Story by Melanie Leach
Many students start blogs to write down their thoughts, create their own voice or make a name for themselves. The students at Drake University are no different.
The blogs of Drake University students range from fashion to poetry to completely private to blogging as a job.
These bloggers also have a variety of different motives for creating blogs and websites. One of the most common in the journalism school has been to share their thoughts and complete assignments in journalism classes.
First-year Maggie Dickman created a blog before she came to Drake as a “platform to share (her) fashion, beauty and lifestyle favorites and ideas.”
After reading other blogs, she created her own as a way to connect with other people who had the same interests. Dickman tries to post once a week to inspire others. She believes blogging is a great way to share ideas with others, and the comments section can be helpful for feedback.
Dickman is now a blogger for Drake Magazine, where she blogs about fashion trends.
First-year Mia Rush created a blog when she was in high school but never felt like there was a focus to her posts. After a long time of infrequent posts, she decided to delete it. This past winter, Rush began blogging again with a new purpose. Having a blog gives Rush “an outlet to voice some of (her) opinions and also (allows her) to expand (her) creativity.”
Most students begin blogging by reading other blogs. Looking at other blogs can help them determine their own voice and style. All of these bloggers have been inspired by other bloggers. Most importantly, reading blogs encourages them to keep writing.
“No matter how badly I do on an assignment or how well I do, I never want to stop writing. Writing is my life,” Rush said.
Emily Tozer, a Drake alumna, began blogging as an assignment for a journalism class. Unlike most students, Tozer did not stop blogging at the end of the semester. She kept writing, and earlier this year launched her own website. It is geared toward style, beauty and lifestyle.
The general consensus is it is extremely important to blog about something you are passionate about. That is why there are so many different categories within blogging.
Every person has different interests, which lead to different blogs.
Although each of these three women have studied journalism at Drake, blogging is not only for those aspiring to be published.
“Blogs are an incredible way to demonstrate your knowledge of and passion for a subject,” Tozer said.
“It’s a great way of documenting what you’re up to, what you like, what you don’t like,” Dickman said.
Especially in college, blogging allows others to check in and continue to stay in touch with people they don’t often get to see in person.
So, toss aside your fears, read these ladies’ blogs and create your own.
