StepUP

Often Misused

Last month when I announced the StepUP monthly support group on Facebook, I wrote:

 If you're called to be a writer and/or speaker, Shona Neff & myself (aka Sho and Sho) are having a writers/speakers online support group on Tuesday, Aug 2 @9pm EST. Open forum. No fees. No agendas. Just support & discussion. Come on over and join us.

The following day, I received a gracious private message explaining how I misused a pronoun. And she was right.

Do you see it?

Shona Neff and myself. . . really? I thought it sounded good, but it is grammatically incorrect. It should read, "Shona Neff and I are having. . ."

Often times when writing, we write the way we speak. And I don't know about you, but I am one of the most grammatically incorrect speakers (that's a whole other post). It's an area where I'm a work in progress.

In the process of desiring to get the words into a document, we just type without thinking about grammar. And we should or the creative process may be inhibited. However, we do need to review and edit what we write (even when we post on Facebook so we can be a good example).

Here are a few other words that may give us some grammatical grief.

Blog Blast Spotlight - Part 4, Jackie Brown

In our fourth and final spotlight, StepUP is proud to feature Jackie Brown of Mom on a Mission. When we first saw the title of her blog we wondered what type of mission she was on, but the minute we clicked into her cyber kitchen, our question was answered.

If you want to follow along as we share the things that Jackie does so effectively, click on her blog, www.momonamission.me.

Niche

Have you noticed that every one of our featured blogs has had a specific niche? That is because this aspect of what we do is an important part of creating a blog that readers will visit and revisit. Jackie has a definite niche with her food focus. She covers a lot of territory as is evident by scrolling through the "Cook N' Freeze" contents located on the far right-hand side of her main page.

Blog Blast Spotlight - Part 3, David Andrews

Our third spotlight goes to David Andrews, a blogger from New Zealand. His site is like no other that we visited. There is no mistaking David's passion, and he makes it easy to get lost in a sea of words beautifully crafted by him and others.

Follow this link to Poetry In Motion so you can click back and forth as we share the things David does to make his blog worth visiting on a regular basis.

Niche

David immediately establishes his purpose with the title, Poetry in Motion. However, what is so effective about his blog is the fact that it is not just filled with works by notable poets. David's content consists of lyrics from songs, inspirational videos that have touched him, notable books, and poetic words that leap from his heart to the page when his life intersects inspiration.

Blog Blast Spotlight - Part 2, Dianne Guthmuller

The second StepUP blog spotlight is Dianne Guthmuller's The Journey. Once again, Dianne has done a great job incorporating many of the strategies that make a great blog.

If you'd like to follow along as I share the many things Dianne does right with her blog, please visit The Journey so you can click back and forth to observe it as you read.

Niche

Dianne quickly establishes her blog's purpose in the banner: "Encouraging others to know Him more" based on Philippians 3:10. Dianne's audience is people seeking a deeper relationship with God, and she knows what appeals to her audience.

The name of her blog immediately sets the tone, The Journey. This is not fluff and stuff; seekers are on a mission. Her banner also supports this theme: it contains a no-nonsense photo of her doing her own seeking as she sits on a porch with a laptop and her own study resources.

Blog Blast Spotlight - Part 1, Karen Daly Cook

As promised, it is now time to spotlight a few blogs we think are doing some great things. We thank every one who shared their blogs with us. All of them were charming, but a few caught our our eyes as good examples of the helpful hints Sho and Sho have shared during our August Blog Blast.

Our first spotlight shines on Karen Daly Cook of The Couch.  Karen immediately captured our attention with her home page. (If you would like to refer back and forth between here and Karen's blog as we point out some of the great features, click: http://karendalycook.com/).

Home Page Appeal

The formatting of Karen's home page is not the usual blog fare; it has a fresh, cutting edge look. Instead of the typical banner stretching across the top, she uses a large photo of herself on a couch placed on the upper, left-hand side of her home page. Not only is this different, but, since she is pictured in the banner, she quicky establishes a repoir with the reader because she gives them a person to connect with.

To Write or to VLOG

Last Thursday, I saw a tweet by @5minutesformom about survey result that Mom bloggers hate to watch video blogs (VLOGS). Intrigued, I jumped over to the article and sure enough, mom bloggers prefer to read.

Surprised by the results (because I've been told VLOGging is the new way to blog), I decided to take my own Facebook poll. I posted my poll in several different groups on Facebook including my own profile page.

Ready for the results?

Sixty people responded to my informal polls. Fifty-nine were women, and one male made his voice count.

Those who prefer to read: 47

Those who enjoy VLOGs only: 0

Those who enjoy both: 13

Most of the comments from those who prefer both, were that the VLOG needed to be brief.

Will you be making any changes based on these poll results? Are you surprised by these poll results?

Increase Blog Traffic

So far in our August Blog Blast, we've learned how to build a better blog, improve our blog's appearance, and polish our posts. Now we want to take it a step further to help drive traffic to your blog.

Become the Expert

Shona explained when starting a blog, we need to find a niche. Who is your audience? Once you've determined this, your blog's content should establish you as an expert in your field.

As Shona mentioned already, she's dubbed herself on her personal blog as a "personality mechanic." On mine, it's all about being "in pursuit of a fully engrafted life," where I focus on devotions and Bible study (though I've been on a long sabbatical over there).

Demonstrate to your readers that you are the go-to person in your area of expertise.

Polishing Your Posts

Our August Blog Blast continues with helpful hints to polish your posts. These guidelines contribute to a clean appearance, but mainly they will help your readers not only start your piece, but finish it.

Length

Internet surfers, surf. They are always looking for the next great wave of words, but they also don't want to drown in a sea of ABCs. It is easier to stay on top a post with fewer words than wading through the white water of an electronic novella. The recommended amount of words for a typical post is 250 to 500 words.

Of course, as with everything, there are exceptions, but try not to make exceptions in this area. Since I tend to write instructional material, it is hard to get everything said in less than 500 words, but I try . . . I try hard! Sometimes I go a little over, but I cringe every time I hit "publish" under those circumstances.

Give Your Blog an Awesome Appearance!

Trust me on this one . . . the more attractive your blog, the more people you will attract. But, before we go any further let me clarify something: People are different and appearance preferences can be somewhat subjective. However, there are a few basic guidelines that have proven effective in the world of blogging.

Banner

Choose an appropriate banner. For example, unless your audience is children or people who work with children, stay away from childish designs. This is one reason establishing a niche is so important; you have a better idea what will be more likely to appeal to your audience.

The banner is also a great place to announce your purpose. On my personality blog, not only does my banner announce my name, but it immediately informs new visitors of my purpose: Personalities . . . Tools to Tune Up Your Relationships. An effective banner immediately hooks interested visitors.

4 Ways to Build a Better Blog

Is your heart yearning to start a blog? Maybe you want to improve an existing one. Well, this post is for you. There are thousands of bloggers doing their best to woo the myriad of Internet readers. If a blog fails to captivate web surfers, there are plenty of other "waves" for them to catch . . . one click away. Let's build a better blog so that people will want to ride your wave!

Find a Niche

What do readers find when visiting your blog? What is your purpose and who is your audience? Our StepUP website is filled with material for aspiring writers and speakers. When someone visits our blog, they expect (and get) a variety of helpful information focusing on Christian communication. Readers prefer familarity; if they don't know what to expect from a blog, most readers may be inclined to move on.