This is Day 2 of 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, a group project 50+ other bloggers are doing together in an effort to help each other become better bloggers. You can read more about it and still sign-up to participate here.
What an awesome first day we had in this series yesterday. I am blown away! To see my observations from yesterday check out 6 Things I Learned from Day 1 of #31DBBB.
Today’s lesson is about the list posts. If you’ve been reading blogs for any length of time, you know list posts are very popular. In fact, we have done our fair share of list posts here at Christian Web Trends. Here are some examples…
Top 5 List Posts on Christian Web Trends
- 20 Ways to Share Your Faith Online
- Top 10 Signs Your Church Website Needs a Redesign –
- The 10 Commandments of Social Networking
- 12 Ways to Ensure Easter Attendees Don’t Come Back to Your Church Next Week
- 10 Things I Learned from the Online Church Blog Series
The lesson gives several reasons list posts are so popular. They are easy to write. They’re easy to read. They break the main point up into clearly identifiable bite-size nuggets. In fact, you could make the case that list posts are the Chicken Nuggets of blogging. (Would you like some dipping sauce with that?)
Personally, I have my own theory for why list posts are so popular…
Geeks like numbers.
But that’s just one number-loving geek’s theory. (Full discloser: I was on the math team in high school)
Assignment
The assignment for today is to write a list post for your blog. If you’d like some more advice about writing list posts, check out 10 Steps to the Perfect List Post
Discussion
- Do you agree that list posts are both easier to write and easier to read? Why or why not?
- Of all the tips you’ve read about list posts, which do you think are the most important?
- If you did the assignment and wrote a list post, include a link your comment.
The Extra Mile
A few other things you can do to take your blog, other bloggers, and this project even further today…
- Reply & give other bloggers feedback on their list post
- Go back to 31DBBB – Day 1: The Elevator Pitch & check out the elevator pitches.
- Tweet, share, & bookmark this post. (You could win a $25 gift card!)
- Ask & answer questions about blogging but unrelated to elevator pitches in the forums.
303 Comments
That's funny.. Not sure it's the point of the lesson, but funny anyway!
Nice post, Richard.
Could I offer a couple of suggestions? The links took the reader off of your site and onto the next. You might consider having the links open in a new tab so that the reader won't have to leave your page.
Also, your title says you will share six links, but you actually have seven (I'm assuming you added the last one as an edit?). Maybe you could list the final one as a "Bonus link" or you could update your description to 7.
Nice post, Richard.
Could I offer a couple of suggestions? The links took the reader off of your site and onto the next. You might consider having the links open in a new tab so that the reader won't have to leave your page.
Also, your title says you will share six links, but you actually have seven (I'm assuming you added the last one as an edit?). Maybe you could list the final one as a "Bonus link" or you could update your description to 7.
Chad,
Thanks for the help. I forgot I added one afterward.
The probelm I had is that the blogspot post editor did not have the option to have it open in another tab or window. Since you wrote I have looked at the html source code and found I could add the code target="_blank" after the link to make it open in another window. I do not know the code to tell it to open in another tab.
I am beginning to think I don't like blogspot.
Good for you figuring out the code! I hear you about Blogspot's editor. My friend Ed just recently shared with me about using Windows Live Writer to use as my blog editor. I've really liked it as it gives many more options. It's a free download if you are interested.
'101 Reasons I Believe in My Eschatology' <grinning>
'101 Reasons I Believe in My Eschatology' <grinning>
haha..
You crack me up (as I take over Paul's comment section)…
Thanks!
Easier to write. . .maybe. I've been having major writer's block for awhile now and that played into today's blog. It was nice having an 'assignment' to work from though.
Here is the post: http://matman42.blogspot.com/2010/05/top-10-podca…
Tex – Thanks. As I said yesterday, I think your blog is the most honest to God blogs participating in this exercise!