My Blogging Experience: Now and Then

My Blogging Experience: Now and Then

Then: Previous blogging

This wasn’t the first time I’ve had to blog as part of my course work. Last year we had to write blogs in groups for Contemporary Issues in Tourism. The Tough Tomatoes' blogging experience although enjoyable, didn’t offer much freedom. To me that’s what blogging is all about. It’s the freedom to publish your views on a subject, share expertise or maybe just your opinion on something. The initial Tough Tomatoes’ experience focused on four specified topics and instead of publishing our own blogs we posted comments on the Contemporary Issues in Tourism blog. It was beneficial in terms of learning but in hindsight it was a very limited blogging experience. I suppose it becomes more difficult when you have a group of people with differing opinions trying to write one blog. If I’m honest, as I reflect on finishing that assignment exactly a year ago, I didn’t think much of blogging, I didn’t get it. I’d tried it once and I was done!

Now: My Current Blog

Fast forward one year to my Computer Lab Tourism (I really wanted Arm Chair Tourism but alas someone beat me to it) Blog and I feel altogether different about it. I’m sitting here finishing the last bit of CA work of my DKIT student career and instead of willing the end to come with each word I type; I’m instead wondering if I’ll keep up this blog! So what’s changed? I think it was simply more freedom or scope relating to both the blog topics and the fact that it was individual. The topics, some of which were my choice, weren’t too specific. It allowed me to interpret what I thought was most important or interesting. Similarly from a CA perspective the blog has allowed a more casual approach to the subject, in a good way I hope. I have searched information on certain topics and been allowed to choose what I want to discuss. You don’t get that with a twenty page report talking about IMC planning and the SOSTAC framework.

In conclusion, it’s the freedom, creativity and individuality of my blogging experience that I have truly enjoyed. There is a sense of achievement every time I press the “publish” button. That too is another important aspect of blogging. It has allowed me to realize any dreams of amateur journalism; after all I’ve been published online several times. Finally as I look forward to future blogging I would encourage you to do the same. Here are some useful tips for “noobs” to the world of blogging.