The Professional Christian Blogger #2: Blog Content Ideas

Here are a list of the top ten sources that I use for gathering and creating blog ideas. If you put these ideas into practice you will probably not lack for creative blog topics and ideas. Good luck and happy blogging!

• Personal Bible Reading – As a Christian, this should be a daily source of insight and wisdom. Those insights can become excellent sources of encouragement and challenge to those who may read your blog.
  
  
• Books, Newspapers, and Magazines - I’m increasingly finding inspiration in offline sources of information.
  
  
• Church – It’s amazing how many ideas come from the sermons that I have heard. Be sure to use a notebook and jot ideas that you can share with other Christians via your blog.
  
  
• Hymns and Songs – Songs and Hymns are filled with awesome Christian truths that can be excellent topics for blog articles.
  
  
• The Blogosphere - I find the writing of others often stimulates posts that build on, extend or bounce off their ideas. Don’t forget to dig around in other people’s archives also as it isn’t only current posts that are places where you’ll get ideas. Of course always give credit to the source of your ideas.
  
  
• Conversations - It’s amazing how many ideas come from the chats I have with other bloggers, readers, friends and family both in real life and via IM or email.
  
  
• Mad Ideas - Ever been laying in bed at night and get a crazy idea! I don’t just chuckle to myself when they come - I get up and write them down. It’s amazing how many of them end up being key posts for me later.
  
  
• Experience - A fairly large proportion of my post ideas come directly out of an experience that I’m having on the topic. Problems, achievements, challenges and mistakes are often the best source of useful posts as you’ll find readers relate well to them.
  
  
• Archives - Dig around in your own blog’s archives and you’ll be amazed at the opportunities that you’ll find. Look for half finished ideas, opportunities to update your ideas or even topics that your newer readers wouldn’t have seen before.
  
  
• Brainstorming - I take time out each week to specifically come up with ideas to post about. While most of my posts ‘just come to me’ through my day to day rhythm - I’m a big believer in working hard on story ideas also and have a folder permanently on my desktop filled with text documents that have little else in them except for a topic idea and perhaps a few jotted down notes - all to work on later.