Blogging can become a natural part of publicizing your department or program—just like posting events to the master calendar. However, it can be hard to know where to start with your blog. Listed below are 20 post ideas to provide you with a jumping-off point for your blog.

Topic ideas

Some tried-and-true topics for your blog should include:

• Events
• Student accomplishments
• Faculty research and accomplishments
• Application and scholarship deadlines
• Registration reminders

The topic ideas listed above are a great place to start with your blog, but don’t be afraid to get creative with the types of content you provide with your followers. Showcase the unique talent, experiences and expertise of your department and program by:

• Explaining what a current event or topic means for your area of study
  What rising food prices means for nutrition. Why environmental science matters for anthropology.
• Spotlighting faculty and students – special projects, research or a recent trip
• Introducing new faculty members, graduate assistants and staff members
• Providing “a day in the life of the department head/center director/advisor” feature
• Linking to a news release or podcast about your faculty or students, which can be found on the university news site
• Posting a Flickr slideshow of photos from a recent event
• Asking for a guest post from a student, alumni or professor
• Asking for a guest post from a faculty member in a different, yet related subject area
  Discuss the partnership between the areas and recommend courses for students to take to learn more
• Coordinating your posts with seasons, holidays or University-wide events, such as Homecoming, public affairs, back-to-school, etc.
• Spotlighting a study abroad or volunteer experience
• Describing student organizations or clubs
• Previewing new or special topic courses offered in the coming semester
• Providing career or internship tips
• Compiling a list of links to news stories and websites that would be valuable to students
• Sharing the slides from a professor’s recent presentation or a guest lecturer

Tips for posting

A good blog provides its readers with regular posts on topics of value to its followers. For University units, try to post monthly (preferably more often) on subjects or events that your students, alumni and faculty would find meaningful.

When you provide valuable and interesting information to your readers, they will return again and again to your blog because it becomes a valuable source of “insider” information. Your blog can be a great tool for telling the story of your department or program, staying connected with alumni, recruiting new students and keeping current students informed of department or program happenings.