Blog It!Enhancing communication and conferencing

with clinical blogging.

What’s a Blog?

• Web-log . . . Blog

• “A blog is a web site, where you write stuff on an ongoing basis. New stuff shows up at the top, so your visitors can read what's new. Then they comment on it or link to it or email you. Or not.” (from blogger.com)

State of the Blog• Online diaries in early 1990s

• Hosting sites in late 1990’s (LiveJournal, Open Diary, Blogger)

• Military and news blogging at the turn of the century

• Currently over 250 million blogs?!?

Which Clinicals?

• Community

• Mental Health

• Leadership

• Nurse-Client

• Clinicals with weekly journal assignments

• Can be used for treatment plans*

Set Up• Blogger Wordpress

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSX1Rgm3V3Q

• https://www.blogger.com/start

• Wordpress• http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=jexUS43sdeQ • https://signup.wordpress.com/signup/?

ref=bigassorangeonleft

Let’s Do It!• 1. www.blogger.com

• 2. Click “Create a Blog”

• 3. Create your account: choose and e-mail account and fill in the data

• 4. Name you blog and pick a url name www.(something).blogspot.com - check to make sure the name is available

• 5. Choose a blog template that you can edit later

• 6. Write your first post

• 7. Smile - -you are millennial savvy!

OMG, What About HIPAA!!!

• Click “Settings”

• Click “Permissions”

• Click “add authors” and input the student’s e-mail addresses - they will receive an invitation

• Select only blog authors” or “only people I choose” under “blog readers” if you want someone to read but not post

• Refer to ANA Social Media Toolkit: http://www.nursingworld.org/socialnetworkingtoolkit.aspx

Make it Yours

• Click “Layout”

• Under “page elements”, you can move the content around and add “gadgets” such as polls, links to articles, websites or other blogs, and interesting facts or quotes

• Under “fonts and colors”, you can change the look of typeface and background

• “Pick a New Template” has more variety and color choices than the start-up