#AWBU – Blogging with Purpose and Social Good

At the Arkansas Women Bloggers Unplugged conference, I had the pleasure of leading a discussion on blogging with purpose and for social good.  I thought I’d share some of what we discussed for those of you who are looking to inject some new energy into your blogging.

Global Village's Thailand

The idea for this session came to me when I attended an overnight experiential learning program at Heifer Ranch called Global Village.  The Global Village has different  homes from around the world including urban slums, Guatemala, Zambia, Thailand, Appalachia, and a refugee camp.  I went to Heifer Ranch as part of a writing workshop, and as I packed my notebook into my bag for the trip, I had visions of sitting in my assigned village and writing about my perceptions.  However, once the experience began, all of our daylight hours were used doing chores, finding a place to sleep, and wrangling food.

At the end of my stay in the Global Village, what really struck me is how much of a luxury it is to be able to sit down at my computer at all hours of the day and whip up a blog post, article, email, etc. without much effort at all.  The fact that I had the ability to do this while hundreds of thousands of other potential writers out there can not made me motivated to think about ways to bring more quality to my craft and to provide writing that makes others’ lives better.

Blogging naturally lends itself to writing with a specific purpose, and of course there are many blogs out there that belong to nonprofits and other organizations/individuals who have a vested interest in serving the common good.  But, what if ALL bloggers crafted a purpose statement that included enacting change or improving lives?  Certainly, we are all experts at something, and we can all learn from one another.

So, some concepts to think about when crafting your blog posts:

• Ask yourself, “What is the purpose of my blog?  How do I add value to what I am writing about?”  – This can be as simple as changing a post’s tone from telling what you did to telling how you did it.
• Write with Authenticity – show your real self (no need to air dirty laundry).  This adds value and weight to your posts because it doesn’t give others unrealistic expectations.  In this article at Sheposts.com, one blogger tells how she wrote nice things about her husband in her blog every time they got into an argument.  When she later announced on her blog that she was getting divorced, her readers were in shock.  One reader even said that she had used the blogger’s marriage as the bar to which she compared her own marriage, and she was upset to find that it was all a farce.
• What do you know? – We all have things that we know more about than the average joe.  Think about something you’re educated in (whether it’s formally or self taught).  Maybe you are a freezer pop wizard, can tell the difference between a downy woodpecker and a gross-grained hawkbill, or are well versed in sensory syndromes in preschoolers.  Whatever it is, you can create a post, or a series of posts that will help the next person that comes along have an easier time doing or understanding whatever it is you are good at.
• What are you passionate about? – Maybe you prefer to write about your passions rather than your talents.  This is a great way to enact change, build awareness, and carve out a niche audience for yourself.  Write passionately and with authenticity, and you’ll be happy with the results.  And chances are, if you’re passionate about something, there are several other people out there in the blogosphere that are passionate about that same thing, so it’s a great way to build a network.  Many bloggers put buttons and badges down the sidebars of their blog.  Imagine what might happen if every blogger had a button for a cause they are passionate about on their blog?
• And remember, even if you have only one person who reads your blog, you hold the capability to make a difference in people’s lives.  More food for thought from ShePosts.com – Jenny Lawson, who blogs at The Bloggess, offered twenty $30 gift cards to the first 20 people who commented on her blog and were in need during the 2010 Christmas season.  That blog post snowballed into over $40,000 in direct person to person donations within her fan base.  Go Here to read more.

As bloggers, we have the ability to share with our reader(s) in ways that most people do not.  It’s a unique platform in that it has a very intimate feel.  Many of us are friends online long before we meet in real life.  Consider the power that you yield with your keyboard.  What will you do with it?  Or should I say, How will you do with it?

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