Review of Study Skills Blog

One of my goals is to provide you useful information to help you in your self studies. In order to provide you with useful information, whether it is from me or not, I have reveiwed others blogs on this subject. While I must admit, there aren't a great deal of blogs about this subject, I did come across one that did cover a lot information on a variety to study topics.

Content:

• What topics are they covering? The Study Skills Blog provides a great deal of content from study tips for online courses to ways to keep your brain in shape. This blog was started back in 2006 and contains a lot of content. One of the first blogs is Tips on Developing Efficient Study Habits. However, I didn't really find that the blogger really provided any specific tips other than to balance school and social life and listen to the Professors lecture. I think there was a lot more information that could have been provided in this section. The blogger discusses mental focusing techniques and provides a link to an article that discusses these techniques. One of the blogs that I found very interesting was Tips on Getting Your Mood to Study. While there isn't a great deal of information provided here, I did find it useful as we all have times that we just aren't in the mood to study. Another blog that I found interesting was on Anxiety and Studying. The blogger wdoes provide some tips that may help eliminate some of the anxiety we all encounter while studying.
• What topics are they ignoring? While there is a great deal of content within the blog, each blog that focuses on a specific topic doesn't provide a great deal of information. As the reader, it appears that the writer of the blog could expand more on the content in each of the blogs. For example, the blog for Study Tips for Online Courses doesn't really provide tips. It only provides two tips and I don't know that I would call them tips. The blogger is simply telling us what we must do, which is "go to class" and "designate a study area". I don't find that these are really tips but just a quick way to write some information. The blogger doesn't seem to be aware that people learn differently. It's almost as if the bloggers suggestions and tips would and should work for everyone.
• How often are they posting? The blogger isn't providing up to date blogs. The last blog was written in October 2010. Prior to that, the blogs were written about twice per month.
• What level are they pitching their posts at (beginners, advanced etc) The posts appear to be written by someone that does have a certain level of experience in this area but again the blogs are very short and could provide more detail.

Reader Engagement:

• What topics generate most conversation? Unfortunately, there are not a lot of comments within the blogs. I only came across a few that may have had 1 or 2 comments. One of the blogs The Use of Music while Studying did have 2 comments. Both of the comments agreed with the information contained in the bloggers post. Another blog Unwinding and Relaxation During Studying generated 3 comments. Again, those comments seem to be in agreement with the information provided by the blogger.
• What styles of posts seem to connect with readers best? The most comments in one blog were 3 and this was the blog regarding Unwinding and Relaxation During Studying.
• What questions are readers asking in comments? No questions were asked in the comments.
• What complaints do you see readers making in comments?  One comment did say that the blogger could provide more detailed information regarding the blow on how chewing gum can improve memory.
• What tools/mediums is the site using (eg: are they using Twitter, forums etc) The site is not using any tools/mediums such as Twitter.

Design:

• What first impression does their design give? The design of the blog is very basic. There is noting on the site that makes it visually appealing.
• What have they done well? What have they done poorly? The blogger has provided a great deal of content. However, as noted above, the content was very brief. There were things that the blogger could have expanded on or done further research. Some topics appeared to just be "thrown in" without much thought.
• What Options do they give readers to subscribe? There was a section in the blog that allows you to subscribe to a newsletter by entering your email address.

Below is the link to Study Skills Blog for you to review.
http://www.studyskillsblog.com/category/studying-tips/

In my blogs I try to provide specific information for self studiers. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, these techniques have help me over the past 10 years. What makes my blogs unique from others is that I focus on one area only. My unique selling proposition is to provide my readers with the most useful, proven, and helpful techniques to successfully complete any self study endeavor all in one place. I hope you find the information provided does just that.

Self Study Techniques: Do's and Don'ts

I have compiled a list of Do's and Don't to help better prepare you for your self study endeavors.

• Know how you learn: This is probably the most important step. Everyone learns differently so it is essential that you know how you learn best. By this I mean, do you learn better sitting in a quiet room by yourself? Do you need a little background noise? Do you prefer sitting at a desk or in a comfortable chair? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you start your self study endeavors on the right foot. There is no right or wrong answer here. It's all about who you are. I can tell you that I sit in my living room on the love seat with the laptop sitting in my lap, books spread out next to me while my husband watches tv. Probably not an environment that works best for everyone, but it is what works for me.
• Set Realistic Goals: The next most important step in successful self studying is setting realistic goals. If you don't think you will be able to study 2-3 hours per night, then don't set that goal for yourself. Set goals that you know you can achieve. If it's only 30 minutes of reading or reviewing a night that you can manage then that is perfectly ok. However, if you set goals for yourself that are unreachable, you are likely to get really discouraged, really fast.
• Don't cram: Cramming can be a significant downfall for all of us. I can remember studying for hours upon hours for exams only to finish and feel like I didn't retain anything. You can only absorb so much information at one time before everything begins to blur together. This step can be tied to step 2. If you start with realistic goals, there shouldn't be a need to cram.
• Be dedicated: This should already be a given if you have already decided to partake in a self study course. Dedication to your success and education is imperative. If you are not serious about learning and doing well, then nothing I or anyone else says to you is going to help.
• Find what works for you: Things like note taking and reading aloud works for some people and not others. I personally prefer to take notes in a notebook when reading while others prefer to use index cards. This "Do" is personalized and based on what type of learner you are. You may have to try a few different techniques before you find the one that works for you and that's ok. The key is to not give up!
• Know your limits: If you have set back 2 hours per night to study but you have had a rough day be aware of that. Fatigue can be your self study nightmare. I have often times read the same sentences over and over because I was exhausted. This doens't do you any good and only leads to frustration.
• Don't beat yourself up: If you miss a designated study night, don't beat yourself up. Just start fresh the next day. We all have things that come up so give yourself a break.

Self Study Help

Have you tried to take self study courses in the past but you just weren't successful? Did you find it difficult to get tasks completed? Did you have a hard time staying focused and disciplined? If so, I have techniques that may help. These techniques have helped me complete over 30 self study courses in the past 10 years. I earned my Bachelors Degree, Realtors license, and earned the CLU, ChFC, FLMI, and ACS insurance designations all while sitting in the comfort of my own home. I would like to pass on to you some of the techniques that have worked for me as well as things that haven't worked. Please keep in mind that while everyone is different, most of these techniques can work for everyone. They may need to be tailored or tweeked to fit your needs but for the most part I am confident that the basics will help you in your self study endeavors. It is important to remember that set backs are common. It can be easy at times to skip studying in favor of watching a movie or talking on the phone so it's important not to beat yourself up. The key is to not get frustrated. Teaching yourself something new is always a challenge. However, if you stick with it and you are serious about being successful, I can help make things a little easier.