Its been awhile since I posted a blog. Mostly because I am too picky about topics and what I should write about. I feel strongly that I have to offer something in what I write. Hopefully you can take something away from reading my posts. Today I have been beating myself up for not posting more blogs. I think I figured out that I have to be in the mood. What gets you in the mood. For me it is music. Last week I read a post on the blog titled Finding Faith. As I read the incredible testimony of God’s grace and forgiveness I was listening to my iTunes library and the song “Grace like Rain” by Todd Agnew was playing. What a great background track for the blog I was reading. The combination of the two really blessed me. However, we are now a week later I am just now getting around to posting a new blog. I need to get past the self perceived legitimacy of my posts and just blog my mood and feelings. I guess in the back of my mind I didn’t want to post unless I felt it would impact someone and they would tell someone and they would tell…you get the idea…and soon I would have a huge following reading my blog. If you blog just to attract a crowd you will not have a good blog that conveys you and your feelings…exactly the things that make your blog readable and enjoyable in the first place.
So fellow bloggers, lets make a pact: repeat after me, “Before or during blogging we will crank up the iTunes, eat our favorite ice cream, pop bubble wrap, or whatever activity puts us in the mood to write from the heart and share our thoughts regardless of how many people will read it.” We may be surprised at how many readers find our blogs entertaining and helpful.
Some web sites are free to develop and host. Some cost a good amount of money to develop and host. All sites have a cost of some sort though. Even the free sites demand someone’s time…maybe yours. So, how do we measure the return on investment (ROI) on websites?
Current statistics show that there are approximately 110 million websites. There are 6.7 billion people living on this planet, but not all of them are able to access the web. In reality there are approximately 1.4 billion people on earth that realistically can access the Internet. This figures out to be about 13 people per site.
What should we do with this information? It seems kind of meager to me. I don’t want to think about all the work I do being for only 13 people. But what if those 13 people took ownership of the site and content because they could contribute and interact? How far would they go to tell their friends and acquaintances? How often would they place links to the site from their own site or blog?
ROI is hard to measure when dealing with the web. A financial ROI is fairly simple. You invest funds and you get a return…sometimes positive and sometimes not so positive. On the web we may need to measure ROI on how interactive our sites are. If you offer web 2.0 applications like blogs, forums, etc., is it safe to say that you are getting a good ROI? What else should be considered?
A web–log or “blog”, according to Pyra Labs Blogger is: “A web page made up of usually short, frequently updated posts that are arranged chronologically––like a what’s new page or a journal.” OK…cool. Now what do I do with it? Where’s the value? Why spend the time?
Blogs can be personal in nature…consisting of diaries, opinions on anything and links to interesting content on the web. These are fun and a great creative outlet for some people. A blog can also be corporate in nature as a tool for communicating with customers and employees as knowledge and expertise are shared.
In the church there are real advantages to blogs, especially for leaders and pastors. Through this web tool you can share the church’s mission, share expertise on ministry practices, build additional traffic to your website, and facilitate connections between likeminded colleagues.
Just having a blog is not enough. You need a plan so it is not pointless. You need a focus and strategy to really nurture a blog into an indispensable communication tool. Rambling or “incessant barking” (see cartoon above) is of no value. Blogging takes work and dedication. However, your church or ministry can realize some true marketplace recognition through a blog. Who knows who might find your blog through a search engine like Google? You could begin impacting and ministering far beyond the walls of your office through a tool like this. Two-way communication is an expectation on the web. You can send out a newsletter either by hard copy or electronically, but if you don’t allow for continued dialogue on the topic(s) you hinder the value.
Through a blog you can open up a dialogue that can allow you to mentor someone(s) or allow you to learn from others in your field. ALWAYS allow for comments on your blog posts whether you decide to approve them first or let them be placed directly on the site immediately. Stifling communication is the kiss of death for interactive media like a blog site.
In the Church of the Nazarene our Mission is To Make Christlike Disciples in the Nations. There are few tools in the world that can allow us to nurture that mission directly from our offices like a blog can. I’d say that alone impresses value in a blog.
