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Blogging Tips
Today, I’ll share my blogging biases and tips:
- Shorter posts are better. Very few people want to read long posts. I always write a post then review it and delete what is unnecessary.
- Shorter posts are better. Did I just say that? If you have a big idea or theme, divide it into several shorter posts.
- Be generous by linking to others and giving credit. People love when you link to their posts.
- Be positive. Some people build an audience by being critical. Don’t be one of those.
- Consider allowing comments. Comments allow others to contribute and helps build community. We moderate ours to keep the “junk” out. Once you set the tone, most people follow graciously.
- Ask questions. Don’t just tell me what you think. Ask me to contribute.
- Don’t defend yourself all the time. I don’t like to read the blogs of people who whine about how people are criticizing them.
What are some of your blogging biases or tips? What is it about certain blogs that keep your attention?
Visit 
Find your niche. I come back here because I get blessed & learn from you, Bobby & others. But I couldn’t operate my blog like you because I’m not pastoring Lifechurch.
My niche is legalism & hypocrisy. I often point out my struggles growing up as a spiritual snob. I often link a story from the news about hypocrisy, atheism, Mormonism, etc… & ask those who read what they think. There is a thread from May that is still being discussed today by others about why God won’t heal amputees. Some would call it a hijack because I’m hardly in the conversation. But I love the discussion. For some reason that has attracted atheists who are regular contributers.
Bottom line-your blog needs to represent who God made you to be.
this blog keeps my attention because it is not like reading a sermon like other blogs. there is conversation here. the fact that my comments have to me moderated makes me feel like i am really being heard too.
comments are the difference maker in a blog.
I agree with Blake.
There’s a sense of humility here. And it’s a conversation, not a monologue.
Craig, I love your blog but I completely disagree with this post. I have been to conferences as of recently where the speaker got up and spoke on the same line of dialogue.
I truly think your blog should be you. Sure, you need to figure out what audience you are shooting for and what your purpose is, but its you! Not somebody else’s idea of you.
It’s like when the 7 year old starts to conform to the world because he gets a “minus” because he colored outside the lines and made the tree blue instead of green.
I would say, find your voice, find your blog.
p.s. Getting ready to read your new book and looking forward to it.
Kevin, I agree. Finding your niche is very important!
Blake, You are so right about comments. The conversations help so much.
Terry, Thanks for the compliment. (The conversation wouldn’t work if you guys weren’t a part.)
Corey, Glad you like the blog. I’m not sure I understand what you are saying, though. Could you clarify? At what point am I discouraging someone from bringing “themselves” to the blog?
Great Blogging Tips! BTW- Swerve is part of my Morning Devotional Time!
I like to read blogs for various reasons; however they must do at least one of the following: Consistent Posts, Conversational, Challenging, Real, Specific Niche, Funny or Unique. Blogs that have combination of all of the above are the ones that I consistently read.
BTW- Anne Jackson is the master of getting her readers engaged and commenting. She will say something like “Christmas, I am so ready for the holidays!� and have 50 comments.
I am terrible at keeping posts short, but I’m working on it
I wrote a couple of posts a while back…
Three Reasons I’ll Fancy Your Feed
and
Three Reasons I’ll Ditch Your Feed
But that’s just me
Relationships, diversity in thought, interaction, and a place to learn…those are all things that keep my attention.
Not just short but succint and focused. It is easier for me to respond if the blog hits one idea or question.
I am questioning whether to launch another blog to communicate to a different crowd or to use the categories we have (WordPress).
I would add: Post Regularly.
Bloggers that post every day for a week and then disappear for a week and then post once and then disappear for a few days get deleted from my Favorites quickly. It’s frustrating to keep checking a blog and keep finding the same headline after a series of good posts. Some people can’t post every day, but try every Monday or something.
Scott, Great insight.
Anne, Like Scott said, you really do a great job.
Dave, I agree. If a post is too long, I don’t even start to read it.
Lex, Thank you. I don’t know how I forgot to say “post regularly.” You are so right. Once the consistency lags, so does my interest.
I think you raised a good point too. By regular postings, that doesn’t have to mean daily. One good post once a week can be effective.
Being critical can be good if done in a spirit of love and if you’re refuting error. Unbiblical ideas can and do creep into Christian discussion groups all the time.
I am one of those people - if I have to scroll to read your post then I will probably not read it. That may be more my issue than the blogger.
Many times blogging is just as much for me as it is for anyone who might read it. It’s strangely therapeutic.
Thanks for all these tips…one of my suggestions is: Find the balance between self-promotion and sharing your life. I know this is a difficult balance because I am going to someones personal blog. So I shouldn’t be surprised that their is a lot of self-promotion. But at the same time…We all enjoy having others come to our site, so perhaps we could take that into consideration.
Just my thought…I am open to others??????
Craig,
In terms of consistency, what do you do if you read a blog daily but don’t really have anything to contribute or say about the subject?
I’ve always thought it is more important to speak when you have questions or contributions and to stay quiet otherwise, even on a blog.
For me…It’s far too easy of a temptation to just keep on talking even when I have nothing really to say,
Do you think a poster should post once a week just to let everyone know they’re still around or have a poster who posts when they feel like they have something to share/question/discuss, even if it is only bi-weekly or even monthly?
Thanks.
I really like the blogs that teach me something. Whether it be about music/technology…and now and then the devotional teaching on life is ok, but we get that in church all the time. I think more valuable to the normal church goer is info on something else.
Craig, define “junk”. How do you moderate comments and on what basis?
I’m not angry - just curious. My personal bias is against moderation, but I also don’t receive the number of hits and wackos (i say that with the love of Christ) you guys do probably.
Short posts are important - absolutely! Right on!
Also, I like to try to add emphasis to what I’m saying with pictures. Sounds lame, but I really do think its effective. I think short posts in combination with a picture to support it helps communicate. I have been doing this alot recently on my blog: http://www.adamdiehl.com.
[...] O blog Swerve, mantido pelos pastores Craig Groeschel e Bobby Gruenewald da LifeChurch.tv, está completando 1 ano de vida. E, como forma de celebrar, eles resolveram escrever apenas sobre assuntos relacionados a blogs nesta semana. No post de hoje, Craig dá 7 dicas de blogagem. Veja: [...]
Craig, I noticed that your very first tip is “Shorter posts are better”.
That seems to be a rule I break constantly
I also notice that other bloggers break it too…it’s as if you want people to read, but what you want to say can’t be covered in a mere few paragraphs. You have to write more.
I suppose learning how to get your points across in a couple of paragraphs versus an entire chapter of a book is a work in progress for all of us bloggers.
i definitely agree that shorter blogs are better…i know just the way i read i always go to the short and quick ones…i think thats why many are drawn to twitter which is more a micro-blog format…sometimes it calls for a little more information but i tend to think the comments from posters adds a lot to the actual original post…so you really dont have to go on and on…
as always, enjoying this week’s topic…mike.
Two that I have…
Use graphics in your posts, they add a little spice and people’s eyes are naturally drawn to images.
Secondly, don’t just allow comments and ask questions, but make sure you interact with your readers who comment. Acknowledge their responses and give them feedback.
I don’t like blogs where I comment and get a response back longer than a day or two. Makes me think the blog isn’t that important.
Short sweet and to the point is good! And by all means.. If you mention someone, share the “link love”
Ya gotta allow comments too. That is the best way to get feedback. Just moderate them (word to the wise).
J.G., You asked about consistency of posts. I’m not sure. Maybe some others can offer wisdom.
OK, now i will be forced to go back over all my blog entries ( I jus started) to cut out the fluff!
Thank you for these helpful tips, they really mean a lot to a novice pastor and student of God and His church like myself.
I want to be very similiar to you all when i grow up!
JG…as far as commenting, I usually don’t say anything unless it’s contributing to the conversation. Sometimes even if I don’t have something to say but the post was encouraging/challenging, etc…I’ll drop a quick note to say thanks for the post.
As far as blogging, I only blog when I have something to say…
Sometimes it can be dumb (as Scott mentioned earlier - I once had a post and all it said was “I am so ready for the holidays!”)…sometimes it’s not…
Sometimes I schedule out my posts (wordpress allows you to do this - not sure about the other platforms)…like right now, I have posts through next week scheduled to go out because I had some extra time and lots of brain activity this week
Since I have that taken care of, I plan on taking a blogging break next week (even though my blog will still have posts showing up).
Hope this helps!
it is an archive for devotions and a place for vision casting as well as church announcements, but I find that two blogs, a personal and another for church, work best for me.
So, is this the real Craig Groeschel? I am really impressed. I saw you at Catalyst this year, and I was really convicted by your message.
To answer your question, blogs don’t keep my attention… bloggers do. I know that I’m flipping the whole thing around, but that’s the beauty of the blogosphere - you can find people that you enjoy reading, people that frustrate you yet somehow keep you intrigued, and people that stroke your ego. I can’t get enough.
Oh, yeah, short is good too.
Matthew, So glad God spoke to you at Catalyst. Thanks for participating in the conversation. Blessings.
Another thing I would say is to show your lighter side.
People want to interact with the person. They want to know things that make you laugh, they connect with a sense of humour.
It’s also important that you don’t assume that people have read everything you have written. Link back to your own posts so that people can keep up with your conversation.
Craig,
I’m sincerely sorry. I must have gotten the two posts about blogging better confused. My comment wasn’t actually deleted. I’m sorry I jumped the gun.
Interesting stuff. It was great seeing you at Buzz 07. Have a great week.
Take care,
Nathan
ps. no need to post this. sorry again.
As for consistency, it depends on your audience. If they use an RSS reader, consistency is not as important. However, if they don’t, then if you don’t have content for a week or a few they will start dropping out.
[...] A friend recently wrote a blog called “Blogging Tips” - where he listed (among other things) that you should keep your blog positive. I agree. Writing about positive things helps us to stay positive, and I don’t believe that being critical of others is usually our job. Besides, there are always enough critical people our there, we need more positive. [...]