I think every blogger goes through the 'oooohhhh Instapundit linked me' phase.
I'm ashamed to admit I did. I think it's part of our growth pattern and learning curve, but none of us have to stay stuck there.

God convicted me, as did other bloggers.
I went back and looked at my site policy recently. I'm back to what I started with, trying to there for others.
The freedom and peace in that is worth millions of 'hits.

There are no 10 commandments of blog promotion.
What works for one, doesn't for another.

Our content speaks. How we present our content speaks. How we interact with our readers speaks.

As for how it looks in practise...read LivingRoom! Blog on.

Darren,
This is my first visit to your blog. I came trying to find out who you are after your comment to my blog. I must say, you ask a good question for blogging in general. However, for myself, blogging is really just an open journal, a hobby of sorts. I post a lot of personal stuff as a lot of my readers are family and friends from other parts of the country (US). Occasionally, I might say something of interest to the broader public. At those times, I hope that what I say is helpful and uplifting.

if you're a Christian and a blogger and you blog for the specific reason of becoming famous; you're doing it for the wrong reasons. (john 3:30)

as far as i've thought it through with my blogging, it's important to be yourself. it's important to read other blogs and post comments and promote community. that's how, we, as Christians evangelize and build each other up. through getting around each other and encouraging where needed and what not. it's also important to not be concerned with who is or who isn't reading your blog. God's got all that covered.

write for the sake of writing, not to be read. writing comes across more pure, more heartfelt and honest, imho, when it's approached as such.

I write what I write. I've never asked for a link. I have asked to have my site removed from someone's links. I link to blogs I enjoy reading. I read more than I link to. I comment when I have something to say. I write what I write.

Hi Darren, just my thoughts here.
my blog actually began as an extention of silent messenger web site. It's about my thoughts on God and my love for Christ. And what I am up to lately. Just goofey stuff some times.
I had no clue this blog thing was so massive. It's amazing. So for me what the "experts" say don't fit me.
I have no motive other than sharing my heart and if someone enjoys it - wonderful! If not - that's ok too.
I don't think it's wrong to want to share your thoughts with others, but if you are doing it for the a selfish reason according to Scripture, and want popularity, does that help others?
I have enjoyed many other blogs and writings.
Each day we live a new testimony for Christ, how can we help or uplift others and glorify God with what we have gone through? Sometimes someone elses testimony or words help someone in need. Sometimes they don't.
In my opinion it is about helping others. And to always give Honor and Praise to God ... and a few laughs too!
May God bless you abundantly. I enjoy your thoughts Darren! Thanks for sharing!
Hope this post was not too long ....

I think that Real Live Preacher is a great example of someone modelling 'the act of death and humility through their weblog journaling.'

wow - thanks for these responses. Its great to have some brand new commenters on my blog too - welcome!

It seems from your comments that there are some great blogs already blogging gospel style. Maybe on reflection I've written this post purely to challenge myself. To be honest there are times when I wonder why I blog - its easy to get sucked into the vortex of self promotion. I think most of the time I resist such temptations, but there are days when I catch myself checking my stats, not so that I can build relationships, but to make myself feel I've achieved something worthwhile.

I'm not proud of that and have been working towards changing some attitudes.

Hmmm...thanks for your thoughts - Interesed in what others think.

I was going to say that maybe you are writing more about yourself than anyone else. Glad you realised.

Darren was writing about me, too, Peter. (Though I'm sure he didn't know it.) I *do* get a thrill when I look at my referrer logs, or check out Technocrati, or Who Links Who, and find out that someone thought enough about what what was said through my fingers to link to it.

For me, Darren, Christian blogging is an extension of the way I've been called to share the Gospel in the rest of my day - to speak truth as I understand it, to listen, to comment in love, to offer support and encouragement and challenge to those around me (and to accept it, as well). Sometimes that means sitting in front of my screen and praying for the well-being of someone whose post I just read. Sometimes it means sending an e-mail to someone who is hurting, or to a couple of people who might need a mediator in a dispute.

Most of all, for me, it means celebrating that the words that I see on the screen are symbols of the life of a beloved child of God - no matter what their faith-stance or world view. If I can remember that they, too, are created in God's image, I will treat them with the respect that is their due, simply as part of God's creation.

I hope this makes sense!

that is pretty shallow isn't it?

I'll admit when you linked to me, at least once the thought occurred to me while blogging, "Will Darren think this is interesting?"

Blogs are a funny thing. It is a conversation as long as it is public. If people are reading your blog, then wouldn't it be rude not to speak to them. It would be like talking to yourself in public, then someone becomes interested in your monologue, but you just ignore them. That would be weird. So you start a blog talking to yourself, then when someone else starts talking with you, that's healthy isn't?

A guy on blogshares is giving away stock in certain blogs he owns, testing the theory that if he gives them away it will increase their value. So far it has worked well for him.

Finally, I've heard Jordon Cooper a couple of times say he isn't going to blog anymore. I suppose that is the offering up of the death of his blog.

I think the main principal in blogging is to make it enjoyable for yourself. It should be a labor of love.

If you don't enjoy what you are blogging, and are only blogging for 'hits,' I think you will be very unsatisfied.

I also don't think it is neccesarily wrong to want to be linked to. It is human to want recognition and praise for your work. However, I think a natural love for your subject matter will naturally draw others to you. I have never liked the phrase "doing it for the fans." I have always felt you should do it for yourself first.

I am not a staunch "God-blogger" like many of you. But I do have a genuine interest in what I blog. I think it is important to let the world know that you can be a faithful Christian and still have a wide-range of interests. That is about as evangelical as I get.

I am still waiting for Instapundit to crash my server, but he is not who I blog for. I think we can make our natural in-born need for recognition work for us. Just as long as we are acknowledging faithfully where the true credit is due.

Ok, I'll shut up now.

the internet community is an interesting thing. blogging has become an outlet for expression, and relationships have simply been a by-product. i agree with others that it's about your attitude.

I blog to share. I share about me. I share about my ideas. I share thoughts. I share my triumphs. I share the good days and the bad days.

I want to share God. It is my goal. He is part of all of it.

In all of it I try to glorify God. I have removed posts that I couldn't defend by answering the question "how does this glorify God?". Some posts are silly, some are serious, some just ask ponderable questions.

I try to put God first in my life. I succeed at that...sometimes. Other times, I don't. I blog it all. Do I reveal my innermost feelings/thoughts? Sometimes.

A blog is like a conversation. A Christian's conversation should always be Godly. I try to encourage. I try to challenge. I try to demonstrate a Godly attitude always.

Lots of really good feedback here. My thoughts are this: coveting popularity is pride and vanity--not humility. I'm not saying my "popularity status" hasn't ever crossed my mind; it has, and I hate that it has, but it's sinful, and it's human, and thank God for His grace.

I think we're called to be humble and to put ourselves last. As Christian bloggers, I think it should be one of our concerns that we try to do everything we can to be Christlike, and if Christ were a blogger, I doubt He'd even give a second thought to the popularity ladder.

I think part of the gospel is the whole idea of community. The links that appear directly on my journal page reflect the community that participates in my blog... i.e. "comment leaders" and "recent comments."

Hi Darren,

Another interesting and provocative post.

I've written my own piece in response (www.martinrothonline.com). Is it wrong to follow the "market" in what we write? I wish I knew.

I e-mailed a poem that was specifically about his site to Glenn Reynolds once, and didn't include my blog website with the email because I really didn't like the idea of getting an Instalanche, esp. after he posted the poem.

I blog to practice my writing skills, and I'm my own worst editor. I don't care much about stats.

Beyond that, I blog because it's fun and because I can be myself.

I just hope whatever emerging Christlike traits that I have shine through what I stated above on my site. If none do, then I have to figure out what my focus is.

Hi Martin - thanks for the link.

Its an interesting one isnt it. I have found myself swinging on the issue between trying to get hits in order to get the message that I'm passionate about across (between the 'popular' posts) and wondering if my motivations are all skewif.

I guess it comes down to an attitude thing which only us and God will ever know the true state of. If we are posting from the heart and not posting to feed our ego or compromising our beliefs then I guess its ok.

Hmmm...I am in a similar state of wondering over this....what IS a Christian blogger to do??

I blog. I used to write everything in a journal, but I type faster than I write long-hand. I still keep a prayer journal, but blogging is just easier than writing most of the stuff.

Does my blog reflect Christian principles? As much as I do, I guess. I'm not blogging for a witness or anything. It's not about the evangelism. It's not about sharing. It might be about the writing, that's probably as close as I can come to explaining it.

I think we'd all be lying if we say 'hits' didn't give us some sense of achievement, just as the number of people that attend our church services, or the number of phone calls we get from friends. It is comforting to know that people care about us, or our opinions, and perhaps this ties in with being able to receive love as well as give it. The best way we can love other bloggers is surely to regularly visit and comment, and interact with their writing as they invite it.

However too much of a focus on hits will encourage what is 'popular' and will probably cause you to lose that good thing that people recognised about your blog, and most likely about you.

An extension of these ideas I think applies to chatting. We can be online all day but not chat to anyone, because we don't want to start the conversation. We never know how we may able to help someone unless we make the move to initiate contact.

I don't know how to count the number of hits my site gets. My blog wouldn't be so cool looking, except that Kevin (The Sakamuyo Network) set it all up. The graphics are all him, the content is me. Techie stuff is beyond me.