REAL-LIFE SKILLS CHOOSING A NAME AND A TEMPLATE FOR A CLASS BLOG 5. GROUP WORK Create a class blog. Follow the instructions. Split up into groups and decide on a topic, e.g., a school diary (events, school trips, etc.), notes on school subjects, free time activities, etc. 1. A few tips: You don’t need to be an expert on any of the topics you write about. People who visit blogs don’t want to read a textbook from a specialist, they want to hear about someone’s personal experience. So, choose topics you are passionate about and share your thoughts. Choose a descriptive name for your blog. Choose a name and use a search engine to verify that it is not already registered. If that is the case, try one of the following: • change the domain name (e.g. .net or .org instead of .com or .it); • add short words like my, the (e.g. MySchoolBlog or TheSchoolBlog instead of SchoolBlog); • add dashes between words (e.g The-SchoolBlog instead of SchoolBlog). 2. To get your blog online, you will need a blog/web host and appropriate blogging software. Use the Internet to find the names of some blog hosts. Blog hosts are companies that store all the files of a blog and deliver them to the users when they type the blog name. 3. Choose a template for your blog. There are some templates available for free on the Net. Have a look, choose a basic model and then plan as many changes as you want. Present your template to the class. 4. Discuss different ways to promote your blog. 5. Write Your First Blog Post Keeping in mind all the various elements. Here is a template: 6.