This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.
You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.
Why do this?
- Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
- Because it will help you focus your own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.
The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.
To help you get started, here are a few questions:
- Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
- What topics do you think you’ll write about?
- Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
- If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?
You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.
Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.
When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.
Published by paulstouthamer
Paul Stouthamer studied ‘cello in northern France as a teenager and passed his exams with high marks at the Conservatoire de Lille for each of four years. When his family moved to the United States, he studied at the University of Akron,Ohio, where he took classes from Robert Perry of the Cleveland Orchestra and Josef Gingold. Later, he moved to Boston, where he studied composition, film music, arrangement and improvisation with Bruce Gertz, Rich Appelman, Bill Pierce, Jerry Bergonzi, John Laporta, Ken Pullig and Michael Gibbs at the Berklee College of Music. He received his diploma cum laude from the Berklee School of Music.
He then moved back to Europe, where he settled in Barcelona and travelled throughout Europe, participating actively in the modern Dutch music scene. He performed with Frans Vermeersen, Michiel Braam, Johannes Ammon, Arendt Niks and wrote compositions that premiered in Amersfoort, Rotterdam, the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, and various venues in Germany . He was a composer for the Dutch theatre group, Griftheater, for 12 years; these compositions were highlighted in performances in Holland, Germany, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Philadelphia and at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. In addition, he composed for the Ricciotti Ensemble, who performed in Amsterdam, Barcelona, and at the shipyards in Gdansk, Poland.
In Barcelona he has performed with Mauricio and Liba Villavecchia, Perico Sambaet, Jo Krause, Ginessa Ortega, Tanya Tagaq, Chicuelo, Ramón Muntaner, Jordi Sabatés, Theo Lovendie, Albert Bover, Julian Vaughn, Paul Stocker and Horacio Fumero. He wrote for and directed the Big Band de l’Associació de Escoles de Catalunya for its European tour. He leads various groups and performs in many Barcelona jazz clubs, as well as jazz and improv festivals in Spain and Europe. He teaches cello, ear training, jazz and improvisation at various schools, including the Taller de Musics ESEM conservatory.
Recently he has travelled to Sweden, where he has performed with Jess Gertztenkorn and Leo Lindberg.
His most recent production has been the opera, “Lavandería (Wash House)”, which he produced, composed, wrote the libreto for, and directed. It is a bilingual production for mixed ensemble, mezzo-soprano, actors and dancers in Roda de Ter, Catalunya.
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Paul Stouthamer 