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group blogging projects

So there’s this awesome new book coming out, and bibledude.net is running a group blogging project on it. And the coolest part is that you are one of the members of the project! You just got your copy of the book, and are ready to dive in and share what you’ve learned. But where do you start?

Just so you know what to expect here are some basic guidelines that you’ll need when working on a bibledude.net group blogging project:

  1. The first thing that you need to do is get familiar with how our group blogging projects work. Check out a few of the others in the Group Book Projects category. For the typical project you’ll notice the following format:
    • A headline post that links to all other posts in the series
    • An introduction (usually done by Dan King)
    • Posts for each chapter (this is your part)
    • A closing post (usually done by the author of the book)
    • Other miscellaneous related links
  2. Familiarize yourself with the entire book. This doesn’t always mean that you have to read the whole thing. But it does mean that you should be familiar with the overall flow and content of the book before focusing on your chapter. This will help you focus on the exact message of the chapter that you’ve been assigned.
  3. Read (and study) the content of your chapter. Imagine this being like a small group study and it is your turn to teach. You’ll want to be prepared to share what God is putting on your heart for this part of the discussion.
  4. Pray. Ask God what you should be sharing.
  5. Write, talk, sing, or do whatever you want to do to communicate your message. You have creative freedom to share what you want and to do it how you want to do it. While most participants simply write something, others have video-blogged, and shared a song that communicated the heart of the message of their chapter.
  6. IF you write, don’t over (or under) do it. Typically the best posts are around 400-600 words. We have had some very good posts that were both shorter and longer, but sticking to a target like this will go a long way in encouraging people to join the discussion.
  7. Be respectful. I don’t expect you to agree with everything that the author shares, but I do ask that you be respectful in your discussion. This isn’t the place for slinging mud, but we do love a good, respectful dialogue that encourages growth. Iron sharpens iron, right?
  8. Ask questions. These projects are a great way to get other people talking about the content of the book that we are studying together, and one of the best ways to get readers into the discussion is to ask them questions about their thoughts, experiences, or feelings on the topic. Let’s engage the reader, and not just try to show them how much we know.
  9. Make sure that I have a short (2-3 sentence) bio on you that includes any links to blogs, websites, and social media profiles that you’d like to share so that readers can connect with you. Also include a profile photo that I can post with the bio.

So that’s what we expect when you submit your piece. However, there are a few other things that you might want to consider while the project is underway:

  • Please feel free to cross-post your work on your own blog (if you have one). If you do, then let me know. I’d like to link to it, and ask that you would like back to the headline post for the project.
  • Tell others on Facebook and Twitter about what you are doing, and invite them to join the conversation.
  • Follow along with the others on the project and comment on their posts. Your comments may encourage others to jump into the discussion.

That’s it! Buckle your seat belt and enjoy the ride! And if there is anything that we can do for you during the project, please don’t hesitate to reach out to dan[at]bibledude[dot]net anytime.

Thanks!