With all our to-do about blogging and starting a blog we’ve been doing, I was asked recently what an authority blog was. That is an excellent question! As homeschoolers, a blog can be an incredible learning tool, not just by reading them, but by creating one. Homeschoolers are experts at recognizing and disregarding fluff, and fluff is what has damaged the reputation of blogs as learning tools.

Like everything else on the internet, the face of true blogging is changing and maturing. Sure, there will always be the fluff blogs, the diaries of the shallow Hals of the world, but there are some blogs that everytime you stop by you find something worthwhile.

An authority blog is is more than just worthy of a stop once in awhile. It’s a blog that you’ve come to trust as a reliable source of information on a particular subject, a blog that cares more about their readers than simply their ability to click on their ads. It’s a go-to place for reliable information that is meaty and to the point.

An authority blog is usually there for the long haul, and is able to withstand the ups and downs of internet trends and Google slaps. Yes, they do make money, but it’s usually an income that’s been built up slowly and methodically. Their readers are loyal and stay with them for the long term, because they know that the return on their investment of time is great.

So, if you are thinking of starting a blog as a learning tool, don’t expect instant success. Lay a good foundation, always work at giving more value than you have to, and appreciate your readers. It takes committment, and time, but it is so worth it. Research skills, writing skills, learning to manage your time, managing readers, graphic skills, are all benefits of ‘edu-blogging’, not to mention how much is learned about the subject of the blog. What other learning activity offers so much in return, including some extra money?

Some examples of Authority Blogs are:

http://www.problogger.net/

http://www.copyblogger.com

http://www.coated.com (cool gadget authority!)

A good forum to get your blogging questions answered:

http://forum.authorityblogger.com/

An outstanding example of an ‘edu-blog’ done by a homeschooler:

http://www.gardeningformyfamily.blogspot.com/

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