The term blog is short for web log. A blog is a type of website or part of a website where individuals make regular entries of commentary, news on a particular topic, or personal thoughts and opinions! A great blog can include a rich mixture of text, photos, audio, and video to make it more interesting and exciting to its readers! Blog, basically, refers to an online journal. It can also be used as a verb to denote the act of writing a blog. For example, I blog at Faith Based Media 2.0, which is also my personal blog about the intersection of social media, ministry, and technology. Can you believe blog tracker, Technorati, has identified over 100 million blogs? Writing a blog is a lot like embarking on a great adventure, a quest! Webster defines adventure as a hazardous or uncertain undertaking. In many ways, that's just what writing a blog is! When you begin a blog you embark upon a journalistic journey which can take you to many new and exciting places where you encounter a myriad of new and interesting people and adventures! One of the great hallmarks of blogging is that it is interactive! That means readers are usually able to comment on or respond to your blog entries or posts . You never know what kind of feedback you'll receive! However, the great thing is that it allows you to connect with your readers and engage in real conversations about topics of mutual interest. Like an adventurer setting sail, the blog writer needs to have a clear goal in mind - a specific destination. Otherwise, he or she may end up getting totally lost. As the adventurer sets sail he may get blown off course, encounter sands bars, or run into unexpected storms enroute to his destination. For the blog writer the goal is to tell the elusive truth about his subject! He is on an mission to seek the heart of his subject, and to share it with his readers! In this quest, the blogger will encounter strong headwinds of sagging enthusiasm, sandbars of publishing deadlines, and the inevitable storms of writer's block! And these are just a few of the obstacles he'll face! By maintaining his focus and following his moral compass, the blog writer can stay the course! However, in order to reach his goal he'll need vision, passion, discipline, perserverance, and mastery of all the blogger's tools. But the goal's the thing! The blog writer can choose to sail across the pond in his own backyard, or he can choose to sail around the world! The bigger the goal, the greater the adventure! What is the goal for your blog? Look for future posts here on the adventure of successful blogging! In the meantime, listed below are some excellent resources to have on the journey: Blog - wikipedia How To Write A Blog That Others Will Want To Read - Sarah-Jayne Gratton How To Write Effective Blog Posts - Chris Brogan What Makes Great Blog Writing - Leo Babauta Top 100 Blogs - Technorati How To Change the World - Guy Kawasaki Blogging Resources - Problogger Until next time, Enjoy the journey! Kenneth Lillard This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar.
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The question is often asked, "What do Christians believe?" Well, that's a very broad question! Let me began to answer it in the following manner. It is generally agreed that Christians believe that 1) the Bible is true, and 2) the God of the Bible exists! Furthermore, there are a number of universal creeds that most mainstream Christian churches accept. A creed is a summary or statement of what one believes. It comes from the Latin word credo, which means "I believe". Ecumenical creeds is an umbrella term used in western Christian churches to generally refer to the Nicene Creed, the Apostles' Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. The ecumenical creeds are accepted by the Anglican churches, Lutheran churches, and the Roman Catholic Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church accepts the Nicene Creed, but does not use the Apostles' Creed or the Athanasian Creed. The United Methodist Church accepts the Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed, but does not use the Athanasian Creed. Other widely accepted historical confessions of Christian faith include the following: Chalcedonian Creed Thirty-nine Articles Westminister Confession New Hampshire Baptist Confession Baptist Faith and Message Chicago Statement of Biblical Inerrancy What We Believe - COGIC Those who closely read these creeds will discover they provide excellent summaries of the doctrinal teachings of the Holy Scripture! Until next time, Be Blessed! Kenneth Lillard Social media, represented by the likes of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, is taking the world by storm! The Social Network is a blockbuster motion picture hit. Facebook boasts over 500 million users! And social media's influence is beginning to be increasingly felt in the field of education. With the advent of the Internet and digital technology, the 21st century classroom is experiencing a paradigm shift! Many of today's classrooms are equipped with the latest educational technologies, including laptop computers, LCD projectors, sophisticated sound systems, interactive whiteboards, and digital cameras. Many teachers are using WBT, web based training techniques, utilizing satellite TV, streaming video, multi-media, and the Internet. This is no longer your father's classroom! Indeed, learning is moving beyond the confines of the classroom, and is taking place on the web, on the mobile phone, and on the iPad, with cloud computing playing a greater role! Learning, for many, has become a life long pursuit. It is no wonder that social media, which employs Web 2.0 interactive technologies, is beginning to play an increasingly significant role in the educational experience. Students, teachers, and even school superintendents are writing their own blogs! Class websites allow teachers to post assignments. Class wiki's are being put up which allow students to collaborate on documents or projects online. Online forums and communities are springing up across the web, enabling educators to connect, collaborate, and communicate, especially in the critical area of professional development. Educational networking is, definitely, changing the game for both today's students and educators! It is truly an exciting time in education! I will be posting updates on this blog about many of the amazing things that are happening around social media and education today! Steve Hargadon, a thought leader in the field of social media and education, has stated that educational networking is the face of the future! I welcome your thoughts, comments and ideas! Below are some great resources for exploring how social media is changing education today: Steve Hargadon The Educator's Personal Learning Network Educational Technology Blogging About The Web 2.0 Connected Classroom Classroom 2.0 E-Learning Wishing You The Very Best! Kenneth Lillard Thank you for generous comment, photography courses! I appreciate your commentary and encouragement! Wishing you the very best! "Where there is no vision, the people perish..." Proverbs 29:18 Leadership is a process of social influence in which an individual enlists the aid and support of others to accomplish a common goal. There has been much said and written about leadership: styles, theories, models! But virtually all who have seriously studied leadership and leaders agree that having a clear and compelling vision is fundamental to being a successful leader. John Maxwell, a well regarded thought leader in the field of leadership, has said the reason some organizations achieve great things and others do not is because some have clear vision while others lack it! Vision has been defined as a picture of what you want to look like in the future! This applies to teams, businesses, and ministries. Whatever your organization is, you need a clear vision if you intend to excel and do great things! People seldom follow a leader who has no clear vision of where he or she is going, or a plan on how they intend to get there! By providing a clear vision to your team, you as a leader, provide the number one prerequisite for achieving success. When you cast a clear vision you create the best environment for your people to succeed! And a great way to begin is by writing a Vision Statement! Your Vision Statement articulates your hopes and dreams for your team, business, ministry. It answers the question: Where do we want to go? What picture does your Vision Statement paint? Look for more on leadership in upcoming posts on this blog to help unlock the leadership potential in you! I welcome your comments and ideas about leadership here. Below are some great resources on exploring and developing leadership! Wishing You All the Very Best!! A Vision's "True North", John C. Maxwell Top 100 Leadership Blogs, Nicole White Leadership - wikipedia Strategic Planning CEO Blog - Time Leadership, Jim Estill Tom Peters! Oh, btw, don't forget to search YouTube for keyword "leadership"! You'll be absolutely amazed at the wealth of videos by leaders in the field of leadership found there! Be Blessed! Kenneth Lillard |
AuthorHi! I'm Kenneth Lillard, author, ordained minister, and motivational speaker. This blog is an expression of some of my thoughts and opinions. I'm glad you stopped by. Hope you'll share some of your comments while you're here. Be Blessed! |