In celebration of Internet Evangelism Month, this is the thirteenth in a 15-part blog project discussing the book, @stickyJesus: how to live out your faith online.
If Facebook is the appetizer of social media and Twitter is a sweet tweet 😉 , then blogging is the meat and potatoes of social media.
I don’t know that that’s the best analogy, but as Tami and Toni write in @StickyJesus
Not confined to any magic word count, blogs allow you to go deeper into a topic, build relationships, and establish your own library of content.
From a ministry perspective, a blog is a great place to
- Share stories of what God is doing in your life.
- Share other people’s inspiring God stories.
- Share a Christian perspective on current issues or events and facilitate discussion.
- Advocate for a specific cause you’re passionate about and develop relationships with other people who share a passion for that cause.
- Share your concerns and struggles and invite others to share their wisdom in comments.
Blog = Rocket Fuel
As I wrote a few months ago a blog is rocket fuel for social media and search engines. Here’s what I mean:
To succeed in social media, you need to provide value to those you connect with. Some of the most valuable things you can provide to people include original content, a place to discuss things that are important to them, and a place to meet like-minded people. All of these valuable things can be provided through a good blog.
Additionally, if you want to rank well in search engines, you need original content and links to your content. Both of these valuable things can be facilitated through a blog.
(Also see 40+ Ways Blogging Leads to Success)
Content is King, Community is Queen
“Content is king” is a phrase often repeated in the context of blogs. It basically means, creating great, original content is the most important ingredient in a successful blog.
While there’s no denying the value of great content, I believe community is equally important. People are drawn to community. They return to the places where they are known and valued. And most importantly, you will have a greater impact on the lives of the people who read your blog if you demonstrate you actually care about them.
Here are some tips for developing community on a blog.
- Ask questions in your blog posts that spark conversation
- Reply to people who comment on your blog
- Comment on other blogs that are on similar topics
- Connect with commenters and the authors of similar blogs on Facebook and Twitter
- Offer to guest blog on other blogs, invite others to guest blog on your blog, participate in group blog projects like this one.
- Look for opportunities to help and show appreciation for commenters
Discussion
- How do you use your blog to minister to others?
- What other ways can blogs be used for ministry?
- What things do you to help foster community on your blog?
@StickyJesus 12) demystifying: Twitter" href="https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/stickyjesus-12-demystifying-twitter/" rel="bookmark">12) demystifying: Twitter <– @StickyJesus – The Group Blog Project" href="https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/introducing-stickyjesus-group-blog-project/" rel="bookmark">@StickyJesus project –> @StickyJesus 14) demystifying: content gathering" href="https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/stickyjesus-14-demystifying-content-gathering/" rel="bookmark">14) demystifying: content gathering
35 Comments
great convo and great points paul!
for me as a writer blogging is such a gift – i can write and some people might read. i can communicate and people respond. and as a reader blogging is such a gift too because i can read other peoples stories and real life experiences. i can learn from them and be inspired by them and encouraged by them. ordinary people, like myself, who are making a difference. and i believe God speaks through blogging – He can use our words to speak to people. wow.
How do you use your blog to minister to others? there are times i definately feel a nudge to post something – but there are other times when i am uising it like a file cabinet – storing quotes and thoughts. but i trust God that He can breathe upon anything i write and share.
What things do you to help foster community on your blog? i always appreciate the comments – i'm a real words of appreciation love languages type of gal so love encouragement (though not living for it! mostly!) and i love to connect… i think responding always makes a connection and a difference. and then there are those who ahve commented that i've then connected with on fb and twitter – love that!
heres my take incl a testimony of how God used a post from yesterday to encourage some readers, i love that: http://onepassiononedevotion.wordpress.com/2011/0…
Claire, thanks for writing and sharing that post. Good stuff in there!
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Hi Sarah, what's your motivation for blogging? What's the purpose of your blog?
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