I know this is my first post in a while but I'd like to use it as an opportunity to bring up something that has concerned me lately. Over the past year I have received a number of e-mails from new bloggers who have expressed some dismay over their reception into the Catholic blogging community. Many stopped writing after a few months due to a lack of response or encouragement for their efforts. This saddened me because every person is unique in Christ and reflects different aspects of his beauty. The more blogs for Him the better as far as I'm concerned so I was hoping that I could help newer bloggers in some small way. Despite my computer illiteracy (lol! some things never change!) I CAN put up links so I thought I could highlight some new blogs each week. A number of bloggers helped me out when I first began writing and I, in turn, would like to do the same. In a spirit of unity let's put forth every effort to welcome and help our fellow Christian bloggers in any way we can :)
I will be adding this new feature in the upcoming week and am calling it One in Christ because we all have the same goal - to bring Christ to others. Remember, if even one soul is brought to Christ through a blogger's efforts it is worthwhile.
Jesus, I thank you for all Christian bloggers who have worked so hard to make your name known. Please bless each and every one of them. I also ask for a special blessing for those just entering the Christian blogging community. Inspire each of our hearts and guide our hands as we write. We are thankful for this opportunity to work for you! Amen.
Welcome back Mary.
ReplyDeleteThis is a brilliant idea and maybe we can all share in the task of introducing new Catholic bloggers to the community.
We need a system. Say for instance you start by INTRODUCING a new blogger with a link (e.g. X) and NOMINATING a blogger you already know to take on the next task (e.g. me) with link.
All your readers would then visit X and leave a comment, and visit me to see who I have introduced. A week later I would INTRODUCE Y and NOMINATE someone else to take on the task the following week. And so on ...
Anyway ... just a thought. I get these strange thoughts from time to time. Must stop eating cheese!
God bless.
Hi Colleen and Victor! It's good to be back! Michaela is in school and I have some free time now so I'm looking forward to catching up on everyones blogs:)
ReplyDeleteVictor, that's a great idea and I'm all for it if others are willing! I would like to see as many blogs for the Lord as possible to succeed and this would get new blogs noticed. There are many new bloggers out there and their blogs are wonderful! I think the bloggers that have been around for a bit would love to do this! I think Jesus would like this idea, too :) Maybe you should keep eating cheese!
Hopefully others will comment and let us know what they think.
Mary,
ReplyDeleteGreat idea and I love Victor's system- I'm in!
Glad to see you back.
God bless!
Karin,
ReplyDeleteIt's good to hear from you! I had a feeling you would like Victor's idea. It really is a good one because the more bloggers that are involved the more word will spread about new blogs. One e-mail I received last year from a blogger said she was discouraged because no one ever left a comment on her blog. I wrote back and gave her some suggestions but it can be disheartening to work so hard to share your faith and never get any feedback. Not everyone uses blogrolls so Victor's idea would work well.
I will do what I can to help Mary but I have tried to stay away from being a political or a religious blog as I find I am very opinionated. I never intend to hurt anyone but if someone ask my opinion I give it. I only share my day to day life which always includes my Faith in some form or another......:-)Hugs
ReplyDeleteHi Bernie! How are you? I was just about to visit your site when Randy told me that you left a comment. (His Blackberry dings all day from e-mails and comments and he usually sees them before I do.) Your help is more than welcome. Many people read your blog and I'm sure you have read some new blogs that you enjoy and think others would also :)
ReplyDeleteHugs to you too, Bernie!
I really like this idea Mary.
ReplyDeleteIt was hard for me when I first started blogging. I was so shy and didn't really want to leave comments. I think the following system has helped with that. It makes me aware of people that are coming to my blog and they don't need to leave a comment.
Now that I have been blogging for 4 years, it is rare that I post something and don't get any comments. I had forgotten a bit what it is like to have no feedback.
I really like Victors idea for getting to know new blogs. I would also like to help get the name out for other bloggers.
Hi Mary,
ReplyDeleteThanx for visiting me and leaving a comment on the song "Cry from the heart". I've responded on my Blog by giving a short intro about Fr Francis.
I'm having Gorgonzola cheese today!
God bless.
Hi Therese! I hope you and your family are doing well. I'm glad to hear that you are interested too. We can pass it around like a meme! It's a good way to welcome new bloggers.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Victor. Is Gorgonzola the smelly stuff?
ReplyDeleteYou know what Victor? I think we just accidentally started a mimi...meem...meme. I should have known it wasn't pronounced mem with a short e - I think that's what I called my grandmother when I was young ;) We owe Breadgirl many thanks for increasing the useless knowledge in our brains! She must have eaten her cheese that day.
I'll get that post up this week and then pass it on.
Mary, I agree 100% with your sentiments and love Victor's system. I've always thought that if God means for me to continue blogging He will bring me the readers who need to know what I have to say. My blog is less than a year old and we have to remember to persevere. If it is not His will that we blog, He will show us in some way. We don't always have to blog about spiritual things, or the Church, but we do need to bring our Catholicity to the world. It's not about me as a blogger (although I am always trying to improve) but it is about saving souls. If Jesus gave His life to save souls, can we not give up our egos and discouragement to carry on His work? God bless you.
ReplyDeleteMary, I thought of another way we can help each other get readers. If we find somebody's post we'd like to include part of as part of one of our own posts, we can do that and link from our blog for the entire post. I've not had much occasion to do that, but I would be willing to do it more. The more people we get involved in our blogging the more likely we are to find posts from others that we may want to link to or quote from with a link. I hereby give all Catholic bloggers permission to quote freely from any of my posts and link back to my site. God bless everyone. This effort is part of Pope John Paul II's "new evangelization". Let's go for it.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back Mary! I've missed you so much! I'll have to put you back on my blogroll, you were gone so long, I thought you were done!
ReplyDeleteVictor is funny with his cheese comments, reminds me of Wallace and Gromit!
I also love this idea, in fact, I wrote a post about with some links to new blogs that I like not so long ago!
http://annebender.blogspot.com/2010/08/inspiration-from-blogs.html
God bless you Mary! Looking forward to many more of your wonderful posts!
Gorgonzola is not very smelly. It's a white crumbly cheese with blue bits which (I was told) is mold. Can't be sure of this. It's Italian so there's a good chance it is a Catholic cheese.
ReplyDeleteThe English version is called Stilton - it is undoubtedly Protestant as it protests violently about half-an-hour after it is eaten. Especially when followed by a few glasses of port at Christmas.
Danish blue is another variant and ....
Hey stop ... this is NOT a cheese Blog. You risk upsetting Mary and being banned from all her Blogs!
Sorry Mary ... God bless.
Mary, it is so good to hear from you! I love your idea about new bloggers and Victor's thoughts on how to do it! Count me in.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you and once again...welcome back!
Barb,
ReplyDeleteThat's another excellent idea. I agree that bloggers need to persevere and one thing that helps is to encourage one another :) I think it can be difficult for new bloggers to get their blogs noticed and whatever we can do to promote them would be helpful. I have seen beautiful blogs ignored and I'm not quite sure why. I was blessed to get quite a bit of help when I started blogging but I noticed that this doesn't always happen.
Anne,
ReplyDeleteIt's great to be back! I couldn't figure out how I managed to post last summer and then I remembered all the insomnia I had and that I often posted in the middle of the night. If I remember correctly you were in the same boat because I remember the two of us commenting to each other about it.
I knew you would like this idea. You've always been quick to help out others (including me)! I'll go check out the links on your blog. God bless you my friend!
Victor,
ReplyDeleteOh! You mean the penicillin cheese :) Catholic and Protestant cheese?! You are so funny! Who says it's not a cheese blog? I've had to slap up some pretty cheesy posts at times.
I actually like cheese. Alas! I am lactose intolerant and very few cheeses like me :(
Hi DG! Thanks for the welcome! I'm glad people are interested in doing this. Who knows how many great blogs are out there that people don't know about!
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting this cheesy blog. Cheese goes well with the whine here ;)
Good to have you back Mary! I have really missed you! And being a new blogger, I think this is a fantastic idea. God Bless!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mom :) Feel free to join in! The best way to learn about great new blogs is through one another.
ReplyDelete