I believe blogging is one of the best avenues to achieve success.
Whether your dream is to lead a great church, build a great company, bring lots of people to faith in Christ, fight an injustice, or anything else, blogging can help you accomplish that. In fact, you’re probably already reading the blog of someone you admire because they’re successful at something similar to your dream.
I want to become a better blogger, and I want to help you become a better blogger, whether you’ve got years of experience or are just thinking about starting your first blog.
Let me explain how we can do this together.
31 Days to Building a Better Blog
Darren Rowse is one of the most successful bloggers on the planet. He authors the ProBlogger blog which boasts 136,000 RSS subscribers and has helped thousands of people earn a living blogging.
Several years ago Darren did a 31 Days to Building a Better Blog project. Thousands of bloggers participated as each day for 31 days Darren posted a blogging lesson & gave a homework assignment.
I bought a copy of 31DBBB for $20. I skimmed it, and it’s fantastic. I could go through it and do it on my own, but what would be the fun in that?
I want to do 31DBBB with a group of people who are as passionate about blogging and self-improvement as I am. Experience is irrelevant. I hope the group includes some people who have been blogging for years as well as some who are just starting their first blog. Far more important that experience is passion and a willingness to commit to about an hour a day, every day, for 31 days.
Yes, that’s a big commitment. But I wouldn’t make that commitment myself if I didn’t believe it was worth it.
How do we make this exciting?
Becoming a better blogger is its own reward, but because this project requires a big commitment, I want to add some incentives and some excitement so that we’ll look forward to all 31 days. This is where I need your help.
What would help make this exciting for you?
Here are some ideas I’ve come up with…
- What if there were prizes for things like the blog that sees the biggest increase in traffic over the 31 days? Or the biggest jump in RSS subscribers?
- What if OCC offered free hosting for a year to any blogger who made it all 31 days?
- What if we found some WordPress theme developers who would offer big discounts or free themes to participants?
- What if we created some sort of forum so that participants could get honest feedback on their blog’s design, topics, writing style, etc from other participants?
- What if we could get a famous, celebrity blogger to participate?
- What if we created our own topic at postrank.com which would allow us to see which blogs are making the most progress. (Example)
I want to finalize the details this week so they can be announced on Monday and we can start the 31 days to a better blog on Saturday May 1. So, before you click away could you real quick answer these questions for me in a comment?
- Do you blog?
- How interested are you in doing the 31 Days to Building a Better Blog?
- Which of the ideas mentioned would you like to see as a part of this project?
- What other prizes, incentives, or other ideas do you have that would get you excited about the project?
Thanks!
68 Comments
Bring it on! I've been trying to take blogging more seriously as one of many means of helping to build up the church (exactly the point of my most recent post on Prayer Experiment), and I'd love for it to reach a wider audience, because I believe that more people praying more often is a great thing.
What do you think the commitment would look like?
So, to answer your questions:
1) Yes
2) Very interested
3) I like all of the ideas, particularly the feedback forum. "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers, they will succeed." (Proverbs 15:22)
4) Not to sound all spiritual, but the prize for me would be to know that more people are praying more often. I wouldn't say "no" to a free iPad though…
Thanks Chris. My guess is that on average it will take about an hour a day to read that day's lesson, and do the "homework." Sometimes the homework is writing a blog post, other times it's some kind of interaction or planning. I imagine it could take more time to post questions to a forum or give feedback to other blogger. One good thing is that when you buy the 31 Days to Building a Better Blog, it's one big PDF, so it's possible to work ahead if you know you'll be busy on a particular day.
Pingback: Tweets that mention Would You Like to Succeed by Becoming a Great Blogger? « Christian Web Trends Blog -- Topsy.com
w00t!! I def want in on this one, it sounds awesome! For myself I'm pretty new to blogging so I'd love to get in, if only for the sake of practice.
1) yes
2) I'm there.
3) they all sound great but the forum sounds best.
4) I'd like to meet some other serious bloggers in person. Just sit down over lunch or something and pick their brains.
A bloggers meetup would be cool. I particpated in one at the Catalyst conference in Atlanta last fall and it was a lot of fun. It won't be possible to get everyone who does the 31DBBB project together, but maybe a few here and there would find themselves close enough to meet up. Where are you located?
I'm in the DC area: live on the Maryland side but spend most of my time in the City.
Ah, I lived in Columbia, MD for several years before moving back to Florida (Tampa area). When I create the sign-up form for this project I'll include a box for location & "interested in meeting face-to-face with other bloggers"
I would love to participate, I've been scratching my head trying to figure out how to become a better blogger.
1) yes
2) very interested
3) I like the forum or a celebrity blogger to get feedback from
4) any helpful tech toy or free coffee would be great, lol.
Okay, I'm in.
1)yes
2)very intersted
3)forum and feedback
4)like the free hosting for a year, Chris's mention of an iPad is pretty cool!
I'd saddle up and give it a go.
1. Technically yes, but I also get bucked off a lot.
2. I'd rather snap my fingers and make it better, but since that's not an option–SURE!
3. Honest feedback is cool, but could there be a dishonest feedback where everyone said my blog was cool even if it wasn't?
4. The greatest prize of all is just sharin' Jesus Christ. Chocolate milk is second.
Hey Kevin,
>>Honest feedback is cool, but could there be a dishonest feedback where everyone said my blog was cool even if it wasn't?
Great point. That could be one of the challenges. We would really have to stress that people must be willing and able to both give and receive criticism to participate. You have my word that i will speak the truth in love and will do everything I can to create an atmosphere where that is what happens.
Thanks for the reply…
Being a Pastor, rancher, and Dad makes me pretty thick skinned, but I trust ya on the speakin' in love and truth.
Maybe you could talk to a WordPress guru and make the prize a USB plug in for my head so I can download everything I need to learn. I have learned this though: RSS doesn't stand for Really Stinkin' Simple.
Kevin, I imagine you probably are pretty thick-skinned. 🙂
Not sure I'll be able to manage the USB plug, but having a wordpress guru available for questions would be a great idea.
What sort of problems are you having with RSS?
No problems with RSS. It's just that in the Cowboy Church ministry, some of the folks we're tryin' to reach barely know how to turn their computer on, Try explainin' RSS to a cowboy that asks, "What does right click mean?"
Ah, I understand. Have you ever tried showing folks the What is RSS video that's on this page?
https://blog.ourchurch.com/what-is-rss/
I will…thanks a bunch!!
I'm down! Been trying to get more intentional about blogging for my business and for my personal blog.
I'm cool with whatever you decide as far as "rewards". The iPad sounds like the best deal!!! haha.. Or perhaps maybe some free link building for our sites…
Yeah, everyone seems to like the iPad idea. Why don't we throw in a new car too. 😉
I like the link building idea. I'll talk about that with the OCC staff.
Well now I'm a little sorry I suggested that! I didn't really think it would be a possibility, because they ain't cheap, so feel free to smack me. Free iPad or not, I'd still love to do this, and the best reward will be greater impact.
LOL! I doubt OCC would spring for an iPad, but I'm leaving open the possibility that maybe there's an organization that might want to partner/sponsor this project and maybe they would.
I would totally do it and been looking for something like this for a while.
I think the motivational ideas are great, also.
And about your questions:
1. Yes.
2. Completely Interested.
3. All of them. I specially like the one about a famous blogger.
4. More comments 🙂
Hi Andres, I think everyone would like more visitors and more comments on their blog. Any ideas as to how we could help make that happen?
I have a brand new website that will soon have free dowloadable bible studies. I want to attract seekers and new believers to the site. I have written two blog entries in two weeks – 31 days sounds like a big committment but I would like to give it a try.
1. Yes, for about 3 years
2. Big commitment – but I'm in.
3. Feedback forum would be great, so would WordPress theme development.
4. Free SEO for a year.