One of the underutilized functions of every popular blog platform (Blogger, Kidblog, Edublogs, WordPress) is the option to apply tags or labels to each blog post. Tags and labels don’t get used because people don’t understand how using them can be beneficial in the long run.

In WordPress, KidBlog, and Edublogs there is an option to apply tags to every post. In Blogger the same function is found in the form of labels that can be applied to every post. By tagging or labeling your posts you are creating a framework which will make it easier for you and others visiting your blog to find more posts to read. In practice this means that when someone reads a post and wants to find more like it in your blog, he or she simply needs to click on a tag or label to be taken to more posts on the same topic. Try it for yourself on this post on PracticalEdTech.com. After reading the post, click on the Google Drive tag to find more posts containing Google Drive tips.

Applications for Education
On a classroom blog using tags or labels makes it easy for students to find related posts. For example on a US History classroom blog you might try labeling or tagging each post with a unit title like “Revolutionary War.” Then when it comes time for students to review material about the Revolutionary War they can simply click on the tag to find everything related to that unit of study.

I’ll be sharing more tips like this one in my upcoming course, Classroom Blog Jumpstart, starting on August 17th.