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
'101 Reasons I Believe in My Eschatology' <grinning>
6 Inspirational Gifts That You Can Afford To Make!
Here is the link to my blog list post: http://inspirationalgifts.blogspot.com/2010/05/6-…
I just wanted to add that after my 1st ever list post I had the largest number of visitors to my blog in one week that I have ever had. In fact double, give or take. Only 2 comments, both from the same person, but hits count with the search engines, exposure counts for income potential and usually I get no comments at all.
My blog – Is There An App For That? – deals with Tech's Role In Christian Formation. I have recently been advising churches about ChMS (Church Management Systems)
Okay, so I was up WAY too late trying to get this one done. Just a busy day and evening today. But here is its. I tried creating a list post using the top five results from Google Trends and focusing on how to discuss these things from a Biblical worldview. I tried to position it in a way that invited conversation on the items in the list…
http://bibledude.net/2010/05/5-current-google-tre…
Just under the wire….
5 Traits of Shiney, Happy People http://deliberatelegacies.com/?p=153
Wayne Anson here using Personal Transformation Opportunities as my working blog [http://guidedreflections.blogspot.com/ ].
Elevator Pitch: Personal Transformation Opportunities provides a weekly opportunity to: Stop and Think Wisely Focused on One Thing.
My List Post: http://guidedreflections.blogspot.com/2010/05/shu… .
Creating an elevator pitch helped me identify where my blog has not been true to my original intentions. Clearly it would be easy to write an elevator pitch than looks great but leaves the focus undefined and the blog too broad to gain attention.
Dynamic list posts are not always easier to write. You work hard to say something of value. Formating, however, allows for quick, memorable statements with futher elucidation following. Danger! Don't let tflexibility become an excuse for poor writing.
Thanks for the reminder that we need to take time to be still. The title is a good lead into your post.
a 3 pt list – Free fonts for your church publications http://jacklamb.name/2010/05/04/3-great-free-font…
a 3 pt list – Free fonts for your church publications http://jacklamb.name/2010/05/04/3-great-free-font…
Good title, title drawed me in to read your post. Thank you also for giving an example of what the fonts look like.
Yeah, I missed the bit about being wordy, too. But I don't think your post was too long. If I think a post is too long, it has to be really, really engaging before I'll read it. I try to keep my posts fairly short, too. It's always easier to write long than short–for me, anyway.
Great post, too, btw. I would say the one other thing is to just know Him. None of the other stuff matters if you know Him, because knowing Him, you know the explanation will come along eventually. It's like trusting a lover–no, THE Lover–the perfect lover of our soul.
Yeah, I missed the bit about being wordy, too. But I don't think your post was too long. If I think a post is too long, it has to be really, really engaging before I'll read it. I try to keep my posts fairly short, too. It's always easier to write long than short–for me, anyway.
Great post, too, btw. I would say the one other thing is to just know Him. None of the other stuff matters if you know Him, because knowing Him, you know the explanation will come along eventually. It's like trusting a lover–no, THE Lover–the perfect lover of our soul.