I have been saying it for years: there is still a place for blogs. Even while many new forms of communication have come our way in the past 10 or 15 years, and while each of them may have its own place in the media ecosystem, none can exactly duplicate the unique strengths of blogging.…
It’s hard to remember or even believe, but there was a time when social media consisted solely of blogs. Blogs were the way writers escaped the gatekeepers of old media to gain a voice of their own on the marvelous new medium we called the World Wide Web. Blogs were an interactive form of communication…
I quite often have people get in touch to ask me for tips on blogging. (No, blogs aren’t dead and yes, there is still a place for blogs in 2020. To that end, the forthcoming book Blogging for God’s Glory in a Clickbait World is worthy of a pre-order.) Earlier this year I offered some…
It’s always a blessing for me to see the launch of a new blog, and perhaps especially so when that blog has been founded by a young Christian. I’m convinced there’s still a place for Christian blogs, even in 2020, and I am eager to give whatever tips I can to help these new bloggers…
I have been at this blogging thing for a long time and over the years I’ve taken many opportunities to encourage others to try their hand at it. I believe in the value of blogs and believe there is a future for them. It’s possible that I lack the appropriate self-awareness, but I’m pretty sure…
I am often asked if there is a future for blogs, bloggers, and blogging. It has been 20 years since they showed up on the scene and so much has changed by then. Can they really have a place even in 2020 and beyond? I am convinced they can, and I say that based on…
I’ve noticed an interesting phenomenon. Just before a new piece of camera equipment gets released to the public, it often gets sent to the camera stores so they can review it. This being the 21st century, they tend to create YouTube reviews of that product and invariably recommend it in the most positive terms. And…
Christians have always been very quick to adopt new technologies to further the great commission. But what are some of the drawbacks that come from using blogs and other social media, and how can we use these relatively new platforms to the glory of God? I was asked this question recently so my answer could…
I have been at this blogging thing for a long time now, and would like to think there are a few lessons I’ve picked up along the way. There is a challenge I’ve been reflecting on recently, and it’s one I want to share with other writers: There is no necessary correlation between how many…
Over the past few weeks I’ve been putting out the call for new bloggers to get started and for given-up bloggers to give it a new try (as in here and here). I’ve been calling for bloggers who have turned all their attention to writing for ministry blogs to also consider writing for their own…
During the past few weeks I’ve been asked many questions about blogging and other forms of writing, so thought I’d tell you about the three tools I consider essential to my writing life. There’s an app, a font, and a calendar that represent the heart of all I do. The App: Ulysses For many years…
I have said a few times and in a few ways that I’m concerned about what seems to be a growing trend: Bloggers are shuttering their blogs and instead submitting articles to the major ministry sites. If they aren’t shuttering their blogs altogether, they are writing on them less or using them primarily as a…
Near the end of 2018 I went through the long list of blogs I’ve subscribed to over the years and was both surprised and dismayed to see how many have gone dormant or closed down. By definition, these were blogs I enjoyed reading and that had proven beneficial to me. Obviously there will always be…
I love blogs and believe in them as a medium. I followed hundreds of them this year, scanned tens of thousands of their headlines, and both read and shared thousands of their articles. They were a great blessing to me and today I want to pause to honor a few by sharing my top blogs…
At one time, it seemed like almost every Christian had a blog. Back in the early days of blogging, just about everybody went to Blogger or WordPress, began a free account, and tapped out their first few articles. Some quickly realized it wasn’t for them, but many others stuck it out for months or years.…
In this edition of Three-Minute Thursdays, I’m talking about blogging (perhaps one of the few things I can speak on with some authority!) and providing a few quick tips for new, weary, or aspiring bloggers. I hope you find it helpful! Transcript Aileen: This is take 522. After sitting behind the camera for 11 episodes,…
Today is my 5,000th consecutive day of blogging. A one-year challenge I began back in 2003 has somehow morphed into a 5,000-day marathon and a full-time vocation. I love what I do and am honored that I get to do it. Before I say or do anything more, please accept my gratitude for reading the…
Back in my days as a university student, I had one instructor who was, to my mind, the ultimate professor. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of his field and a deep passion for it, and knowledge plus passion is always a powerful combination. I had this professor for a couple of courses, both of them…
Blogs have come a long way in a short time. Though an early form of blogging existed as early as the 90s, it was not until the early 2000s that the term became widely-used and the medium became widely-adopted. In this way blogging is still in its infancy, though some are convinced it’s also in…
Over the years I’ve found that one of the trickier parts of blogging, or any regular writing for that matter, is maintaining an editorial calendar. An editorial calendar is a means of organizing current and future writing projects to take them from conception to publication. It organizes the process of progressing from vague ideas to…