Over the course of my degree thus far, I have developed from someone who had never blogged before in my life to someone who has learnt how to both write articles and provide the information necessary to provide an interesting and well-written post for an audience. These include reigning in humour and only using it where necessary and finding a balance between writing formally and conversationally/somewhat informally. I have also developed my researching techniques to provide a more credible article to the readers, and utilised the use of images in my blog posts.
Once of the ways I have developed is that I have learnt to incorporate my humour appropriately. In the past, I have used humour and wit to hide a lack of information and substance, which ultimately defeats the purpose of publishing a blog post in the first place. In my current and most recent blog posts, I use humour only where necessary, and in conjunction with real, valid information. I feel that my use of humour allows the reader to relate to the article favourably as well as towards myself as a writer. However, some topics do not warrant humour, and it would be seen as insensitive to use it in such a situation. I have learnt that humour can enhance a situation, however only when used correctly. Of course, as someone who loves jokes and humour, this is still something I will most likely need to continue developing on and growing from.
In relation to this, I have also developed my writing style to become a mix between strictly formal and conversational. When beginning my degree, I felt the need to be extremely professional and use little/no humour or conversational language whatsoever, and this alienates an audience. After taking another communications and media class which involved blogging, we were encouraged to write our posts extremely casually, and I fell into a habit of always writing using informal language, which can be seen as unprofessional. Over the course of this current semester, I have found a balance or happy medium between these two extremes, and this allows me to be seen as relatable in my language to an audience whilst also displaying my professionalism and credibility of knowledge.
I have also learnt how to research credible and relevant information and statistics in order to solidify the arguments put forth in my articles and blog posts. Using sites such as Google Scholar and the University of Wollongong Library resources, my writing style has been enhanced by boosting the genuine and solid information provided to the people who read the blog post. In a previous blog post of mine, titled “Piracy: It’s a crime (but we still do it)“, I conducted my own online survey and distributed it to people in the age demographic relevant to the argument I was trying to prove, and used the information to back up my stance. This makes me, as a blogger, seem more credible, knowledgeable and genuinely invested and interested in the topic, as well as also ensuring that the readers do not have to do all of the research themselves. My use of hyperlinks has also reassured this, as this allows the reader to have quick access to any and all of the information I may be referencing,
During my growth as a writer and blogger, I have taken up the useful tactic of incorporating images and memes into my writing. I feel that these enhance the information when used correctly, and provide something interesting to an audience. Without these images, some readers may feel swamped by information or become bored. An example of this is in my previous article “Welcome to the 70’s“, where I included an extremely old photograph of my grandparents standing in front of their first television. As this was relevant to the topic of the post, it made it more interesting and my personal touch on the post allowed other people to relate to the content.
Through developing my use of humour, conducting thorough and thoughtful research, using a mix of formal and informal language, and utilising images, I believe I have grown steadily in my writing style in comparison to where I started. All of these factors have allowed my posts to grow from lacking substance and being unrelatable to an audience, to posts that inform an audience of real information in a way they appreciate and understand. As I continue on further into my degree, I expect and hope that my writing style will grow and develop further.
josiehowl 