I have to write a blog! Seriously? This is a first for me – and it’s not as if I am not active in the cyber world. Of course I have read many many many blogs – this online culture has after all been around since the previous century. Somehow I have never had the desire to publicise my personal views and experiences. But now I have a good reason – I have to! In preparation for sharing my research process with peers, while we are all sweating it out in Africa in search of new insights and understanding of the people living in this vast continent.

Weaponed with Mirjam’s explanation that the way a blog is structured is the opposite of an academic article. Start big – and narrow it down.

So, instead of starting with a brief overview of your topic and adding more and more information  as the article proceeds, you blog the big picture directly and share with your readers how you narrow it down to its essence.

Still unsure I consult my best friend – Google. How to write a blog? Internet explodes with well-intended advise for beginners to write Awesome blogs in 5 steps, and the Dos and the Don’ts. Choose a topic that interests you. Write a great headline. Be passionate. Include images. Don’t make grammar mistakes… the list is endless. But the most useful tip I found was BE YOURSELF. Your own writing voice and your own perspectives.

Ok, this could be fun… and it is. Ask Yann, Alexander and Ruben – you just need to start. So here we go….watch this space!