is the start page for the Blog hosting website.  They ask you to create a Google account if you don't have one already.  The service is free. 

It is a fairly simple process once you get started.  You can design your site from the list of available choices.  You can also browse through other ppl's blogs to get ideas by scrolling to the next blog.

One word of caution concerning minors using a site like this.  That feature which allows users to scroll to the next blog..read whatever happens to be there...scroll to the next blog...etc...you never know what you're going to get when you scroll to the next blog, so adult supervision is important.

I browsed through several dozen sites and they were quite a mix.  Some were family oriented; some were business oriented.  A couple were maybe a bit questionable, but on the goofy side. (One on Japanese Lady Wrestlers drew a chuckle from me.)  I didn't see any "adult content", but you never know.

Concerning readership:

1.   You can direct friends to your site personally.  Just give them your blog address link.  Let them sign up as friends or followers, give them permission to comment, or even allow others to write their own articles as contributors.
2.   If you select the option to have your site visible to the public, anyone can come in and read/comment if you set it up that way.  Your blog can be set to be visible to anyone who does a search.  For example, if your daughter did an entry on water shortages, her blog might be visited by anyone who does a Google search on water shortages, etc.

You can also make your blog private so only those you want to visit can find you.  Lots of options and features.

Hope this is useful...

Ravenns

[Lyrima]

Ravenns! Thank you!

Yes it was useful and since I've never visited a blog I honestly hadn't thought about the content of other pages. Hrm!

Did you visit Blogspot? I've had some other folks direct me there.

The idea would be that she would not post anything personal, only stuff like the above.  Or passionate narratives about that she feels is important.

I want to give her a venue to hone her writing and having an audience is seriously motivating.

[Ravenns]

Yes, the link I posted is for Google's Blogspot starting page. 

I don't think it actually says "Blogspot" on the page or in the address, but that's it!

[Lyrima]

Oh. You know, I noticed that this morning when I started my research.  I thought Google was being proprietory (sp?) in their redirecting me from where I wanted to go "Blog Spot" to their blog site, Blogger.

The other one I was curious about is WordPress.  Are you familiar with that?

[Ravenns]

Lyrima said:

The other one I was curious about is WordPress.  Are you familiar with that?

No...sorry.  I don't visit blogging sites much.

I started a Blog website for my photography club at school, and didn't get past Blogspot because it seemed to fit what I needed.  I post articles teaching various aspects of photography, the kids post their pictures and comment on each others work, etc.  I made the site private, invisible, password protected and by invitation only, so no one stumbles on it accidentally. (or even intentionally, so ppl probably couldn't find it if they knew where to look!)

I'm no expert on blogs by any means, but I had this little bit of experience, and thought it might be enough to get you started.

Cheerrs!

[Lyrima]

Thanks Ravenns! And nice use of media in the classroom

[Sagacity]

Blogger/blogspot and wordpress seem to be two main ones.  I use blogger (I think it was blogspot originally but Google bought it?) and have had no problems.  My boyfriend uses wordpress.  The main differences seem to be what plug-in options are available (like, a little box that displays a twitter feed, for example) and small details like that.  I was talking to someone else who was looking into both, and she preferred wordpress because it allowed the blog owner to edit comments, but that's not something I particularly care about.  Both will allow a variety of comments settings including requiring that every comment be approved before posting. 

I'm sure either will work well for her, so I'd just have her look at both sites and see which she finds friendlier to use.  You can create test blogs for free easily enough on both, and it might be a good experience for her to do a little evaluation of which she prefers best and why.

[Lyrima]

That's a great idea Sagacity, thank you.

Any words of wisdom regarding gaining a readership?