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Many people start a blog with the intentions of making money. I should probably tell you right now, I’m not the person to get advice from for making money on your blog. While I can give you advice on how to setup your blog, make it look like you want and to start writing, you ultimately will need to determine the purpose of your blog.

To be completely honest, I don’t like the word ‘purpose’ very much. Purpose is defined as an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions. That scares me. Most of the time when I anticipate good things happening, I’ve been let down. So I lower my expectations which is not a good thing either. But the thing that scares me the most is the fear of failure. I am afraid to define a purpose, let it guide my actions and then fail to meet that purpose.

Most of us have probably heard the following scripture:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
– Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

The 2 verses that follow Jeremiah 29:11 are relevant also:

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” — Jeremiah 29:12, 13 (NIV)

Whether you have a blog already or you want to start one, the best advice I can give you is to find your bloggy purpose.

Pray: Ask God what purpose and plan He has for your blog. Here are some questions to ask Him when you are developing your purpose:

• Is that purpose to keep in touch with family who are far away?
• Can you use the blog to subtly share your faith with others like unsaved family?
• Can you share some knowledge you have to help others (homeschooling? crafts? fashion?)?
• Are you going to use your blog to make money?

That last one is a doozy to answer! When I started simply His, it was a way for me to keep in touch with family and friends. I honestly did not want to subject them to ads here and there so I could make a few dollars. It was not worth it. There’s nothing wrong with making a little money to help support your family, but there is a fine line you must be sure you want to cross. Blogging is about building a community. Be respectful of your readers. Treat them as your friends. If you would recommend a product to your friend, then do so on your blog. Don’t recommend stuff just to try and earn some money. Remember what your Bloggy Purpose is! When your Bloggy Purpose comes from God, answers to these questions will become quite clear.

simply His blogger: Bloggy Purpose — The purpose of sHb is to share knowledge of blogging with Christians; to encourage Christians to share their faith and their unique stories online.