Have You Seen Calypso Studios, Inc.?

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I was recently contacted by Erin from Calypso Studios, Inc. regarding their new line of comfort crosses - a handcrafted cross made out of clay for cradling in the palm of your hand. So why am I mentioning this on a blog about blogging as a Christian?  As bloggers we often get frustrated, overwhelmed, upset for various reasons - it could be an unwelcomed comment, technical issues, or just frustration from your blog not growing as quickly as you would like.

The comfort crosses are made to help individuals remember who is truly in charge and to bring comfort in those trying times as well as times of celebrations.  Sure it is meant to be used in times of various life events, such as baptisms, weddings, birth of a child, loss of a loved one, etc.

However bloggers can use it too.

--> If you get an unpleasant comment on your blog before responding you could grab the comfort cross and take a moment to ask the Lord how you should reply instead of doing so on impulse.

--> If you are have technical problems on your blog, you could grab the comfort cross and take a moment to ask the Lord to lead you in the correct direction to fix the issue.

Of course, it's not the comfort cross making the difference, but taking time to allow the Lord to direct your moves, but the comfort cross can help you to remember who is really in charge - the Lord.

Calypso Studios, Inc. sent me a Comfort Cross and Love Cross Necklace to review.  Both items are beautiful and wonderfully made. What stands out to me about these products is that they are made to show the importance of God's love and constant presence.

If you get a change check out Calypso Studios, Inc. They have an entire inspirational line and every item would make a great gift or keepsake.

Book Review Writing - Five Tips to Make It Simple

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I've noticed that a lot of Christian bloggers write book reviews.  Writing book reviews is a great way to put useful content into your blog. The important thing to remember about writing book reviews is that there are some common courtesies that you should be aware of that will make your book review a lot better, as well as create a bond of trust between you and your readers. Trust between you and your readers is imperative if you want to build a large readership.

  1. Book Information -- Always include all the book information that you can including the copyright information, the ISBN numbers, the title, and the author's name. Also include the cost of the book and where to buy the book.
  2. Book Summary -- Make sure you include a summary of the book before you share your thoughts about the book. Do not give away any endings that would ruin the book for anyone.
  3. Your thoughts --  Give your honest thoughts about book. Some ideas to include are why you picked this book, what about the cover or back made you pick it, and whether the book is useful or not. Always list some good things first, then some criticism, then the good again. Now, if you really hated the book, you'll have to say so, but try to give ideas about what could have made the book better. Always remember the what, when, where, why and how when you are writing your thoughts.
  4. Full Disclosure -- It is very important, and in fact the law, that you disclose how you got the book. If you bought the book yourself, say so. If it was given to you for purpose of review, say so. If you got it from the library that's okay too. Always disclose how you obtained the book especially if it was given to you free specifically for purpose of review.
  5. Where to buy -- Include where people can buy the book. This is a great place for your affiliate link to purchase the book.

If you stick to this format when you create book reviews or really any product reviews you'll find that people trust you a lot and will purchase the products and books that you recommend. It also makes it faster writing reviews if you have a template to work from.

Do you write book reviews?  Have any tips for other bloggers?

Finding Free Images - Free Download

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If you have been following Faithful Bloggers for the last couple of weeks, then I'm sure you have noticed the posts on finding free images for your blog, the legal way. I ended that series of blog post last week, but I put it all together in a handy PDF download for you. Now you can just download the report and refer to it when needed. Just click on the download link below to get it!

If you have any problems downloading the report, please let me know.

Enjoy!

 

Using Zemanta to Find Free Images

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Zemanta is a plugin available for Firefox, Explorer and Chrome. It is also available as a plugin for Blogger, WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and more.   In this post I'm going to show you how you can use Zemanta in Blogger to find free images for your blog posts. In my other tutorials I have mainly focused on WordPress because that is what I use and love, but today I'm going to use Blogger as an my example.  So in order to get started using Zemanta, you have to first install it.

Install Zemanta

The Zemanta website provides full and complete instructions for installing it in a browser or using it as a content management system plugin (which is what we are doing today).

Please make sure you are logged into Blogger before beginning in the installation process.

To start installing on Blogger, go to:

http://www.blogger.com/zemanta.g

Choose the blog you want to install Zemanta on and click “Add Zemanta”.

And that's it.  Zemanta is now ready to use on your chosen blog.  Now on to how to actually use Zemanta.

Using Zemanta

When you make a new post on your blog, the Zemanta Assistant will automatically appear on the far right side.

You can click the “Get Inspired” button and some images will appear, as will some recent topics that might inspire you to get writing.

We’re going to enter our own article instead and see what Zemanta comes up with instead. Once you start writing, Zemanta will analyze your text.

Suggested images will appear on the right side, as you can see above. If you change your text, you can click the “Update” icon on the far right side and it will update your selections.

If you don’t see anything you’d like to use, you can click “Refine” and enter some keywords.

We have entered “woman” and “stress”:

And are given new options. Now when we see an image we want to use, we can put our mouse over it to see the license information. You can also click through and see more license details.

To add the image just click it. Zemanta will keep track of the images you have added by marking them as “Clicked”. It will also insert the image, with proper attribution into your post.

Zemanta is relatively easy to use, but seems to be limited in the number of appropriate images returned, even when keywords are entered. It also displays a lot of images that are for non-commercial use.  That's it in a nutshell.  There are some additional settings you can customize such as: positioning of the image, code style, Amazon affiliate ID, and more.

This post concludes our series on finding free images to use on your blogs legally. If you missed any of the other posts in this series, they are listed below for you to read.

If you continue to have any questions, please don't be hesitant to ask them in the comments.

 

 

Content Idea - Interview Someone Else About Their Testimony

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Coming up with content ideas for your blog can be difficult. You've written about every last thing you can think of. You've shared your testimony online more than once in more ways than you can count, so what to do? How do you bring life to your blog?

A really great way to bring life to your blog is to interview others and share their testimony on your blog. 

You can do this many times without anyone ever getting bored. You can set up a Google Documents form. If you have a Gmail open up your account and click "Google Docs", create new, choose Form, then follow the directions to create a form. Once you've created this, you'll get code to embed on a page in your blog or website. You can create an announcement to ask your readers to fill out the form. Make sure you include instructions that let them know they are giving you permission to publish their shared testimony. Once you have at least one response you can then format it to become a post. You can make this a regular weekly or monthly feature on your blog.

Once you have someone else's testimony that can give you ideas for content for the week before or after the testimony. If you base your posts on the person's testimony you will know what verses to discuss, what worldly topics to bring up, and what to write about for at least a week if you break each thought up into separate posts. You can even turn all of your entries into an eBook full of testimonies to share for free, sell for a small charge, or a donation.

Additionally, you can turn each testimony into a podcast if the people who enter agree to an interview. You can use a program such as Audacity, or Pamela. You can use these programs with Skpe or simply use telephones to record interviews. You can ask the same questions you asked on the form, or you can just chat and talk about whatever comes up. Sharing other people's testimony can help you fill your blog with relevant content for years to come while still encouraging your readers.

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Using the Photo Dropper Plugin to Find Free Images

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Photo Dropper is a Wordpress plugin that makes it easy for you to search Flickr for photos with Creative Commons License and insert appropriate images into your blog.  You can read more about the plugin at the WordPress.org Plugin Repository. *Obviously, this will only work self-hosted blogs using WordPress not on Blogger or WordPress.com blogs.

Install the Plugin

You can install the plugin by logging into your WordPress control panel and click on “Plugins -> Add New” on the left menu.

On the next screen, search for Photo Dropper. When you find it, click “Install Now”:

You may be asked for your FTP information in order to perform the installation, if so enter it in.

Next you’ll see a screen that indicates your plugin installation has begun.

When the installation is complete, click “Activate Plugin”:

Now the Photo Dropper plugin is installed and  ready to use.

How to use Photo Dropper

Now you can create a new post and use Photo Dropper. When you create a new post, you can see the Photo Dropper icon as one of your options at the top of the post.

Click the icon to search for images. In this example, we are searching for “red rose” and get the following results:

You can choose the image that you’d like, choose small (S), medium (M) or large (L) size and it will insert the appropriate attribution into your blog post.

Confirm Licensing Details

While ongoing use of Photo Dropper seems to indicate it’s pretty accurate in using appropriate images for commercial websites, you should always confirm the license allows you to use the photo for your website.

You can see the image information by clicking the arrow icon in the bottom left before you add the image:

This brings you to the image page and you can find the license information on the right menu:

Click the “Some rights reserved” and you’ll see the details about using the image. Make sure to read them completely.

I hope this tutorial will help you find free images you can use legally on your blog.  For a recap on other posts in this series, check out:

Next up is using Zemanta.

 

Blog Directory Suggestions

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I'm in the process of revamping the Christian Blog Directory and adding some new features. Some of the updated featured will include:

  1. The ability to sort through the directory in a more meaningful way
  2. Featured listings
  3. Updated category listings
  4. The ability to leave comments on the blog listings you enjoy stating so
  5. The ability to share the blog listings you enjoy with your social media friends
  6. and more....

One thing that gets requested over and over is different types of categories.  With over 600 blogs listed, there is a large variety of  blogs. Do you have any suggested categories you would like to see in the blog directory?

Sharing your testimony - How to get started

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Sometimes sharing such intimate details about our lives can be difficult. This is especially true if your personal testimony is especially full of darkness before you found Christ. Remember, this is your testimony, you can share as much as you want or as little as you want. You can also start slowly giving just a little bit of information at a time. For instance, if you read a passage in the Bible and it reminds you of something from the past, it's okay to share that instance at that moment in that post. This sharing will go far in bringing you closer to your readers. Not only that, you never know who will read it and have experienced the very same thing you did and decide to change their lives too. The fact that you're human is never something to be ashamed about. The past is washed away, and there is no reason to feel shame, and every reason to feel joy instead.

The best way to get started is to start from the beginning. You can even start all the way back to your birth and tell your story post by post, day by day, memory by memory. In addition to writing about your testimony you can also create podcasts and vlogs to put into your blog by simply pasting the code and giving it a description, so if writing seems overwhelming consider using digital video instead. You can do this with programs likely already on your computer such as Microsoft Movie Maker, or your webcam and the software provided by YouTube.com. Remember, you do not have to be perfect to share your testimony, you only have to be honest, and real.

Struggle is a normal human condition, and one that is made better by our faith, so never be ashamed to admit your faults and follies. Sharing your testimony can also be a way to renew your faith as you share you'll remember, and as you remember you'll be assured of your place in the world and the hereafter.

 

Google Images & Flickr

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Continuing in the series of posts about finding free photos for your blog and understanding Creative Commons License, today is all about Flickr. Flickr is a common source of Creative Commons License images.   By performing a Google Image Search for “sad puppy”, “photo content” and “labelled for commercial reuse with modification” I find the set of images below:

I am interested in using the first image and notice that it is from Flickr. I click on the image and then click the X in the top right corner of the image to see the web page it came from.

To use an image from Flickr, check the License information on the right menu:

If  I click “Some rights reserved”, I can see the conditions of this license.  Always be sure to read the full terms prior to using the image.

To get the appropriate code to use the image, I just click the “Share” tab at the top of the page and then copy and paste the code into my blog post.

Flickr has millions of images on it's site and there is actually a WordPress plugin that helps makes finding images with the correct license easy to find and add to your blog post.  We will be talking about that plugin next week.

For a review of the other posts in series, visit:

Death, Burial, and Resurrection Special Report

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A couple weeks ago we started a new group writing project about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We ended up having 15 bloggers participate!  I have now complied all the entires into a downloadable special report.  Feel free to download and offer it on your blog as well. Just click on the ecover below to download.

If you would like to use the ecover on your blog to direct people to the download, just use the code below:

<a href="http://faithfulbloggers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/deathburialgwp.pdf" title='Faithful Bloggers' target='_blank' style='font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;'><img src="http://faithfulbloggers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/deathburialgwpecover.png"></A>

Thanks to all the bloggers who participated.  You all did a wonderful job!  Enjoy!

Share Your Testimony: Why it's Important

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If you're writing a blog that is dedicated to your faith but you rarely talk about your faith or have never shared your testimony, then it can create a feeling of disconnection from you and your audience, which is the last thing you want. Sometimes when outsiders look at people of faith they get the idea we're perfect or think that we are perfect. So, the best way to get that connection of trust with you and your readers is to share your testimony. Creates a connection -- By sharing your testimony you create a connection with others who share your path, or who are on that path now. It makes people feel connected to your life and feel like they can have what you have too.

Humanizes your life -- At times we appear strange to the outside world. It's good to face that we are not perfect and never will be. We strive to be perfect like Jesus, but we often fall short, but that's okay because He picks us up and we continue on.

Promotes trust -- When you share your testimony you'll create a trusting environment for others to share their story too. In addition you'll probably touch someone who has not made a decision yet about spiritual matters and your story might encourage them.

Gives hope -- Your testimony gives hope to everyone who reads it. Even if your testimony is not that exciting (to you) it will be encouraging and hopeful to someone who reads it.

Even those of you who have known God your entire lives have a story to tell, everyone has a testimony to share. Whether it was a lifelong journey, or a moment in time that tested our faith, you have a story that can be shared with many people to create that connection, promote trust, and give hope to others.  We are called to share our story by God, and today we are blessed with ways in which to do this that did not exist in the past. Today, you can stay home, and share from your computer on your blog. What could be better than that?

If you would like help writing your testimony check out our guide "How to Write Your Testimony", it's available for free in our members area. It will walk you step by step through the process of writing your testimony. If you'd like to access the members area simply fill out the form below and you will be emailed a password.

P.S.  If you have shared your testimony on your blog, please leave your link in the comments.  I would love to come read it.

 

Find Free Images for Your Blog

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Last week I discussed Creative Commons License and what exactly it means in regards to using someone else"s graphics on your blogs. Today I am going to show you how to find some free images that are in compliance with the Creative Commons License.

As previously mentioned, Creative Commons License is a group of copyright licenses that allow the distribution of copyrighted work, according to certain specifications that vary from license to license.  Most bloggers, unless you are planning to make money from your blog, just need to find images that have the Attribution or non-commercial licenses.  One way to find images that fit this category is to use Google Images.

While you cannot simply search Google Images and use the images you want (even though a large number of people do), Google does provide you with the search tools to find images that are under the Creative Commons License.

To get started, go to the Advance Google Image Search at http://images.google.com/advanced_image_search

On the search form, you will see an option called “Usage Rights”. The drop-down box gives you the following options:

If you have a commercial website of any kind, you should choose “labeled for commercial reuse” or if you want to actually edit the image, choose “labeled for commercial reuse with modification”.

Here’s are the results for a search for “kitten”, “photo content” and “labelled for commercial reuse with modification”:

bonus casino title="2-search-results" src="http://faithfulbloggers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/2-search-results-300x188.gif" alt="" width="300" height="188" />

Before you use any photos, you need to confirm the Creative Commons Licenses are correct as noted in the following Google warning:

Again, before using an image, make sure you confirm the precise terms of the Creative Commons License. You can do this by clicking on the image and then click the X in the top right of the corner of the image, so you can see the actual web page the image came from.

This particular image is on the Wikimedia Commons Website (http://commons.wikimedia.org), so the information on the license is easy to find and are shown below:

If you want to use an image from Wikimedia Commons, you can click the “Use This File on the Web” icon to the right of the image.

A screen will pop-up, giving you the location of the image and the proper attribution. If you click the HTML box beside the attribution (as shown below), it will make copy-and-paste code for you.

By using Wikimedia Commons you can make sure you legally can use the image you want in your blog or on your website.  Of course, there other ways to find images with the correct Creative Commons License and next week we going to go over using Flickr for that same purpose.

I hope this helps and if you have any questions, please ask!

Guest Blog Post Checklist

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Last week I sent out to our newsletter subscribers a copy of the Guest Post Monthly for the month of April.  If you don't know what the Guest Post Monthly is, you can found out more on our Free Resources page.  I have gotten a lot of feedback - all good, which is exciting. So I put together a simple guest blogging checklist for you to use in your efforts to guest blog.  It will help ensure that you cover all of your bases when providing content for others and also to make it as easy as possible for blog owners to publish your content. You can download it below!

I hope it helps!

Understanding Creative Commons License and Images

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Bloggers are always on the look out for images to use in their blog posts.   It can get expensive quickly if you use sites like iStock, Big Stock Photo, or Dreamstime to purchase images you can legally use.  But guess what, you don't have to pay to find pictures to use in your blog posts.  You just have to understand how the Creative Common License works and a whole new whole of free images will be available to use. Creative Commons License is a group of copyright licenses that allow the use of and alteration of documents in other works, including websites and blogs. These licenses can be used in different combinations, making it possible to different uses for a variety of works. These licenses were released by Creative Commons (http://creativecommons.org) in 1992 and make it easier for you to find free images that you can use on your website or blog.

Types of Licenses

When searching for images, you will see combinations of the following four core licenses. They are also often abbreviated and you can see the abbreviation for each license in brackets below.

  • Attribution (by): You can use image, as long as attribution for the work is provided.
  • Non-commercial (nc): You can use the image for non-commercial purposes only.
  • No Derivative Works (nd): You cannot create derivative works only. You cannot edit the work.
  • Share-Alike (sa): You can make derivative works and modify the work, only if you distribute the work under the same license as the original work.

Possible License Combinations

There are 6 possible combinations of these licenses:

  1. Attribution (by): It can be used for commercial purposes, derivative works can be created, but only if proper attribution is provided.
  2. Attribution AND Non-Commercial (by + nc): It cannot be used for commercial purposes, but derivative works can be created and proper attribution must be provided.
  3. Attribution AND No Derivatives (by + nd): It can be used for commercial purposes, but derivative works cannot be created and proper attribution must be provided.
  4. Attribution AND Share Alike (by + sa): It can be used for commercial purposes, derivative works can be created, but only if the derivative work is released under the same license. Attribution must be provided.
  5. Attribution AND Non-Commercial AND No Derivatives (by + nc + nd): It cannot be used for commercial purposes and no derivatives can be created. Attribution must be provided.
  6. Attribution AND Non-Commercial AND Share-Alike (by + nc + sa): It cannot be used for commercial purposes and derivatives can be created, as long the derivative work is released under the same license. Attribution must be provided.

Graphical Representation of Licenses

While some sites may use different images to indicate certain licenses, you will likely see the images used by the Creative Commons. You will often see a CC, which stands for Creative Commons and indicates a Creative Commons license:

Then the following images, show the 4 possible licenses that can be used in the variety of combinations mentioned earlier.

  1. Attribution (by)
  2. Non-Commercial (nc)
  3. Share-Alike (sa)
  4. No Derivatives (nd)

Understanding these licenses will make it easier for you to find the images that suit your needs.  As a blogger who is not interested in making money on their blog, you really just need to focus on finding images with the Attribution or non-commercial licenses.  An of course who are looking to make money off their blog should look for the absence of the non-commercial license.

There is more coming on this topic such as how to use Google Images, Flickr, Zemanta, and Photo-Dropper to find images with the appropriate Creative Commons License, so keep an eye out on the blog!

 

Are You Setting an Example?

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1 Timothy 4:12 tells us to be an "...example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."  In word and in conversation. Isn't blogging using our words and engaging in conversations with our readers?  I think so.  So I would take this verse to mean that we should be an example of a believer on our blogs. What does a believer look like: (The Fruits of the Spirit)

  1. A believer shows love - The self-denying, self-sacrificing, Christ-like love which is the foundation of one's belief
  2. A believer shows joy - Serving the Lord with a joyous heart
  3. A believer haves peace in their life - Knowing that the Lord is in control and trusting in His plan; not worrying
  4. A believer haves longsuffering - Having patience and steadfastness in everything that comes their way
  5. A believer has gentleness - Being of good temper
  6. A believer has goodness - Readiness to do good in any situation
  7. A believer has faith - Honesty in what they profess and promise
  8. A believer has meekness - Not easy to provoke
  9. A believer has temperance - Having moderation in all things

Not only should we be setting an example to those who read our blog but also to other bloggers - even those who are not Christians. How many times have you seen something controversial on a blog and a fight between two bloggers ensues?  I can't even count on my hands how many times I have seen this happen.  Now I'm not saying you have to agree with what every blogger says or not to voice your opinion, but there is a correct way in dealing with those situations.  (Though that is not what this post is about.)

Don't think for one second other bloggers are not watching what you do and how you conduct business on your blog.  It doesn't matter how new or old your blog is, someone is paying attention to what you do.  Unfortunately we don't always know who those people are - weather they are Christians or not - and it really shouldn't even matter.  How you conduct your blog should be a testament to your faith.

How To Install Google Analytics

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Everyone wants to now how many people visit their blog every day. Some people may check their stats every hour, some every day, and some people maybe check them once a week. To be able to check your stats though, you have to have some sort of analytics program installed on your blog. If you offer advertising or want a sponsorship, blog stats is something you will be asked about.

My analytics program of choice is Google Analytics. The best feature is that it is free! I also like

Expensive is now albendazole buy I but notably little where to buy nolvadex help no so about Visible even nail bottom viagra forum t who Outshine I products here they, pretty beneath about without sprayed second.

how easy it is to install - just copy and paste some code - and the advanced features are pretty neat. I really enjoy the goal setting and having the ability to link it to my adsense account as well.

Below is a quick video tutorial on how to install Google Analytics on your WordPress blog.

That's it! You have now installed the Google Analytics code on your WordPress blog. Of course there are plugins that supposedly take care of this for you, but I don't like having to use plugins if I don't have to. With an analytics program installed on your blog, you can now track your visitors, the number of view you get a day, what keywords are being used to find your site, and much much more.

The Death, Burial, and Resurrection

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I think it's a about time for another group writing project.  The ones we have done in the past have been so much fun and encouraging.  With Easter just around the corner, I think the theme The Death, Burial, and Resurrection is perfect! How it works:

Each blogger that wishes to participate will write  a post about the chosen group writing project topic on their blog.  Once the post is up, the blogger will need to leave their link in the comments section so that everyone can read it.

Once everyone has submitted their posts, I will publish  a round up of all the posts with links back to the blogger’s blog. The entire writing project will then be complied into a special report for the bloggers who contribute to giveaway for free on their own sites.

Normally I have everyone choose a from a list of verses based on the topic, but The Death, Burial, and Resurrection is such an important message and spoken all through-out the Bible, that I'm not going to do that this time.  You can choose to base your blog post on any verse you wish, as long as it fits the topics - The Death, Burial, and Resurrection.

Your post can be as long or as short as you want.  It can be a personal testimony, a devotional, or Bible study in nature.  It can be a photo that you believe describes the verse.  Anything goes.

You will have until Friday, April 1, 2011 to write your post and leave a link to it in the comments section.  I know Easter isn't until April 24, 2011, but I want to make sure I have time to get the special report together and in everyone's hands before then to share.

Oh yea, there is a prize for participating too.  Everyone that participates (those who actually write a post and submits the link) will be put into a drawing to win a free a copy of my report, Creating Christian Content.

I can’t wait to read everyone’s posts!

P.S.  If you would like to include the badge for this Group Writing Project on your blog post, here is the code:

<a href="http://faithfulbloggers.com" title='Faithful Bloggers' target='_blank' style='font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;'><img src="http://faithfulbloggers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/deathburialgwp.png"></A>

Spend Less Time Blogging

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Blogging can be an addictive hobby.  It can become very time consuming and start taking away time from other important things such as your family, Bible study, and household responsibilities.  For me my household responsibilities tend to take the brunt of my blogging. Laundry doesn't get done.  Dishes don't get cleaned.  And before I know it, the house is in a complete mess, because I chose to blog or work on my business instead of fulfilling my household responsibilities. Proverbs 31:27 clearly states the the wife is in charge of the household responsibilities, "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness". So in my instance, blogging and running an online business, at times causes me to go against what the Bible teaches (because I am not looking well to ways of my household), which of course, is not what I want to do.

In my opinion, it is all about choices.  We make the choice to blog and we make the choice as to how much time we dedicate to blogging.  When blogging starts interfering with our faith and family, then we really need to take a look at the choices we are making.  While writing this post, I have realized that I need to cut back and spend more time on my household responsibilities.  It's a choice I have to make and then stick with.

I'm almost positive that as I get back to living as the Bible teaches, my blogs will not suffer.  Why am I so positive about that?  Because I know running Faithful Bloggers and my other blogs, are in the will of God.  I'll be honest, in the past I have tried to let go of Faithful Bloggers but something always happens to bring me back.  That something is God and I need to realize that in order to give my best in fulfilling His will in my life (running Faithful Bloggers), I have to be living a life completely for him.  I know something as simple as household responsibilities, doesn't sound like big deal or that it would complicated my relationship with the Lord, but it is a Biblical duty of a wife as stated in Proverbs 31:27.  Anytime you are not living the way the Bible teaches, you put relationship with the Lord on the line.

I know many of you struggle with the same issues - time management and making the right choices.  It may or may not be the same as my issue with household responsbilites, but it is still something that may cause you to have a stilted relationship with the Lord.  If that is the case, I urge you to make the choice to spend less time blogging and more time getting your relationship with God in order.

P.S.  I would love to have some accountability while I work on this issue in my life.  If anyone else has an obstacle they need to overcome and wants accountability, let me know.  We can setup up an accountability and support group to encourage each other in making the correct choices.

 

5 Tips on Marketing Your Blog

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Most people who blog want an audience and to know that what they are writing is making a difference to someone.   To grow an audience you do need to have some degree of patience.   A large blog readership doesn't happen overnight.  However, in addition to patience, planning and action also help to market your blog and drive traffic. Here are a few useful tips to market your blog:

  1. Comment on other relevant blogs. One great way to start getting your name recognized is to post useful and insightful comments on blogs which relate to your niche and are where your potential readers might hang out. Get active in the blogging community and forums. When you post create a profile that enables you to link to your blog many people will click through and subscribe to your blog.
  2. Guest blog. Guest blogging is a wonderful marketing tactic and like commenting on other blogs, it builds awareness for you and your blog. If you are willing to guest post on other blogs or publish guest post on your blog, check out Faithful Bloggers Guest Post Monthly.
  3. Post consistently and post often. This is where patience comes in. Posting regular and valuable content will help your blog to grow, to be recognized by others in your niche and will motivate people to link to you.
  4. Make it easy for readers to  Tweet or 'Like' your content. Social networking is growing and it pays to take advantage of this useful medium.
  5. List your blog with relevant directories such as the Faithful Bloggers Blog Directory. Registering with some notable directories can help boost your traffic and put you in front of people who are looking for your information.

Just remember that no matter what you do, ultimately God is in control as to how big or little your blog becomes.  These are just tips that can help reach potential readers, there are no guarantees that they will work, but I have had some success with them, especially with commenting and guest blogging.

Ministry Technology: Open Source Image Editing When You Can't Afford Photoshop

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What can you do when your ministry needs image editing software, but you either can not afford or do not understand how to use Photoshop? For those who could not afford Photoshop but understood high-end image editing programs the answer has traditionally been "The Gimp".

Gimp has been the flagship for high-end open source programming projects for quite some time. Sure its good and sure its free, but it sure is complex! For most churches and non-profits working with volunteers, complex is not a term we want to hear.

Now there is an alternative that your church, ministry, non-profit or business can use and its also free! It's called Pinta.

Pinta is a drawing/editing program modeled after Paint.NET. Its goal is to provide a simplified alternative to GIMP for casual users.

I tried it this weekend on some website banners and I personally found it easy to use. Although I am familiar enough with Macromedia's Fireworks program instead of Photoshop, this was much easier to get a handle on.

The menus and layout were surprisingly easy to use and understand. At no time did I feel intimidated or overwhelmed trying to understand what I should do next. This was a welcome change from working with the Gimp, which has left me bewildered more than once.

It did require that I install GTK for windows, but that was simple and easy as well. It should be noted that this program is not intended to replace Photoshop for serious graphic artists. It is nonetheless, a great substitute for those of us who only need to use a graphics program now and again.

If you are looking for a good, easy to use, no-cost solution for graphics editing try Pinta. I think you will like it. Pinta is available for download at http://pinta-project.com

For more articles like this on Internet Ministry and Technology visit http://ifeelgod.org

Bishop James Brown aka "I Feel God" is the founding pastor of Victory Intl Church in Fort Worth, Texas., he is called "The Internet's Favorite Pastor". In addition, Bishop is a prolific writer and speaker who is in demand for his insights on cutting edge ministry and technology. He is also founder of http://1000churches.org, a global Internet community for ministers.

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