Blogger’s How-to Kit

“Most of you already know that if you have access to the Internet you can start a blog in minutes and begin sharing what you know to be true…may I ask that you join the conversation by participating on the Internet to share the gospel and to explain in simple and clear terms the message of the Restoration.”

– Elder M. Russell Ballard

Blogs are one of the fastest and easiest ways to start sharing the gospel, engaging in dialogue, and building the reputation of the church online. Blogs allow participants, both authors and readers, to share stories, comment on events, pose and answer questions, and provide information to a wide and diverse online audience. They can also be instrumental in connecting families, building friendships, and organizing communities. So, if apostles mentioning blogs over the pulpit has got you feeling a bit behind the times—or just inspired you to explore the possibilities—this is for you.

•  Tool History and Context

Weblogs, or “blogs” as they are commonly called, evolved from a couple of different sources. One was online personal journals maintained by diarists, journalists and students. The other was an online space for software and web developers to post messages, questions, and answers in reverse-chronological order across different computers as they worked on a project. This evolved into Blogger, one of the two most popular blogging platforms on the web today. The other one is WordPress. Blogging took off in popularity right around the turn of the century and has maintained steady growth, and diversified in its usage. Today, there are a few blogs with literally millions of readers…and literally millions of blogs with just a few readers. There are blogs written by 8-year-olds and 80-year-olds, blogs about Adams and atoms, blogs from first-time mothers going through the terrible twos and blogs from Wall Street bankers who became millionaires at 22.

For more information, check out the entry on “blogging” at Wikipedia,org: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogging.

•  What Does A Blog Do?

Blogs have essentially two components: people and content. The content can come in many forms; narrative, pictorial, even interactive. Most commonly, content is organized into chronological chunks or entries, called “posts,” with discussion added by readers and authors attached to each post in the form of “comments.” Posts often include media like photos and video clips and also support links to other online content and “tags” (keywords attached to each post that identify the main content of the post) to help track and categorize information. It’s the people element; however, that really makes blogs special. Any website can support the kinds of content mentioned above, but blogs are meant as a forum—a place of discussion, collaboration, interaction. Blog authors post content (photos of their latest fishing trip with the grandkids, or thoughts on the Sunday School lesson they’re preparing), and readers have the chance to respond to it through comments (the grandkids bragging about the size of their catch, other Sunday School teachers contributing their attention activity ideas, and so forth.) Other contributors might even be invited to create posts of their own (a group of cousins sharing their college adventures, a genealogy center featuring tips from local experts.) Blogging is really about groups of people interacting around sets of content. And it can be a powerful tool for all sorts of things!

•  How Can I Use This Tool to Better Share and Learn the Gospel?

Blogging is one of the simplest ways to engage new media to share the message of the restored gospel. If you already have a blog, create a post or a page telling your conversion story and include your testimony of the gospel. Talk about how you came to know of its truthfulness and how that knowledge has impacted your life. Be simple and direct, and speak from your heart. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin counseled “We make simple, clear, direct statements that we know with certainty and surety that the gospel is true because it has been “made known unto [us] by the Holy Spirit of God.¹ “… President Boyd K. Packer said: ‘A testimony is to be found in the bearing of it. Somewhere in your quest for spiritual knowledge, there is that ‘leap of faith’ It is the moment when you have gone to the edge of the light and step into the darkness to discover that the way is lighted ahead for just a footstep or two.’ Making a determined and confident public statement of your belief is such a step into the unknown. It has a powerful effect in strengthening your own convictions. Bearing testimony drives your faith deeper into your soul, and you believe more fervently than before.”

If your blog is personal in nature, or directed to a community in which such content would be appropriate, include your church activities in your posts: write about your excitement for General Conference, what you learned from a recent scripture study, or the service project your ward’s Young Women recently completed. If this kind of content seems inappropriate or awkward for your blog space, perhaps you could create another blog for posting personal and faith-based content and include a link on your other site, so visitors may learn more about this part of your life if they choose. In conjunction with either of these options, posting links to the Church’s official website lds.org, Mormon.org, as well as More Good Foundation sites (www.moregoodfoundation.org/oursites), family members’ blogs, and other LDS blogs, can give visitors avenues to pursue for more information and also let them know that you are open to talking about your beliefs should they be interested.

If you’re new to blogging, but excited to use this technology to share the gospel, here are a couple of ideas and tips to get you started:

First, remember that not all your readers will be LDS (indeed, that’s the point, isn’t it?) While you shouldn’t shy away from talking about uniquely LDS concepts, try to be conscious of vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to your readers and offer definitions and short explanations of these terms. (D&C, RS, FHE, MTC  and myriad other Mormon acronyms are all potential sources of confusion, and—worse—can perpetuate misperceptions that we, as members of the Church are insular, exclusive and cliquish.)   If you need help with these kinds of definitions, there’s a pretty good glossary of Mormon terms on one of our websites: http://www.mormonfaq.com/mormon-glossary.

Secondly, keep it simple. Blogging doesn’t have to take a lot of time, nor does it have to involve much extra effort or resources. You don’t have to wait for mountain-top spiritual experiences to post, or go out and purchase the latest video or web publishing technology. Start simple, learn as you go, and see where the process takes you. The Lord promises in the first section of the Doctrine and Covenants that in the latter days, the gospel will be proclaimed “by the weak and simple.” Strive for an attitude of “focused, yet flexible”—your blog should have a theme of some kind, be it your family, gospel scholarship, or pioneer history, but it shouldn’t be so narrow that you can’t share something that seems important to share.

Third, be conscious of your role as a member of the Church. Contributions you make to an online community, whether they are posts or comments or photos, become virtually permanent and may be instrumental in shaping others beliefs about the Church, for better or worse. Make sure your posts and comments show dignity for correct Church doctrine. Avoid stereotypes and generalizations, and be Christ-like in your comments and your reactions to others’ comments. Elder Ballard put it this way: “As you participate in this conversation and utilize the tools of new media, remember who you are—Latter-day Saints. Remember, as the proverb states, that ‘a soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger’². And remember that contention is of the devil³. There is no need to argue or contend with others regarding our beliefs. There is no need to become defensive or belligerent…We simply need to have a conversation, as friends in the same room would have, always guided by the prompting of the Spirit and constantly remembering the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, which reminds us of how precious are the children of our Father in Heaven.”

•  Practical Ideas and Tips

Some of these ideas and tips have been discussed already, but here’s a simple top-ten list:

1. Decide on an audience. When you decide who you are writing for answers a lot of the questions about what you want to write.

2. Make regularly scheduled posts. Although RSS readers⁴ make following blogs easy, few people use them. You should try to post regularly so people get in the habit of reading you. How often you post largely depends on what you can fit into your schedule.

3. Keep your posts consistent. Some topics require long posts, or only need a few sentences. That’s normal for blog composition. However, if the length varies too much, readers will have a hard time following your blog.

4. Don’t post for the sake of posting. Sometimes you’ll feel guilty because you haven’t posted in awhile. The solution is to find something meaningful to post, not to just write something for fear of having your blog go stale.

5. Be civil to commenters; even when that civility isn’t reciprocated. People often are more upfront and blunt online than they would be face-to-face; some are downright cruel. Constructive disagreement should be supported on your blog; abusive behavior should not. You may choose not to have comments on your blog at all.

6. Always give credit where credit is due. Just as you would like to be attributed for the ideas you put on your blog, be sure you recognize others for their ideas and writing.

7. Make the visual appearance of your site pleasant. Your blog doesn’t have to be a work of art either, but no one wants to read yellow text on a white background.

8. Share your blogging efforts with others. There’s nothing wrong with an e-mail to let friends and family know you’ve been blogging, but be careful about unwanted advertising.

9. Determine beforehand what you want to do about privacy. Will you blog anonymously? How will you refer to your spouse/family/friends?  Don’t give out any personal information that an online predator could make use of.

10. Periodically review your blog. You’ll think a lot about those first few posts. Over time, you’ll want to review what you’ve written to get some perspective.

•  How Do I Use It? (Tutorial on the key features)

So, what if you’re not ready to jump in with both feet? No worries. Blogs, by their very nature, support a broad range of participation levels. If you want to just get your feet wet first, try simply commenting on someone else’s blog. Find some blogs that you think are interesting—you can start with the ones listed in this section, or the family blog of one of your relatives—and simply join the conversation. Offer your congratulations on an announcement, compliment a photo, maybe even suggest another perspective on an assertion.

To find out if your family member has a blog, do a Google search of their full name.

To find blogs that fit your interests, try a tag search within Blogger or WordPress, or a simple Google search for keywords like: “LDS Family History Research blog,” “Young Mormon Moms blog,” “LDS Seminary Teachers blog,” “Mormon Quilters blog,” etc.

The most vital blogs, of sole or group authorship, succeed because they attract and support an active community of readers. You can play an important role in helping your favorite blogs, the online voices you’d like to be heard more widely, grow by actively participating in those conversations. Examples:

Daily Motion: How to post Blogger Blogspot Comments ─ A Video that deals specifically with commenting on Blogspot blogs.

WordPress Web Marketing Tutorial – How to Comment on a Blog ─  A screencast about making comments on a blog that could help you get comfortable with the process.

Another way to become part of the blogging community without actually taking on your own blog is to become a contributor on a group blog. One of the group blogs included in this section might be just your style, or you could do a simple Google search for a blog that fits your interests even better. Often the best way to go about this approach is to become an active commenter, posting frequently on the site, making thoughtful arguments, drawing connections to other groups and individuals through linked comments, and then approach the authors (in a private e-mail, rather than a comment on the blog) about the possibility of your contributing posts. You could also set up a blog of your own and invite a group of friends and/or colleagues to contribute their thoughts as well.

Blogger Tutorial: Creating a Blog ─  A good tutorial creating a team blog in Blogger.

WordPress: Adding Contributors ─ FAQ on adding contributors to a WordPress blog

Concerns and Questions

If, on the other hand, you are ready to jump in and give blogging a try, the following tutorial will get you started. Starting a blog can feel intimidating and overwhelming. You may be plagued by any number of doubts and concerns. We’ll try, with the help of some Church leaders and the scriptures, to address some of the most common.

“I don’t want to appear preachy.” Many have said they are concerned about saying things that would make them appear “holier than thou” or preachy, if shared online.  Blogs are a natural way to talk about your “entire” life in a way that invites others to look over your shoulder and see life from a member’s perspective. Your faith will naturally be infused into those posts and your family or personal photos, insights, outlook, will reflect it in ways you may not anticipate.  Then, when you have established trust by your readers who are friends of other faiths, and they do happen on a post in which you share your experience in a class, devotional, or temple open house, they will be comfortable enough to read and ponder it, and to comment or ask questions. Then you can respond knowing their level of interest.  You don’t need to be posting on purely “spiritual” topics daily on a personal blog.

“I’m not an expert in the gospel. What if I don’t have anything to say?” The Internet, and online communication in general, has fundamentally altered the nature of publishing. It is no longer a one-way dissemination of ideas and information from a small, powerful elite. Publication has become an open conversation. Even now, there are hundreds of conversations going on all over the Net about the LDS Church, our beliefs, our culture, our history and our place in society.

Elder Ballard points out: “those conversations will continue whether or not we choose to participate in them. But we cannot stand on the sidelines while others, including our critics, attempt to define what the Church teaches. While some conversations have audiences in the thousands or even millions, most are much, much smaller. But all conversations have an impact on those who participate in them. Perceptions of the Church are established one conversation at a time.” Elder Ballard has said that individuals want answers to come from “ordinary members of the Church” like you and I. You don’t have to be an expert to share what you know. You don’t have to have a life-altering experience to be a voice of faith and testimony.

“What if nobody reads it?” As mentioned previously, some blogs have only a handful of readers. Others reach an international audience—in fact, if you are a return missionary, you could blog in your language and continue your mission online. You’d be amazed at how many people stumble upon well-placed blogs. And it only takes one post to influence a person for good.  A young man in LasVegas had a family blog with photos of his wife and son, and posts on the Red Sox and life in general. He then added a post on tithing.  Someone in California took an interest in that post on tithing, and ended up joining the Church.  A young gal put up her temple photos and preparations for marriage on her website and it led to someone joining the Church as well. And remember the Lord’s counsel in the eighteenth section of the Doctrine and Covenants; “remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God…and behold, if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!”

“What if I don’t have time to do it every day?” You don’t have to do it every day. One of the best things you can do to cultivate a community around your blog is to keep a consistent tempo, whether that’s a post a day or a post every week.  However, if you feel you really cannot maintain one yourself but feel the call to do it, you can add another user to your blog, and work it together.

“What if someone misinterprets or misuses my posts or comments and I end up doing more harm than good?” Elder Robert D. Hales said “Opposition may be in itself an opportunity. These criticisms create … interest in the Church. … This provides an opportunity [for members] to present the truth to those whose attention is thus directed toward us. We can take advantage of such opportunities in many ways: a kind letter to the editor, a conversation with a friend, a comment on a blog, or a reassuring word to one who has made a disparaging comment. We can answer with love those who have been influenced by misinformation and prejudice—who are “kept from the truth because they know not where to find it”⁵. I assure you that to answer our accusers in this way is never weakness. It is Christian courage in action.”

“Is this something that might expose my family members to something injurious?”

“Now some of these tools—like any tool in an unpracticed or undisciplined hand—can be dangerous…That is no different from how people choose to use television or movies or even a library. Satan is always quick to exploit the negative power of new inventions, to spoil and degrade, and to neutralize any effect for good. Make sure that the choices you make in the use of new media are choices that expand your mind, increase your opportunities, and feed your soul.” –Elder M. Russell Ballard

Questionable Content. Because of the open, dynamic nature of the Internet, unintentionally coming upon questionable, or even objectionable, content is always a possibility. Be prepared with a strategy for dealing with inappropriate content (including inappropriate or offensive comments on your own blogs) and discuss this strategy with the whole family. Your strategy would include having a good spam filter plug-in on your blog like Akismet, and having an adult moderate comments, if it is a family blog where children are involved.

Identity/Privacy Issues. As in other online activities, it’s wise not to include much personally identifying information on a blog. It’s fine (and often advisable) to use your own name and make general references to your family, town or community. But avoid including things like your full address, full names and birthdates of family members, schools your children attend, or any kind of financial information. Blogs have not come to the forefront of identity theft issues in the past, but caution in such matters is always a good idea.

Cyber-Bullying. Occasionally, individuals have used the web to intimidate and harass others. This practice is particularly common among younger children and teens and has been termed cyber-bullying. While, again, blogs have not been at the forefront of this problem, being aware of the potential can help you guard against it. Open communication with children and teens and thorough awareness of their online activities can help you catch and mitigate the effects of any cyber-bullying before it becomes deeply damaging.

Blogs can be created using WordPress. Our More Good Foundation sites are in WordPress, so anyone interested in adopting one of our sites would be helped by watching these tutorials rather than by learning blogger: http://wordpress.tv/category/how-to/writing/

Go to our page about blogging with WordPress.

If you are creating your own blog, learn to use BLOGGER.

How to use BLOGGER

Blogger Tour ─ An excellent introductory tout of Blogger

Blogger was acquired by Google in 2003, so you will need a Google account to use it. If you already use Gmail, Google Groups, Google Docs or Orkut, just use that username and password to sign in right on the blogger homepage. Signing in will take you directly to Step 2.

If you don’t have a Google account, click on the button to “create your blog now” on the Blogger homepage and you’ll be take to Step 1: creating a Google account.

STEP 1: Create an Account.

To create your account, simply complete the form provided. Note the bar indicating password strength and the requirement that your password be at least 8 characters long. Next you’ll need to enter the verification text (the wavy, colored letters above the text entry field.) Blogger has implemented this tactic as a protection against spam blogging and comments. If you have difficulty reading the word verification text, try refreshing the page to get a version that’s easier to read (another option is clicking the handicap symbol next to the text entry field, which will give you the option to pick out a series of numbers from a background of garbled speech.) Don’t forget to check the box indicating your acceptance of the terms of service.

STEP 2: Name Your Blog.

Next, choose a name for your blog. Usually, but not always, the name of the blog and the URL (the address readers will type into their web browsers to access your blog) will be the same. Use the “Check Availability” link to make sure the title you’ve chosen is not already in use. Try to choose a URL that will be easy to remember, with no tricky punctuation or non-traditional spellings. Once you’ve found an available URL, entered the verification text again, and clicked “Continue,” your blog will be officially registered.

STEP 3: Choose a Template.

Blogger provides a variety of templates for the look and feel of your blog. Templates determine the type style, the presentation of images and the colors of your blog pages. You can browse through the options available and simply click the radio button under the one you’d like to use. Once you’ve made your selection, click the “Continue” arrow.

From there, you’re ready to start blogging. Clicking the “Start Blogging Now” arrow will take you directly to a page where you can write your first post.

Click “Publish Post” when you are ready to publish your blog.

Getting Started with Blogger ─ Thorough instructions for creating your first post, adding images and video and even customizing layout.

How to Create a Blog with Blogger ─ A video guide to creating a blog.

•  How Can I Use this Tool to Better Share and Learn the Gospel? ─

A Call to Action

A few closing words from Elder Ballard:

“Talk honestly and sincerely about the impact the gospel has had in your life, about how it has helped you overcome weaknesses or challenges and helped define your values. The audiences for these and other new media tools may often be small, but the cumulative effect of thousands of such stories can be great. The combined effort is certainly worth the outcome if but a few are influenced by your words of faith and love of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. The Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ has no doubt had a powerful impact on your life…We all have interesting stories that have influenced our identity…You could help overcome misperceptions through your own sphere of influence, which ought to include the Internet.”

Blogging is a great way to share the gospel online, and can be a powerful tool for building stronger relationships, engaging in positive dialog, presenting clear and accurate information and contributing to the overall “leavening” of the World Wide Web.

Beginner:

Join the conversation. Find a couple interesting blogs to follow and make comments when you have something to add.  Another way to bring more readers to your own blog is to comment on their blogs! On most blogs, when you comment you have the option to include a URL (a web address like http://www…) that will turn your name into a link when the comment displays on the blog. Simply include your blog URL in this field and anyone interested in what you have to say need only click to find more of your thoughts and opinions.

Advanced:

Create your own blog.

Making Your Blog Accessible to Seekers

That said, there are ways to focus and extend the reach of your online gospel discussions. Effective tagging is primary among them. If your posts are tagged with relevant search terms (something you accomplish right in the posting interface of your blogging software) other users searching the Internet for keywords like “Mormon baptism,” “seminary,” or even “food storage” will be more likely to find your personal thoughts and testimony on the subject.

Tags and Tagging: How Do You Create Good Tags?

Master New Media ─ A Useful blog post on tagging

Where Are Other Free Online Tutorials?

Blogging Tips for Beginners ─ A list of links for beginning bloggers.

BlogTutorials ─ Blog with regular posts on various topics related to blogs.

TutorialBlog ─ Daily posts on blogging with some posts relating to Photoshop.

Tiny Screenfuls ─ How to get people visiting and commenting on your blog

Go to our article on Tiny Screenfuls.