This is a blog about the power of blogging!
Just less than 10 months ago, I said “One small tweet for man; one giant leap for education!“ and blogged ONE MILLION reads on @TeacherToolkit. Today, I celebrate my TWO MILLIONTH read after 28 months of blogging here on www.TeacherToolkit.me
When people ask me how I manage what I do online, I always reply with three simple answers:
- I have been tweeting and blogging longer than most. The snowball scenario.
- When I’m not in school, I’m writing. I see blogging as an opportunity for reflection …
- I have a range of ICT skills that come in useful now and again; and that’s it!
In actual fact, I’ve been blogging for 8 years now, but for me blogging started professionally in 2010. After a relatively short period of tweeting happily away to myself and a few others professionally, I decided to start-up my own blog and published my first blogpost. My inspiration for doing so, was originally writing about this and then this. My blog was originally over here where I started my @TeacherToolkit blog, before moving all my content over to this blog, where you are now reading.
Exactly 12 months ago, I had 40,000 followers on Twitter. Today, I am approaching 80,000 followers as I write this blog! If teachers ever needed evidence of teachers using social media for professional development, let me be your case study! I continue to be overwhelmed by the professional forum online.
TWO MILLION reads!
So, here it is. The evidence of 2,000,000 views, with over 140,000 read per month during this autumn!
In this blog below, I share my highlights from 2014. There have been many highs and lows in my blogging life and it is wonderful to look back on 2012 and 2013. Blogging gives you a wonderful platform to recollect all your own educational experiences in one place. Whether or not anybody is reading this, it is a great source of reflection, perhaps therapy; but most of all, sharing with others in your profession should be one of your aims. Even just a single comment or a reply on Twitter is what we all hope for …
It’s frightening when you look at all the reader-spots on this map. Views from 189 countries across the world!
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What I wish I knew ?
What I wish I knew before I started using social media?
- 10 Tips for Blogging Teachers
- 10 Tips for Tweeting Teachers
- Stuck for who to follow? After 6 years of tweeting, try 101 Great Teachers to Follow on Twitter
Recognition:
Of course, blogging is not all about receiving recognition. It’s about the feedback you receive and the opportunity to share your thoughts with colleagues beyond your own school. In time, the feedback is phenomenal and at times, spirals out of control. The doors that open are also endless. Apart from the opportunity to write online, write a book and attend teachmeets, there have been a small number of extra-ordinary highlights during 2014. These are:
- Securing my deputy headship after blogging about my intentions online. Vamoose! I’m off to @QKynaston
- In July 2014, @WonderFrancis came to interview me for the Local Schools Network. It’s useful for me to have this recorded and watch back having my philosophy on education being questioned. I’d recommend it to anyone. The full blog is here and the video is below.
- Over the past month alone – merely down to my online profile (in my opinion) – I have managed to receive the following nominations. They always continue to surprise me!
EduBlog Awards:
In November 2014, I was nominated for another Edublog Award. This year, for Best Individual Tweeter.
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The Education Foundation:
Nominated for Education Reformer of the Year 2014: “For pioneering work in the online and face to face support of teachers across the UK and the open sharing of resources through @TeacherToolkit and @SLTchat.” You can read The Education Foundation nomination here.
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Debrett’s 500:
The Sunday Times Most Influential in the UK.
I have been nominated for Debrett’s – UK’s 500 Most Influential People in Education 2014 – in The Sunday Times. The announcement is due in late January 2015. It’s all a little flattering!
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Patience:
So, if you’re starting out on blogging, have patience and give it time. One of the common personality flaws of bloggers, is impatience… One small tweet for man; may also lead to one blog for your community; and hopefully end in one giant leap for education!
Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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If you want to know how I have managed to achieve this, and some of the online strategies I have used, then go straight here.
Congrats from all at http://www.classcharts.com & reportcommentbank. 3,000,000 next year. Happy New Year.
Charles
Congratulations Ross. You are still the epicentre; what you have achieved is remarkable.
Thanks Tom. Still hard to believe all the doors that have opened to us both. Remember, your blog inspired mine!
Ross ,and Tom come to that matter, are a tour de force. Sometimes I look at my low view figures compared to yours but then remind myself my posts are often more personal things and celebrating 21,000 views this Christmas is fine for me. I do not want to try to compete with you for that would mean my blogging g taking a different direction.
So in2015 keep blogging sound ideas both of you and I will stick to the back channels.
Andy, I read many of your blogs. Keep up the back channels. There is always an audience.
Awesome! Congratulations! And thank you for the wonderful material you post. 🙂