Starting a Counselor Blog

I know many of you are reading great counselor blogs and have the desire to start your own, but may have a little uncertainty about taking the plunge into the blog world.  My advice is to go ahead and do it!  Summer is great time to start since you may have a little less on your plate. Blogs can give us a little glimpse in your counselor world and give great ideas on what things that you do in your counseling program.

There's no "right" way to blog, it's you sharing your personal counselor experiences so it's certainly not meant to be a one size fit all deal.  I've been blogging for a little over a year and will say that my blog posts have improved with time.  Once I figured out what worked best for me, my blog truly started to show my fun, fancy-free, tech loving counselor lifestyle.  Here are a few tips I'd like to share as you ponder, plan or begin your own counselor blog:

-Read several blogs and get a feel of the writers and topics discussed.  I read all of my blogs on my iPad on one of my favorite apps ever Pulse Reader (free).  Another good blog reader is Google Reader (free) which you can read on your computer.  Each blogger has their own style and by reading others you get an idea of ways that you can "express yourself". Some great counselor blogs to follow are:

Corner on Character
Counseling by Heart
Elementary School Counseling
Savvy School Counselor
School Counselor Blog
Scrapbook of a School Counselor
and since your reading this, go ahead and add jyjoyner counselor to your blog list (shameless plug)

These are all jyjcounselor "approved" to have great ideas and are very helpful for school counselors.  I really enjoy reading these blogs. Another reason why I like these counselor blogs is that the writers post/update new info regularly. 

-Think of who your audience will be.  Will your blog be geared towards parents at your school, other counselors, interns, college students, etc?  Cater your blog writing to your audience.

-Decide which blog site you would like to use.  Several popular blog sites are: blogger, word press, edublogs.

-How often do you want to post on your blog? I try to post at least twice a week but once a week or even twice a month may work for you.  It's a good idea to post pretty regularly & consistenly so that other readers will continue to follow your blog. 

-Take pictures:  Show & tell time friends! Pictures give a visual of what you're talking about in your blog.  I use my digital camera, iPad and my iPhone to take pictures of things that I may want to share with you awesome counselor friends.  Who doesn't love looking at pictures?

-Don't worry, there's NO right or wrong way to do your blog.  You call the shots on what direction you want your blog to go in.

I'll also share that I've made great connections with my blog friends and communicate with them pretty often.  It's like an extended counselor family!  

So who's ready to start...blog on!  If you do decide to create a counselor blog, please share it with me, I'd love to see it. Pin It