With less than two weeks until the contest closes, this is your last chance to try your hand at IT blogging and win one of four prizes. Our two previous suggested topics were on IT security and data sovereignty. While you can still submit blog posts on these topics, if they haven’t inspired you, try writing and submitting a post on the internet of things. You can email me at hahmed@itwc.ca with your intention to submit a blog post, a short bio of yourself and a head shot. Over the next two weeks, we will be randomly giving away Tim Horton’s gifts cards to the contestants as we enter the last stretch of the contest, so keep an eye out and make sure to join the contest!
If you’d like to join but are finding it difficult to get started, here are some tips on how to deal with writer’s block:
1. Get organized. Writing a 500-600 word article is really challenging if you’ve only got a blinking cursor to start with. Plan some subheadings in advance that are related to your topic and fill out your information, thoughts and opinions underneath. You’ll not only find this to be an effective way at tackling your blog post, but an organized piece is more likely to have more readers who read until the end. Just make sure that your subheadings and content flows, ties to each other, is cohesive, and of course, proves whatever point you are trying to make.
2. Do your research. Blogging about IT can be challenging because whether you’re a subject matter expert or not, many of your readers will be. Don’t let this be daunting. Spending some time clarifying concepts to yourself will help you write opinions about them. If you are an expert and have advance knowledge on IT, researching what you want to write about is still important, particularly other news articles or blogs that you can use for reference or even address in your blog post. It’s always a good idea to know what other people are saying about your topic.
3. Read other blog posts. The best way to become successful at writing is to read. Whether it’s a blog post, news piece or white paper, you will find that reading will help you articulate your own thoughts, and give you ideas on how to present content in unique ways. At ITWC, you can check out our blog section to see what our other IT bloggers are writing about. You can also subscribe to receive updates on the latest in IT news and blogs.
4. Edit. Don’t try to write the perfect piece the first time you begin typing. Editing is a valuable tool not just for spelling and grammar, but to re-evaluate your statements critically. Is what you are claiming well substantiated? Is it easy to understand? You’ll find that as you take time to take a second look at your piece, you’ll become more aware of these points the next time you write. At ITWC, our staff can help you with editorial support and provide helpful feedback to improve your writing skills.
I hope this will help you remove some of the obstacles you may be facing while trying to write your blog post. If you’re still not feeling inspired, make sure you check out why you should be blogging as an IT professional, and as always, feel free to reach out to me with any questions or inquiries you may have.
Good luck to all our bloggers!