It is approaching the end of the year, and almost 2 years of blogging for me. Thank you to all my subscribers, and those who have supported and encouraged me in my blogging.
I’ve also been thinking about why I blog. What are my goals? Who am I hoping to reach? Am I successful in these goals? Am I reaching the target audience? Etc.
The name of my blog was carefully chosen – Enough Light – and you can see the Blaise Pascal quote on the top right that I take this title from. This is a Christian blog and while I blog on a variety of issues, I try to keep some focus on faith and doubt – whether directly or indirectly. A post may not be directly about faith and doubt, but indirect as I broach topics that could lead to doubts or discouragement in the faith.
I also consider my blog, while not academic, to be for the more “thinking” type of person. (Or at least I hope to encourage Christians to think a little more deeply.) It is middle ground…for people who are more serious thinkers, but who aren’t necessarily academics either. If that makes sense?
Although I have some unbelievers who come to my blog (which is great, and I’m glad you visit!) my target audience is really believers. It is my hope that if a believer starts to develop doubts about the faith that they will find this a “safe” place and somewhere to find resources to help them as they deal with their doubts. See the faith and doubt tab above where I have a collection of resources.
I also hope to help believers for whom doubt is not an issue to become more “doubt friendly” and aware of what it is like to struggle with doubts. Sadly, I know former believers whose exodus from the faith was hastened by the unhelpful and ungracious responses of the Christians in their life.
I have a burden for believers who struggle with doubts, but are these people able to find my blog? I’m not really sure how to find them. I think one reason I blog on various Christian issues is that I hope to draw in various Christians who will be introduced to the faith and doubt issue.
FYI…in a coming series, I will be blogging through this book: Walking Away from Faith: Unraveling the Mystery of Belief & Unbelief by Ruth Tucker.
Well, any thoughts or suggestions are welcome! Do you think the blog is on target with my goals or purposes? Any ideas on how to better reach my target audience? If you know of someone who might benefit from this blog, please tell them about it. This isn’t about self-promotion (although it is pretty much impossible to have totally pure motives!) – but I just hope, in the new year, to reach more in my target audience.
Thanks for listening and thanks again to all of you who frequent Enough Light!
You continually hit the mark of writing for those who like to think through their faith, Laura. In my own doubts and thoughts and wanting to talk things through, I know that this is a place where I will not get beat up for saying something that might not sound churchy-perfect.
One way to get more people aware of your site is that guest article you wrote for me that will go live next Wednesday 12/12/12 (what a great date to write out!). I am hoping God will use your piece to reach a ton of people who can benefit from your constantly insightful take on faith in and relationship with God.
Thanks Tim. I appreciate your very kind comments. And thanks for the opportunity to do a guest post on your blog!
I enjoy reading your blog and your thoughts, but I cannot pretend to know what others will think. But my experience of almost 7 years of running a website and 6 years of blogging has shown me that these things build slowly.
We get visitors to our sites through various means – e.g. other bloggers’ recommendations, doing guest posts or comments on others’ blogs, and from Google – but I have found Google is the biggest source. But that takes time, using the Google tools, choosing titles and headings that somehow hit the mark on Google, etc. I don’t try to chase Google rankings, but I do remain aware of what will help.
Keeping visitors coming back is another thing. They have to enjoy their visit enough to want to subscribe, and then when a new post appears on their subscription list, they have to be attracted to actually check it out (after all, they may have subscribed to scores of blogs, and can never read them all, all of the time). Again, this requires relevance in subjects and in titles, and a fresh approach in expression.
I think there are different approaches that work. The best, if you can do it (I’m not good at it) is to be zany, funny and direct, and break a few christian stereotypes – like Jamie, the very worst missionary. Another approach I personally dislike is be provocative and encourage polarising argument – gets people in but doesn’t achieve much. Another approach is to become known for something like good research or innovative insights or some particular expertise.
But in the end, I think we have to be philosophical about this. There are a zillion blogs out there, and about half a zillion christian ones. If we pray God will bring people to our site that will benefit from it (which I do), then we can be content with lower numbers, trusting that we are still being useful. I used to think it was a bit arrogant to pray for my blog and website, but then I thought if it wasn’t worth praying about, it was probably wrong to do it at all.
Hope that helps. Best wishes in your thinking about this.
I agree, unklee. God knows whether anyone will benefit from reading what I write. Like you, I pray for those who do read it to be blessed.
Thanks for the helpful and encouraging thoughts Unklee! I agree that in the end we have to be philosophical about it and pray. I’m not really concerned with numbers (well, maybe just a little! haha) but mainly with knowing that the particular niche of people I’m concerned about are helped. I’d rather have a small handful of people that are truly helped, than a bigger readership that is more superficial. Ya know?
I enjoyed everything I read that you wrote and it is so nicewhen I come across a blog where someone wants to write about Christrianity so I give you props and I will continue to read because I really got a lot out of what you have written so I will be following. Thank you so much and you are an inspiration. So far I am new to Blogging I have my blog all set up and am in the process of writing and posting more things as I learn about it. It seems there is so much. So its a work in progress for me. I’m hoping I can find blogs where people on how to’s. I jumped in on it and I’m teaching myself. I am having so many what is this and how do I do this or post this ar make this if you know what I mean. It took me a while to write my first post and the second got deleted somehow please don’t laugh well if you may but anyways I enjoyed your blogging and I will be followong God Bless and I will always want to ow more and more and more about Christianity and my faith and love for God ! So keep writingnI loved it !