Dream Awakener

Top Posts and Top Cities from April

You can make a guess of what the picture represents on the left.  In today's post I am sharing the five most popular posts this past month, in case you missed one of them.  Also, I have found that some of you who follow this blog enjoy learning about the other people who visit this site, so I try to give a monthly report of the top 50 cities that have visited this blog in the past month.  So here are the top five posts and top 50 cities.

TOP FIVE POSTS IN APRIL
Is Conversion a Four-Letter Word? Series
Finding Truth in a Sound Bite Society
Why We're Not Emergent By Two Guys Who Should Be - Literary Review
Need Inspiration?
A Celtic Prayer

TOP 50 CITIES VISITING THIS BLOG IN APRIL
Richmond, VA
Los Angeles
Amsterdam
Herdon, VA
Vancouver, BC
New York
London
Atlanta
Dallas
Fayetteville, NC

Boston
Plano, TX
Chicago
Mt. Laurel, NJ
Ann Arbor, MI
San Francisco
Bronx, NY
Snohomish, WA
Irvine, CA
Grass Valley, CA

Blacksburg, VA
Bethpage, NY
Sydney, Australia
Tulsa, OK
Washington D.C.
Marysville, WA
Columbia, MO
Sanford, FL
San Jose, CA
Waterford, MI

Houston
Redmond, WA
Columbus, OH
Toronto, Canada
Austin
Portland
St. Louis
Seattle
West Palm Beach, FL
Phoenix

Roanoke, TX
Overland Park, KS
Media, PN
Minnipeg, Canada
Auckland, New Zealand
Singapore
Calgary, Canada
Bangkok, Thailand
Pasadena, CA
Miami, FL

Around the Blogosphere - The Best of This Week in Blogs

  The Amazing Race 
  Originally uploaded by HaMeD!caL

There are many great bloggers who not only write excellent posts, but are avid readers of other blogs.  As readers they typically devote a post, often once a week, where they make a list of links to some of their favorite posts from other blogs that week.  This conglomeration of links goes by many names.  Scot McKnight calls this kind of post  - Weakly Meanderings, John Santic calls it - Speedlinking, Ben Myers calls it - Around the Traps, Tony calls this kind of post - This Week in Blogs, and I call it Choice Blog entries.  Regardless of what name these posts go by, they are often filled with many great links.  So it is my hope to travel around the blogosphere once and week in order to give you the best of this week in blogs. Here is this weeks best in blog links.

Around the Traps with Ben Myers
Ben links to entries on Augustine: Theological and Philosophical Conversations to Stale Expressions: The Management-Shaped Church to theologian trading cards and the worst church sign ever. Some interesting reads.

Weekly Meanderings with Scot McKnight
Scot links to posts on: Gender and Race, Philosophy Majors on the Rise, A study by Greg Boyd on violence and God in the Old Testament, Death by Blogging and other interesting links.

Odds and Ends by Mike DeVries
Mike has some great links as well.  He links to Andrew Jones answering MacArthur and Johnson on the issue of contextualization. A primer on the Emerging Church from Stephen Shields, Greg Boyd's exploration of violence in the Hebrew Scripture as well as three great links to articles by N.T. Wright.  Check it out.

Top 50 Cities

  nyc poster 
  Originally uploaded by dream awakener

I have found that many who visit this blog on a regular basis enjoy learning more about the other people who visit this blog site.  So I try and give a monthly report of the 50 top cities that have visited this blog in the past month.  So here are the top cities for February of 2008.

TOP 50 CITIES VISITING THIS BLOG LAST MONTH

1.  Los Angeles, CA
2.  Tempe, AZ
3.  Richmond, VA
4.  Chicago, IL
5.  New York, NY
6.  Boston, MA
7.  Atlanta, GA
8.  Philadelphia, PA
9.  Irvine, CA
10. London, England
11. Fayetteville, NC
12. Mt. Laurel, NJ
13. San Francisco, CA
14. Washington, D.C.
15. Edmonton, Canada
16. Austin, TX
17. Herndon, VA
18. Plano, TX
19. Amsterdam, Netherlands
20. Everett, WA
21. Columbia, MO
22. Vancouver, Canada
23. San Jose, CA
24. Rochester, NY
25. Denver, CO
26. St. Louis, MO
27. Dallas, TX
28. San Diego, CA
29. Sydney, Australia
30. Calgary, Canada
31. Brooklyn, NY
32. Toronto, Canada
33. Bronx, NY
34. Redmond, WA
35. Canberra, Australia
36. Overland Park, KS
37. Columbus, OH
38. Ann Arbor, MI
39. Seattle, WA
40. Madison, WI
41. Miami, FL
42. Pasadena, CA
43. Hong Kong
44. Cheyenne, WY
45. Bethpage, NY
46. Portland, OR
47. Troy, MI
48. Tulsa, OK
49. Milwaukee, WI
50. Grass Valley, CA

SUMMARY
There are seven California cities in the top 50 and five from New York. London was in the top ten while Canada and Australia had four and two cities respectively. Amsterdam came in at number 19, while Hong Kong came in at number 43.  There were eight cities that were outside the United States in the top 50 and 22 different states that had a city represented in the top 50 this past month. 

Around the Blogosphere - The Best of This Week in Blogs

  The Amazing Race 
  Originally uploaded by HaMeD!caL

There are many great bloggers who not only write excellent posts, but are avid readers of other blogs.  As readers they typically devote a post, often once a week, where they make a list of links to some of their favorite posts from other blogs that week.  This conglomeration of links goes by many names.  Scot McKnight calls this kind of post  - Weekly Meanderings, John Santic calls it - Speedlinking, Ben Myers calls it - Around the Traps, Tony calls this kind of post - This Week in Blogs, and I call it Choice Blog Entries.  Regardless of what name these posts go by, they are often filled with many great links.  So it is my hope to travel around the blogosphere  in order to give you the best of this week in blogs as often as I am able.

Random Acts of Linkage #38
Brother Maynard at Subversive Influence takes us on a huge tour around the blogosphere, from Advent posts, to interesting videos and from Piper's vs. Wrights gospel to online theological training sites.

Preaching Today Blog
The Preaching today blog posts there top ten posts from 2007, which include such things as:  When You Have to Prepare More Than One Sermon per Week, Six Disciplines for Taking your Preaching to the Next Level, Half-Brained Preaching and When Biblical Illustrations are a Bad Idea.

This Week in Blogs
Tony and setnservice  points to posts like:  The Lie of Transparency, What's Now from Donald Miller, Christianity and Judaism, and the number one killer of American Teens. 

Weekly Meanderings
Scot consistently has some great links.  In this past week of his weekly meanderings, he links to an interview with Fred Peatross and New Wineskins to book reviews and some articles about presidential candidates.

Around the Blogosphere - The Best of This Week in Blogs

  The Amazing Race 
  Originally uploaded by HaMeD!caL

There are many great bloggers who not only write excellent posts, but are avid readers of other blogs.  As readers they typically devote a post, often once a week, where they make a list of links to some of their favorite posts from other blogs that week.  This conglomeration of links goes by many names.  Scot McKnight calls this kind of post  - Weakly Meanderings, John Santic calls it - Speedlinking, Ben Myers calls it - Around the Traps, Tony calls this kind of post - This Week in Blogs, and I call it Choice Blog entries.  Regardless of what name these posts go by, they are often filled with many great links.  So it is my hope to travel around the blogosphere once and week in order to give you the best of this week in blogs.  This is my first installment. 

Weekly Meanderings by Scot McKnight
This week Scot takes us from the food pantries in Chicago to Jesus Creed prayer beads, to global crises and discussions on the kingdom and church.

Speedlinking by John Santic
This week John links to some musings on global capitalism, to Advent Conspiracy, as well as some facts that will make you gasp.

Around the Traps by Ben Myers
This week Ben links us to some rich listening resources, to a book review, as well as some Kierkegaardian posts.

This Week in Blogs by Tony
Tony takes us to Jason Clark's thoughts on the theory of creativity, to a short piece on dying to self, as well as an informative piece on building an ideation team.

I hope you enjoyed this trip around the blogosphere.  Come back for more next week.

Interviews with Scot McKnight

Typically when I do a series of posts, I like to put them all on one entry for easy access, especially stuff you enjoy reading. Early this month I posted a two-part interview with Scot McKnight on the topic of blogging and a one part interview on the topic of Jesus.  I wanted to interview Scot on these topics, since he is rated by technorati as the top blogger in the areas of the missional and emerging church.  So here are the interviews are all in one blog entry. If you haven't yet had the chance to read through them, now is your chance.

Interview with Scot McKnight on Blogging Part I
In part one I asked Scot how he got started in blogging as well as questions about the future of blogging.

Interview with Scot McKnight on Blogging Part II
In part two I talk to Scot about how he approaches blogging as well as getting some advice on how to be a better blogger.

Interview with Scot McKnight on Jesus
Here is a short but fascinating interview about Jesus.  Scot being a Jesus scholar gives some great insights here as well as shares his top five favorite books on Jesus.

I trust you will enjoy these interviews.  I have some other interesting interviews that will be coming soon, so stay tuned.

Interview with Scot McKnight on Blogging - Part II

Here is the second and final part of the interview with Scot about blogging.  The next interview that I will post later in the week, will be on the topic of Jesus.

REMINDER
The following interview was conducted in a car without any taping devices, so while the words in the interview represent the heart of the interview and often the exact phrases, it is not verbatim.

INTERVIEW WITH SCOT McKNIGHT PART II

JR: What do you enjoy most about blogging?

Scot: What I enjoy most is that blogging is a ministry.  Yesterday when I was speaking at a Willow Conference, about ten different pastors came up to me and said, “You know, you are my pastor.”  I didn’t know I was giving them advice in such a way that they considered me their pastor.  Many people write Kris and me privately.  Kris is a psychologist so she is able to use her expertise as well.

JR:  So how many hits to you get on an average day?

Scot:  I average about 5,000 to 6,000 hits a day, with a little less on the weekend when I don’t post.  If I speak about controversial topics, like I will be doing this next week when I talk about McLaren’s new book as well as a new study on ex-gays, then I may get 8,000 hits a day.

JR: What three pieces of advice would you give to your fellow bloggers?

Scot:
1.  Write often – at least five times a week.
2.  Create Variety – You must have variety.  Kris and I look at some blogs that just talk about one topic all the time, and that gets old real fast.
3.  Be personal – its good to share some of your personal life.  People want to know what is going on with you.

JR: Kris, do you ever write any entries?

Kris: Not really, I’m not a writer.  I’ll proofread his blog, I do lots of proofreading.

Scot: Yeah, Kris loves to read blogs.  Kris finds many of the interesting links for Weekly Meanderings for us.

JR:  Do you consider blogging a Spiritual Discipline?  Why or Why not?

Scot: No – It is a “classroom” and the “coffee table” not a spiritual discipline.  Yet I decided early on to talk about the Bible regularly, because people need to understand what the Bible says.

JR:  Do you get a lot of people who send you their books in hope of a review?

Scot: Oh yeah.  People send me books all the time.

JR:  How many do you get in an average month?

Scot: I probably get around 10 books a month sent to me.

JR:  Any other last thoughts about blogging?

Scot: Get a good design.  I’m not into all the technical stuff like tallskinnykiwi.   I don’t like advertisement at all on my blog.  I just have a simple store.

Later in the week I will post my interview with Scot McKnight on the topic of Jesus.

$10,000 Blogging Scholarship - Deadline 10/6

Here is the scoop from the sponsors of the scholarship.

Is Your Blog Worthy of a $10,000 Scholarship?

Do you maintain a weblog and attend college? Would you like $10,000 to help pay for books, tuition, or other living costs? If so, read on.       

We're giving away $10,000 this year to a college student who blogs. The Blogging Scholarship is awarded annually.

Scholarship Requirements:      

• Your blog must contain unique and interesting information about you and/or things you are passionate about. No spam bloggers please!!!
• U.S. citizen or permanent resident;
• Currently attending  full-time in post-secondary education in the United States; and
• If you win, you must be willing to allow us to list your name and blog on this page. We want to be able to say we knew you before you became a well educated, rich, and famous blogging legend.

Important Dates:     

• Submission Deadline: Midnight PST on Oct. 6th
• 10 Finalists Announced and Public Voting Begins: 9am EST on Oct. 8th
• Public Voting Ends and Winner Declared: Midnight PST on Oct. 28th

Get all the information you need about the Blogging Scholarship.

HT: Faith and Theology

Choice Blog Entries

  .cristaleira. 
  Originally uploaded by !markmark

Thoughts on Ecclesiology
John Santic in his last interview with "Bishop Larry Newskin" from the great church of "Engerland" gives some thoughts on ecclesiology.  John is getting quite creative in his post.  I wonder if he has tapped into some good wine over in Canada lately.

How to Read Karl Barth: Advice from Bonhoeffer
Ben Myers in this post shares with us a short, but must read quote from Bonhoeffer on how to read Barth.  It is great.

10 Signs that Christendom May Be Over
David Fitch over at Reclaiming the Mission gives a funny and insightful post that helps us to remember that for the most part in the West, we live in a post-Christian culture.  He gives us ten reasons why he believes this is the case.

Thinking Blogger Award

Looking at my Technorati links, I was honored to find out that Scott Freeman had put me in his list of five blogs that make him think.  Thanks man.  His description of my blog was encouraging to me:

"I don’t recall how I stumbled upon this blog but it is rich with depth and possesses a wide array of post on a number of topics. I’ve drawn upon it many times in recent weeks for quotable excerpts. Woodward’s posts on Virginia Tech, where he once ministered, were gut-wrenching at the same time they exuded tremendous hope."

Now I have the opportunity to pick five other bloggers who have blogs that make me think.  I have many blogs that make me think, so it is quite difficult to narrow my list to five, but five is what we are asked to mention in the meme.  So here are some of the blogs that I regularly enjoy reading that stimulate my mind:

Faith and Theology by Ben Myers
Benjamin Myers from Brisbane, Australia has a theological blog that consistently contains rich and thoughtful entries.  From his Church Dogmatics in a Week to Theology for Beginners, to his book reviews, and his guest posts by Kim Fabricius, my mind is constantly stimulate to think more about God.  There is good reason that he is listed at the Top Theology Blog on Amazon's new UnSpun.

Jason Clark
Jason across the lake always has posts that arouse and inspire.  As both a theologian and practitioner, Jason has an enlightening perspective on the kingdom of God, the Gospel, and how to be the church in our current context.  He speaks to present issues in a well-informed way.

Internet Monk by Michael Spencer
From great book reviews, to thoughtful posts interacting with current issues, I have really enjoyed keeping up with Michael's "dispatches from the post-evangelical wilderness."  His posts fuel new ideas and cause me to think about my life and ministry in fresh ways.

Toward Hope by John Santic
After it rains in Los Angeles we have some of the most clear and beautiful days of the year, and when I read John's posts, I find some of the most clear and beautiful thoughts.  John's posts are as special to me as the days after it rains in Los Angeles.  Those of you who live here know what I am talking about.  Reading his blog is like taking in a breath of fresh air and being able to have a clearer view in life.

Creation Project by Jonathan Dodson
Recently I have been enjoying Jonathan's stimulating thoughts.  In this blog he helps us all to accomplish his personal life aim, which is "to think theologically and live redemptively in all aspects of life."  He is a British-American living in Austin planting a church.  You can find rich entries on topics from Church Planting to Theology to Cultural Engagement.  I enjoy reading Jonathan's blog.

My 500th Post

I started this particular blog at the beginning of 2006, and this happens to be my 500th blog entry.  So I thought I would share a little bit about my blogging history and why I continue to blog.

MY BLOGGING HISTORY AND WHY  I CONTINUE TO BLOG
I started my blogging journey at an invitation from my friend Pavi Thomas in the Spring of 2003.  I didn't even know what a blog was at that time.  I made an entry about once a week.  I was trying to understand what blogging was all about.  Due to various difficulties, I don't have an on-line copy available of my first blog. I think Pavi still has access to it.  I hope to retrieve it again sometime.

My second blog was with blogger, which I started in December of 2004.  By that time I started getting into a regular rhythm, making 4-5 entries a week.  Blogging started to become more than just a hobby for me.  In many ways it became a spiritual discipline - a time to write about what was on my heart, what I was learning and what I was thinking about. It has allowed me to reflect more.  It has crystallized my thinking in certain areas.  It's become a way for me to connect with people in the congregation I serve as well as with friends and co-laborers around the world.

This is my third blog (this time with typepad.)  I started this blog at the beginning of 2006.  I tend to blog at the end of my day.  I first take a moment to be still before God.  After slowing down, I take some time to look at day that I lived.  I look upward, outward and inward.  I take a look at what I've been learning through my reading, through my practice and through other sources of inspiration (like other blogs.)  I consider what is happening in the world and in my city.  Then I try to listen - listen to the Spirit. 

After this process, I consider what has provoked me, moved me, encouraged me or challenged me.  I think of what has inspired me, lifted me, prodded me, instructed me or comforted me.  Then I write my blog.  Can you see how blogging can be a spiritual discipline?

Since I have started blogging, I have had the privilege to travel many places.  From Central America to Europe, from Africa to Asia (as you can see from my picture at the Great Wall.)  I can trace my travels through my blog posts (which is good because I tend to forget where I have been)  I am better able to remember what has happened in the past year - what God has taught me and what He is teaching me by reviewing my blog occasionally.  Blogging has become part of my life.

I now blog about twice a day, and am still loving it.  I have appreciated the encouragement that I have received from many of you - through your comments, your e-mails, your calls and our face to face conversations.  I am encouraged by the growing readership of this blog as attested to by StatCounter, and look forward to my 1,000th post, unless the Lord returns or I feel let to stop blogging. There is more to say, but it is getting late and I've learned that there is an ideal length to blog entries (not that I always pay attention to it.) 

With that said, let me thank you for taking the time to read this blog.  My hope is that God takes what is on my heart and encourage your heart in the process.  If there is some way that this blog can be more meaningful to you, please don't hesitate to let me know. May God richly bless you today. 

Top 40 Countries that Visit This Blog

Some of you can just move on the the next post, because this will hold no interest to you.  Others of you who enjoy stats, like I do, and inquire about where people who read this blog come from, below is the list of the top 40 countries that visit this blog, as provided by StatCounter.

Choice Blog Entries: Rascals, Tips and Friendship

  .cristaleira. 
  Originally uploaded by !markmark.

Church of the Little Rascals
If you enjoy humor, sarcasm and a good lesson about worship services, then you just have to read Bill Kinnon's post.  It is a critique on Perry Noble's post where Perry is arguing that it is our responsibility to "create an experience" for people in order to get them to come to church.  I just love Bill's response.  Erika at The Margins does a great job at exposing the different approaches to worship in her post Quotation of the Week.   

15 Blogging Tips for 2007
Andrew Jones at tallskinnykiwi shares with us some blogging tips for this year.  Whether you have been blogging for five days or five years, I think you will benefit from this post.

The Gift of Friendship
John at Towards Hope is constantly refreshing us with rich quotes and meaningful insights.  In this entry he shares an awesome (and I don't use that word too much) quote about friendship from Henri Nouwen.  It starts out like this, "Friendship is one of the greatest gifts a human being can receive.  It is a bond beyond common goals, common interests, or common histories.  It is a bond stronger than sexual union can create, deeper than a shared fate can solidify, and..."  Gotta click to read the rest.

The Top Ten Blogs I've Enjoyed in 2006

   
  Originally uploaded by Hugo*.

The beginning of the year is always a great time to review the past year and look forward to the coming  year.  In reviewing this past year, I have summed up some of my thoughts through top ten lists. This list contains the top ten blogs that I have regularly visited this past year.  I will simply list them in alphabetical order, since I have a hard time ranking them any further than putting them in my top blogs sites that I have enjoyed this past year.

DashHouse
DashHouse is the family website of Darryl, Charlene, Christina and Josiah Dash of Toronto, Ontario.  This past October they hit their 2,000th post.  It's great to get some thoughts from a Canadian perspective.

Emergesque
Stephen Shields does a great job at keeping us all informed of the many great things happening in the blogosphere.  I appreciate both his informative and concise posts.

Faith and Theology
Benjamin Myers from Brisbane, Australia has a theological blog that consistently contains rich and thoughtful entries.  From his Church Dogmatics in a Week to Theology for Beginners, to the many great posts by Kim Fabricius.

Jason Clark
I consistently enjoy reading Jason's blog.  Besides getting a view from the UK, I appreciate all that he writes about the kingdom of God, the Gospel, and how to be the church in our current context.  As both a theologian and practitioner he always seems to strike a great balance.

Jesus Creed
My guess is that Scot McKnight is on many top ten lists, as this author and prolific blogger always has entries to stimulate both the heart and the mind.  He is the top ranked blogger when it comes to the emerging church according to technorati's method of tracking bloggers. I really appreciate his perspective, and find it encouraging to have those in academia connected in such meaningful ways.

Jesus Manifesto
This is Mark Van Steenwyk's Blog.  I didn't really start reading it regularly until October of this past year, but I have always enjoyed each entry I have met.  As an adjunct professor who teaches a course on applied ecclesiology, he combines rich theology with practical experience.  I have enjoyed many great posts on his blog.

MereMission
Todd Hiestand has created a great group blog that focuses on exploring the practical side of missional theology.  With unique articles as well as feeds from some great blogs, I have enjoyed this blog a lot this past year.

Out of Ur
Those at Leadership Journal that run this blog do a great job at bringing the issues of our day to the forefront.  They have posted on everything from homosexuality, to nudity in art, to preaching and current events.  Each entry has a number of rich comments and interaction.

ProseorProphet
Though Dan at On Journey with those in Exile, doesn't post as regularly as some of the blogs in this list, each of his posts are heartfelt, raw and theologically and practically rich.  I have read some of the most challenging and enlighting posts on his site this past year.  It's a great blog to check out.  He writes from Vancover, BC. 

Towards Hope
While John Santic has just recently started blogging, he definitely made my top ten for this past year.  If you are a regular reader of this blog, you realize that he often makes my "choice blog entries", because he consistently has insightful posts.  From rich quotes, to stimulating writing, John has brought me much hope and encouragement this past year.

All About Blogging

  365 Days : Day 21 - Caught in another world. 
  Originally uploaded by la-Cour.

3 Factors to Consider Before Starting a Blog
Darren Rowse at ProBlogger shares some helpful advice to think about before starting a blog.  It is advice that is also helpful for current bloggers.

111 Instant Blog Post Ideas
Easton Ellsworth at Blog Chalk Talk shares a bunch of ideas that you can look at when you want to blog but you are not quite sure what you want to blog about. 

Blogging to Peak in 2007
Daily Times "A new voice for a new Pakistan"  writes, "Could blogging be near the peak of its popularity?  The technology gurus at Gartner Inc. believe so.  One of the research company's top 10 perdictions for 2007 is that the number of bloggers will level off in the first half of next year at roughtly 100 million worldwide.

All About Blogging

  Join the network of networks 
  Originally uploaded by dgray_xplan 

State of Blogosphere
Dave Sifry at Technorati gives the 2006 third quarter state of the blogosphere report.  Here is part of the summary:

• Technorati is now tracking more than 57 Million blogs.
• Today, the blogosphere is doubling in size approximately every 230 days.
• About 100,000 new weblogs were created each day
• There is a strong correlation between the aging and post frequency of blogs and their authority and Technorati ranking (the longer the blog has been in existence and the more posts, tends to increase the blogs authority.)
• The globalization of the blogosphere continues.  Data appears to show both English and Spanish languages are a more universal blog language than the other two most dominant languages, Japanese and Chinese, which seem to be more regionally localized.
• Coincident with a rise in blog posts about escalating Middle East tensions throughout the summer and fall, Farsi has moved into the top 10 languages of the blogosphere (pushing out Dutch), indicating that blogging continues to play a critical role in debates about the important issues of our times.

The following is a chart of the posts by language this past quarter.  As you can see, English and Japanese are the languages of choice for many bloggers.  Holding steadily in third place is Chinese, though dipping this quarter to 10 percent of the total volume.  Dutch was nudged out by Farsi.

Blogs and Wikis Move In As E-Mail Overload Becomes Unbearable
We have all experiencing the weight of getting too much spam in our e-mail, which is why for many blogging and Wiki's are replacing the way we pass on a lot of information with each other.  Thomas Claburn at Information Week talks more about how collaborative software lets people communicate without the management and security hassles of e-mails.

15 Blogging Tips and Tools
In this post, Easton Ellsworth shares eight tools and seven tips when it comes to blogging.

All About Blogging

  Join the network of networks 
  Originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

Half of Singapore Teens Have Blogs
According to the Bangkok Post "Half of all Singapore youths 15-19 years old are blogging or podcasting on the internet, with the figure expected to grow further, a study said Friday."  This is an increase from the slightly older group where 46% of 20-24 year olds comnunicate through blogs and 18% of people 39-39 blog.  The biggest reasons given for the popularity of blogging among youths are self expression and peer pressure.

Yahoo Blogging Service May Get Makeover
"Yahoo may remake its blogging and social networking service Yahoo 360, the company said Thursday. 'Yahoo 360 may be doing a 180[degree turn],' said Bradley Horowitz, Yahoo's vice president of product strategy at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco."   It seems part of the reason for this is because according to PC World, Yahoo is in sixth place among the top blog hosting services.  Here is the order:

1.  Google with Blogger - 21 Million
2.  MySpace Blogs - 16 Million
3.  Microsoft's Windows Live Spaces - 9.8 Million
4.  Six Aparts varios Blog Services - 9.3 Million
5.  Xanga - 7 Million
6.  Yahoo 360 - 5.7 Million

31 Days to Building a Better Blog
Problogger always has some great tips about blogging.  Back in August of 2005 he did a series where he shared all that he had learned about  "{how to make your blog better."  In this blog entry, he gives access to all of his tips on this topic.  Overall he wrote 47 tips, and readers added another 169 tips.  He has a link to where you can see the "complete collection of links to all 216 tips" in this entry.

Blog Series' That You Should Know About

  Frognal 
  Originally uploaded by Nad.

In my opinion, some of the best blogging that is happening in the blog world comes when a blogger decides to go in depth with a particular topic.  One of the best ways to write in-depth on a topic in a way to keep people's interest, is by doing a blog series. 

A blog series is simply a collection of blog entries on the same topic, or a collection of blog entries on similar topics that are tied together with a common theme.  The examples below will help to clarify what I am saying.

If you happen to do a blog series, it is extremely helpful to first - write a blog entry that gives the titles of each post in the series.  This way readers can go to one page to see the complete series, even if it is a series in progress.  Nothing speaks better than examples, so as I mention, I will give you a few examples.

The first two examples are from Ben Myers and Michael Kruse