Blogging A-Z: C for Colloraboration

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840316_15639436

Most people start a blog in order to be part of some sort of community.  The types of communities vary from person to person depending on the blogger's goals.  Many mom bloggers just want to connect with other moms so have some sort of adult connection.  Other mom bloggers want to review products and host giveaways.  Bloggers want to connect with other bloggers of a similar mind.  Collaborating with other bloggers help build that community. Just by participating in the group writing projects here at Faithful Bloggers is a form of collaborating with other  bloggers.  By joining the group writing project you help grow your blog, Faithful Bloggers, and the Christian blogging community.  It's a win-win situation for everyone.

Here are some ways you can collaborate with other bloggers in your online community:

  • Guest Posts
  • Cross promote blogs or products
  • Host a radio show or podcast together
  • Create a video together
  • Write a special report together
  • Start a group writing project
  • Plan and host a Twitter party

Working with other bloggers will only help your blog.  Just make sure that you don't neglect your in blog while helping others.  Keep in mind, in order to get the most out of collaborating you need to collaborate with bloggers in your same niche and community.

Have you collaborated with other bloggers?  How so?  Did you see a benefit from it?

Are You Giving or Taking?

My church has been holding Vacation Bible School this past week and my kids have been having a great time attending.  On Monday I stayed and volunteered to help out wherever I could.  I ended up in one of the 5 year old classes helping a teacher who had more kids than expected.  Which is a great problem to have, by the way.  :) The lesson she taught was about the tax collector, Zacchaeus, in Luke 19.  As the Bible story goes, Zacchaeus was a tax collector and as tax collectors were known to do, stole money from his constituents.  But all of this changed when Zacchaeus met Jesus.  Zacchaeus found salvation and even offered to give half of his money to the poor and return anything he stole with an increase.  He was a changed man.  He went from taking what he did not deserve to giving more than he had.

Are you giving more than you are taking?  The blogospherecan be a very selfish place.  It can be all about "me, me, me".  In other ways it can be very unselfish and giving such as when bloggers get together to help out another blogger who suffered a tragedy.    It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of who has what, who is going where, and how much money a blogger is making.  And while that is all exciting stuff, we have to understand what our purpose here on Earth, and by extension in the blogging world, is to bring glory to the Lord.  How best to bring glory to Lord but by doing as He did, giving more than He received.

How are some ways you can give more than you take in the blogosphere?  Here are some of my thoughts:

  • Reviews/Giveaways - If you do product reviews and/or giveaways, consider donating some of the products you receive.
  • Guest Posting - Share your knowledge with others.  No one says you only have to write on your blog.
  • Showing Support - If another blogger is having a hard time, see how you can help.  With all the natural disasters that have been happening, there are many ways you can show your support.

What are some other ways you can give more to the blogging community than you receive?  Would love to hear your opinions and suggestions.

courtneysig
courtneysig