Game4Learning

I have not been posting much on this blog.  There are two reasons: one to keep up with one blog is quite busy already, especially the self-hosted one.  For me, to keep iGameMom.com running, I have to keep looking for good apps, play the apps, and decide on the one I want to write a review on.  Then write and post the review is a lot work too – it is not just typing what you want to say, there are the pictures that I want to be the right size, the links to the App Store.  There are so many apps with similar name, without a picture and a link connected directly to the store, people could easily downloading a different app and not even knowing it is not the one I recommended.  Then there is email correspondence with readers, app developers, … So iGameMom.com has been keeping me very busy.

The second reason: I have not completely figure out what should be covered in this blog.  One thing I know I want to go beyond apps.  Because there are still many kids don’t have access to an iPAD or iPod, I hope I can help them too.  Plus I have come across many good online resources and would love to share with everyone.  However, it’s hard to decide what – do I focus on online games?  shall I include board games?

What would you like to see in this blog?  Online learning resources?  Free resources?  Any educational resources available on iPAD?

I have been doing blog for about a year now.  My first blog was closed by wordpress.  It is was quite a surprise, because there was no warnings – the night before I was able to login, the next day I was not.  I learned afterwards, that the reason they closed my account is because I had backlinks to my self-host website.  So the first important lesson learned from blogging, is to read the contract carefully.  Make sure you really understand the terminologies.  When I first started blogging, I had no idea what backlink is.  I assumed I won’t do anything illegal, then I should be fine.  I did not read the contract word by word.  If I knew that was not allowed, why would I do that?

My first blog was actually doing well.  I gained followers pretty quickly.  I then decided to move to a self-host site, so I can have more flexibility on web layouts.  The first blog’s focus is educational applications (app) on mobile devices for kids, called iGameMom.  App is an area that is developing quickly.  With so many apps on the App Store, it is very hard to find good educational ones for kids.  More and more kids are having access to a smart phone or a tablet nowadays.  As a parent myself, I know I don’t want to my child to play games all the time.  Once I found there are good educational apps out there, I know this is something other parents would like to know.  My blog iGameMom started and grew quickly.  Thus the 2nd lesson learned, find a topic that meets other people’s need.  When people feel the value you offer, they will come back and read more.

When I just started blogging, I am not sure what to write, and how to write.  So I read other people’s blogs.  I read a lot.  Instead of following persons, I follow topics.  From reading, I had a good sense what are people’s concern, what are they thinking, … It helps me form my own topics.  I look for apps that help on people’s concerns.  This is the 3rd lesson learned, to make your blog relevent to your readers by reading their blogs.

That’s all for today.  I will share more at another time.

An interesting website worth visiting http://igamemom.com.