BlogWritingCourse

One of the best perks of being a blogger is getting to read other blogs.  Sometimes I get so lost in my fellow bloggers’ worlds that I forget there are pans with baked-on grease and shoes with doggie-doo on them waiting for me. (Ok, so maybe I’m blog surfing to AVOID the more distasteful parts of my housework, but that doesn’t lessen the impact of the illustration.) Certain bloggers are so incredibly clever with their posts that you know a book deal is just one good dancing-monkey-story away.  And isn’t it cool to get to live in an era when material from such talented authors is as close as your laptop, and as cheap as your DSL subscription??!!  I love the 21st century!!

For me, reading a well-written blog is much akin to a photographer surveying a purple-hued sunset - - it just inspires the heck out of me.  I immediately am reminded of how thankful I am that I took the blog writing course, and why this whole blogging thing took hold of me!  I can hardly wait to get back to my Live Writer and spew out my newly-revitalized content for my own blog.  One such blogger that does this for me is Christine Moers, author of “Welcome To My Brain.”  I’d love to introduce you to Christine in all her glory, but I’ll be doggoned if I can come up with any consistent label or description.  So, I’ll lean heavily on her own introduction from her blog site:

I’m crazy in love with the God that made me, and the hot, bald man He gave me. Our family was built through birth and adoption. My kids are a mix of Tourettes, OCD, sleep issues, tics, and food allergies! I’m a pastor’s wife with a nose stud. I am me. I am art.

1. Christine, let’s start with the obligatory starting-gate question…what got you started blogging and how long have you had your blog?

I started blogging on March 19, 2005.  What I didn’t stop to think about at the time was that this was the anniversary of our country invading Iraq.  So, needless to say, I have never celebrated my blog’s birthday.  Instead, I mourn the war, and pray that one day I can use that day to post about something as frivolous as a blog birthday!

I’ve now been plugging away for over three years have churned out more than 700 posts.  Not too shabby.

2. Burgeoning bloggers sometimes aren’t sure where to start.  Where did you get your inspiration for what type things you wanted to blog about?

Anyone can blog.  Granted, you may only get one hit a day (which is YOU, just checking in!).  There are plenty of blogs out there that describe how many times the baby spit up … or regurgitated daily devotionals.  However, if you want it to be something that continues and is actually enjoyable for the reader, then you have to really, really, really, REALLY love to write.  I think I read about four million really boring blogs initially, which is what pushed me to start my own.  I promised myself that I would never write something that I would not want to read (if I wasn’t me).  You won’t get any country blue lace and bunnies, surrounded by scripture.  You will, however, find out why a Southern Baptist pastor’s wife would vote for a Democrat in the same week as a detailed description of how to take a dump at church without anyone discovering that you are the source of the smell.  Apparently some people find this stuff valuable!

Fortunately, I really, really, really, REALLY love to write.  I try to post something daily (”try” being the operative word).  I talk about me, and the things and people around me.  I tend to be a freak magnet, so my life oozes with inspiration.

3. Did you start to get a loyal following of readers right away, or did it take awhile?

I can’t even remember how long it took me to discover Site Meter (www.sitemeter.com).  So, I had very little idea just how many people were actually reading my blog.  Once I hooked myself up on that site, I realized that people were lurking all the time, just not commenting.  Of course, I also discovered that my loyal readers were pretty much just my family and like two friends!  However, after adding my blog address to my email signature, and commenting on blogs that I loved to read, the numbers started to grow. 

I found a few blog carnivals that were based on things that were interesting to me (homeschooling, easy cooking, etc.).  That draws people to my blog that might connect with me.  Rarely have I noticed a drastic jump in readership that stays.  You may have a really big day of readers because of something you posted, but that may only equate to about three new regular readers.  The blogosphere is fickle.  Again, if you really, really, really, REALLY love to write, you’ll just keep doing it because you enjoy it - even when the numbers fall.

4. What do you like most about blogging?  Dislike most?

Blogging is therapeutic.  I have saved thousands of dollars in therapy over the last three years.  I’m cheap, so I really like that aspect.

I enjoy opening a dialog that challenges people, however, I do not participate in arguments.  You can learn from a discussion, but not from an argument.  Occasionally, I will have someone come in on the comments and blast away at everyone (or sometimes just me!).  I could probably count on one hand the times that I have deleted comments.  Instead, I try to gently steer the conversation back to something productive.  It’s a balance.  I don’t think we should censor (except in cases of outright libel), but we can’t learn from one another if we do the blogging equivalent of yelling and then taking our toys and going home. 

5. Christine, about how much time do you invest in your blog each week?  What about it makes it worth the investment of your time?

Again, it’s therapeutic.  I love to talk, and this is just me talking through my fingers.  While I may post something every day, I don’t necessarily write something every day.  I may have a weekend where my brain is overflowing.  So, I’ll put it all down, and break it up into posts.  Then I can publish them as I see fit.  If I don’t write it down quickly, it will leave my mind within minutes.  I may have some posts that I mull over for hours and hours.  Others come flying out without any effort. 

I spend a lot of time on my blog.  Most days I absolutely love blogging.  Some people make crafts.  Some go to the gym.  Others hit Starbucks.  I blog.

6. Yours is a very personal blog, and you aren’t advertising any particular product or service, but do you use advertising or other methods to generate any income from your blog?

The only regular advertising that I allow on my blog is from BlogHer (www.blogher.com).  I had to apply and be accepted into their network.  They are a growing community of blogging women.  They pay fair.  They’re extremely professional, and are actively improving themselves.  I might pull in about twenty bucks a month from those ads.  Not much, but many times the ad boxes are actually promoting charities and other public service announcements.  I like that.  I like BlogHer.  So, they will continue to have a prominent spot.

I tried some ad boxes that I created myself.  I wanted to give my blog readers the opportunity to advertise their own blogs.  Unfortunately, very few of them took advantage and I was overrun with gaming web sites.  Boo.  So, I pulled those off.  You live and learn.

I have a lot of chachkis on my side bars, but overall I like to keep a clean blog.

7. Do you feel a sense of community with the readers of your blog?  What obligation, if any, do you feel toward them?

I know I’m repeating myself a lot, but remember that the blogosphere is fickle.  People come and go.  Yet, I have built some really fun friendships over the years with other bloggers.  I don’t reply to every comment and I don’t comment regularly on other blogs.  Some days I have a lot of time to do those things.  Other days I’m … well, just read my blog!  Some days I can barely find time to pee!  There’s just not enough time to explain all of the private emails, and personal connections that I’ve made over these three years.

I was listening to a podcast on blogging etiquette (which cracks me up - first that people are trying to create etiquette guidelines on blogging, and secondly that someone took the time to record and upload a podcast about it!).  The big question of the day was whether or not it is polite to lurk on someone’s blog, without commenting.  That’s like saying it’s rude to browse the library without reading every book.  We’re all real people.  I have a gal that I used to read very regularly.  She’s in a dry spell right now.  I’m not finding her interesting.  I just skim past her on my feed reader these days.  People do that to me, too.  It’s life.  Gotta’ prioritize things - even entertainment!

And no, I’m am NOT telling you who it is!

8. What type of blogs do you enjoy reading yourself?

Some of my favorite blogs talk a lot about social justice, environmentalism, adoption, foster care, following Christ, etc.  I also have a few friends and family that I keep up with by reading their blogs.

9. As a blog reader, I’ll admit I frequent blogs with an offbeat - - even cynical sense of humor. What keeps you coming back for more on a particular blog?

I like fresh content and smart humor.  I like to laugh, I like to writhe over injustice, I like to comfort and be comforted, I like to grow and be challenged.  Mostly, though, I like to laugh.

I try to do the same thing with my own blog.  Posting frequently, but keeping it worth reading. 

Maybe one day I’ll run out of things to say. 

Maybe. 

I doubt it.

A huge thanks to Christine Moers for an incredibly in-depth and insightful interview about the world of a blogger.  If you want to find out more about the hijinks happening in Christine’s life, please head over to Welcome To My Brain, and subscribe to her feed.  And for more information on starting and writing a blog yourself, please sign up for one of our blogging courses.

Until next time,

When I was a little girl, there were few things that could make my pigtails bounce with joy more than getting a letter in the mail addressed to me.  It made me feel so important and valuable.  It didn’t even really matter what it was, or what it said - - it just mattered that someone had thought of me enough to write.  (Although I’ll admit there was an extra little pigtail bounce when I saw the letter was from my grandmother, because that usually meant there was a crisp new dollar bill inside.) Years of junk mail have dampened my excitement over heading to the mailbox, but I still get a little thrill when I open the mailbox door and find an honest-to-goodness letter with my name on it.

Come to think of it, bloggers have a lot in common with little pigtailed girls. The biggest part of the excitement of writing a blog, is knowing that others are going to read it.  And the only way to know what other people think of your writing is when they take the time to leave a comment.  Do you remember on Andy Griffith when Barney would finally  do something right, like remember to lock the jail door, or remember to put his bullet in his pocket?  Andy would get this proud look on his face and tell Barney he was doing “fine” work.  Barney would hike up his pants grin and nearly knock his ear out of joint with that sideways grin of delight.   That is pretty much the sum total of how a blogger feels when a reader leaves a comment on his blog. He or  she is not only proud that what they wrote mattered to someone, but is inspired to continue writing.

Commenting on a blog can be sort of like rolling a snowball down a hill.  It motivates the writer to interact with his readers and write more blogs, which in turn, brings about more comments.  Even more importantly, when a blogger knows she has readers, she is apt to raise the bar in terms of her content.  Posts get better, and more readers are drawn in.

For new bloggers, commenting on someone else’s blog has an additional benefit.  It gets you noticed.  Let’s say you are starting a blog about 80’s music, and you are also a regular reader of the Bangles Buff blog, the Duran Duran Devotee blog, and the Aerosmith Aficianado blog. By commenting on these blogs often, and using your blog url in your comment, you are making the writers aware of your similar interests, and hopefully they will stop by your blog to check it out, and maybe, if your blog hits the right 80’s “chord” with them, they will even add you to their blogroll!  And so on, and so on, and so on….the snowball keeps rolling.

Commenting is just one of the many things you can do to grow your blog readership.  To find out more information on starting a new blog or building a better blog, sign up for one of our blog courses today.  There is no better time to get the blog rolling! 

Until Next Time,

As anyone who has spent more than a few minutes in solitary confinement will tell you, no man is an island!  Whether we like to admit it or not, we need each other.  I grew up on a heavy dose of Mr. Rogers, so I know full well how important it is to have a “neighbor” you can depend on.  And being neighborly is, interestingly enough, at the core of the blogging philosophy.

Bloggers aren’t usually writing for the benefit of their health (although who knows what new research may turn up in next week’s health headlines).  They are writing to share their knowledge, their insights, and their feelings with others.  The hope is that other people will read what they have written, and interact with it, in the form of blog comments, quotes, and forwarding that content to others who might be interested.  One of a bloggers best friends is his or her blogroll, which highlights other blogs they are following, and often that are following them.  And thus, a community is born.

My blogging community started with a small group of folks who were taking the online blog writing course with me.  As we launched our new blogs together, we would post comments on each other’s posts, and receive the favor.  There is nothing better for a burgeoning blogger’s self esteem than getting “go get ‘em” cheers from folks you hardly even know!  But as time has progressed, many of us in the class have continued to follow each others content - - not because it is part of an assignment, but because we feel a connection with them.  By allowing us glimpses into their lives, their heads, and their hearts, we feel a vested interest in their blogs. 

Blogs can become, essentially, a 21st century version of a block party!  And who doesn’t love a block party??  There may not be that intoxicating smell of charcoaled meat in the air, but otherwise the elements of society and friendship are all there - - sharing ideas and information, having animated discussions, working together on common goals, finding common interests, supporting one another, and inviting outsiders to join in. 

What would your blog community look like?  Who would you want at your block party? Sign up today for the free introductory blog writing course, or for the in-depth Blogging 101 course, and find out for yourself what belonging to a community of like-minded (and unlike-minded) people can feel like.  Like it or not, we need each other. And, as Mr. Rogers would say…

It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood,

A beautiful day for a neighbor.

Won’t you please….

Please won’t you be….

Please won’t you be, my neighbor?

 

Until Next Time,