So many people have questions about nutritional health, but they don’t know who to ask. So, they settle on Google, which takes people to sites with inaccurate information created by people with pseudo-names and fake degrees. Of course, this is not always the case, but it frequently is. On rare occasions, people stumble upon sites like Laurie Beebe’s Ask the Diet Coach. This site is different in that it contains accurate nutrition information from a registered dietician who focuses on weight management.
Unlike many blogs, this site is completely geared toward the public in that Laurie only blogs about questions the public has on nutritional health. Once you have a subscription to her site, you are able to get your questions answered. Laurie gives thoughtful, insightful answers on various topics such as olive oil, diabetes, artificial sweeteners, and dieting. Laurie’s positive, personable tone is very welcoming, which allows readers to open up about personal health issues. As many fellow nutrition majors would likely agree, the science of eating is much more difficult to explain than one would think. Yet, Laurie finds a way to write in simple language, making it easy for readers to follow the complexity of nutrition. Although she does not include the sources of her information, from the posts I have read, she seems to be very knowledgeable in what she writes about.
One downfall in her blog is the layout is not appealing. Ask the Diet Coach is very relaxed in its informal writing style and design. The site consists of a green background and four large sentences at the top of the site stating who Laurie is. Even the font is unappealing with the standard Calibri text. The title is also mundane in that it has the same font and no pizzazz. There is a complete absence of pictures except for one small portrait of Laurie’s face and random ads sprinkled throughout the blog. If it wasn’t for the expressive writing, this blog would be entirely void of personality. It is unfortunate the design is so boring because this site has the potential to be very successful.
Aside from its lack of character, the information shared with the public is very beneficial. In my blog posts, I want to be able to write in simple, eloquent language like Laurie does. Being able to incorporate complex ideas in everyday language is a skill I hope to master. I have never been the best at relating ideas to the public in simple terms, but through practice, I believe I can do it. I also appreciate how positive and engaging she is to read. She is very encouraging and relatable to whoever she is answering. I believe I look at most things with an optimistic eye; I only need to learn how to convey my positivity into words.
In looking at various blogs to find the one I appreciate most, I have come across many ideas in how to organize, design, and write my blogs. Looking past the unappealing visual of the blog, I respect Laurie’s writing abilities. Writing a blog is not something everyone is exceptional at doing. With patience and practice, I hope to construct blogs that are just as thoughtful and meaningful as Laurie’s.