College & Blogging: Why the Two Go Together
Ever since blogging became all the rage, practically everyone has jumped onto the bandwagon. The blogosphere has exploded in growth considerably over the years, with everyone from college students to working professionals sharing their thoughts, opinions and resources for any and all to read.
When it comes to college students, blogging is an especially popular activity, which should be no surprise, given how obsessed this particular demographic is with the Internet, social media and other related online happenings. Student bloggers have the ability to create a blog filled with content that not only matters to them, but that their peers can relate to.
No matter the subject (fashion, sports, entertainment, politics, news), there are blogs specially tailored for each category. There are even college blogs, both written for students and by students. In fact, there are a number of blogs run and operated by actual colleges that are very popular. From community colleges to Ivy League and other notable schools like Stanford, it seems that in addition to an official website, colleges and universities everywhere are benefiting from having a blog of their own. This serves as a way for schools to further expand their online presence, as well as reach more potential students that may be interested in applying.
What makes college and blogging go so well together is the fact that it is a medium all students know, understand and use in their daily lives. There are no rules or guidelines for how to write a blog and no previous writing experience is required. This means literally anyone can do it.
The connection between blogging and the college age demographic is so strong that some traditional websites offer members the opportunity to share/link blog posts on their sites, while others like Arsenal News, give its readers who sign up for a user account the chance to create their own blog, which can be shared and seen by other members and guest readers.
The most successful bloggers have taken this activity to the next level by being labeled “experts” in their respective fields, as well as the opportunity to blog full-time. It’s not uncommon these days for the most popular bloggers to get paid for what they do, as well as accept donations from readers or even sponsorship from companies that want to advertise on their blog.
Many college students looking for additional income or just something fun to do in their downtime should look into blogging. All it takes is setting up an account and starting with one post. Journalism students in particular can use this medium to generate writing samples to add to their portfolio of work. From writing reviews and opinion pieces on popular subjects to conducting interviews and enhancing the content with media like video and audio, running a blog is the perfect way for journalism students to establish a history of writing that could easily lead to job opportunities with a variety of websites, news organizations and other related publishing companies.