How to broaden your blogging horizons

March 27, 2007
by Rodney Olsen
2 Comments

Ever find yourself wondering what to blog about?

Do you sometimes wish you could find a new way to present your posts? Do you get stuck for ideas on how to turn a good post into a great post? Want to freshen up the way you write?

Philip Liu of I Help You Blog has written a great post that should be required reading for all bloggers. 101 Great Posting Ideas That Will Make Your Blog Sizzle is a list of 101 ideas that will help you beat bloggers block. This post is a result of number 70 in the list, “Make a post summarizing someone else’s post”.

When you read through the list you’ll find some of the ideas simply won’t suit you or your blog but with 101 ideas you’re guaranteed to find many ideas that certainly will make your posts and your blog sizzle. I’ve bookmarked his post and I’ll be returning to it again and again over the coming weeks as I unpack all the ideas and find the ones that will work for me.

Some of the ideas Philip presents include being opinionated in your post, contrasting two or more positions in a post, debunking a myth, making a post for beginners, creating a list of your best posts or making a post about how things have changed from the past.

There are many more ideas just waiting for you to put your own particular spin on them. Some will prompt post ideas, others will just give you a new framework to explore an old idea.

Could you add to Philip’s list? Have you found any great ideas that have made your blog stand out from the ordinary? What are the keys you use to turn your readers into participants in the conversation? Feel free to leave your ideas in the comments section of this post.

Posted by Rodney Olsen

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David Andretzke 3/2/1958 – 25/3/2007

March 27, 2007
by Rodney Olsen
4 Comments

The first time I met David he was hauling his mountain bike into the offices of the Bible Society of Western Australia. It was just a few days before we cycled off across Australia on our way to Sydney to arrive in time for the 2000 Olympic Games.

Having crossed Australia by bicycle several times before I was quite concerned at the thought that one of our team would be doing the trip on such a heavy machine. Most of us had thin tyred road bikes. There was only one other mountain bike on the journey and I knew that those on mountain bikes would have to work much harder than the rest of us.

I needn’t have been concerned. David Andretzke was an absolute powerhouse. He was an incredibly strong cyclist and a wonderful person. I think I only saw him looking exhausted from riding once. Mind you, he did learn his lesson. He arrived for our 2003 Bike for Bibles ride from Perth to Hobart with a shiny new road bike.

I got the very sad news last night that David was killed while cycling on Sunday morning. He was out early on a training ride before church. I’m told he was out on his mountain bike when a delivery truck hit him from behind in the Barossa Valley about 6:30 a.m.

The collision happened on the Kapunda to Truro Road, 8km east of Kapunda, as both David and the truck were travelling west towards Kapunda.

David was a single guy who had 3 sisters and a brother. He was part of Gnadenberg Lutheran Church, Moculta. He was a farmer who loved a range of outdoor pursuits.

On the two trips across Australia, we had the privilege of hearing David play the piano for us a few times. He was accomplished on the piano and organ.

One of the main hallmarks of David’s life was his deep love of God. It just poured out of him. He loved God and loved being with God’s people.

When asked to say why he was embarking on the 2003 ride from Perth to Hobart, David wrote that he wanted to come out of his shell a little more, to create friendships and to touch other peoples lives. He certainly did that and more.

David will certainly be missed by all who knew him.

 



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How do you build relationship with your children?

March 26, 2007
by Rodney Olsen
2 Comments

Some people see parenting as a series of problems to be solved. Others see it as an opportunity to build relationship with their children while they solve the problems that come up along the way.

Do you have kids? What’s your parenting style? Do you find ways to build relationship?

My regular Monday morning radio guest on 98.5 Sonshine FM is Joan Grosser from Growing Families Australia. Each week we chat about parenting issues and take talkback calls from listeners.

Today we talked about how to build relationship with our kids. Even something as simple as doing homework with our children can strengthen the bonds between us.

Joan suggested a number of simple ideas like having a family project that everyone can work on together over a period of time through to picnics in the park.

One great idea was to take our children out individually to allow them to have time alone with us. She suggested taking one child with us whenever we have to drive somewhere to run an errand. We may not be headed anywhere special but that time with one parent and one child can allow conversations that would otherwise be crowded out. I took Emily with me yesterday when I needed to buy some fertiliser for our front and back lawns. (I use the word ‘lawns’ in the loosest possible sense.) It certainly wasn’t anything special but it was time together undertaking a task that had to be done.

What are the simple things you do to stay connected to your kids?

If you’d like to listen to our conversation you can left click here. If you’d like to save the file and listen later you can right click here.

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Let's all pack up and go home

March 26, 2007
by Rodney Olsen
10 Comments

Apparently blogs are dying.

Sad really. I was enjoying mine.

Paul Colgan from News.com.au has written an interesting piece titled Why are blogs dying?, telling us that blogs are on their way out. Proof of this is that Lindsey Lohan hasn’t added a post to her blog since October 2003.

Paul has drawn the information for his opinion piece from this news story.

He makes some very valid points about the millions of blogs that have been created but now lay lifeless in cyberspace. Paul says, “People won’t read blogs just because they’re blogs, as if the sheer existence of the thing means people will want to read it. People will only read good blogs.” He’s absolutely right. I think a lot of people have expected hundreds or thousands of readers only to be disappointed that it’s only them and the neighbour’s dog that check in regularly. When the readers don’t turn up and the comments section stays empty, a lot of people just stop bothering.

I think there’s also the fact that a lot of people are just not good writers. The idea of having your own spot online is very appealing to a lot of people but for some, coming to the realisation that they really don’t have a lot to say and that they find it difficult to put what they do have to say into words makes blogging all too hard.

Of course that won’t stop those who want to continue having a go. I know that I’m not the world’s greatest writer or blogger but I do enjoy communicating with a small group of discerning readers. (Yes, that’s you.)

Maybe blogging has already peaked but I’m not sure it’s going away anytime soon.

What do you think? Are in it for the long term? If you keep a blog, how long have you been writing and publishing your thoughts online?

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It's all black and white

March 26, 2007
by Rodney Olsen
2 Comments

I’m really looking forward to the football this season.

Every year I think about becoming a member of Swan Districts Football Club. I’ve barracked for the black and whites for as long as I can remember and I usually get to a couple of games each season.

This year will be different. I’m finally a member and so I’ll be making a point of being at as many home games as I can this year. I think that James is looking forward to heading along to the games too.

The great thing with local footy is that it’s so family friendly. Instead of just sitting in your appointed seat, as you do at AFL games, you have opportunity to grab a piece of lawn, throw down a blanket and have a picnic while the game’s on. At quarter time and three quarter time you can wander onto the ground and listen to what the coach is telling his players. At half time you can spend a bit of time kicking a footy around on the oval.

The first game for the competition was played on Saturday and the Swans beat Perth by 9 points. I didn’t get to the game but it was a great start to the season.

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