Learning The Fundamentals: That’s A Wrap!

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Thanks for joining Learning the Fundamentals.

We hope these two weeks have been useful, and that your blog, confidence, and audience have all grown!

If you haven’t finished every task, that’s okay!

Building a great blog is an ongoing process.

Hang on to these emails, and take advantage of all the resources at The Daily Post and on our support site — we’re always here to help.

To wrap up Learning the Fundamentals, make some social calls.

Go to the bloggingfundamentals tag in the Reader visit five other new bloggers, and leave some supportive comments.

Take some of your motivation and pass it along.

We’ll see you around the Reader!

We can’t wait to see what you publish next.

Happy blogging,
Michelle W. and the WordPress.com Team

You are welcome, and thank you for making this course available on-demand.

I have now completed my first Blogging University course, and so this experiment is finished.

I got to see how the new on-demand courses work and there are some problems that need to be fixed like titles and some of the information not matching between the emails and the tips and advice pages, some emails and tips and advice pages are lacking tag suggestions, I think that it needs something to help promote a community like showing pingbacks in image form like they do on Daily Prompts to encourage the community to view each other’s posts, and other improvements; but overall I think that this is a nice start.

If they fix some of those problems, make a few improvements, add new courses, and add new features then this will be a good resource for bloggers.

The end,

-John Jr

Learning The Fundamentals | Day Fourteen: Create Your Own Feature (Day Fourteen: Create A Regular Feature For Your Blog)

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Day Fourteen: Create Your Own Feature

One of the best ways to inspire reader loyalty is to publish consistently. Give your readers something to look forward to!

Today, develop a regular posting feature for your blog.

Here’s how:

1. First, think of the type of regular feature you can commit to — something you’ll publish weekly, biweekly, or monthly.
2. Next, start your new post by clicking the button below. This can be the first installment, or an announcement of what’s coming.
3. Finally, give your post a few tags, including bloggingfundamentals, and publish it.

Regular features are great for readers — and they keep you on track, too. A little scheduling is a great way to develop a blogging habit.

Start a new post

If you’re not sure what a “feature” is, or what kind of regular feature might work for your blog, we’ve got some advice! Learn more in the tools and tips for this assignment.

Cheers,
Michelle W. and the WordPress.com Team

My regular feature on my blog is my daily dream journal posts, and here is my most recent dream journal post:

May 18, 2016 | Dream Journal | Nathan Fisher At A College Apartment

The end,

-John Jr

Blogging: Learning The Fundamentals | Day Thirteen: Add A Blog Icon (Day Thirteen: Build Your Brand)

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Day Thirteen: Build Your Brand

You blog is getting more focused (and more readers!). Let’s reinforce your image.

Today, create a custom blog icon.

Here’s how:

1. First, create an icon to represent your blog — a small photo, your initials, or a piece of your header image all work well.
2. Next, click the button below to reach your blog’s General Settings tab.
3. Finally, click “Choose File” under the Blog Icon tools on the right to upload your image, and follow the prompts to save it.

You may not have seen this dashboard before. You can find it by typing /wp-admin on the end of your blog’s address. You won’t usually need it — this is a rare occassion.

Go to your General Settings

Remember PicMonkey? Use it to make your blog icon, too! Learn more in the tools and tips for this assignment.

Cheers,
Michelle W. and the WordPress.com Team

My current Blavatar image (blog avatar or blog icon) is my Identicon image that I also use as my Gravatar image:

Image Credit: John Jr’s Gravatar Profile

The end,

-John Jr

Learning The Fundamentals | Day Twelve: Make Some New Connections (Day Twelve: Commenting Again!)

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Using writing prompts introduces you to a whole new community of bloggers — there are hundreds of other people using them. Reach out!

Today, read six other responses to the prompt you wrote about, and leave comments on at least two.

Here’s how:

First, click the button below to reach The Daily Post’s Prompts page, and look for the one you used.

Click on the prompt and scroll down to the grid. Those are the other responses. Look for post titles that catch your eye, and click on at least six.

Finally, leave comments on at least two of the posts you read.

Instead of making new comments I will just list my two most recent comments that I have made on two other blogs:

Inky Sketches

20160509 Dream Journal

The end,

-John Jr

Blogging: Learning The Fundamentals | Day Eleven: Use A Writing Prompt (Day Eleven: Make A Prompt Personal)

Source: WordPress.com

Day Eleven: Make a Prompt Personal

Learn to work with outside inspiration so you never have to deal with blogger’s block.

We offer a daily writing prompt to give you a push when you’re not sure what to write about — it’s a handy tool if you’re ever out of ideas.

Today, publish a post inspired by a writing prompt.

Here’s how:

First, visit our Daily Post site and check out today’s prompt — it’s in the dark blue box on the right.

Next, click the button below to start your new post.

Be sure to include a link to the prompt so that others can find your post on the prompt page.

Finally, give your post a few tags, including bloggingfundamentals, and publish it.

Unmoved?

Click Try Again to load another prompt.

There’s a whole archive of ideas at your disposal!

Start a new post

Think today’s prompt doesn’t fit with your blog?

You can personalize any writing prompt.

Learn more in the tools and tips for this assignment.

Cheers,
Michelle W. and the WordPress.com Team