This is Day 31 of 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, a group project 60+ of us bloggers are doing together in an effort to help each other become better bloggers.
A little over six weeks ago we started a journey together in the pursuit of becoming better bloggers. Congratulations to everyone who has made it to this finish line. This has been a worthwhile project for me, not just for the practical advice and wisdom I have received in the 31 Days to Building a Better Blog material, but because of the friendships that I have made along the way. So many of you have spoken truth into my life through your respective blogs and I am grateful to you for your willingness to share your lives with me through blogging.
Today’s lesson deals with developing your “next steps” in blogging. Darren recommends mapping out what you intend to accomplish in your next month of blogging. Basically we are being encouraged to put into practice the different concepts we have learned over the 31 days. Putting together a game plan that includes developing potential blog topics, developing a variety of different types of posts we want to write, and allotting time to participate in forums and commenting on other blogs will definitely help us all become better bloggers.
In short, following a well thought-out plan is one of the essentials for building a better blog.
I am a planner by nature. Working within the confines of a structured plan is very comforting to me. While the task may seem a little daunting to those of you who may have a little more of a “free spirit” when it comes to your blog planning, I want to challenge you to give it a try.
It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you follow a plan. For example:
Less than a year ago, I had a dream to become a runner. Now, when you see me, I probably would remind you more of an offensive lineman than than your prototypical track team member, but for whatever reason, I had this desire deep down to start running. Smart people would have probably chosen a mile race or a 5K to get started. I chose a half-marathon–that’s 13.1 miles for those of you keeping score at home.
How does a fat boy get ready for a half-marathon? He finds a good plan and sticks with it. Although I knew very little about running, I began following a plan recommended to me by some experienced runners. There were days I wasn’t able to complete a training run for a variety of reasons, but keeping track of my training and following the recommended running strategy as closely as possible helped get me ready for my first half-marathon. Having the discipline to run even when I didn’t “feel” like it prepared me to run well. My plan caused me to log the miles and gain the endurance that I would need make it to the starting line with the courage that I was as ready as I could be to complete the challenge ahead.
I can’t tell you how amazing it felt to finish that race! In fact, I finished my second half-marathon in March and just began training to run a full marathon toward the end of this year.
I am still a fat man, but thanks to good planning, I am now a “fat man on the run!”
Blogging seems to be a lot like distance running to me. Both are challenging and rewarding, and those who work hard and plan ahead tend to finish well.
I look forward to seeing you regularly as we continue to run the blogging trails together!
Discussion:
- What value do you see in setting up a blog calendar a month ahead?
- Do you think planning ahead stifles or increases creativity?
- Which bloggers have impacted you the most over the last 31 days?
The Extra Mile:
- Complete a month of your blog calendar and post a link where we can check it out.
- Tweet, share, & bookmark this post.
- When other bloggers include a link to a new article they’ve posted today, click, read, and comment on it.
- Complete the 31DBBB feedback survey by midnight tonight (Monday)
After 15+ years as a paid pastor, Nolan Bobbitt found out how to do real-world ministry…by getting a job as a barista at Starbucks! He blogs about his journey of faith, family, and leadership (edit 3/13/24 nolanbobbitt.com discontinued) You can also follow him on Twitter (@NolanBobbitt).
27 Comments
One thing that I am sure we are all faced with is finding balance in our lives (God, Family, Work, Friends, etc) Blogging (that includes research, reading, commenting and promoting) take a chuck out of that time. One needs to spend some time setting out a schedule – both for blogging times and what you need to blog about.
Least you find yourself dipping into God or family time to write that very important post.
Yes, that is me.
Planning will certainly help in keeping that balance.
Preach it!
This was a much more challenging project than I anticipated on the front end. I am glad that I continued to participate even though I still have several incomplete assignments that need my attention down the road. It has been a deep honor to have many of you stop by my blog over the last six weeks and leave comments and it has been a privilege to see how many of you are wonderful writers who have made your way onto my rss feeds and I look forward to your continued encouragement. I have not planned my month out yet, but have set aside time to do it later this week. Here is my latest blog post: http://www.nolanbobbitt.com/welcome_to_nolans_wor…
I've learned quite a bit from this experience. The main thing I learned is that if I don't set a schedule to blog I don't do it. So now I'm working on a M-W-F blog post each week, each with a different category or point to them..
http://www.guardraildamageahead.com
I have learned from this experience mostly to be consistent and that blogging about fun things as well as just simply informational stuff is better than journaling or just talking. Have also learned about keywords and the community that I gained and learned from this experience has been great. I hope to stay connected in the blogging community through our blogs and online.
Setting a blog calendar for me sounds great, though I change it often. You can plan what you're going to write about for a month or for a week but when you're trying to follow God and blog what he wants daily that often gets changed. I have an idea of what to blog about today as well as lots of ideas that I could use for this week and the months ahead.
I see value but mostly see the most value in having ideas and being consistent.
Planning for me creates and stifles activity. Planning is at least having an idea of what to blog on, but planning too strictly like what I'll blog on for a whole month stifles my creativity and such.
The readers who have impacted me and the blog most during this project have been Richard Sipes, Jennifer Janes, Lara, Kevin Weatherby, Larry Westfall, L.L. Barkat, Stuart, Janis, and a few others who have not been a part of this project.
Blog post for today is "Choosing to Forgive" http://tijuanabecky.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/choo…
Also..I've had requests to blog on "Toys That Are Not As Fun As The Box They Came In" a post that relates to the ones I did on cheerios and community last week. If you have ideas for this post how to approach it, what toys you or your children have that are not as much fun as their box, or any other suggestions feel free to comment here and let me know. Would love to hear them!
Hi Everyone,
I've missed the last few days because we have been out of town and today I was training for a new position at the University of Arizona. Will check back later tonight with an update and am looking forward to tomorrow.
Shouldn't we have a party? Virtual brownies and lattes?
It just doesn't seem right to end without celebration after all of this time.
Blessings,
Janis
Can't beat coffee and chocolate. I'm in!
It has been an excellent learning experience. I would recommend it to anyone interested in improving their blogging. I agree with Nolan that this was a much more challenging project than I expected. However, it was worth taking the time in order to learn from and be inspired by everyone who participated. Thanks Paul.
I have really found the challenge of following through for 31 days to be a personal motivatior. The information learned, whether new or a review of previous knowledge will continue to shape my blogging for as many years as God keeps me at it. Finding so many people in my niche has been a much needed break out of isolation and finding people who care (community) finally restores my faith in part of the dream God has give me in developing a School of the Prophets that is community based but highly web connected. It would be unfair to list the people who have most helped me, but many many of you have even though I did not tell each of you so! Thanks Nolan. And thanks Paul!
It's been great getting to know you all, and I hope we'll continue to cross one another's paths. And Nolan, I am almost persuaded to think about trying to conceive of running a half-marathon. 😆 I'm impressed — totally. Great last post.
I can't possibly plan ahead that far. I tried planning a week ahead, and I didn't follow the plan because God gave me other things to write about. There's just no point. My problem isn't finding things to write about, but finding time to write them. Nevertheless, I feel I've gotten a lot out of this exercise, not least of which is getting to know some of my fellow travelers.
Blessings, Cindy
Amazing article, thanks for sharing nolanbobbitt 🙂