Submitted by Jennifer Gyuricska of the Greater Fredericton Women's Institute (NBWI)
I joined my local Women’s Institute branch for the community. The women I’ve met have become close friends. We laugh, we cry, we learn, we build. We connect.
Building Community with Communication
When the WI Canada Executive began to talk about better communication - inclusive, coast-to-coast, transparent communication and more of it - I got out the pompoms and noisemakers. I more than love the idea, I want to celebrate it!
WI Canada began with a website refresh to ensure it was easy to read, easy to navigate and attractive. But what is a website without content?!
Articles and Blogs for Members by Members
The best women to write for the Women’s Institutes are women who are members of the Women’s Institutes. I can look within our own Branches, Districts and Provinces for the topics that matter most. I can write as if explaining something to a sister - who knows the WI better than our own WI family?
Blog posts are similar to the essays in that they take a stance on a subject. They have an introduction, body and conclusion.
Writing for the internet is different from other writing in that we read screens differently than we do books. Here, sentences and paragraphs are shorter. I use more headings and I create lists with bullets. I pepper my article with images to help keep the attention of my reader. Is it working?
I also have ‘cheats’ that I didn’t have in middle school. Grammarly is software built into my website browser to check my spelling and grammar. I copy and paste my work into the Hemingway App to ensure its readability.
Of course, I want my sister WI members to find and read my articles. So, I follow the best practices for search engine optimization. And I make sure the article is shared to social media and in the WI Connections.
But don't just take my word for it! I asked my blogging friends for their best tips for new writers:
"Don’t let planning stop you from hitting ‘publish,’ but be patient enough to create a strategy." - Jenna Morton, Pickle Planet Moncton
"Don’t be scared to hit publish even if everything isn’t perfect. Everyone has to start somewhere, and you can only get better if you keep going." - Carmen LeBlanc, Tiny Adventures Journey
"Make it personal and connectable. People want to have a connection to what they are reading. Some way to feel the personality and feel your emotions as you write. If you can do that you are absolutely awesome." - Ashley Chapman, Soul Graphic Designs
If you’re interested in learning to blog with us, watch the WI Canada webinar below.
And if you have questions about learning to blog, share your questions in the comments so we can all learn together.
If you would like to blog for WI Canada, please reach out for more information.