How to Become an A-List Blogger: One Post at a Time
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When our twins were born, my husband and I were completely overwhelmed. We had a rambunctious two-year-old plus two needy infants whose demands were simultaneous. Everything more than doubled; the laundry and dirty dishes quadrupled, it seemed.
My best friend said something I'll never forget when I explained how overwhelmed I felt. She said, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."
That one piece of advice got us through the thick of surviving the first years with twins, and it's still a helpful reminder for me.
How Do You Grow Your Blog?
I've decided growing a blog is a lot like eating an elephant.
You must do it one bite at a time.
It's way too easy to shove lots of tasty "food" into your mouth when it comes to blogging; but try to eat too much and you are sure to choke.
We've already talked about how God defines "success" and determining God's purpose for you and your blog. We've looked at the importance of minding your priorities and watching for the creeping sin of idolatry.
Now, you're ready to take the next step. You want to grow your blog. How should you begin?
Baby Steps
I'd recommend focusing on two important aspects of blogging:
- content
- community
Devoting the cream of your energies to these two will not only reap "blogging" rewards; they will also sharpen you spiritually.
Delivering well-written and thoughtful posts will bring readers back to your blog for encouragement and edification. Developing a community with your readers will allow you to better write to their needs. Writing for a specific audience forces your writing into a posture of other-centeredness, which is what the Christian life is all about.
One Bite at a Time
Decide on a "game plan" for working on these aspects of your blogging, then start eating your elephant one bite at a time. Guard yourself from devouring every article about blogging and focus your efforts on these activities*:
- Participate here at Faithful Bloggers by writing guest posts and commenting on posts you like. Visit blogs in our Blog Directory and leave comments for those writers.
- Join the Faithful Bloggers Facebook Group.
- Build your community by connecting with others on Twitter and Facebook. Create a fan page for your blog on Facebook.
- Comments build community. Set aside 30 minutes each day to read and comment (meaningfully) on friends' blogs.
- Follow some blogging mentors and study the craft of blogging and the art of writing. I really enjoy and learn a lot from these bloggers:
- Problogger
- Copyblogger (this article is particularly good and addresses our topic)
- Michael Hyatt
- Chris Brogan
Blog to the Glory of God
Once you've decided to grow your blog, then work at it with excellence!
Scripture says that whatever we do, we are to do it to the glory of God. We Christians should have the best blogs, the most well-written, creative, and beautiful blogs!
One of my favorite passages is this one from Isaiah that reminds us to take baby steps:
“To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast? For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”
--Isaiah 28:9-10 (ESV)
Isn't that how God teaches us? Here a little, there a little.
One bite at a time.
