We’ve all been there.
You know, when you wake up and you just can’t seem to write or post anything; nothing’s coming, no inspiration, no nothing. And, to make matters worse, you’re not really feeling the motivation, the blog-love, the passion and fire. And, perhaps (to top it off) you’re just too darn busy with other things, with life (and that could be a good thing though!).
But, for whatever reason, you’ve committed to posting daily (or whatever time frame it is). You need to bust out that post.
One strategy is to break your commitment: Just don’t blog that day. This works all the time.
Another strategy that I use though is the “Series” posts, just like my “Blogger Basics” series I just finished up. A series of posts helps me stay on target and focused, and typically I have most of them written out before hand anyways.
What are some ways and strategies have you employed to help you “blog nothing (or not)”?
This is Part 5 of the 5 Part Tech Series on “Blogger Basics.” Find the rest of the series here.
Blogger, you need images on your posts. Trust me. It just “works” better.
But, only put images up on your blog that don’t take forever to load. What this means, then, is that you need to do a little homework on image compression.
It almost doesn’t matter if it’s a .gif, a .jpg, a .png, or a .whatever… it just needs to a good size relative to it’s use. A logo, for example, shouldn’t be 100k+. But, a strategic featured image for a post might be.
Get it? Keeping your site load time is just as important as the image itself, so a good balance is required. If you want more information, check this out.
[Image from Splorp]
A little new feature I’ve added via Google Friend Connect’s system is the “Recommendation” system.
As you can see now on any single post, you can recommend the post which will then show on the right sidebar.
This is a pretty neat and simple addition to any blog to help “crowd source” the interest of the readers.
Traffic, typically, is the indicator for “popularity” but I think taking it one step further and having people actually “click” something proves to be more effective long-term.
It’s super easy to add to your own site if you’re interested.
Try it out and start recommending!
[image from matthewfield]
Chapter 12 is covered by Luke DeMoss as part of our Group Blogging Project discussing the book Flickering Pixels by Shane Hipps. If you need a quick overview to what Flickering Pixels is about, please go here.
A very simple summary of this chapter is that Hipps discusses the idea of intentional communities, and how many of them have failed due to our need for individualism. He also mentions the idea of virtual communities making conflict a bigger issue…no one knows how to deal with conflict, they can just ignore it online and seclude themselves.
Hipps starts off the chapter talking about intentional communities and how most don’t work. He explains that the reason they don’t work is because of our need to be individuals. The way this is presented in the book, seems like this is a big problem that we have in our society. I don’t totally agree. Being independent individuals…at least to some degree is a very healthy, biblical thing. Although I don’t fully agree with the way Hipps chose to present this idea, I do agree that there is a definite need for balancing our want for independence.
The other thing that I found interesting in this chapter was how Hipps described online communities/relationships and how they were messing up our ability to do things like resolve conflict. While seclusion is always a possibility with technology, I don’t think that being involved in technology directly causes a lack of conflict resolution. In fact, I have seen technology assist in conflict resolution on many occassions. I think our definition of a “real” relationship is changing big time, and calling things done over the internet, not real isn’t going to be true anymore.
Overall, although I didn’t agree with the presentation of everything in this chapter, I do think Hipps brings up some good points that should cause us to pause and evaluate how much balance we have in our life. Rhett Smith is one of many great examples, take a look at this post back in November about his goal towards having a healthy balance of online vs. offline interaction. The answer isn’t leaving technology, but just having a good balance.
What do you do, to not just be a speck in the huge crowd of online communities, to engage the online community while also engaging offline? Share your experiences.
This is Part 4 of the 5 Part Tech Series on “Blogger Basics.” Find the rest of the series here.
As fun as the web is it’s just as dangerous, especially for the blogger.
“Security” can involve anything from your data being compromised, your information being lost (or stolen), your identity being taken, personal information released, etc. It can also be related directly to your hardware and where all of that “stuff” is ultimately being stored.
Being a blogger makes you an even bigger target, and the “bigger” you are the more of a target you become. Blogging systems can be hacked, compromised, or worse.
What you need to make sure you’re doing is keeping all your software up to date, backing up your data, making sure you’re discerning about the information you store on your blog and your server, good passwords, and who you’re hosting with (if they are legit).
Taking things for granted is pretty much the worst place for you to be as a blogger and even the smallest bit of information is important. There’s a lot to cover, but here’s a good start.
Remember, online security as a blogger is, for the most part, your responsibility.
[Image from Piet]
A random comment on my Wordpress Mug this morning from my Posterous got me thinking about a ChurchCrunch-branded coffee mug.
So, would you buy one?
My motivation wouldn’t be to make anything off of anyone. Instead, it’s really the opportunity to gleefully share my mornings with others knowing that many people are enjoying a hot cup of coffee reading things about technology, theology, and the church.
I’m not even sure how I would go about getting that done (CafePress…?) but it would be pretty neat. If you’ve got any ideas, let me know!
So, without further ado… the poll!
FaithSearch Partners, an Executive Search Firm for spiritual leaders, apparently just got a major upgrade (and became more “strategic”) with the addition of Tony Morgan:
Tony Morgan brings the FaithSearch Ministry Practice a wealth of experience, knowledge, and networks in the largest, fastest growing churches in the United States. His expertise is particularly focused on Executive Pastor roles and searches regarding strategists for churches seeking to reach a new level of growth and effectiveness.
Just wanted to give a shoutout and wish Tony the best of luck in his new endeavor! Tony’s “big” online, so we’ll be watching!
We love these types of “news,” so if you have updates on new positions or where people are headed (especially as related to web technology) let us know!
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