Just.
Be.
Yourself.
Yes, there are strategies. There are things like telling good stories, and being practical. A nice blog layout never hurt anyone.
But without being yourself, your blog will never be the best it can be.
Some define excellence as near-perfection.
I like to define excellent as doing the best you can with what you have.
So, make it honest.
Be engaging.
Make it thoughtful.
Be kind, and truthful.
And above everything else, show love.
Comments
59 responses to “How to be the Best Blogger EVER!”
Brilliant! Great reminder!
i couldn’t agree more.
.-= alece?s last blog ..risky business =-.
What is funny about this post is hundreds will click on the your tweet wanting to know the secret (hundreds including myself).
And will in all honesty be very disappointed. I know for me I wish there was a formula that gave you instant success, but in all reality there really is no method that makes you successful.
I wonder though, with this being the way to be the best blogger ever is being yourself, what does it mean when no one reads your post?
I guess I am defining success as views, when success comes from being you and expressing your thoughts.
Good stuff and a great reminder.
I think you have to define success…maybe for some people it is views. For others it’s just doing what you’re supposed to do. If your words resonate deeply in 10 people’s hearts, isn’t that better than 1000 people skimming it and discarding it mentally?
Yes mam, that is better.
And to have 10 people engage is an amazing thing.
Amen, Anne…
I agree with Kyle — great food for thought.
I think that the best method is to focus on who God wants us to become, who He needs us to be individually for His purpose, on what His purpose is for our life… and the success of that quest will transfer itself to other areas of our lives, such as blogging, parenting, writing, relationships, serving, or whatever else God has in mind. The bottom line is, it’s not about us, and it’s not up to us.
Too often, we put more emphasis on what we want, rather than what He has planned for us. For some of us, He plans for us to be prolific Bloggers, where for others, it’s something else… but as long our focus is on what He wants, and striving towards that rather than on what WE want — that IS success.
Maybe our blog only has one reader, but what if what we shared saved that reader’s life… is it any less successful than the blog who has millions of readers, but is purely entertaining?
When the race for “popular” blogging comes to mind, so does parts of Phil 2:1-8 (the Message).
And, for what it’s worth, I do love your blog. :)
I love you Canadians! :)
Another Canuck happily nodding here.
Even authentically writing for an audience of One, just to know He smiles, is success.
Truthful is scary hard. And necessary.
Keep pressing into it, Anne. You forge courage.
All’s grace,
Ann
True true true….
.-= Mel?s last blog ..How much is enough? =-.
Great tip…
What about the “Be really offensive and rude so everyone will read your post” method?
.-= Guy Walker?s last blog ..January Just Not Blogging =-.
I have those but my husband makes me delete them. :)
That’s something I need to remember. Too often on my blog I try to be like Andrew Sullivan. Then my friends call my out.
It’s always the simplest things that we often forget, don’t ya think?
.-= Travis Mamone?s last blog ..Smack Talking Express =-.
I think what you encourage of us to do – is why I have experienced at least a small amount of success with my blog. I only have a high school education – never expected to lead over one hundred volunteers and staff – and yet God chose me to.
I write very simply because I am simple. I have no educated wisdom to send the world into a spell binding spin – blown away by my amazingness!
I am just plain – in desperate need of my Savior and a reluctant leader. Thanks again Anne!
.-= Lori Biddle?s last blog ..what I learned today =-.
Word, sister! I have a couple hours of college behind me, but that is it! I have to look up so many words people use in my comments just to understand what half of them are saying! :)
Simple is beautiful!
Simple is beautiful. :)
.-= Linda B.?s last blog ..My Life Is Not Twitteriffic =-.
Word!
This comes at a great moment.
I was just reading your comments/questions from yesterday and I came across Kyle’s question about women writing about children and food and scrapbooking.
Never in my life would I have ever guessed that I’d be a woman writing about her kids. And, I think, in a lot of ways I’m not what he’s describing, but still, much of what I write ends up being a little stay-at-home-mom-y.
And that’s fine. Because I AM a stay-at-home mom. I’m also a woman with a master’s degree in English and a serious addiction to really good books, a woman who spends a lot of time talking to people about God and what God’s doing right now, a woman who just three years ago sold everything she had to move to New York City.
So, I’m happy with who I am. But I have to be really confident–or else I end up trying to be who I’m not. Or not be who I am.
Bring on the posts about kids. I have two, and they’re a big part of me.
Thanks for the post
Preach it!
If I had kids, I’d write about them. Mom bloggers get huge traffic sometimes, so we’ve considered them as a part of my future blogging strategy.
(Kidding). :)
:) Funny but true.
When I write about “important stuff” I never get as many hits as when I tell a story about my wacky two year-old. Go figure.
.-= Jennifer Gerhardt?s last blog ..Parents: God’s Ambassadors to Children =-.
I wrote about a controversial pastor a couple years back. Biggest traffic day ever.
Kids dying from starvation? Not even in the top 100.
Yeah, I’m the same way…a chemistry degree and I write about my kids. I just started a second blog to showcase the side of me that gets overshadowed by my kiddos. The main one is for family to keep up happenings, the other is for me to write what really wants to be written.
.-= Rachel?s last blog ..31 Day Exercise Challenge, Day 5 =-.
When I was living in Missouri, I had a blog that was generating over a thousand hits a day but it turned into a machine where I had to write for the readers and who I was ended up squeezed out. I began to hate the website. I’d get awards for “blog of the year” and it was almost meaningless because there was little of me in it.
Now I have a blog where if I’m lucky I get 10 views a day and I enjoy blogging again because it’s me. I can be honest, I can be transparent and I can perhaps use the wounds that have been inflicted upon me (either by others or myself) to help others avoid the same pain.
I understand Kyle’s point because sometimes when I lay myself out there and I get 5 views and no comments it can hurt. You wonder why you should keep going if no one’s out there. Then you realize 5 people did see it…and if it impacts one person to be more like Christ it’s worth it.
.-= Jason?s last blog ..31 Days in Proverbs Day 6: At some point we’re all guilty =-.
And sometimes you may never know how or why they landed there…
Anne, it is true that we may never know how/why they landed, or how our words affected them. It makes it that much sweeter when we do hear feedback — unexpected gift.
Beautifully said, Jason… beautifully said. I used to journal online, had tons of traffic and readers, and it seemed meaningless because it didn’t honor God, and it eventually left me feeling completely lost. Nowadays, my blog is private (access by request & invite), and although few read, and fewer still comment, I have been blessed by those who have told me that it is making a difference in their lives… it’s making a difference in mine too.
Also agree with Ann Voskamp — even when God is our only audience, as long as He is pleased… success.
Awesome post. I like how you got to the point in just a couple of sentences but it is so meaningful.
.-= Chico Woo?s last blog ..Travel Tech: FlightAware =-.
Thanks. I give props to my hubs. This post looked so different when I was writing it. He helps me a lot!
My favorite all-time description of the perfect blogging cycle was by Jon Acuff. He described blogging as a “gift exchange” – my writing for your time and vice versa. Lovely!
.-= Lisa-Jo @thegypsymama?s last blog ..The #ponyup challenge =-.
So Good!
I have been blogging since 2005, My bottom lines are,
“will this help?
“Is this written with grace?”
“Is this a true representation of who I am?”
AND
“will this make people laugh and/or dance”
I want all my post to answer one or all of these questions.
.-= Carole Turner?s last blog ..SNL Team Twilight =-.
Great plan to have girl.
.-= Anne Jackson?s last blog ..How to be the Best Blogger EVER! =-.
Anne! Seriously. Stole the words right out of my mouth. Actually, not in the same context as I have been thinking about for the last week or so, but YOU ARE SO RIGHT.
<>
I’ve had some issues lately with my boss (a Jesus follower, but highly influential with extremely high expectations) — and had a tongue-in-cheek conversation with him several weeks ago about perfection.
I said, “So you want me to be perfect? Cuz I can tell you right now that I’m not. Are you working for perfection?”
“No,” he said, “I don’t expect myself to perfect, just everyone else.”
“Yeah,” I said, “Well, if you hired me to be perfect, you might as well fire me now.”
We laughed, but I was half serious! As a past-perfectionist, I struggle SO hard against it. Probably to the extreme sometimes, but every time I run up against the “DO BETTER, TRY HARDER, BE PERFECT” feelings that come from the high expectations of others (and myself), I have to fight it.
It’s NOT about perfection – it’s about doing things well. And if I mess up but am doing the best I can (and I know it’s the best I can) – I have to be okay with it and let go.
Now as for my boss… I dunno…
A cliche is any statement that’s repeated over and over again without any action behind it. The statement about being yourself, being authentic, showing love, whatever is such a cliche. Not because it’s not true but because everyone says it but so few follow it.
Thank you, Anne, for bringing the cliche back to life. I think you’ve done an excellent job following your own advice.
-Marshall Jones Jr.
.-= bondChristian?s last blog ..How to guard someone’s peace =-.
Great post and completely agree!
Here’s something I have a question about though, and it goes beyond blogging to living life in general.
I think throughout the course of most of our lives, the message of “be yourself” has been pushed on to us a lot. And if you take a survey and ask what would be a better path to a more fulfilling life (A) be yourself, or (B) be who others want you to be, I’d bet 90% of respondents would answer A. However, the reality is, when living out every day life the pressure is on us to NOT be ourselves and instead conform to what others expect us to be. So I’d bet that even though people say A, pressure causes most of us to live out B. Adding on to that, most of the time we are rewarded (at least in the short-term) for doing B and oftentimes punished for doing A.
Finally, I think that when people do B consistently over and over and over for years and years and years, they actually lose a sense of who they really are and if you told them to “keep it real” they wouldn’t know how to do that.
Sooooo having said all that, I’m curious to see what Anne and others have to say about actually being yourself. If you could give some practical advice to somebody on how to keep it real and be themselves, what would it be?
Sorry, I didn’t mean to get all philosophical about this. Just something I’ve been thinking about.
.-= Reggie?s last blog ..It’s 2010. Who Do You Want To Be? =-.
Oswald Chambers said the people most used by God are the people who don’t realize it. When someone says something affirming about me, if it’s something where I’ve just been myself, I’m usually taken off guard, because I don’t realize I’m “doing that” (whatever that thing is they affirm). I’m just being me.
I think one has to look deep into their soul, ask God for guidance, opportunities and conviction in what they should do, and they should rest that their identity is simply in the cross. Easier said than done, but just my two cents.
When I started blogging, it took me a long time to find my voice. I started by copying other’s styles, but it was very hard. I found for me, I write as if I’m talking to you in person. The conversational tone lets me write most freely. If you are scientific minded, don’t try to use flowery language. If you love literature, include it! Most of all, don’t let your readers determine how you write. If you focus on what they are expecting, then your creativity gets stifled and you no longer are being yourself. Keeping it real means being honest. You don’t have to share every tidbit of your life, but you can’t act as if you drive a BMW when your car is a VW. I hope this helps.
.-= Rachel?s last blog ..31 Day Exercise Challenge, Day 5 =-.
Perfectly said. Love it!
.-= LauraLee@Selah?s last blog ..Most Responded To Post of 2009//Out of Order =-.
I think the importance of being yourself is that IT GIVES YOU THE ENERGY TO KEEP GOING.
.-= Sheila Gregoire?s last blog ..Wifey Wednesday: When HE Doesn’t Want It =-.
Sorry! Hit Post too soon. Here’s what I meant to say:
When you’re yourself, you share what’s really on your heart, so it’s therapeutic and rejuvenating for you.
It still may be that your funny posts about your dog get the most comments, instead of your posts about struggling with the verse “to me to live is Christ”, but them’s the breaks.
But if we’re not being ourselves, if we’re only out for traffic, we can’t keep going. If, on the other hand, we blog about what is important to us, then we’re in it for the long run, and our blog is more likely to grow (even if the heavily trafficked posts aren’t the ones that matter the most to us!)
.-= Sheila Gregoire?s last blog ..Wifey Wednesday: When HE Doesn’t Want It =-.
I think it can take a while to find your “be yourself” voice on a blog. I feel like I have it on my cooking blog. I’ve been blogging there for over a year and I feel comfortable with it. With my new blog that supports the @john1Jesusloves twitter project, I’m finding it harder. I’m not used to writing “devotional” type writings. The whole project is so new and it’s short term so I don’t have the luxury of time.
I like what some of the others have said here – to write to please God, being true to who I am in Christ. The rest doesn’t matter.
.-= Tiffany?s last blog ..Water to Wine =-.
I know others can’t see it on here, but I can and I love your email address. :)
Thanks. It was a combo of 2 blog names, Eat at Home and Poetry and Hums, which is long neglected.
.-= Tiffany?s last blog ..Water to Wine =-.
Of course, having a cool blog name like “flowerdust” helps….=D
.-= Rachel?s last blog ..31 Day Exercise Challenge, Day 5 =-.
Simple. Yet profound!
.-= Sandra King?s last blog ..Epiphany – Aha! =-.
Anne,
Became a fan of your blog a while back. I don’t know exactly where it was but you were showcased on a website due to your blog about saying good-bye to facebook. As a result of that, I just ordered your book mad church disease and hope to get it this week. Thanks for being an inspiration to us aspiring writers.
Great tips about blogging. The old age saying stands true, “Honesty is the best policy”. May God continue to bless you and your husband in all of your endeavors.
Jonathan
Thanks Jonathan! And thanks for ordering the book!
If you’re like someone else, one of you is redundant.
Thanks for the reminder to be the person God made you to be.
Dave
The temptation to mimic is strong. I feel it every time I write.
I totally agree we should be ourselves when we write. Words give voice to the heart, and we all ultimately want to connect with each others’ hearts. Writing with someone else’s heart is writing with no heart at all.
And I totally disagree too (can I do that?); I guess what I’m thinking is that I want to write as a sanctified version of myself. Not posturing. But Spirit-filled. My flesh is good fodder for confession, but the Spirit can write wisdom through my fingertips that my flesh could never fathom.
Ultimately, being myself has limitations. Being myself-as-being-conformed-to-the-image-of-Jesus has the power of God to connect God’s heart to readers’ hearts. For me, that’s when writing becomes an act of grace. And the temptation to mimic slowly falls away.
P.S. C’mon–that was all a little dramatic. I get the heart of what you’re saying Anne, and I think we’re all better off with you having said it.
.-= Chris Tomlinson?s last blog ..It?s Here =-.
I think writing a blog can be a step in finding out who we are as writers. I know I have found a real freedom in writing my blog. Also, I think relating to God the way young children relate to their parents can help us be ourselves. He knows us better than we know ourselves and His knowledge, understanding, and wisdom can fill our lives.
.-= patriciazell?s last blog ..#25 UNDERSTANDING CHRIST: HIS TRIUMPHANT CRUCIFIXION PART 2 =-.
I have blogged for about 2 years, though my blog is mostly ignored. I typically post heavy sarcasm, and smack-talk about various subjects. It allowed me to be snarky while remaining anonymous. Due to my station in life, that’s important. I have to be the nice respectable guy, because that is who most people see me as. But it was nice to have that outlet for my smart-a** side.
Lately I have been thinking of blogging something that actually has a value beyond me ripping others (mostly sports related) which makes me feel better.
I have not had a voice to express what God is doing for almost 20 years. Maybe God has done enough in me that I now have something worthwhile to say. Maybe.
50th comment.
Great post Anne! Good reminder!
.-= Brian Alexander?s last blog ..The Lost Supper =-.
short and sweet, i love it. perfect for the new year!
.-= amanda?s last blog ..Not trying to play was never an option =-.
When I first started my blog, it didn’t even occur to me that other people might read it. I was taking my first trip to Nashville (from Canada) to attend a Gospel singing school and I thought my family would enjoy reading about my adventures, so I only wrote it for them. It was honest and silly and exposed all my idiosyncrasies. By the time I realized other people were reading it, it was too late to go back to being Perfect Allison.
My traffic goes up and down (these days, most of my traffic is through facebook), but I’ve actually been able to meet lots of people through my blog – not just online, but actually in person – so that’s been a real blessing!
.-= Allison Lynn?s last blog ..Quiet Day Discoveries… =-.
Just Be Yourself…couldn’t have said it any better!
I admit to struggling between being myself (sharing the good and the bad) or presenting that “make everyone happy, be PC, corporate” mindset. So many of us want to be accepted and not rejected and when you have one blog that mainly covers it all, this is a battle.
Again, that’s one thing I love about you Anne – being true to self!
I like this. Working thru this…
.-= Jeff?s last blog ..Top Ten Wrecked Posts of 2009 =-.
Thanks for the tips….we are just about step up our blogging efforts and appreciate the direction. It seems to be a delicate balance between blogging and doing the stuff we came to do….
What are you thoughts on that?
An excellent reminder for me Anne! :-) Thank you.
.-= Samantha Johnson´s last blog ..Everyday =-.
That was really interesting. I just saw your website when I was in the middle of doing some research using the computer. Just wanted to tell you I like your website and continue doing what youre doin. Also keep in mind.. enjoy the journey… don’t focus so much on the end result. -Carlos-