The Benefits of blogging: My Perspective
Hello Everyone,
I was introduced to the idea of blogging during the summer of this covid pandemic by our Sunday project. As a kid, I have always enjoyed creative writing and reading books as well as others’ work at school. I used to write about things happening in everyday life. When I found out that the Nepali Cultural Program had a website with a blogging section, I asked my mom if I should write blogs. She encouraged me by saying that it was a great opportunity to learn and try something new. I started with writing about my perspective of issues in the world, books,inspirational people, culture and traditions . Since I have started writing blogs, I have noticed positive changes in myself.Many readers have liked my work which I am grateful for. It is encouraging to learn that my blogs have inspired children of my age to write blogs.
Let me share with you a few details about the history of blogs.Blogging is a type of website that organizes content in the form of categories and posts. A blog (just like a website), also has pages, so you have two different systems for organising your information. They are based on opinions, stories, and ideas. A website called Weblog was created in the early 1990s where people would state their opinions.It’s generally recognized that the first blog was Links.net, created by Justin Hall, while he was a Swarthmore College student in 1994 Of course, at that time they weren’t called blogs, and he just referred to it as his personal homepage. 1998 marks the first known instance of a blog on a traditional news site, when Jonathan Dube blogged Hurricane Bonnie for The Charlotte Observer. In my research, I have found that there are two main blogging platforms, WordPress and Blogger that allows children to blog. But there may be many other platforms that I’m not aware of.
My first blog was “My life in quarantine” that was published on our Sunday project website in May. I got really kind responses which encouraged me to write more .Followed by that, I began writing book reviews, biographies, festivals, cultural diversity and more.
You must be wondering,why should kids like me write blogs? Does it have any benefits?
Here are my thoughts and experiences about writing blogs.
1.Blogging exercises student’s creativity.You can get really creative and pour your heart out.It also improves your creative writing skills.
2. Blogs provide a platform to share your perspectives or opinions about different things. You sometimes get feedback on your work that helps you improve.
3. Increase your knowledge because while writing on a topic you spend hours researching it.
4. Sharing knowledge with everyone.
5. Help to develop critical thinking.
6. Developing confidence and leadership skills.I have been invited to a youth forum to talk about my blogs and do a book club virtually that have motivated participants.
7. Increase awareness about important topics like health,racism,diversity,culture and heritage.I have written about Alzheimer’s, cystic fibrosis,mental health, Hispanic Heritage,significance of festivals etc.
8. I love reading books. So I share book reviews through blogs. This has helped many children and their parents to pick a good book.
9. Get connected with famous authors whose books you are reviewing. For instance, I have received comments and emails from the author of Aminas voice Hena Khan, author of other words for home Jasmine warga, author of A Long Walk to Water, Linda Sue Park ,author of The Bridge Home Padma Venkatraman, and author of You Bring The Distant Near and Rickshaw Girl Mitali Perkins.
10. Share about famous people who inspire you and motivate you. Remembering them on their birthday by sharing their life stories and achievements. For instance I have written about Mahatma Gandhi, JK Rowling, and Kamala Harris to name a few.
11. Share life lessons you have learnt from events in your life.
12. Motivates other students to write blogs.
13. If you become a famous blogger you may have your own website and can earn money.
14. Blogging builds confidence- Like for me, I was always a quiet person who didn’t want to share ideas. But blogging has helped me share my thoughts with many people. Getting positive feedback from them has helped to boost my confidence. When a famous author replies to you, it really means a lot.
15. It helps to improve your grammar,literature review and vocabulary. When I started blogging, I had many grammatical errors, but with the practice of writing, using grammarly,and with help from my mom, my grammar is improving. My vocabulary has expanded and I have been learning a lot of new words.
16. Blogging helps to connect with a large number of people and can give you many other opportunities. For example if someone likes your blog, he or she may like to collaborate with you to start a new project.
17. Social emotional development: Blogging can help children increase their connection with grownups, help relate with peers, and develop self esteem. The freedom of expression and experiences through blogs can help kids develop a sense of self. It also helps in making friends. Gives you a voice.
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18. Helps to develop empathy- When I was writing my blog about books, and characters, I felt I was becoming more empathetic. While writing about the characters and events, I could put myself in their shoes. So we can say that blogging helps in character development.
19. It teaches important life lessons like to be more grateful for what we have. In my once upon a Diwali blog, I shared my real life experience when there was a fire in our house in 2013. While writing this blog, it took me back in time and I could analyze each event and learn from them. In my blog ‘Family comes first’, I shared about why family is important?
20. Cultural ambassador: As we are a diverse community, blogging is a way to share our heritage and show our presence in the community. Blogging has not only helped me understand my Nepali roots but also helped me share the rich culture with everyone. I have written about important festivals like Teej,Ganesh Chaturthi, Dashain to name a few.
Based on my experience with blogging I believe that blogging should be part of all school systems. Before I end this blog I want to thank Our Sunday project for this opportunity to write blogs and share my thoughts with everyone.
Creds- Google and Wikipedia