Blogging 101: The Top 15 Things You Need to Know as a Blogger

I really enjoy learning, and especially learning things that I can share with other people. My mom says that's because I am a teacher at heart, and maybe that's the case. I don't feel like you have to be in a classroom to learn. In fact, our motto for our home school has always been, "non scholae sed vitae discimus" which means, "We learn not for school, but life." The philosopher Seneca penned those words thousands of years ago and they still ring true.

All of our life is about learning, and we can learn a lot from the people around us. This is why I reach out to the experts when I have the desire to learn. While I wouldn't consider myself a blogging expert, I have had the opportunity to reach out to people who are. The following things I learned at a panel discussion a few years ago, and I thought their advice was invaluable. So, I am passing the information on to you.

The following information comes from the notes I took from the panel "Blog Much" featuring David Halperin, Steven H. Wilson, Sharon Stogner, Brandon Blackmoor, and John Hartness.

Basic Blogging Information

Get your own domain name.

Keep your blog layout simple with clean lines.

Use a light background with dark type.

Baskerville Font is a great one and has been called the most believable font, but any serif font should be good. Don't forget about Times New Roman!

Never use Comic Sans for your blog.

Websites that work best use the same styles that you would see in a book publication.

Always use Alt Text for images.  Just fill out the blanks.

Post at least 3x weekly, preferably once a day. But, don't over post.

You can register your blog as a business.

Link to other sites.

Use original and meaningful content.

Beware of people peddling SEO information, "It's like snake oil.

Important for Personal Blogs

Don't criticize your place of employment.

Don't reveal too much personal information.

Assume EVERYTHING you write will be read by someone, and probably by the person who you would least like to read it.

Don't forget there are creepy people on the Internet, and NEVER argue with people on the Internet.

Happy Holidays to You and Yours

There's just something about the holidays that makes my heart smile! Unlike most of the religious world, we don't celebrate Christmas as a memorial of Jesus' birth, or even a celebration of his birthday. That's because we remember Jesus every first day of the week during the Lord's Supper. That's when we think about his birth, his death, his burial and his resurrection. But, that doesn't mean we don't like Christmas or enjoy the holiday season. In fact, Christmas is one of my most favorite holidays of the year.

Today, we worked for several hours bringing joy to countless little ones. My husband played Jolly Old St. Nicholas at the local Wal-Mart. I'm not sure if he was as excited for the opportunity as I was when I agreed that he would do it, but I think once the kids started lining up he really enjoyed himself.

Some of the kids asked for a lot of things like unicorns, dragons, and sharks -- maybe they will grow up to be writers! Others, asked for electronics and army men, some even asked for bubble gum, an alarm clock and a trash can. All the kids were so happy because they got to spend a bit of time with Santa. Today these kids got to live a little of the holiday magic, and so did their parents. Sometimes I wondered who was more excited the kids or Mom and Dad. There were even a few adults who had to get their pictures taken with Santa.

I know there are some people who don't like Santa Claus, and that's okay. You don't have to. We've always told our kids that Santa lives in your heart and he is that feeling you get when you think of the holidays. They also learned at a young age that the man you see on the street wearing Santa's clothes represents Christmas and the man the world calls St. Nicholas that lived a long, long time ago.

My three have always understood that there was a man and a legend of Santa Claus, and we've adopted that into our Christmas celebration as a time to remember to give to others and treat people the way God would have us to treat them. Even though my kids grew up understanding that Santa lives in your heart and not the North Pole, they have always loved Christmas, and we all still believe in Santa Claus. We always will.

Today, while I was ringing a cowbell and holding an overstuffed teddy bear pointing the way to the Christmas land, I thought about all the things that make Christmas time so wonderful. The more I thought about it the more I realized that the things that mean the most are not those that glitter and sparkle, or have that new electronic smell. It is the people around me, and it is my family and friends that are the best gifts I can ever get.

It is also you, dear reader, that is a wonderful gift. You who spends your time reading the things I'm posting, and raising your hand to tell me you want to be a part of the Church of Christ Women Authors. Words cannot express what it means to me to know that you are there reading these words, supporting authors and telling your friends about this work, and listening to the YouTube channel. So, I want to say thank you for everything that you've done for me by reading this blog. I've gotten to know so many wonderful people this year that I otherwise would have never met, and that has been a true blessing.

I hope that you find yourself in a good place today, and that you can look at your own life and see the blessings that are in it. As you go about your day, remember that every good and perfect gift comes from God. Thanks again for everything. I look forward to hearing from you in the comment section below, oh and if you want something for Christmas, maybe post it down there. It seems I've got Santa's ear this year!
--Susan

Over Ten Thousand Page Views and Counting

The first thing I have to say today is THANK YOU! I have hit my first mile marker with Church of Christ Women Authors Blog. Today this blog has exceeded 10,000 page views! It is because of you the authors and you the readers that this blog is becoming a success, and truly from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

If you've just located the Church of Christ Women Authors Blog you may not know that this blog started July 15, 2015. I had already started the page and group Church of Christ Women Authors on Facebook, when someone suggested we have a catalog of books.

Well, I had no funds to make a catalog, but I knew I wanted to keep on helping all church of Christ women authors succeed, so I clicked on Blogger, created the blog, and I guess the rest is history. In the last couple of months this blog has become my baby, and I am so excited to watch it grow.

So, with that said, if you are a women author who is a member of the church of Christ, let me know and I will do a blog post about you and a link to your books. Also, keep an eye open for new authors and new books, as well as writing tips, articles and book sales.

Thanks again, and I am so happy to be able to talk to you every day through this blog!


THANK YOU!!!