Category Archives: More Good Foundation

Mormon Mommy blogs are the traffic queens

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LDS Blog Aggregators

LDS Blog Aggregators

OK, so this is real geeky, but I’m just seriously into web analytics.  If you’re a blogger like me, maybe you also think your blog is underexposed.  You’ve probably thought to yourself, “If only more people knew about my blog, they would come and read my well-researched essays and add their thoughtful comments.”  I think every blogger wants more favorable exposure.  I know I do.

A long time ago, I compiled a list of the LDS blog aggregators and made sure that I got listed on as many of them as I possibly could.  The effort paid off.  Although Google searches are still my number one source for bringing in new readers, being listed with the LDS blog aggregators has brought in a respectable number.  In fact, I get roughly eighteen percent of my traffic in this way.

Meta-list for Mormon Mommy blogs

My fellow blogger Megan from Hall Pass announced on Facebook a couple of days ago that she was a guest poster on Mormon Mommy blogs.  It got me to thinking about all the MM blogs I’ve seen spring up over the past few years.  I wondered just how much traffic they were bringing in.  I also wondered if there was a blog aggregator especially for Mormon Mommy bloggers.  Yep!

So I ran some Alexa comparison numbers and was shocked to discover just where all the LDS blogging traffic was really going.  The aggregator site called Mormon Mommy blogs was ranked higher in Alexa than any of the other LDS blog aggregators out there.  Now you may argue with me that it is not a real aggregator, but you might want to take a second look.  They are indeed!

LDS blog aggregators

Take a look at the chart I compiled of LDS blog aggregators sorted by Alexa rankings.  There are two MM blog aggregators on the list, one right at the top of the list.   You are probably familiar with all the others.  If not, you ought to be and you should make every effort to get your blog listed in them.  They can do wonders for driving traffic to your blog and getting you new readers.

Except for the two MM link-lists, I get referrals from almost all of them except the two from the More Good Foundation.  My blog is fed to Mormon Bloggers while LDS Blogs is really more of a hosting site.  I suppose they probably don’t really qualify as an aggregator but I do get some traffic from blogs found there.  I am pleased to see that Nothing Wavering ranks high on the list.

An amazing contribution

So congratulations to Mormon Mommy blogs, both the aggregator site and to all the MM blogs that are listed in there.  You are the queens of LDS blog traffic, at least according to Alexa.  If you have never visited their site, go take a look at all the blogs in the different categories.  You will be amazed at the diversity and thoughtfulness there as well as many that are just plain fun.

You’ll find book blogs, hair blogs, beauty and fashion blogs, adoption blogs and even some blogs about crunchy moms!  There are blogs about homeschooling, infertility, blended families, military life, singles, parenting, spirituality, photography, music, art, self-help, special needs and just about every other helpful topic.  What an amazing contribution these women have made!

Benefits of LDS blogging

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I was asked by a BYU public relations research student on behalf of the More Good Foundation to explain why I blog on LDS topics. I have been thinking about the answers I provided and thought they might be helpful for others to share them here. I want to encourage members of the church to add their voice to the community, especially if you are thinking about a solo blog.

I began my blog last year in an effort to provide commentary on the news and political events from an LDS perspective. My original intent was to comment on the attention the church has been receiving because of Mitt Romney. It bothered me to see so many pundits online spouting stuff about what we believe when they really had no idea, or were sadly mistaken in their views.

My blog has now evolved into a vehicle for essays on various doctrinal issues that trouble some people. It changed when Elder Ballard invited the members of the church to be more active in the new media. I wonder if he wasn’t thinking of all the garbage that we read in the comments on just about every story related to the church on the Deseret News or now on Mormon Times.

How and when I blog

Depending on my work load, I write three or four essays a week, early in the morning or late at night. Some essays are difficult and can take several hours of research, while others I may ponder for days. I decide which topics to write about based on comments from others on my blog or other LDS sites. I also blog specifically to motivate me to study the gospel each day.

I read a lot of what other LDS bloggers are writing about, especially those who address the doctrine. I also read some of the more popular anti-Mormon or Ex-Mormon sites to find the troubling issues. It has been a lot of fun to answer some of their objections, even if only for myself. I did not really expect to get as many people reading or commenting as I have already.

I also think I have a somewhat unique perspective on the church because I am a California Mormon. My family converted in the sixties so I grew up in the church but I do not have the social and cultural background of coming from a long line of Utah LDS families. My wife does have that cultural heritage which richly rounds out my views that can be somewhat liberal.

Three specific benefits

Writing these essays helps me to share the gospel and prepares me to be able to answer difficult objections. I am by no means an LDS apologist but I have great respect for the work of those who are. Jeff Lindsay is a hero of sorts to me. So are people like Russell Anderson and W. John Walsh of LightPlanet and Dr. Daniel C. Peterson of FARMS, now the Neal A. Maxwell Institute.

Preparing essays motivates me to study and present the gospel in greater depth than I have in the past. Carol and I are taking an Institute class on the Pearl of Great Price here in our stake. No, we are not college age, but immersing ourselves in the scriptures, writing about it on my blog and then discussing it with the students in our Young Adult ward is a great benefit and blessing.

The interaction I receive with other participants of social media, particularly other LDS bloggers is especially rewarding. I have no lofty ideas about really answering the critics of the church. They have no desire to know the truth. I write for those who are struggling and who want to know if there really are answers for the difficult questions. The answer is a resounding yes.

Blogging is more than intellectual

The primary benefit I receive from blogging is feeling better prepared through study to answer objections, even dishonest ones. For example, my essay on the Adam-God theory started as a short three-hour draft that was ripped apart by several readers as being misleading. I spent two days researching and revising it, gaining personal insight and confidence in my position.

Because of this research and preparation, I feel more confident to take on future difficult gospel questions or objections. In being prepared, I eliminate doubts and fears from my own life; I feel like I have more faith. In studying and blogging in this way, my testimony is strengthened; my love for my Heavenly Father and my Savior grow. I see the hand of the Lord more in my life.

I have always been interested in the doctrine more than the history, social or cultural aspects of the church. My mother was converted because of the doctrine, specifically because of our very unique doctrine of temple work and associated family history. So I blog more about the doctrine than anything else. My life’s ambition is to understand and teach it like Bruce R. McConkie.

LDS Blogging is a blessing

Studying and writing about LDS doctrine increases my testimony and love for God and Christ. As my love grows for my Heavenly Father and the Savior, I feel more loving towards others. Difficult situations become less of a challenge. I have greater empathy and understanding and can appreciate what others are going through as they face their challenges in life.

Studying the gospel, preparing essays and sharing them in my blog bring me a feeling of satisfaction that I am doing something worthwhile. As I have written many times, nobody has really asked me to do this, but I feel impressed that it is pleasing to my Heavenly Father. I know that blogging about doctrine is not for everybody, but it seems to be my focus right now.

I have received much feedback that my essays are appreciated and doing good to help strengthen the testimony of others. Someday, I hope to read someone say that they joined the church or began to participate more fully, perhaps partially because of what I have written. That will be one of the most satisfying things to me in this world or the world to come.

Working for the LDS church as a blogger

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Larry Richman and I are good friends. We must be. He keeps sending me personal emails giving me clues into what the web team of the church is doing these days. I think he must have told Joel Dehlin, the CIO of the church about me because he also sends me his emails. They are most informative into understanding how the CIO of a large organization thinks. We go way back – to almost five months ago when I signed up to receive their emails. You can too. Anybody can.

I mean no disrespect. Larry and Joel take their work seriously. I think they have some of the hardest jobs in the church. I am convinced that the Internet outreach of the Church is only going to grow in the years to come. That means that the web team needs to grow. I’m sure you’ve seen their ads on the bulletin board at the church. Larry is so busy he is looking for another manager (posted 28 Feb 08). You can find lots of church tech jobs at tech.lds.org.

I wanted to work for the church once. A long time ago when I still made a living as a programmer, I applied for a programming job at Church headquarters. I was surprised when they called me up and said they would like to interview me. “But I live in California,” I said. I was even more surprised when they sent me a round trip ticket to come up for the interview. I think this was back when the church had some connection to the old Western Airlines.

The interview went well, I thought. We even discussed my first project – writing the interface for the point of sale system for the Mormon Handicraft store that stood across from the Church office building. So I moved my family up to Salt Lake and showed up in the personnel office on a Monday morning. “What are you doing here?” they asked. “I’m here to start work,” I said. “Oh, sorry. We just sent you a letter. We hired someone else who already lives here.”

My mistake. I was young and naive. There was no job offer. I only thought there was. No problem. I went to work for Management Systems Corporation down the street. I knew computers well and sold Apple Computers in their retail store. I was there during the big State street flood during the spring of 1983. Remember the floods? I had a blast in Utah for a year. My son was born there. But times were tough and we soon returned to sunny California.

Now I work for the Church again. No, I’m not an employee of the Corporation of the President. My sister is though. She works for an Apostle. I’m real proud of my big sister. She has done well. I’ve always heard that you can’t make much working for the church. The standard line is that it is a labor of love. I’m told that things have changed in the tech arena. So if you have tech skills, especially in web development, give them a call or send them an email. They’re hiring.

I work for the church in that I take Elder Ballard’s invitation to share the gospel via the Internet very seriously. I strive to write posts that shed a good light on the church. Sometimes I will take a current criticism of the church from the news and write my take of it in such a way that I hope is helpful to someone who is not a member of our church. Don’t get me wrong. I love a good dialog, but I prefer a discussion of doctrine over a haranguing from a Mormon basher.

Larry sent me an email today pointing out an article on BYU Newsnet, “Called to Blog: Fighting for the Church Online.” There is a great quote from Richard Holzapfel, a BYU professor of Church History. Holzapfel said that the way the gospel is being spread has changed. Missionaries used to go to islands by boat. Today, things are completely different. People search for information about the church online. “One of the ways they’re going to come to the gospel is through the Internet.”

The More Good Foundation was founded by Jim Engebretsen, assistant dean of Corporate Relations at the BYU Marriott School. Jim served as a mission president in Oklahoma from 1998 to 2001. Missionaries told him they were being turned down after investigators searched about Mormons on the Internet and found anti-Mormon websites. Engebretsen decided that something needed to be done and started the More Good Foundation in 2005.

If you would like an easy and friendly place to answer Elder Ballard’s invitation to start blogging. check out the More Good Foundation’s lds.net. It is kind of like MySpace for Mormons and already has nine thousand members. This online network combines blogs, chats, forums, photos, and videos. People don’t go to their neighbors like they used to. Instead, people Google things. The Internet is where many people will go to find answers to religious questions as well.

I have found that to be true. I get so many hits from Google. I can see that people are looking for information about the subjects I have previously written about. You can watch the hits come in on my little sidebar widget. I just wish more people would leave comments, especially honest seekers after the truth. So far, most of the comments are from good faithful members or, on occasion, from a professional Mormon basher. What kind of reader are you? Leave a comment.