Heya HighCallingBloggers!
Chris Cree here with a quick update for you, including our favorite posts from January.
But first let me share a little about how far we came in 2008. You may not realize it, but we’ve had a lot going on behind the scenes.
Massive Unexpected Growth
When I joined the team in January 2008, there were about 35 blogs in the network. While we know that numbers are not the only measure of community we felt it would be a good ambitious goal to work towards doubling the number of blogs in the community to 75 by the end of 2008. We thought 100 blogs by year end would be fantastic.
Well things grew a little faster than we anticipated. By my count we’ve got over 300 blogs in the network today! That means there’s a lot of content to read through to find the best posts in the network to highlight each week.
Fortunately some members of the community are stepping up to help bring more of your great content to the forefront. I’d especially like to thank L.L. Barkat [http://highcallingblogs.com/about/l-l-barkat/] of Seedlings in Stone and Sam Van Eman [http://highcallingblogs.com/about/sam-van-eman/] of New Breed of Marketers. They are both doing a great job helping us.
In 2008 we also completely redesigned the main site at HighCallingBlogs.com so that we could better highlight more of your great content. While that may not seem like a huge deal, we saw significant community growth after the redesign, probably because we made it easier for y’all to interact with one another.
Moving Forward in 2009
That being said, our community building focus for 2009 will be on improving the ability for more and easier interaction rather than on adding numbers of blogs. You’ve already seen a tiny taste of that with the Google Friend Connect modules added to the front page of the site.
But we have much bigger plans than that.
A critical part of moving forward involved upgrading the back end software for HighCallingBlogs.com to the latest version of WordPress MU, which we were able to complete towards the end of January.
Ultimately we will be converting HighCallingBlogs.com to a full blown social media site where each member can have their own profile linked to their blog(s) regardless of whether those blogs are hosted with us at HighCallingBlogs.com or elsewhere like Blogspot.com or WordPress.com.
It is a big undertaking. But in the end the changes will greatly improve your ability to connect with other members so that you can build real relationships and support one another.
Network Highlights
Because the bottom line is so many of you have so much to offer the community. Here are just a few examples of the great posts y’all write month after month.
Culture
Random Act of Poetry (RAP): Poem Play
http://highcallingblogs.com/blog/rap-poem-play/922/
L.L. Barkat is leading the charge bringing out the poets in the community. Her Random Acts of Poetry posts are rapidly becoming some of the most commented posts on HighCallingBlogs.com.
Faith
Miracle on Highway 75
http://gettingdownwithjesus.blogspot.com/2009/01/miracle-on-highway-75.html
by Jennifer Dukes Lee. Jennifer recounts the ordeal of her recent serious car accident from a very God focused perspective. Amazing things can happen when we stay focused on our Lord, especially during severe trials.
Family
The Order of Love
http://www.aholyexperience.com/2009/01/order-of-love.html
by Ann Voskamp. Referring to that great Bible passage on love (the reference to those verses in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 is engraved on the inside of my wedding band) Ann shows us what it can look like to live out that love in daily life at home. Read why patience is the key that can unlock the door to even more love.
Work
How Counterfeit Freedom Is Keeping You Bound (and what marshmallows have to do with it)
http://espressoshots.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/how-counterfeit-freedom-is-keeping-you-bound-and-what-marshmallows-have-to-do-with-it/
Speaking of highly commented posts, Sam Van Eman pointed us to a provocative post by Andrea Emerson that involves young children and marshmallows. How do you think self control and delayed gratification influences your success and fulfillment at work?
That’s all I have for this month. We’ll be keeping you posted as we work to continue to improve your blog network.
Enjoy!
–Chris Cree
Chris Cree
High Calling Blogs
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