According to Google Analytics, 78,000 different people visited this blog over the course of the past year.  Wow!  Thanks so much to all of you who read, commented, shared, and even guest posted this past year.

This is the 213th post we’ve published this year.  I thought it’d be interesting to go back and look at the 10 most read Christian Web Trends posts of 2011.

10) Less Clutter, Less Noise – The Group Blog Project

9) 8 Things Pastors SHOULD Do on Facebook

8) 7 Ways to Engage with People on Your Church Facebook Page

7) Social Media for Pastors and Church Planters Webinar Video, Slides and Resources

6) Church Mobile App Survey Reveals What Church Members Want in an App

5) 5 Reasons Churches Should Use Social Media

4) 18 Ways Pastors Can Ruin their Reputation on Facebook

3) QR Codes: 10 Ways Churches Can Use Them

2) Video: What If Twitter Was Around at the 1st Easter?

And the #1, most read Christian Web Trends post of 2011 is…

What is a QR Code? (and 4 other things you should know about them)

Which was the most impactful post on Christian Web Trends in 2011 for you?  If you blog, what was the most popular post on your blog?

Here are 5 noteworthy insights from the survey.

1) People are reading more blogs and reading them more frequently.

51% of respondands said the number of blogs they read has gone up compared with 21% who said it went down. 44% of respondants said they read blogs somewhat or much more frequently than 2 years ago compared with 21% who said they read blogs somewhat or much less frequently Additionally 53% said reading blogs has become more important over the last 2 years compared with 28% who said it’s become less important.

2) People read blogs in a wide variety of ways.

When asked about the primary way they read blog posts, 26% said in an RSS reader, 23% said by visiting the blog when they think of it, 20% click links in Twitter, 16% by email, 5% click links in Facebook, and 10% said “other.” What’s striking is how evenly distributed the numbers are. No one method got more than 26%. That shows how important it is to distribute blog posts in a multitude of channels and give people as many subscribe options as possible.

3) People want insight.

Of all the factors we asked about, that a blog be informative/insightful was considered most important. 82% indicated it’s important or very important that a blog be informative/insightful. 61% consider the connection developed with the author to be important or very important. Funny or entertaining was important or very important to 47%. Friendships and interactions with other readers was rated important or very important by only 26%

4) Blogs have grown in marketing clout.

Of those respondants that write blogs, 44% indicated blogging is a very or extremely important communication/marketing tool. 48% said blogging has become somewhat or much more important over the last 2 years compared with 15% who said somewhat or much less important.

5) Company blogs influence purchases.

31% of respondants said they had started reading a blog published by a company and then later decided to purchase products or services from that company. 63% said reading a company’s blog made them somewhat or much more likely to purchase from that company.

Before we draw any conclusions, note that this was an online survey. The sample was not randomly selected and therefore the results are not scientific.

With that caveat, the survey results support the conclusion that over the last couple of years blogging has become fully embraced as mainstream. Blogs are an important source of information and insight for individuals. And because they build trust and influence purchasing decisions, blogging has become an important part of the communications and marketing strategy for organizations.

What are your thoughts on the survey?  How have your opinions and habits regarding blogs change over the last couple of years?

11) Blog Tip #4: Lead Your Niche <– State of the Blogging Universe Series

That’s because with passion, consistency and engagement (specifically replying to comments) alone, there may still be a “build it and they will come” mentality. If you wait for people to find your blog and take the first step to engage with you, you may be waiting a long time and hear nothing but crickets.

A good example of this is the Christian SEO Guys blog we started earlier this year. The passion was there (at least initially), the consistency was there, and Kurt responded those who commented, but the mentality was still that the content alone would build the audience. It did not.

You maybe be able to get away with not taking any leadership or initiative in your field if your blog is the official blog of an organization, you’ve already got your audience and you’re simply telling your organization’s stories. But if your goal is to engage people outside of your organization, leadership is essential.

What does leadership in blogging look like?

Here are 4 key elements:

1) Develop a unique vision that’s bigger than your blog. Who do you want to help? How do you want to help them? How are these people going to be better off because of what you’re going to do?

2) Do something that no one else is doing. If your thinking is you like some other blog and you’d like to do something like that, don’t bother. People don’t have time for copy-cat wanna-bes. Blog because you’re filling a void, because there’s a perspective you have that no one is currently addressing.

• Do your own research.
• Provide reviews or ratings of things.
• Provide information no one else is providing.
• Interview people no one is interviewing.

3) Find the people you want to work with. Don’t sit back and wait for people to find your blog and engage with you. Find the people you’d like to have engaged with your blog. Look for people who share your values and goals. Look for influencers who already have an audience that will overlap yours.

4) Take the initiative to ask. After you find the influencers you’d like to have engaged with your blog, take the initiative to ask them to engage in some specific way.

• Interview them.
• Ask if you can guest post on their blog.
• Ask them to join you in a group blog project.
• Write a blog post that links to and expands on an idea they blogged about. Then contact them and ask if they’d comment on or share your post.

I believe that there is so much quality content being created that we can’t read it all, not even just in the subject areas that interest us. So, more often than not we choose to read and engage on the blogs where we have made connections.

Think about your own blog reading. You skip a lot of good quality blog posts because you don’t have time to read them all right? Now think about the blogs you’re most likely to read and engage with. More often than not you have some personal connection there, don’t you? You’ve probably exchanged emails, replied to each other’s comments or maybe even met in real life.

So, let’s turn that thinking around and apply it to our own blogging. If we’re more likely to read and engage with the blogs where we have a personal connection, don’t we want be the kind of bloggers who forms personal connections with our readers?

This is why blog tip #3 is to engage with your readers. Here are… 10 ways to engage with your blog readers:

1. Ask a question at the end of every post.
2. Reply to comments.
3. Post your blog posts to Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to reply to comments and @replies there too.
4. Follow your best commenters on Facebook and Twitter and develop those relationships even more. If you follow a lot of people on Twitter, put those readers on a private Twitter list that you read regularly and engaged with them there.
5. Ask Facebook and Twitter followers for input on blog posts. For example, last week I asked my Facebook friends and Twitter followers for their top blogging tips and then included the replies in a blog post.
6. Read and comment on the blog posts of the people who read and engage with your blog.
7. Read and comment on the blog posts of the people you wish would read and engage with your blog, other bloggers in your niche.
8. Invite your most engaged readers to guest post on your blog.
9. Write guest posts for the blogs of your most engaged readers. Be sure to respond to comments on your guest posts.
10. Meet offline with readers and other bloggers anytime you get the opportunity. Go to conferences and meet-ups, meet one-on-one for coffee. Nothing takes an online relation deeper than an offline meeting.

How important do you think engaging with readers is to the success of a blog? Which of the ideas above have worked best for you? What other ways can we engage with readers?

If you haven’t already done so, please complete the State of the Blogging Universe Survey and check out the other posts in this series.

9) Blog Tip #2: Plan for Consistency <– State of the Blogging Universe Series -> 11) Blog Tip #4: Lead Your Niche

Think about your own media consumption. It’s probably full of habits. Maybe you pick up the newspaper from your driveway every morning and read certain sections over breakfast. Maybe you listen to the same radio shows driving to and from work. You probably have certain TV shows you watch at the same time every week.

To facilitate your media consumption habits, the producers of those media have to create and distribute their content consistently.

Imagine what would happen if your newspaper were delivered at a different time each day? What would happen if your favorite TV show was on different night each week? What would happen if your favorite radio show was broadcast whenever the host felt like it? You’d miss articles and shows and your engagement with them would become sporadic.

Consistency is key to the success of a blog too.

Sometimes we think because we can write and publish blog posts any time we like that it doesn’t really matter when we publish posts. Wrong! It does matter. The more consistently we post, the more consistently people will read. Posting on the same days each week and the same time each day helps a lot.

Confessions of an Inconsistent Blogger

I must confess that consistency is one of the aspects of blogging I struggle with most. Fitting that I write this at noon in a post I wanted to have published at 7 this morning. The fact is that blogging is not the most important thing in my life. Other things come up and blogging gets squeezed out.

One of the things that helps me with consistency is planning ahead. Here are… 5 tips to help you blog more consistently:

1) Decide on your publishing schedule. How many posts are you going to publish each week? What days and times will you publish them. If you don’t set a schedule, you’ll never meet a schedule.

2) Pick your topics a week at a time. Instead of thinking each day, “What should I blog about today?” Set aside time this week to decide the topics of next week’s posts. Doing this will also help you choose topics and write posts that flow together one to the next so you can build anticipation at the end of each post for the next post.

3) Write ahead. Try to avoid leaving the writing of a blog post until the day it’s due to be published. Best to be at least a day ahead so when things come up, you still make your schedule. Easier said than done as I write this 5 hours after my scheduled publishing time.

4) Write in your head. Sometimes I feel like I just don’t have time to write a blog post. But I’ve come up with a little trick to make the most of certain times that you might think it’s not even possible to write. Want to know when I do some of my best blog writing? While running, showering and driving. Obviously I can’t physically write at those times, but I can outline a post in my mind during activities that I might otherwise just let my mind wander.

5) Keep a file of post ideas. Get a notebook or word processor file where you can write down blog post ideas as they come to you. Referencing this file each week when picking your blog topics can make that part of the process much quicker and easier.

Now I just need to follow my own advice.

How do you think a bloggers consistency impacts their readers?

What tips and tricks do you have that help you blog more consistently?

If you haven’t already done so, please complete the State of the Blogging Universe Survey and check out the other posts in this series.

8 ) Blog Tip #1: Focus on Your Passion <– State of the Blogging Universe Series -> 10) Blog Tip #3: Engage with Your Readers

• #2 Lack of focus
• #3 Lack of passion
• #5 Lack of personality
• #6 Lack of consistency
• #10 Lack of initiative

So, let’s turn those causes of failure around and look at… 5 ways focusing on your passion makes for a better blog:

1) Focus. If you’re not focused on your passion, your blog is going to be topically all over the map which is going to frustrate people who are interested in the issue you’re passionate about. When you’re focused on your passion, you’re, well… focused. People who share your passion read and engage regularly.

2) Passion. People want to be around other people who are joyful and excited. When you focus on your passion, your posts are full of energy. Passion is contagious.

3) Personality. Similarly, when you’re not focused on your passion, your blog posts will tend to be more academic, boring and lifeless. When you’re passionate about a topic or issue, you use more creativity and take more risks in your writing. You share opinions, personal stories, and analogies. It all makes for a much more interesting blog.

4) Consistency. When you’re not focused on your passion, blogging becomes a chore, and if you’re like me you find ways to avoid chores. If you’re going to blog it ought to be on a topic you day dream about, an idea want to read about in your free time, an issue you can’t wait to talk about with people. Passion brings an overflow of ideas to write about and the desire to write, share and discuss those ideas with people regularly.

5) Initiative. When you’re blogging about things you’re not passionate about, you’re content to simply post content and hope people will find it. But when you’re blogging about something you’re passionate above, you go out, find and engage with other people who are also passionate about that topic or issue. This brings people to your blog. It leads to relationships with like-minded people. It leads to action.

Do you think focusing on your passion is key to writing a good blog? Why or why not?

If you haven’t already done so, please complete the State of the Blogging Universe Survey and check out the other posts in this series.

7) The Best Blogging Tips <– State of the Blogging Universe Series -> 9) Blog Tip #2: Plan for Consistency

Before I reveal what those tips are, I wanted to hear from other bloggers, so I asked people to send me their best blogging tips via Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks to those of you who responded with your tips!

Here are those blogging tips:

• Write about what you know, what you’ve experienced, or what you feel…not what’s popular. -Kevin Weatherby
• Be sincerely interested in people. Don’t ACT sincerely interested. BE sincerely interested. @JoePote01
• Always follow your heart and be honest with yourself, as well as with everyone else. @lanakaydove
• When blogging, try to finish with an action step for the reader to encourage participation. @nery_leal
• Be authentic, honor God, tell a story that leads to life transformation, have fun! @tammywerthem
• Add social share buttons that show counts (i.e. 45,323 twitter followers). It adds “social proof” to visitors. @cgcofnyc
• Be consistent and be focused. Don’t try to do too many good things, focus and be great! @brftpreachr

How about you? What are your best blogging tips?

If you haven’t already done so, please complete the State of the Blogging Universe Survey and check out the other posts in this series.

6) How to Choose the Best Blog Hosting for Your Blog <– State of the Blogging Universe Series -> 8 ) Blog Tip #1: Focus on Your Passion

There are thousands of companies that provide LAMP (Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP) web hosting accounts that will run WordPress. Let’s start by thinking through what factors to consider when evaluating web hosting companies.

Price – Price is usually what people look at first. Most web hosting companies charge $5-$10 for a basic web hosting account, though I’ve seen some as cheap as $2 or $3. When we’re talking about only $5-$10, does the difference matter?

Let’s say you’re planning to post twice a week and spend 1 hour writing each post and another hour engaging with readers in comments and reading other blogs. That’s 4 hours a week x 4 weeks a month = 16 hours a month. If you were to value your time at just $10/hr, you’re investing $160/mo of time into your blog. Do you really want to risk all that by trying to save $5/mo with a cheap web host that may have unreliable servers or poor support? Probably not.

Disk space – Disk space is the next thing people usually look at when searching for a web hosting company. Disk space has become so cheap, that many web hosts now claim to offer “unlimited” space. Beware of this! Do you think they would host The Huffington Post or Mashable for that? Of course not. Every company that claims to offer “unlimited” disk space has it written in the fine print that they can suspend your account if you use “excessive” disk space, processing or bandwidth. The problem is none of them will tell you what “excessive” means. The vast majority of blogs would be fine on any of these accounts, but if your blog really takes off your web hosting account could be suspended.

Personally, I have a hard time recommending any company that claims to offer “unlimited” space. Not only does it put you at risk, but I think the whole concept is disingenuous at best and dishonest at worst.

Support/Service – One of the most important yet overlooked aspect of web hosting service is the service and support. Is your blog going to be accessible all the time or will there be frequent down time? If you have a question, can you email and get quick, helpful reply or call and get a human being who speaks understandable English on the phone?

The challenge is almost every web hosting company claims to provide great support and offers something like a 99.99% uptime guarantee. So how do you know? You can try reading online reviews, but sometimes a handful of unhappy customers can make a company look really bad. The best option, though, is word of mouth. What hosting company do your friends who blog use? How happy are they with them?

As John Saddington (aka Tent Blogger) learned earlier this year (See Blog Host Fail), you can’t underestimate the value of good service and support.

Shared Values – One final thing to consider when selecting a web hosting company for your blog is values. Is this an organization you want to partner with? Do you share their values? Do you want to see them succeed? Do they care if you succeed?

So, what web hosting companies provide an honest, sufficient amount of disk space with great service and support at a fair price? Which would you feel good about supporting and know that they have your best interest in mind?

How about OurChurch.Com?

Sure, I’m biased, but I would put our servers and support staff up against that of any hosting company in the world.  And you’ve got an “in” with the CEO.

OurChurch.Com exists to help Christian organizations achieve their mission online. If that’s a value that resonates with you, I hope you’ll join the growing number of Christian organizations that we are helping achieve their mission. If you appreciate the insight and connections you gain though this blog, know that it’s made possible by our paying clients. If you’re already one of them, thank you!

Who provides hosting for your blog or website? Are you happy with them? Which factors weighed most in your decision?

If you haven’t already done so, please complete the State of the Blogging Universe Survey and check out the other posts in this series.

5) What’s the Best Blogging Platform? <– State of the Blogging Universe Series -> 7) The Best Blogging Tips

Some people choose free blogging services like Blogger.com or WordPress.com because they’re free and getting started is extremely easy. Some people are choosing mini-blogging services like Tumblr and Posterous which are also free and even easier to set-up. Some people also choose to pay for a blogging service like TypePad. But hands down the best blogging platform is…

Self-hosted WordPress

By “self-hosting” I mean, you install and host the WordPress software yourself in a web hosting account rather than using the WordPress.com service.

Why is self-hosted WordPress the best solution?  Let me give you 10 good reasons…

1. It’s good. WordPress is by far the most popular blogging software on the planet.
2. It’s active. Because WordPress is used by so many people, it also has a great development team, which means bugs are fixed quickly and it has a great future.
3. 5 minute installation. Yes, it’s that easy. And there are step-by-step instructions.
4. Easy to update. When a new version of WordPress is released, it usually takes one click to update to the new version. So, you don’t have to worry about ending up with an old obsolete blog in a year or two.
5. Thousands of plugins. Plugins extend the functionality of WordPress. There is a plugin for just about anything you can think of.
6. Thousands of themes. Thousands of templates or themes have already been developed for WordPress. Many are available for free. Many are available for a small fee. You’re sure to find one with a style and layout you like.
7. Many theme developers. But if you want a custom theme, there are hundreds of WordPress theme developers who will create a custom theme for you.
8. Drives search traffic to your own site. A blog is a great way to bring new visitors to your site from search engines. If you use a free blogging service like blogger.com, your blog is bringing search traffic to blogger.com not YourDomain.com.
9. Brings links to your site. Similarly, when people link to your blog posts you want them linking to posts on YourDomain.com not something.blogger.com.
10. It’s free. The wordpress software itself is free. You will have to pay $5-$10/mo for web hosting, but if you are going to spend 5, 10 or more hours a month blogging, what is your time worth? Isn’t worth investing an extra 5% to get all of the benefits on this list?

Do you agree the self-hosted wordpress is the best blogging platform? Why or why not?

If you haven’t already done so, please complete the State of the Blogging Universe Survey and check out the other posts in this series.

4) Is Blogging Still Worth It? <– State of the Blogging Universe Series -> 6) How to Choose the Best Blog Hosting for Your Blog

Crystal Cox wrote several blog posts critical of the Obsidian Finance Group,  on in particular included information she claims was given to her by a confidential, inside source, which she refuses to name.  Obsidian sued Cox for defamation.  Cox refused to reveal her source and couldn’t prove the post is true.  If she had written the article for a transitional media organization she would have been protected under Oregon’s media shield law, but the judge in this case ruled Cox is not a journalist, therefore not protected by the media shield law, and liable for $2.500,000.

Ouch!

The trend in other cases has been towards expanding bloggers rights and protections. In fact an attorney in next-door Washington , who helped write that state’s shield laws said their laws would have protected Cox.  You can read more about the case in this article on Mashable.

What do you think of this cases?  Do you agree with the judge’s decision?  disagree?  Think it’ll be overturned if appealed?

If you blog, have you ever considered the possibility that you could be sued and not protected in the same ways that traditional journalists are.  How do you feel about that?