So you want to start a blog...
Recently I've been talking to some friends in eV--my church group--about embarking on the journey of blogging together. Some people have questions. "How do I blog? What do I blog? Where do I start?" A couple people suggested blogging about how to blog. That's what this post is all about. It will lay a foundation for anyone looking to launch into the blogosphere with confidence and direction.
Content (what to say):
Stick with your passions -- The biggest hurdle to starting a blog: "what should I write about? Where do I begin?" The answer is this: stick with your passions! Write about something you would like to read about. Whether you blog about relationships, Christian issues, everyday life, or a conglomeration of everything, what matters is that it matters to you.
Find your niche -- Eventually you will want to answer this question: "what is my niche? What do I add to the blogosphere that is unique?" When this dawns on you, you will have a renewed sense of purpose. Until then, keep blogging in hopeful anticipation.
Tell stories -- This applies to every blog topic. If you are writing about 18th century French philosophy, include a story of a recent conversation you had. Or walk through a short anecdote explaining why you are passionate about it. Need an example of good storytelling? Read anything by Malcolm Gladwell. He is the master of telling stories and capturing attention. It really doesn't matter what kind of topic you are blogging about. Connect it to a story, and capture your readers' interest.
Use examples -- Similar to telling stories, you want to illustrate your idea for your audience. Use a "for instance" or "what if" to help describe your point. Different angles help your audience understand what you're trying to say.
Style (how to say it):
Everyone has their own "voice"--how they come across. Below are some good tips for working on your voice--your "style". Keep in mind these are my personal best practices. They work. But if you have a good reason to deviate from these, deviate away. Just be sure you know why you're doing it.
Include Headings -- These are crucial. The longer the post, the more you need headings. I hate to say it, but people don't like reading long blocks of text. If you can split up big paragraphs, do it. As a favor to our ADD culture. (Side note: make headings stand out from the rest of your post, either though making it bigger, changing the color, or making it bold...mix and match for maximum effect!)
"Chunk" it up -- If you have a LONG blog post, consider "chunking" it into several smaller posts that build on each other. People are more willing to invest time reading your thoughts when they see bite-sized posts.
Make lists -- Let's be honest. You skim an article to get the info you want, and you read further if anything catches your eye. In fact, you probably skimmed this article and looked at the bold points. The fact that you're reading this sentence and didn't skim over it means you thought it was interesting. Expect your readers to do this too. Try highlighting, bolding, bullet points or numbers when you have several things to say. This does several things:
Write like you speak -- Blogging is really about starting a conversation. Don't change the way you want to talk about something just because it's a blog. Type it like you would say it. You'll keep your audience longer. Want to check out someone who does this well? Read a book by Rob Bell. Theological issues aside, he's one of the best communicators I have ever heard. He writes like he speaks. You should too.
Simplify -- Unless you have a specific audience that you are targeting, don't assume your readers know anything about it. Start off by putting everything on the bottom shelf. Make it understandable. When possible avoid jargon.
Spell check -- If you haven't put in the time to proofread your blog and delete errors, don't expect others to put in the time reading it. When your posts have a lot of errors, you basically communicate that you don't care about the reader. People appreciate proper grammar and spelling. Don't disappoint.
Last thoughts (and random suggestions):
Include a picture -- Show your point. Use a pic. Help readers visualize what your saying. People just plain like pictures. And if you find the right picture to go with your post, it can drive your topic home even more.
Use links -- Don't litter your blog with them, but don't undervalue them. When you link to somewhere outside your blog, you give yourself credibility. People see you as someone who is aware of the broader conversation on the topic. It can only do you well.
Keep the blog as short as you can -- People appreciate short blogs. If you are passionate about your subject and you follow the rules above, people will enjoy reading it. At the same time, if you can say the same thing in less words, downsize it.
Where to set up a blog -- There are many good blogging sites out there. The most popular are blog.com, blogger.com, wordpress.com, and tumblr.com. My opinion: stay away from WordPress. It's really technical and you can get bogged down with its complex tools. I went with blogger.com because it's run by Google and it can be integrated with my Google+ account. Don't take my word for it. Preview each of the sites and see what they have to offer...
Blog in community -- When you journey into blogging alongside others, you create a level of community that you probably did not have before. You learn things about others and yourself that you didn't know. You begin to enjoy a new sense of belonging. Don't be an island. Get others to start a blog along with you. Share ideas. Comment. Ask questions. Build one another up. Share the gift of yourself with others.
A word of caution -- Don't post anything you don't want people to read. Employers, family, whoever. If you wouldn't want them coming across it, don't post it on your blog. If you happen to be a Christian, you are called to honor those you don't agree with. Let's keep our speech seasoned with the salt of grace (Col. 4:6).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I wish all the stuff I've said was original. It's not. Many people have said this stuff before me. My hope is that you find a new way to experience community, that you find your passion, that you use your voice. More than anything, may you bring glory to God.
Content (what to say):
Stick with your passions -- The biggest hurdle to starting a blog: "what should I write about? Where do I begin?" The answer is this: stick with your passions! Write about something you would like to read about. Whether you blog about relationships, Christian issues, everyday life, or a conglomeration of everything, what matters is that it matters to you.
Find your niche -- Eventually you will want to answer this question: "what is my niche? What do I add to the blogosphere that is unique?" When this dawns on you, you will have a renewed sense of purpose. Until then, keep blogging in hopeful anticipation.
Tell stories -- This applies to every blog topic. If you are writing about 18th century French philosophy, include a story of a recent conversation you had. Or walk through a short anecdote explaining why you are passionate about it. Need an example of good storytelling? Read anything by Malcolm Gladwell. He is the master of telling stories and capturing attention. It really doesn't matter what kind of topic you are blogging about. Connect it to a story, and capture your readers' interest.
Use examples -- Similar to telling stories, you want to illustrate your idea for your audience. Use a "for instance" or "what if" to help describe your point. Different angles help your audience understand what you're trying to say.
Style (how to say it):
Everyone has their own "voice"--how they come across. Below are some good tips for working on your voice--your "style". Keep in mind these are my personal best practices. They work. But if you have a good reason to deviate from these, deviate away. Just be sure you know why you're doing it.
Include Headings -- These are crucial. The longer the post, the more you need headings. I hate to say it, but people don't like reading long blocks of text. If you can split up big paragraphs, do it. As a favor to our ADD culture. (Side note: make headings stand out from the rest of your post, either though making it bigger, changing the color, or making it bold...mix and match for maximum effect!)
"Chunk" it up -- If you have a LONG blog post, consider "chunking" it into several smaller posts that build on each other. People are more willing to invest time reading your thoughts when they see bite-sized posts.
Make lists -- Let's be honest. You skim an article to get the info you want, and you read further if anything catches your eye. In fact, you probably skimmed this article and looked at the bold points. The fact that you're reading this sentence and didn't skim over it means you thought it was interesting. Expect your readers to do this too. Try highlighting, bolding, bullet points or numbers when you have several things to say. This does several things:
- Condenses information
- Has a clean look
- Emphasizes the important stuff
Write like you speak -- Blogging is really about starting a conversation. Don't change the way you want to talk about something just because it's a blog. Type it like you would say it. You'll keep your audience longer. Want to check out someone who does this well? Read a book by Rob Bell. Theological issues aside, he's one of the best communicators I have ever heard. He writes like he speaks. You should too.
Simplify -- Unless you have a specific audience that you are targeting, don't assume your readers know anything about it. Start off by putting everything on the bottom shelf. Make it understandable. When possible avoid jargon.
Spell check -- If you haven't put in the time to proofread your blog and delete errors, don't expect others to put in the time reading it. When your posts have a lot of errors, you basically communicate that you don't care about the reader. People appreciate proper grammar and spelling. Don't disappoint.
Last thoughts (and random suggestions):
Include a picture -- Show your point. Use a pic. Help readers visualize what your saying. People just plain like pictures. And if you find the right picture to go with your post, it can drive your topic home even more.
Use links -- Don't litter your blog with them, but don't undervalue them. When you link to somewhere outside your blog, you give yourself credibility. People see you as someone who is aware of the broader conversation on the topic. It can only do you well.
Keep the blog as short as you can -- People appreciate short blogs. If you are passionate about your subject and you follow the rules above, people will enjoy reading it. At the same time, if you can say the same thing in less words, downsize it.
Where to set up a blog -- There are many good blogging sites out there. The most popular are blog.com, blogger.com, wordpress.com, and tumblr.com. My opinion: stay away from WordPress. It's really technical and you can get bogged down with its complex tools. I went with blogger.com because it's run by Google and it can be integrated with my Google+ account. Don't take my word for it. Preview each of the sites and see what they have to offer...
Blog in community -- When you journey into blogging alongside others, you create a level of community that you probably did not have before. You learn things about others and yourself that you didn't know. You begin to enjoy a new sense of belonging. Don't be an island. Get others to start a blog along with you. Share ideas. Comment. Ask questions. Build one another up. Share the gift of yourself with others.
A word of caution -- Don't post anything you don't want people to read. Employers, family, whoever. If you wouldn't want them coming across it, don't post it on your blog. If you happen to be a Christian, you are called to honor those you don't agree with. Let's keep our speech seasoned with the salt of grace (Col. 4:6).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I wish all the stuff I've said was original. It's not. Many people have said this stuff before me. My hope is that you find a new way to experience community, that you find your passion, that you use your voice. More than anything, may you bring glory to God.
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