The Droughts and Downpours of Blogging
ByIf you’ve been reading this blog for long, you’ll know I’ve only been blogging since July 2006.
It’s been such an absolutely wild ride and I have enjoyed (almost) every minute of it.
As far as “success” goes … my headline should say it all. There are times of drought, when you blog like a wild, crazy person who doesn’t need sleep or food but could simply live off coffee and your feedreader … and nothing happens.
In fact, the crickets chirp so loud that sometimes that you wonder whether you should be committed because, admit it or not … we all want people to read our stuff!
And because you simply love doing it … you continue blogging like a lunatic. You invest tons of time into it. You obsess over it. You review your stats every 5 minutes to see if anybody found you. Or discovered you … or accidently typed in a wrong word or clicked on the wrong link.
Then …
Then … just when you least expect it … something happens.
A tidal wave… a downpour … a flash flood … a [insert your awesome watery word here] happens.
One HUGE blog links to you and sends a ton of traffic your way … some of them actually become feedreaders, or make a comment.
Switching metaphors like none other … I think … blogging MUST be like farming.
You work and work and work that old brown soil … then months later stuff starts popping up.
Today … well, I had a watershed moment.
Yeah, Lorelle of Lorelle of WordPress fame, who writes for the renown Blog Herald linked to Church Communications Pro. (In fact, she even commented on one of my posts to “correct” me in such a polite, awesome way.)
I have no idea who might actually want to click on a “church” blog like mine from her post. But all I know is … a bunch of those nights where I had “idea insomnia” paid off in part today.
To be linked from someone like Lorelle, who is a WordPress guru, is like being validated in some way … it’s like being told, “You actually exist on the blogosphere … and you have interesting, useful content.”
These downpours after the drought are confirmations that somehow, in some way, you’re doing something worthy of being read.
It’s a nice feeling … especially when you’ve had those lonely nights of seeing nobody visit your site and those annoying crickets chirping.
My good friend and WordPress mentor Brian Gardner gave me a good word today about blogging: Persistence.
When people ask me advice about blogging or I do consulting … I always tell them … dig in and put up good content.
I think good writing, especially blog writing, should be practical. It should give value to your readers (if, that is, you actually want to be read).
And yes … you gotta be persistent.
Because you never know when the flash flood is coming!
Always glad to help send traffic and validate a good idea.
I get a lot of requests for help in finding a “Christian WordPress Theme” or designing a church or religious blog. My thinking is “What differentiates a religious blog from a non-religious blog? It’s the blogger not the design or any special treatments. It’s a blogger who pays attention to the needs of the reader, not their personal needs. It’s a blogger who builds a body of work for the reader’s needs and usage, not just because they think this is something to blog about.
You’ve done that.
And now that you have all the attention of the world, make sure you keep doing it “right”.
That’s what humbles me all the time. I now know people are paying attention. My fear-factor of saying the wrong thing, making a major mistake, or being way off base and target from the truth scares me into check and rechecking everything. Your farming metaphor is right on. Plant the seeds, watch them grow, but you have to feed and nurture them to really see them grow into beauty.
Welcome to the blogging club and the WordPress community.
Hey, I know the sound of crickets and empathize.
However, it won’t be long before you are one of the HUGE blogs, and everyone will be wanting you to link to them.
Keep up the great work!
Man, I’m glad to read my own thougths about blogging in your blog. Perry Noble sent a post of mine to his staff – and for one day I had a huge spike in visits. Well, praise God for one day!!!!! Love your blog and I link to it on mine!
Cory, your blog “Blogging 101″ for pastors got me up and running back in Sept. 06. And now this entry helped pull me out of my “drought.” Thanks. A Lot!!
Lorelle linked to this again today, the first I’d heard of it, and I wanted to comment that I feel the same sense of validation everytime she or any other of the superstars of WordPress (Alex King, Donncha, etc.) comment on my site. It’s such a wonderful feeling of having arrived in the Internet community, like I must have been doing something right to have garnered their attention.
I’ll have to keep an eye out here. We’ve had some difficulties getting our church to either 1) update their site or 2) make it actually nice/decent. The blog we had for the college ministry was shut down entirely, and selling an older, more conservative church on openness and a well-designed web site can be kind of difficult. Look forward to browsing through your site and seeing what all you’ve been offering here!