:newspaper: OICR Engineering Blog Writing Guide
Hello all!
The following guide is for clarity on writing posts for the blog. It is not prescriptive. Here you can find information on:
:thought_balloon: Determining a Topic
Three simple steps when stuck on ideas:
Start with your reader.
- What problems does your reader experience?
- What questions are they asking?
- Jot a list of everything that comes to mind.
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- Pick and Google one of these problems and take note of the top three search results.
- How have these search results phrased the problem?
- How are they solving the problem?
- Does that change your approach to the article?
:memo: Writing to our Audience
- This blog’s target audience is you. You are writing for yourself
Be yourself, do not say anything in writing that you wouldn’t say in conversation
Beware of the curse of knowledge:
A bias that occurs when an individual, who is communicating with other individuals, assumes that the other individuals have the background knowledge to understand.
- You are the expert in your domain/topic. Wherever possible, simplify your language and provide background for your reader (in-text or hyperlinked).
:dart: Structuring your blog post
General tips:
Keywords: It’s good practice to incorporate keywords in your
<h1>
and other headersHeaders: Everyone’s friend when reading online is the header; they divide the material, structure it, and let readers learn more when skimming
- Short Paragraphs: When online, large blocks of text create a barrier to engaging readers. You enable readers to skim and gather more information with brief paragraphs, on average 3 sentences, typically no more than five or six
- Sentences (~ 25 words)
- Paragraphs (~ 3 sentences no more than 6)
Length: Based on SEO metrics articles roughly 1500-2500 words tend to do best however this is a large word count and is not absolutely required. Tailor as needed.
- Hyperlinks: By doing so, extraneous background information can be reduced while still enabling a wider audience to follow along.
Problem Centered Post
Description Present a problem that your reader is experiencing, empathize with that problem, and then solve the problem.
Approximate word count: 1500-2500 words. Tailor as needed.
:memo: Google Docs: Problem Centered Post Template
Titles: Information on creating a title can be found within the google doc.
Wiki Post
Description: Gain readers, establish your expertise on a subject, and help many people along the way. Content from wikis or encyclopedias, particularly material Wikipedia hasn’t covered, is also a huge benefit for gaining search traffic. Keep in mind that this is still a blog post, not a Wikipedia article.
Approximate word count: 1500-2500 words. Tailor as needed.
:memo: Google Docs: Wiki Post Template Linked Here
Titles: Information on creating a title can be found within the google doc.
Conversational Post
Description: Spark engagement with readers by creating a thought provoking conversational piece.
Approximate word count: 1500 words. Tailor as needed.
:memo: Google Docs: Conversational Post Template
Titles: Information on creating a title can be found within the google doc.
:pencil: Citing Sources
Simple hyperlinks for any referenced web content within the article
If citing a journal article use APA
- last name, first name initial., …, …, & last name, first name initial. title of article. title of journal, volume(Issue), page(s).DOI
Example
Tolufi, M., Boreman, N., & ,Trotsky D. (2040). The computer goes beep. Advanced computer systems America, 5(2), 161. < insert doi link >
In-text citation: (Tolufi et al., 2040)
If two authors: (Tolufi & Boreman., 2040)