Tag Archive for: links

What you should know as a Catholic blogger

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We interrupt the Blogging for Beginners series because, well, I have sick kids and didn’t manage my time well enough to get my second installment posted.

In the meantime, here are a few must-reads for all of you Catholic bloggers:
Jen Fulwiler shares from her extensive technical web-building knowledge and makes it easy-to-understand. She also gives us all a call to action.
I took away some good tips from this, and I’m betting you will too, even if you’ve been blogging and/or writing for a million years. Who knew that including links in your text can hamper readability? I do it anyway, but I like the idea of including a summary at the end of posts with a listing of what you’ve linked to.
I don’t subscribe to some of the negativity in this, but again, I think there’s room for each of us to take away some tips about this. I heartily disagree about keeping your personality out of your blogging, but I will spare you from my line-by-line critique of this post. I include it here in part because I don’t agree with everything in it…it gives you another viewpoint, right?
And with that, I have to go break up a fight, convince a baby to quit climbing on bookshelves, and continue my novena for an end to coughing and puking…here’s hoping you have a great week!
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When Sarah Reinhard isn’t blogging at SnoringScholar.com, she can usually be found on Twitter and Facebook. She’s in denial about the amount of reading time she doesn’t have right now and has authored a number of titles, including her latest, Welcome Baby Jesus: Advent and Christmas Reflections for Families.

Helpful Blogging Links

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Are you a non-technical type? Are you new to blogging and feeling quite overwhelmed and unsure of where to start?

I found a few links and, since I’m tight on time this week, thought I would share them with you. Next month, we’ll dive into some blogging for beginners posts. Until then, this is your homework. If you’re confused about something specifically, feel free to leave it in the comments and I’ll do my best to field your questions.
– This has a lot of useful information and links. It explains some of the terms that I use rather freely (RSS, anyone?) and also outlines
– This post has some useful information in it, though it seems aimed at the travel industry.
– I know, by now you probably have a blog already. But sometimes I find it helpful to go back through the steps of something I don’t understand that well.
Seth Godin’s Free E-Book, Who’s There
– The link above opens a PDF file, but it’s worth your time. I found it as I was preparing this post, and as a fan of Seth Godin, I’m pretty sure I’ll learn something from it. I’m pretty sure, knowing Seth Godin, that you will learn something too. So let’s read it, and if anything strikes us, we’ll discuss it in the combox or a future post.
With that, I have to spank some deadlines into shape. Have a great couple of weeks, y’all!
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Sarah Reinhard blogs at SnoringScholar.com and is also on Twitter and Facebook. She’s the author of Welcome Baby Jesus: Advent and Christmas Reflections for Families.

Let’s Talk Traffic

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It never fails. I start talking blogging, and people want to talk traffic.

We’ve talked about this before, back when I shared some tips for gaining readers and more recently when we talked about judging blogging effectiveness.
Today, let’s talk traffic. That’s where the reality check is at, after all, right? That’s what’s important, right?

I have a tendency to be obsessive about things, and what better place to obsess than with the numbers? And how better to judge my effectiveness in this online world than by my numbers? Right? I have to remind myself, again and again, that no, this is not the case, at least not with the blogging I do.
I blog for me, because I felt like I had to. I can’t spend a lot of time with my stats, or I lose all focus for the real reason behind my blogging.
Why do you want traffic?
Are you trying to make money? Or do you want to establish a community around your blog? Or is it a pride thing, where you just want people to fawn over you and love you?
What are your reasons for wanting traffic? Spend some time with that. Dare I suggest you pray about your blogging efforts? Yes, and I even dare to suggest that maybe you shouldn’t blog.
How can you generate more traffic?
I’m turning to the experts (I am not one!) for help with this.
In a list I found recently at Problogger of 65 different ideas, I found myself thinking of some ways I could improve my traffic. Write a “5 ways to…” post is actually easier sometimes than anything else, and I needed the reminder.
My concern is often keeping traffic at my site once I have it, and there are tips here for not only getting the traffic, but keeping it once you have it.
If you’re looking for a step-by-step approach, try these five steps.
Offset all of that handy list with this post, which shares some blogging lessons we could all take to heart. But wait, I think that’s digression. We were talking traffic, right?
Consider engaging your readers and using some of these tips for doing that. Getting your readers engaged will likely get them talking about your blog, which will increase your traffic.
If traffic = popularity, then maybe you should consider how you can become more popular. There are a few tips (and action points) here, and I especially like how it encourages you to think about who your reader is. (Not so different from what you’d do in a book proposal, come to think of it…)
So what are you going to do first?
My plate is pretty full with other things right now, but I think I’m going to seriously consider putting some of this into action for my own personal blogging.
There’s always room for improvement, and whatever your blogging goals, traffic may be a way to measure your success. (I don’t think it’s the only way, mind you, but it is one way.)
What are you going to try? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

image source: Marketing Hackz

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Sarah Reinhard blogs at SnoringScholar.com and is hopelessly active onTwitter and Facebook. She’s the author of Welcome Baby Jesus: Advent and Christmas Reflections for Families.

Links from the Blogging Panel Workshop

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One thing I love to do when I speak about blogging is to send a piece of paper around the room and collect everyone’s blog links and then SHARE THEM. This goes along with the generosity I believe we should all have with our online space (within reason).

This list includes everyone who filled out the page I sent around the room as I moderated the panel. I’ll list our panelists first:

Now, for those who participated:

Thanks to everyone for your wonderful participation in the panel! I hope we can expand it in coming years and continue to connect.

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Be sure to check SnoringScholar.com for more of Sarah Reinhard’s antics, tales of rural adventure, and writing updates. Her newest release is Welcome Baby Jesus: Advent & Christmas Reflections for Families. You can also connect with Sarah on Twitter and Facebook.

Tips from Experts

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I’m tight on time for this week’s column, so I thought I’d share some links to other people’s wisdom.

On Becoming Better:
Matthew Paul Turner, of Jesus Needs New PR, shares 9 Ways to Become a Better Blogger. I’m a big fan of #3: “Be funny, sensational, opinionated, over-the-top, interesting, deep, provocative–just be SOMETHING that sets you apart from others.”

And #4: “Stop complicating blogging. People over-think blogging all the time. It’s just a blog! Simplify your process.”

Oh, and…well, pretty much all of them. Go read it and see what you think.

On Mistakes You Make:
Michael Hyatt asks “Do You Make These 10 Mistakes When You Blog?” I do. Which is why I have this post bookmarked to revisit from time to time.

For Novelists (and the rest of us, too!):
I’m an avid reader of fiction, but not a writer of it. Even so, I found this listing of 25 blogs every aspiring novelist should read to be interesting and, well, addictive. 🙂

Because She ROCKS:
I make no secret of the fact that I’m a BIG fan of Jen Fulwiler, the blogger behind Conversion Diary. She’s quite a writer, and her posts about running two blogs in the midst of a busy life (she has four kids under 7 and is pregnant with #5) and her series on building traffic to your blog (part 1 and part 2) are great.

Share any great links you have in the comments!

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Sarah Reinhard, author of Welcome Baby Jesus: Advent & Christmas Reflections for Families, is a Catholic wife, mom, blogger, reader, and farm girl who can be found online at SnoringScholar.com.

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