The following tips are re-printed, with permission, from BrandonACox.com…

• Write often. Daily if possible, but you’re bound to go through dry spells.
• Write well. Words are our tools, so use them wisely.
• Be open and honest about your life, but reserve some privacy too, especially for your family.
• Comment on issues, but don’t take up every issue – some hills aren’t worth dying on.
• Dialog and discuss. As Paul put it, open, allege, reason. A blog isn’t about shouting through a megaphone, it’s about discussing issues with a community.
• Accept comments that are respectfully written, even when they disagree.
• Write good, simple titles – search engines will love you for it.
• Link out often – the web is a… web. Point people in the right direction.
• Don’t do it for the money. Do it for the influence.
• Network. Read other blogs. Tweet.
• Speak to your people. My primary audience is my own church family, but I often address the world at large too.
• Respect privacy. I sometimes pass along prayer requests, but only when they are public knowledge.
• Be ethical. Don’t steal content or post photos without giving credit.
• Use WordPress. (I’m biased.)
• Have fun. Don’t turn it into another duty.
• Change the world. Simple enough, right?

Feel free to reach out to Brandon for advice on blogging, blog design, etc. It’s a hobby that borders on obsession, but it’s also opened some amazing doors to converse with all kinds of people about crucial life issues.