How to Blog

Communications Toolkit

How to blog The IPA is committed to the idea that for our profession to thrive, attract patients and candidates, and be engaged in the broader cultural arena, we as analysts need to communicate with the public - sharing our ideas about social and cultural issues, conveying the value and benefit of psychoanalytic treatment.

Blogging is one the ways psychoanalysts can communicate directly with a wider public audience. It can be useful if you want to extend your public outreach as a psychoanalyst.

Like every other medium it has particular requirements, strengths and weaknesses.

This ’How To’ sets out the basics about blogging with some tips to help you develop your blogging skills and impact.

It is not exhaustive – you can find more guidance on blogging on the internet (see Useful Links below).

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What is a blog?

A blog is an informational site on a website consisting of discrete entries—essentially brief essays conveying opinions and/or information. It can stand alone or be one part of a more complex website. Blogs that actively invite and respond to comments can function as discussion sites.

Why blog?

Blogging - writing in the ‘blogosphere’ - has become a powerful way for individual opinion formers to make their voice heard on politics, business and society in general.

Blogging is part idea-promotion and part self-promotion. For example, you can blog to:         

Raise awareness of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic ideas.

Give your perspective as a thought leader on issues that interest you and/or are currently highlighted in public conversations.

Offer guidance or information free of charge, to raise your public profile (and convey intellectual generosity).

Connect with the public, other professional and prospective patients.

Use it for ‘thinking in progress’, e.g. try out ideas for a book.

Encourage your blog readers to share your ideas through social media or visit relevant content (e.g. other resources on your website).

Draw attention to other thinkers/ opinion formers you admire.

Use it as a creative space to writing about psychoanalytic ideas for the public.

Build your own profile on the internet by creating content that raises your visibility in web searches.

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Where can you blog? 

If you work for an institution such as a university, hospital or government agency, anything you say can reflect on it. Check with your organisation’s press office for their social media policy.

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Similarly, if you want to blog on behalf of your local psychoanalytical body, you must first ask their permission. Otherwise, you can set up your own personal blog.

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You can set up a basic personal blog easily via a free hosting application such as Wordpress.com, Tumblr.com or Blogger.com.

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For a modest extra charge, you can add features such as a personalized domain name. To be accepted to blog on a site that aggregates blogs, e.g. Psychology Today, Huffington Post, you must be recommended to or apply to the editor.

Writing your blog Follow the general guidance in How to write for the public. In addition, here are some key tips for successful blogging: Title Make the title short but intriguing/ useful to your intended readers, e.g.

10 things Freud got right 5 fears that plague children during a divorce and what to do about them Is psychoanalysis right for me?

How to manage a narcissistic employee The aim is to get them to click on the title to read more. Consider incorporating key words and phrases people are likely to type into a Google search.

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Voice and Style 

Never assume knowledge of psychoanalytic terminology, even for a highly intellectual audience.

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Limit yourself to two or at the most three psychoanalytic terms per post, and always define each one in ordinary language.

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Use a conversational tone, as if you’re talking to someone in your target audience.

Incorporate anecdotes or stories. Humour is great when it is appropriate to the topic and if you have the knack for it.

Format   

Keep it short – short words, sentences, paragraphs. A typical blog is around 500 words. Edit and polish; cut out the fat.

Add sub-headings if necessary to help your reader navigate through.

Include some keywords and phrases people are likely to type into a Google search.

Content There are various conceptual approaches to the content of a blog. Consider these: 

Timely and relevant - offer commentary or opinion on breaking news or a current cultural concern e.g. “From a Psychoanalyst’s Perspective - Gay Marriage”

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“Evergreen”- give advice that is not tied to a particular event e.g. “Is Psychoanalysis Right for Me?” “How to Manage the Narcissistic Employee”

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Tie your comments to the annual cycle or common life events: e.g. back to school in the Fall, graduation or weddings in the early summer, Christmas and family gatherings, etc.

Frequency When starting a blog and promoting it you make an unofficial commitment with your readers to keep it up and keep it fresh.

This needs forward planning and some self-discipline, to find the time and enthusiasm whether you decide to post every week, every month or when you have something to say.

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Images Use at least one really impactful image to capture the readers’ interest, e.g.  take your own photos to insert in your blog posts  source copyright free photographs or illustrations in the public domain, e.g. at Wikimedia Commons or Creative Commons  Caution - do not use images unless you are certain they are not subject to copyright.

Links Include one or more hyperlinks in your blog to refer readers to other websites or articles they may find useful. Embed click-thru web addresses within the relevant words or images to avoid long url strings.

Copyright For guidance on blog copyright visit Wordpress.

Integrate your blog Integrating blogging with other kinds of public communications (e.g. your magazine articles, your Facebook or Twitter accounts) is the best way to maximize its impact and start building a community of people who are interested in your ideas.

In this way, you can reach individuals through the media they prefer and still keep them alerted of your latest posting.

By adding click-thru social media icons you can also:   

invite readers to follow you on Facebook and/orTwitter make your blog shareable via your readers’ own social media add an RSS feed which allows readers to subscribe to your blog and receive notification of a new blog post.

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Add a landing page You may want to build a database of readers to your blog to inform them of other things such as a newsletter or events. To do this, include a link in your blog to a landing page.

This is a special purpose page on your website that asks for contact information - name, email address, anything else you want to know about your reader. You gather that information and use it to compile a database for future communications.

For example, “For more information on parenting adolescents, click here to receive a copy of my free brochure”.

A few words of caution on blogging 

Whose views are you giving? If you work for an institution such as a university, hospital or government agency, anything you say can reflect on it. Some institutions require vetting before you post your writing. Check with your organisation’s press office for their policy.

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Your blog carries your professional (and possibly private) reputation. Remember: what you say lasts forever, can be read by anyone and can be quoted.

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Ensure you do not include any content, which could be seen as defamatory.

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If you are writing in a way that might appear to be giving advice about psychological illness, you might want to include a disclaimer that this is general information and specific questions should be directed to a licensed practitioner.

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Always honour patient and clinical confidentiality.

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Consider carefully whether you want to reveal any personal beliefs, e.g. political, religious etc, that you hold.

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You are entirely responsible for the accuracy and appropriateness of your content.

This is freeing, as you can experiment with ideas without the pressure of formal academic review. However, it is a responsibility to keep in mind. Some bloggers ask colleagues to review their content before posting.

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Do not use copyright images without permission and attribution.

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Blogs are designed to be interactive. Readers are usually invited to make comments, and the blogger can respond to these comments. You can decide whether or not to respond.

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Trolls are people who write negative, attacking or otherwise toxic comments.

Unfortunately, the anonymity of the internet can allow and even encourage irrationality, even viciousness. All experts recommend ignoring comments from trolls. Do not answer them.

Be inspired!

Check out these blogs by psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic organizations: Individual blogs Michael Bader, What is he thinking: Decoding the Male Psyche Barry Childress, In depth treatment for children and adolescents (and parents) Todd Essig, Managing Mental Wealth in Forbes Magazine Richard Frank, Psych, the Universe and Everything Prudence Gourguechon blog Jennifer Kunst, A Headshrinker’s Guide to the Galaxy Psychology Today Blog: Psychoanalytic Excavation Neal Spira, A Deeper Look Dr. José Treszezamsky Historias del Psicoanalisis (Stories of psychoanalysis: Stories, facts and trivia that haunt psychoanalysis

Society and Multi-Author Blogs Lawrence Blum and Leon Hoffman, Beyond Freud: A dose of common sense The Columbian Psychoanalytic Society Blog American Psychoanalytic Association Service Members and Veterans Initiative Blog William Alanson White Institute, under the auspices of its journal Contemporary Psychoanalysis, Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Action

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Blog Aggregators Some examples of sites that collect blogs from many different authors:    

Psychologytoday.com huffingtonpost.com psychcentral.com chicagonow.com

Please email us so we can add more examples. We are especially interested to hear about blogs and blog aggregators outside the North American region.

Useful links   

Startablog How to start a blog How to start a blog: The complete guide from start to finish

Background papers Inger Mewburn & Pat Thomson Why do academics blog? An analysis of audiences, purposes and challenges, Studies in Higher Education, 38:8, 1105-1119, DOI: (2013) Spina, Carli Finding Public Domain and Creative Commons Media, Harvard Law School Library

Prudence Gourguechon, M.D. November 2015

CT 2015.03

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