Hello and welcome!

To say that I am excited to be composing my first blog entry is an understatement; I’m truly thrilled to join plague of creators the internet gains daily. First and foremost, my name is Hannah Smith. I’m a sophomore at the University of Southern Mississippi from Slidell, LA. Like many other collegians, my days are typically fueled by an excessive caffeine intake, Cookout tray combos, and cat naps taken anywhere convenient. This holy trinity makes juggling two jobs, maintaining a social life, going to school full-time, and extra-circulars just a little bit less painful. I have always enjoyed writing and creating; it allows for an audience to immerse themselves completely in someone else’s mind. I decided to change my major to Public Relations after my first two decisions failed miserably; in short, math and I do not get along. Nevertheless, I know the wide world of creating and communications is where I belong. I’ve fallen in love with creating for others with purpose, and I’m very grateful for being forced to practice what I preach via assignments (like this one); it tests my drive and passion. Ultimately, my goal is to become more aware and educated on the world around me, to expand my horizons and embrace new cultures, and to maintain a positive, optimistic energy on all I compose. I look forward to the weeks to come!

Peace, love, & good vibes

Hannah Smith

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.