Developing a Crisp Blog by Motte Brown on 11/09/2007 at 2:30 PM

La Shawn Barber is a freelance writer, blogger, and blog consultant; so says her website/blog La Shawn Barber's Corner. Here's what else her website says,

She is a columnist for the Washington Examiner, and her articles, essays, and book reviews have appeared in the Washington Post, Washington Times, Christian Research Journal, Christianity Today, Today’s Christian Woman, Beliefnet.com, National Review Online, Townhall.com, and other publications.

So La Shawn obviously knows a little about writing. And writing well in the new media is what she talked about in her GodblogCon workshop.

• Make your post easy to read -- Use a lot of white space and make long posts manageable by breaking it up.
• Be descriptive in your title ... so people don't misunderstand what you're trying to say. It also helps when people look for information online months from now.
• Be descriptive in your post -- This helps with search engine placement and prioritization.
• Check grammar and spelling -- If your blog is public it needs to be prepared for public consumption.
• Write the way you speak -- Be casual and conversational. It helps people connect with you.
• Good writing takes time to develop -- The more we do things the better we get, and the easier it gets. So keep writing.
• Develop a routine -- Whether it's once a week or once a day, be consistent. It helps build your traffic. And people want to know when to expect an update.
• Controversy is king -- Don't be controversial for the sake of being controversial, but do put yourself out there. Talk about things that nobody feels comfortable talking about. And when you do, make sure you provide a safe place for discussion.
• Dispense with euphemism -- Call something what it is; call abortion murder.
• Be three dimensional -- Linking to sources builds credibility and adds depth. Online platforms are three dimensional so take advantage of it. You can't link in a print magazine or newspaper.
• Open comments for discussion and to build community -- This also helps build readership.

These are great tips for bloggers. I recognize that I do well with some of these and not so well with others. It would be helpful to get some feedback from our readers if there's a glaring weakness on our blog as a whole. See any?

Developing a Crisp Blog by Motte Brown on 11/09/2007 at 2:30 PM

La Shawn Barber is a freelance writer, blogger, and blog consultant; so says her website/blog La Shawn Barber's Corner. Here's what else her website says,

She is a columnist for the Washington Examiner, and her articles, essays, and book reviews have appeared in the Washington Post, Washington Times, Christian Research Journal, Christianity Today, Today’s Christian Woman, Beliefnet.com, National Review Online, Townhall.com, and other publications.

So La Shawn obviously knows a little about writing. And writing well in the new media is what she talked about in her GodblogCon workshop.

• Make your post easy to read -- Use a lot of white space and make long posts manageable by breaking it up.
• Be descriptive in your title ... so people don't misunderstand what you're trying to say. It also helps when people look for information online months from now.
• Be descriptive in your post -- This helps with search engine placement and prioritization.
• Check grammar and spelling -- If your blog is public it needs to be prepared for public consumption.
• Write the way you speak -- Be casual and conversational. It helps people connect with you.
• Good writing takes time to develop -- The more we do things the better we get, and the easier it gets. So keep writing.
• Develop a routine -- Whether it's once a week or once a day, be consistent. It helps build your traffic. And people want to know when to expect an update.
• Controversy is king -- Don't be controversial for the sake of being controversial, but do put yourself out there. Talk about things that nobody feels comfortable talking about. And when you do, make sure you provide a safe place for discussion.
• Dispense with euphemism -- Call something what it is; call abortion murder.
• Be three dimensional -- Linking to sources builds credibility and adds depth. Online platforms are three dimensional so take advantage of it. You can't link in a print magazine or newspaper.
• Open comments for discussion and to build community -- This also helps build readership.

These are great tips for bloggers. I recognize that I do well with some of these and not so well with others. It would be helpful to get some feedback from our readers if there's a glaring weakness on our blog as a whole. See any?

Comments

[1. David at freeChristianresources said the following at 7:53 AM on Nov 10:]

1

I agree with most of this but would go a bit further on the 'make you post easy to read'. It is key for this to go for the whole blog and for it to be easy to navigate and not cluttered.

This is one of the good things about Boundless Line, it is very well designed and also has a unique style. A bad design can be very offputting and detract from the content.

[2. Marc said the following at 9:49 AM on Nov 12:]

2

Wow, a blog post quoting a blog posted at a blogging convention...
about posting blogs.

It's like the literary equivalent of an Escher painting:

I call this "the eternal blogger"

[3. Jennifer said the following at 1:54 PM on Nov 14:]

3

I understand that Boundless is a blog and thus the Boundless writers are understandably interested in what the larger (esp Christian) blogging community has to say about this form of communication. However, I'm getting a little bit tired of reading so many posts about the pros/cons/art of blogging. Is Boundless supposed to be a blog for bloggers? Or is it a blog for the average young adult who is interested in reading about and discussing current issues from a Christian perspective? Not that the occasional "all about blogging" post doesn't have a place...it just seems to be a little overdone at times. I think you'll find evidence for this when you look at the relative few comments you get on entries about blogging. Just my two cents.

[4. Sara said the following at 3:17 PM on Nov 14:]

4

Agree with Jennifer...

It's as if all the books I read began with a discussion of the relative merits and limitations of presenting the content in book form as opposed to an oral or electronic presentation, and so on.

[5. The G said the following at 5:07 PM on Nov 16:]

5

Actually, several friends and I are about to launch a Christian blog ourselves, and I'm very pleased with these posts.

It's amazing how every time I visit Boundless, I find something that relates quite directly to current projects and situations in my life.

Thank you, Boundless!

[1. David at freeChristianresources said the following at 7:53 AM on Nov 10:]

1

I agree with most of this but would go a bit further on the 'make you post easy to read'. It is key for this to go for the whole blog and for it to be easy to navigate and not cluttered.

This is one of the good things about Boundless Line, it is very well designed and also has a unique style. A bad design can be very offputting and detract from the content.

[2. Marc said the following at 9:49 AM on Nov 12:]

2

Wow, a blog post quoting a blog posted at a blogging convention...
about posting blogs.

It's like the literary equivalent of an Escher painting:

I call this "the eternal blogger"

[3. Jennifer said the following at 1:54 PM on Nov 14:]

3

I understand that Boundless is a blog and thus the Boundless writers are understandably interested in what the larger (esp Christian) blogging community has to say about this form of communication. However, I'm getting a little bit tired of reading so many posts about the pros/cons/art of blogging. Is Boundless supposed to be a blog for bloggers? Or is it a blog for the average young adult who is interested in reading about and discussing current issues from a Christian perspective? Not that the occasional "all about blogging" post doesn't have a place...it just seems to be a little overdone at times. I think you'll find evidence for this when you look at the relative few comments you get on entries about blogging. Just my two cents.

[4. Sara said the following at 3:17 PM on Nov 14:]

4

Agree with Jennifer...

It's as if all the books I read began with a discussion of the relative merits and limitations of presenting the content in book form as opposed to an oral or electronic presentation, and so on.

[5. The G said the following at 5:07 PM on Nov 16:]

5

Actually, several friends and I are about to launch a Christian blog ourselves, and I'm very pleased with these posts.

It's amazing how every time I visit Boundless, I find something that relates quite directly to current projects and situations in my life.

Thank you, Boundless!