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Blogging Styles
If you do blog, you’ll develop your own style and system. I’ll share mine with you.
- I suggest setting aside time to write. I write almost all my posts on planes or at the end of the week once I’ve finished everything else.
- I rarely write a post the day before it goes out. Mine are written weeks in advance. (You may or may not want to do this.)
- I keep a file of blogging ideas. When someone asks me a question, I record it. When I learn something new, I type in the idea or text my assistant.
- Consider a blogging partner. Working with Bobby has been great. We both have different strengths and don’t feel the burden of solo blogging.
- Consider using guest bloggers. When I need a blogging break, I enlist other staff members or friends to blog. They bring a fresh perspective, and I can expose them to a broader audience.
- I try to be a constant learner. Any time I’m reading, I’m looking for ideas. Knowing I’m blogging forces helps me document what I’m learning.
- I also take regular blogging breaks. If you’re burned out, take a vacation.
Bloggers… Will you share some of your tips?
Visit 
Thanks for all your posts on this, Craig. I’m almost the anti-blogger comparatively. My site is mostly for my processing - it’s like carrying a notebook/journal and writing anything & everything for the world to see. I write what I’d like to read, and I hope it helps my process what’s happening in life, the univers and everything. I rarely post ahead - mostly, it’s a spur of the moment spontaneous thing for me. It’s a vent, a place to let things go and move on.
Like you I tend to let my idea ruminate. I find that they are much better if give them time to mature and don’t just blurt out what I am thinking.
I also collect bookmarks like crazy (using del.icio.us), this helps when I come back to an idea to remember what sparked it initially. i often find that my posts are based on two or more ideas coming together.
Widgets are great!!! I tend to be post longer entries and less frequently (about 2 to 3 posts per week). To keep fresh content on the site, I share interesting articles and posts from other blogs using a widget from Google Reader. I also have a Twitter widget that I try to update daily so there is at least some kind of fresh content everyday.
Believe it or not….Seinfeld. I think finding something that you like and keeps you interested is part of the key to blogging. I love how each episode is about nothing, but has tons of things you relate to. Blogging can have an element of that. Share stories that people relate to, ideas that people can use, life lessons that we can all learn from.
Those are the ways I blog.
These posts have been great this week!
I am a constant learner and I keep a file of blogging ideas go hand-in-hand for me!
I keep a file of blogging ideas in my blackberry. I always note them as they come to me. I can easily have several ideas a day and I just pick and choose. This process depends upon: my mood, what I’m reading, what’s happening around me… I might post a thought that just came to mind right before I started writing. I am a random thinker so this is very natural.
In the beginning I stayed way ahead with writing; however now I generally set time each night to write (It doesn’t take very long anymore). It’s a great time to download and decompress my thoughts!
Now that I have some great blogging relationships, I am definitely going to use guest bloggers. Since I am so new, I can use a re-run of some prior blogs!
I save Fridays for random bullets “Friday Drive-by� and I don’t blog on Sat. and Sun.
“I rarely write a post the day before it goes out.”
Wow, Craig… I wish I could do that! Mine are usually pretty much on the fly… whatever I come up with in the early morning.
I do keep a file of things I find throughout the day. As a matter of fact, that file is pretty big with things I have yet to blog about.
My biggest thing I try to do when blogging is write about things that interest me… hoping that if they interest me, they might interest someone else. (Sometimes they do, sometimes, not so much).
Keep up the great work. Really appreciate you, Craig!
Todd
I proof-read.
(”Knowing I’m blogging forces helps me …”) Just kidding, Craig! (Honestly I’m a complete nerd about grammar. I found a typo in my Bible, even; I’m not kidding.)
I try to vary content for my audience. Mine started as a way to keep in touch with out-of-town friends, and then in-town friends and people I don’t know started reading. Then I was handed the youth ministry at our church. Now my posts swing from what I’m reading in Judges to what I did last night. “Remember your audience,” would be the tip there, I guess.
My advice for bloggin?
READ! READ! READ before you WRITE!
Read other blogs. This is a great way to find the current trends in blogging.
Read books on Blogging. There’s an awesome book on the subject called, “No One Cares What You Had for Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog”.
ALWAYS READ SWERVE!
Join blogging communities. I recommend BlogExplosion. This is a great way to read other blogs and bring readers to your blog.
That’s what I do.
I blog in a mixed-bag-of-nuts style I guess. I’m not sure if that’s a bad thing or not. I tend to blog from the nog…you know, off the cuff. I may have to become more intentional about what I’m writing.
On one hand, I really want have a blog audience who is able to benefit and allow me to benefit from them. On the other hand I want to be who I am and not just another blogging pastor.
I think I could probably gain a larger reading audience if I were to stick with topics of “spirituality” but to me, everything really is spiritual.
I’m very new to this - I really appreciate your blog and your experience. It’s been very helpful in a lot of ways.
Caught you at Catalyst too…fun stuff.
This is good stuff.
I actually have been observing this process of writing ahead of time with your posts. You can just see that there is planning involved.
I’ve been working on doing the same thing and hope to launch my first “series” of calculated blogs in the next week or two.
There’s been a few things itching in me to write about.
I appreciate the planning. It feels less random. I know that I’m going to get more than a one hit wonder out of you guys.
Thanks to everyone for the great ideas and insight. I’ve just recently started blogging and this series of post are really helping me hone my blog.
Being a creative pastor, I try to mix it up with ideas whether it be tech stuff or worship elements while throwing in the random and fun.
The biggest suggestions for me from this are listing out blog ideas and writing them out ahead of time. That’s huge.
Thanks
Being a media designer, blogs serve a whole different purpose for me than the standard church leadership type info. Design blogs are to share ideas, inspire, and transfer style, so for me I never post without visuals. If I can’t put an image to it, I don’t post it. Even if it is as simple as posting the album cover of the band I am talking about.
I guess it all comes down to knowing your audience and realizing that blogs will be formated completely differently based on your target audience.
I agree with Nick Jones. I like to try and add pictures to my blog. It only takes an extra minute, and helps add some color.
Todd, Good to hear from you. I still enjoy your blog daily.
Thank you to you all for your great thoughts.
Good stuff!!!
i don’t write to be read. (that reads funny) i write what i want - as a journal, a log of experiences and a collection of videos and pictures. my blog is for me at this point and if people want to read that is great.
there are many approaches, i know.
i feel like many people blog to try to gather a ton of readers…as if they are trying to win a popularity contest. they to link other popular blogs in order to get more people to read. not my style.
regards
I am finding there is such a richness in the diversity of thought here. Every person so unique in their approach. Very inspiring and educational. The threads develope extremely fast!
Thanks Craig! Because I’m a teacher of English and learning English is v. popular in Poland I thought of combining blogging about God with teaching English to whoever wants to be taught. My site is nearly ready and a blog will be an integral part of it. God help me.
My blog formula: WORDS PICTURE = POST, banking on the notion that the reader gets more out of 2 stimuli, vs 1.
oops, sorry, I meant: WORDS PICTURE = POST
Hey how come it keeps omitting the plus symbol? How embarassing. WORDS plus PICTURES equal POST
Hey Craig,
I just wanted to start by saying how much your ministry has impacted my life. I lead a sports ministry at my church, but lately through a prompting from God I have been tasked with doing so much more. I am currently looking into church planting and getting people to align themselves with what the Lord has for them.
Anyway, I wanted to know more about blogging. I tried the wordpress thing and got totally confused. I have a blog on Blogger but have not had any traffic on it. I enjoy your messages so much and thought maybe you or someone on here could help. Sorry so long.
In His Service,
Luke