I can't remember where I found this... but I didn't write it... so to the writer who deserves credit... "your amazing and God knows your name!"
100% of the copy and paste work completed by Jeff Atherstone...
Here are ten tips that help me with my blog writing.
1. Make your opinion known
People like blogs, they like blogs because they are written by people and not corporations. People want to know what people think, crazy as it sounds they want to know what you think. Tell them exactly what you think using the least amount of words possible.
2. Link like crazy.
Support your post with links to other web pages that are contextual to your post.
3. Write Less
Give the maximum amount of information with the least amount of words. Time is finite and people are infinitely busy. Blast your knowledge into the reader at the speed of sound.
4. 250 is enough
A long post is easier to forget and harder to get into. A short post is the opposite.
5. Make Headlines snappy
Contain your whole argument in your headline. Check out National newspapers to see how they do it.
6. Include bullet point lists
We all love lists, it structures the info in an easily digestible format.
7. Make your posts easy to scan
Every few paragraphs insert a sub heading. Make sentences and headlines short and to the point.
8. Be consistent with your style
People like to know what to expect, once you have settled on a style for your audience stick to it.
9. Litter the post with Keywords.
Think about what keywords people would use to search for your post and include them in the body text and headers. make sure the keyword placement is natural and does not seem out of place.
10. Edit your post
Good writing is in the editing. Before you hit the submit button, re-read your post and cut out the stuff that you don’t need.
10.28.2008
6 Reasons Missionaries Should Blog...
Okay... the original article was "6 Reasons Pastors Should Blog"... but it applies to missionaries as well...
100% of this was written by Abraham Piper on the Desiring God blog... but I did 100% of the copy and paste... so here it is...
In this article I want to convince as many pastors as possible to sit down and start a blog today. If I can’t convince them, then I want to convince churchgoers to hound their pastor until he does.
OK, all that’s overstatement, perhaps. You can still be a good pastor and not blog.
However, here’s why I think it would be good for you and your congregation if you did.
Pastors should blog…
1. …to write.
If you’re a pastor, you probably already know the value writing has for thinking. Through writing, you delve into new ideas and new insights. If you strive to write well, you will at the same time be striving to think well.
Then when you share new ideas and new insights, readers can come along with you wherever your good writing and good thinking bring you.
There is no better way to simply and quickly share your writing than by maintaining a blog. And if you’re serious about your blog, it will help you not only in your thinking, but in your discipline as well, as people begin to regularly expect quality insight from you.
2. …to teach.
Most pastors I’ve run into love to talk. Many of them laugh at themselves about how long-winded they’re sometimes tempted to be.
Enter Blog.
Here is where a pastor has an outlet for whatever he didn’t get to say on Sunday. Your blog is where you can pass on that perfect analogy you only just thought of; that hilarious yet meaningful story you couldn’t connect to your text no matter how hard you tried; that last point you skipped over even though you needed it to complete your 8-point acrostic sermon that almost spelled HUMILITY.
And more than just a catch-all for sermon spill-over, a blog is a perfect place for those 30-second nuggets of truth that come in your devotions or while you’re reading the newspaper. You may never write a full-fledged article about these brief insights or preach a whole sermon, but via your blog, your people can still learn from them just like you did.
3. …to recommend.
With every counseling session or after-service conversation, a pastor is recommending something. Sometimes it’s a book or a charity. Maybe it’s a bed-and-breakfast for that couple he can tell really needs to get away. And sometimes it’s simply Jesus.
With a blog, you can recommend something to hundreds of people instead of just a few. Some recommendations may be specific to certain people, but that seems like it would be rare. It’s more likely to be the case that if one man asks you whether you know of any good help for a pornography addiction, then dozens of other men out there also need to know, but aren’t asking.
Blog it.
Recommendation, however, is more than pointing people to helpful things. It’s a tone of voice, an overall aura that good blogs cultivate.
Blogs are not generally good places to be didactic. Rather, they’re ideal for suggesting and commending. I’ve learned, after I write, to go back and cut those lines that sound like commands or even overbearing suggestions, no matter how right they may be. Because if it’s true for my audience, it’s true for me, so why not word it in such a way that I’m the weak one, rather than them?
People want to know that their pastor knows he is an ordinary, imperfect human being. They want to know that you’re recommending things that have helped you in your own weakness. If you say, “When I struggled with weight-loss, I did such-and-such,” it will come across very differently than if you say, “Do such-and-such if you’re over-weight…”
If you use your blog to encourage people through suggesting and commending everything from local restaurants to Jesus Christ, it will complement the biblical authority that you rightly assume when you stand behind the pulpit.
4. …to interact.
There are a lot of ways for a pastor to keep his finger on the pulse of his people. A blog is by no means necessary in this regard. However, it does add a helpful new way to stay abreast of people’s opinions and questions.
Who knows what sermon series might arise after a pastor hears some surprising feedback about one of his 30-second-nuggets-of-truth?
5. …to develop an eye for what is meaningful.
For good or ill, most committed bloggers live with the constant question in their mind: Is this bloggable? This could become a neurosis, but I’ll put a positive spin on it: It nurtures a habit of looking for insight and wisdom and value in every situation, no matter how mundane.
If you live life looking for what is worthwhile in every little thing, you will see more of what God has to teach you. And the more he teaches you, the more you can teach others. As you begin to be inspired and to collect ideas, you will find that the new things you’ve seen and learned enrich far more of your life than just your blog.
6. …to be known.
This is where I see the greatest advantage for blogging pastors.
Your people hear you teach a lot; it’s probably the main way that most of them know you. You preach on Sundays, teach on Wednesdays, give messages at weddings, funerals, youth events, retreats, etc.
This is good—it’s your job. But it’s not all you are. Not that you need to be told this, but you are far more than your ideas. Ideas are a crucial part of your identity, but still just a part.
You’re a husband and a father. You’re some people’s friend and other people’s enemy. Maybe you love the Nittany Lions.
Maybe you hate fruity salad. Maybe you struggle to pray. Maybe listening to the kids’ choir last weekend was—to your surprise—the most moving worship experience you’ve ever had.
These are the things that make you the man that leads your church. They’re the windows into your personality that perhaps stay shuttered when you’re teaching the Bible. Sometimes your people need to look in—not all the way in, and not into every room—but your people need some access to you as a person. A blog is one way to help them.
You can’t be everybody’s friend, and keeping a blog is not a way of pretending that you can. It’s simply a way for your people to know you as a human being, even if you can’t know them back. This is valuable, not because you’re so extraordinary, but because leadership is more than the words you say. If you practice the kind of holiness that your people expect of you, then your life itself opened before them is good leadership—even when you fail.
Conclusion
For most of you, anything you post online will only be a small piece in the grand scheme of your pastoral leadership. But if you can maintain a blog that is both compelling and personal, it can be an important small piece.
It will give you access to your people’s minds and hearts in a unique way by giving them a chance to know you as a well-rounded person. You will no longer be only a preacher and a teacher, but also a guy who had a hard time putting together a swing-set for his kids last weekend. People will open up for you as you open up like this for them. Letting people catch an honest glimpse of your life will add authenticity to your teaching and depth to your ministry,
100% of this was written by Abraham Piper on the Desiring God blog... but I did 100% of the copy and paste... so here it is...
In this article I want to convince as many pastors as possible to sit down and start a blog today. If I can’t convince them, then I want to convince churchgoers to hound their pastor until he does.
OK, all that’s overstatement, perhaps. You can still be a good pastor and not blog.
However, here’s why I think it would be good for you and your congregation if you did.
Pastors should blog…
1. …to write.
If you’re a pastor, you probably already know the value writing has for thinking. Through writing, you delve into new ideas and new insights. If you strive to write well, you will at the same time be striving to think well.
Then when you share new ideas and new insights, readers can come along with you wherever your good writing and good thinking bring you.
There is no better way to simply and quickly share your writing than by maintaining a blog. And if you’re serious about your blog, it will help you not only in your thinking, but in your discipline as well, as people begin to regularly expect quality insight from you.
2. …to teach.
Most pastors I’ve run into love to talk. Many of them laugh at themselves about how long-winded they’re sometimes tempted to be.
Enter Blog.
Here is where a pastor has an outlet for whatever he didn’t get to say on Sunday. Your blog is where you can pass on that perfect analogy you only just thought of; that hilarious yet meaningful story you couldn’t connect to your text no matter how hard you tried; that last point you skipped over even though you needed it to complete your 8-point acrostic sermon that almost spelled HUMILITY.
And more than just a catch-all for sermon spill-over, a blog is a perfect place for those 30-second nuggets of truth that come in your devotions or while you’re reading the newspaper. You may never write a full-fledged article about these brief insights or preach a whole sermon, but via your blog, your people can still learn from them just like you did.
3. …to recommend.
With every counseling session or after-service conversation, a pastor is recommending something. Sometimes it’s a book or a charity. Maybe it’s a bed-and-breakfast for that couple he can tell really needs to get away. And sometimes it’s simply Jesus.
With a blog, you can recommend something to hundreds of people instead of just a few. Some recommendations may be specific to certain people, but that seems like it would be rare. It’s more likely to be the case that if one man asks you whether you know of any good help for a pornography addiction, then dozens of other men out there also need to know, but aren’t asking.
Blog it.
Recommendation, however, is more than pointing people to helpful things. It’s a tone of voice, an overall aura that good blogs cultivate.
Blogs are not generally good places to be didactic. Rather, they’re ideal for suggesting and commending. I’ve learned, after I write, to go back and cut those lines that sound like commands or even overbearing suggestions, no matter how right they may be. Because if it’s true for my audience, it’s true for me, so why not word it in such a way that I’m the weak one, rather than them?
People want to know that their pastor knows he is an ordinary, imperfect human being. They want to know that you’re recommending things that have helped you in your own weakness. If you say, “When I struggled with weight-loss, I did such-and-such,” it will come across very differently than if you say, “Do such-and-such if you’re over-weight…”
If you use your blog to encourage people through suggesting and commending everything from local restaurants to Jesus Christ, it will complement the biblical authority that you rightly assume when you stand behind the pulpit.
4. …to interact.
There are a lot of ways for a pastor to keep his finger on the pulse of his people. A blog is by no means necessary in this regard. However, it does add a helpful new way to stay abreast of people’s opinions and questions.
Who knows what sermon series might arise after a pastor hears some surprising feedback about one of his 30-second-nuggets-of-truth?
5. …to develop an eye for what is meaningful.
For good or ill, most committed bloggers live with the constant question in their mind: Is this bloggable? This could become a neurosis, but I’ll put a positive spin on it: It nurtures a habit of looking for insight and wisdom and value in every situation, no matter how mundane.
If you live life looking for what is worthwhile in every little thing, you will see more of what God has to teach you. And the more he teaches you, the more you can teach others. As you begin to be inspired and to collect ideas, you will find that the new things you’ve seen and learned enrich far more of your life than just your blog.
6. …to be known.
This is where I see the greatest advantage for blogging pastors.
Your people hear you teach a lot; it’s probably the main way that most of them know you. You preach on Sundays, teach on Wednesdays, give messages at weddings, funerals, youth events, retreats, etc.
This is good—it’s your job. But it’s not all you are. Not that you need to be told this, but you are far more than your ideas. Ideas are a crucial part of your identity, but still just a part.
You’re a husband and a father. You’re some people’s friend and other people’s enemy. Maybe you love the Nittany Lions.
Maybe you hate fruity salad. Maybe you struggle to pray. Maybe listening to the kids’ choir last weekend was—to your surprise—the most moving worship experience you’ve ever had.
These are the things that make you the man that leads your church. They’re the windows into your personality that perhaps stay shuttered when you’re teaching the Bible. Sometimes your people need to look in—not all the way in, and not into every room—but your people need some access to you as a person. A blog is one way to help them.
You can’t be everybody’s friend, and keeping a blog is not a way of pretending that you can. It’s simply a way for your people to know you as a human being, even if you can’t know them back. This is valuable, not because you’re so extraordinary, but because leadership is more than the words you say. If you practice the kind of holiness that your people expect of you, then your life itself opened before them is good leadership—even when you fail.
Conclusion
For most of you, anything you post online will only be a small piece in the grand scheme of your pastoral leadership. But if you can maintain a blog that is both compelling and personal, it can be an important small piece.
It will give you access to your people’s minds and hearts in a unique way by giving them a chance to know you as a well-rounded person. You will no longer be only a preacher and a teacher, but also a guy who had a hard time putting together a swing-set for his kids last weekend. People will open up for you as you open up like this for them. Letting people catch an honest glimpse of your life will add authenticity to your teaching and depth to your ministry,
9.25.2008
Description
PRESENTS – the DIMENSIONS of a person, place, circumstance, or idea; relies upon SENSORY APPEAL: SIGHT, SOUND, TOUCH, TASTE, SMELL
ORGANIZES – SPACE (or at least appeals to the concrete experience of space); relates: an IMPRESSION, an EMOTION, or a MEMORY
STRATEGIES – SPACIAL and LOGICAL
SPACIAL: top to bottom, left to right, back to front, inward to outward
LOGICAL: least to most – dominant feature, significant characteristic, important
consideration
Objective description –
Presents a subject with detachment or impartiality
goal: to supply information about a subject
language: impersonal, empirical words – scientific (measurement, space, construction)
Subjective description –
Presents a subject through personal reactions to or evaluations of it
goal: to supply a feeling for or express an attitude toward a subject
language: expressive, suggestive words – poetic (simile, metaphor, personification,
irony)
*Both types, however, rely on selective details to keep the reader’s attention focused.
Narration
PRESENTS – a SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
storytelling – long or short, factual or imagined
anecdote – a brief, entertaining account of a single incident
ORGANIZES – TIME
STRATEGIES – TIME and DETAIL
by TIME
Chronological – strict sequence of events from first to last [process description]
Flashback (“in the middle of things”) – seizes the reader’s attention [cause/effect]
Lead (journalistic) – places the main details of the story in the introduction then
explains further details in the remainder of the body; dramatically weaker than
the first two strategies, it allows the writer to quickly report what happened
by DETAIL
Scene – reports an event vividly and precisely over a short period of time – the
technique of the dramatist; often the strategy of fiction; the writer portrays
people with selective details; recalls dialogue or faithfully invents it
Summary – condenses the essential events over a long period of time – the
technique of the journalist or historian; relates events in condensed form;
strives to record the essentials smoothly and continuously
Style
- Detail by selective description – carefully chosen elements, not comprehensive elements
- Vary sentence length and pattern
- Conclude the sequence – could excite or thrill (climactic), could remain understated, or could close naturally; whatever the conclusion, it must bring closure to the narrative
- Transition the time movement
- Avoid shifts in tense
Point of View – vantage point from which the narrator tells the story
1st person – “I” – subjective, personal tone
3rd person – “he,” “she,” or “it” – detached, having the distance of an outsider
The Communication Problem
WHAT WILL YOU SAY?
Subject – the part of your environment you select to disclose to your audience
Thesis – the controlling idea of your communication
Information – the knowledge, observations, opinions, or research you use to support
the thesis
WHO WILL YOU SAY IT TO?
Audience – the person or group you intend this communication to reach
Types: specialized or general
Expectations: format and length
WHY WILL YOU SAY IT?
To persuade
To inform
To entertain
HOW WILL YOU SAY IT?
Rhetorical pattern by:
narration – explains by using a story
description – explains by putting the concept into 3-D space, appealing to the
senses
exemplification – explains by giving examples
process – explains by setting forth the steps or stages it takes to complete it
comparison/contrast – explains by showing likenesses/differences between
concept and something audience knows; or by showing likenesses/differences
between concept and other items or elements in its class
cause/effect – explains by tracing its origin and development or predicting how it
might change in the future
division/classification – explains by subdividing the concept into its parts or
by distinguishing the concept in relationship to its class
Argumentation by:
deductive reasoning – general to specific
inductive reasoning – specific to general
authority citation – referencing thoughts from a recognized authority on
subject
statistic application – using statistical information to emphasize a point
HOW WILL YOU EXECUTE IT?
Style – write/speak to the purpose and audience
Plan – outline
Editing – expect to do it!
Logic – does this make sense?
Limits – think time and space
8.28.2008
002 - Purpose, Planning and Potential
Average shows (called Podcast episodes) tend to range from 20-40 minutes. They are mostly dominated by voice - you, the host, talking about your message. So, for anything that is dominated by your voice, you need some planning. We all know how easy it is to get off subject in a 10 minute speech. Now magnify that to a 40 minute speech. Yeah, those are a lot of rabbit trails, and a lot of opportunities for your listeners to get really bored or lost. As you design your podcast, decide on a focused overall message (a purpose), and stick to it. If you plan to ramble and go down rabbit trails, then choose a very very broad message, and then you can easily stick to your "focus" of broadness. Beautiful, isn't it?
After you have chosen your purpose, plan your episode. No, you don't need to plan every word, but you need a basic outline of what you will discuss throughout your show. If your podcast is to focus on your family, plan how you will talk about those 5 cute sons or daughters of yours, and of course your spouse. If your Podcast is a focus on your ministry, you should have in mind, before you sit down to record, the specific parts you will discuss. Believe me, I have a few really bad episodes out there that have no focus, no direction, and are super boring. I'm embarrassed.
And that's another thing. Podcasts carry different risks than blogs. While you have the benefits of a radio show without the complications of having to do it live, there are still plenty of things you can say that will make you wish after-the-fact that you hadn't put your foot in your mouth. Blogs can be deleted, or edited after you have published. Once you publish a podcast, your listeners download the show, and it's on their computer, out of your reach. Now you're freaking out, because they can listen to it over and over and over. All you can do is send an apology and try to retract your statement like a politician. But they still know... ...They will always know. Take my advice - record the show, edit out what you need to edit out, sit on the show for a day, listen again, edit again, then publish after thinking twice about whether or not you should publish. Anything less is just uncivilized.
So, sure there are risks, but the thrill of this medium is the command you have over your message. Unlike blogging, where you write the words and everyone misses out on the important intonation in your phrasing, in podcasting you get to speak your message, and they get to hear it as you really intended! It's really a blast, once you get past the fear (or begin to have a fear) of the medium. I'd say, if you're scared, don't be. If you're not scared, get scared (I'm talking fear as in respect, we're not wanting the fear that God's true love has already driven out - don't get that back. Leave it in the gutter).
So, pick your overall podcast purpose, and plan the individual episodes carefully. These are your first assignments. (You've already done this for the International Ministries Division, maybe now you could adapt it to the Podcast!)
Love you guys,
Matt
8.27.2008
001 - New Methods in Supporter Interconnection - Podcasting
So, you want to try Podcasting.
“How do I start? Why would I do it? Would anyone even listen?”
Or maybe your questions are more basic; “What is it? Does it have something to do with fishing? Or “casting” away my iPod? Sure, I may be addicted to it, but throwing it away hardly seems the answer. (casting it, get it, GET IT?)"
An Introduction
Podcasting (also called “narrowcasting” for those less excited about the iPod relationship) is a fun way to communicate any message you want to anyone in the world with a computer and the Internet. It is a simple radio show that you design, record and produce on your own. All you need is a message, a computer, a microphone, recording software, and a place on the Internet to store your show file.
And before you start, realize it could be a disaster, if done with the wrong spontaneity, candid-ness, or just the right mixture of uncaring and laziness. Podcasting is a delicate animal that, if let out of the cage, could wreak havoc on the entire world around you. OK, maybe it isn't that extreme. But, necessarily, as Christian workers we have a certain standard to bear - one that calls for creativity, hard work, and honesty. If any medium can get you in trouble, it's podcasting. On the other hand, if any medium can deliver the honest message you intended, with few interpretive issues (and of course, plenty of fun had by the producer) it is podcasting.
Let me introduce myself. My name is Matt. I've been addicted to listening to podcasts for about 4 years (has it really been that long?) and I finally took the leap and started my own podcast with my wife last November. I'm am far from a pro, in fact still in the beginner phase, but I do still have a few pointers I'd love to give you. As you read, please forgive my rambling nature and natural tendency towards off-hand comments that may make little sense.
Of course, feel free to download and listen to some of our shows, available on iTunes here, or on our podcast website here. But don't think they are the standard. In my opinion, This American Life is the standard. In my opinion, it is the greatest radio show of all time, and (shameless plug coming) it can be downloaded as a podcast here. I am not responsible for the content. But seriously, there are thousands of podcasts available out there on the Web, just go for a look.
Ready? Let's go. More to come soon.
Later guys,
Matt
8.25.2008
Pronoun Problems
Pronouns replace another pronoun or noun called antecedents. For clarity in your writing, make the antecedents obvious. Place pronouns as close to their antecedents as possible.
Avoid sentences that offer two possible antecedents for a pronoun.
AMBIGUOUS: Jack told Carl that he acted ungratefully. (Does he refer to Jack or Carl?)
CLEAR: Jack said to Carl, “You acted ungratefully.”
CLEAR: Jack said to Carl, “I acted ungratefully.”
CLEAR: Jack confessed to Carl that He acted ungratefully.
Avoid references to remote antecedents.
REMOTE: The birds sang in the forest amid the thick undergrowth where a brook wound slowly in the valley. They possessed many colors.
CLEAR: The birds sang in the forest amid the thick undergrowth where a brook wound slowly in the valley. The birds possessed many colors. (Repeating the noun avoids the confusion.)
CLEAR: The birds, possessing many colors, sang in the forest… (This revision eliminates the remote reference by changing the second sentence of the example into a subordinate clause.)
Avoid the vague use of this, that, or which to refer to the general idea of a preceding clause or sentence.
Formal usage requires a pronoun to refer to a particular word in a sentence rather than to a complete phrase, clause, or sentence. Informal usage permits such general antecedents.
INFORMAL: He pounded my back. That annoyed me, and I objected strenuously. (That refers to the entire preceding sentence.)
FORMAL: He pounded my back. That action annoyed me, and I objected strenuously. (That refers specifically to the action – pounding.)
Eliminate a vague pronoun reference by:
- recasting the sentence to eliminate the pronoun, or
- supplying a specific antecedent for the pronoun.
Use pronouns that can logically substitute for an antecedent.
WEAK: Because we put the wire fence around the chicken yard, they cannot escape. (They cannot logically refer to chicken, which here functions as an adjective, not a noun.)
CLEAR: Because we put the wire fence around the chicken yard, the chickens cannot escape.
WEAK: Tom’s brother is an engineer, and this is the profession Tom wants to study. (This cannot logically refer to engineer.)
CLEAR: Tom’s brother is an engineer, and Tom wants to study engineering.
A Few Caveats
- Stories don’t have thesis statements. They present the reader with life circumstances and let the reader draw the lesson on his/her own.
- You have to write to where you live.
- Issues of syntax and flow of ideas remain central to any communication we do.
- Be a storyteller or be a philosopher.
- Don’t know why it works, but qualifying one life touches more lives universally.
- You get 3 exclamation points for your entire life. An exclamation point won’t do anything bad nouns and verbs won’t.
- Find ways to deal with the excessive use of personal pronouns. 1st person plural pronouns aren’t as offensive as 1st person singular, for whatever reason.
- Always ask, “What are you accumulating literarily throughout a project?”
- Foreign words are always italicized.
- Good poetry is condensed language.
- Don’t let your language overcomplicate your communication. Above all, you want people to understand you.
- Periods and commas go inside quotations and colons and semicolons go outside (unless you’re British and then it’s backwards).
- Selection, arrangement and emphasis of details produce artistic unity.
- Eliminate to be verbs for more powerful communication. (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been) Use an active voice. Across the board, passive voice excuses responsibility. Use it when appropriate.
- Edit for clarity and validity.
8.22.2008
What's in a name?
Picking a title is important for your blog…
It gives your audience an idea of what you intend to write about and for many will decide whether or not they want to take the time to read your blog...
Before landing on a name there are a few things to consider:
1. Will people be able to find you on the internet? And do you want people to find you?
Having your name or ministry in the title can help out anyone who is trying to Google you… having the name of your country in your title is also helpful if you want random people to stumble on your blog if they are visiting the area and doing a random search of your country or particular ministry…
If you are in a sensitive area I would consider excluding your name, ministry and country… “onlyheretodobusiness” … “didntcometopreach” … “amnotamissionary”… although many of these countries already have filters to block the contents of blogs and other modes of free expression…
2. Can people spell it correctly?
It didn’t take long for me… and others… to figure out that “stonsinuganda” could easily be mistaken for a hippie safari… “Stoned In Uganda”… I stuck with the title anyway… partly because “Atherstone” is commonly misspelled… Aurtherstone… Atherston… Atherrock…
Often people get too cute with their spelling… “2lejit2qwit”… would probably only be recognized by people who still sleep in hammer pants…
3. Does it reflect your writing?
I had a friend name his blog… “primitive thinking”… but a better name would have been “no time for thinking”… within a month he had run out of time and ideas…
Another friend calls her blog “ramblings of no consequence”… for a missionary I would suggest that there can be great consequences to your writing… offending donors, nationals and just about anyone you chose to write about by name…
4. Does it sound like something it shouldn’t?
Write out the title and use your jr. high imagination for awhile… it’s amazing what you’ll find…
The best advise I can give for picking a title would be:
1. Keep it simple
2. Be true to who you are and your writing style
3. Consider the audience you desire to attract
It gives your audience an idea of what you intend to write about and for many will decide whether or not they want to take the time to read your blog...
Before landing on a name there are a few things to consider:
1. Will people be able to find you on the internet? And do you want people to find you?
Having your name or ministry in the title can help out anyone who is trying to Google you… having the name of your country in your title is also helpful if you want random people to stumble on your blog if they are visiting the area and doing a random search of your country or particular ministry…
If you are in a sensitive area I would consider excluding your name, ministry and country… “onlyheretodobusiness” … “didntcometopreach” … “amnotamissionary”… although many of these countries already have filters to block the contents of blogs and other modes of free expression…
2. Can people spell it correctly?
It didn’t take long for me… and others… to figure out that “stonsinuganda” could easily be mistaken for a hippie safari… “Stoned In Uganda”… I stuck with the title anyway… partly because “Atherstone” is commonly misspelled… Aurtherstone… Atherston… Atherrock…
Often people get too cute with their spelling… “2lejit2qwit”… would probably only be recognized by people who still sleep in hammer pants…
3. Does it reflect your writing?
I had a friend name his blog… “primitive thinking”… but a better name would have been “no time for thinking”… within a month he had run out of time and ideas…
Another friend calls her blog “ramblings of no consequence”… for a missionary I would suggest that there can be great consequences to your writing… offending donors, nationals and just about anyone you chose to write about by name…
4. Does it sound like something it shouldn’t?
Write out the title and use your jr. high imagination for awhile… it’s amazing what you’ll find…
The best advise I can give for picking a title would be:
1. Keep it simple
2. Be true to who you are and your writing style
3. Consider the audience you desire to attract
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