Want to have a blog that connects with readers?  Want to earn money blogging about your passion?  Everything listed below is stuff I have used and am currently using to build my brand, expand my readership, and Chase My Lion.

31 Days to a better Blog

This is an amazing and challenging e-book from one of the original probloggers, Darren Rowse.  It gives you 31 days of tips, tasks, and motivation to make your blog successful.  Another reason to support and read Darren’s stuff?  He’s a former youth minister in Austrailia. I’m not sure if he would call himself that, but he was doing it on a part-time basis.  He’s reaching a HUGE audience with his blog and is truly one of the good guys in the biz.

3 Day Money

This was the first program I bought when I started my blog.  David Risley takes you through 3 days of training and hits on all the aspects of blogging.  He covers installation, choosing a theme, producing content, drawing traffic, and creating your own product.  I was a fan of his blog because it was helpful from a nuts and bolts standpoint.  His other blog, PC Mech, is a tech blog where he got his pro blogging start.

Hosting

Bluehost-In October, I was completely new to self hosted blogging.  Bluehost made installing wordpress easy and I have had zero problems since then.  Their customer service is top notch and you are able to chat live with their team when problems arise.  Their pricing is comparable to other services and includes your domain name and hosting.  I am already planning on my next blog with them.

Email Auto Responder Service

I use Aweber for the price and ease of use.  There are so many options with this service.  I can set up messages to go out at set intervals to new subscribers or send out broadcast messages to all my subscribers at once.  Every blogger and internet marketer will tell you that building your subscriber list should be a top priority.  I think this is a great tool that most missionaries and churches haven’t taken advantage of.  It’s gives people the option to sign up for your newsletter from your blog/website.  You can even set up different forms for different pages.  You could have separate forms for every ministry of your church and then with one click of a button send a message to everyone who has opted in.  Aweber pays good affiliate commissions and offers a free test drive.  Check it out!

Can You Have More Sales, Too?

WordPress Plug-Ins(wordpress.org only)

Action Comments-Whenever someone leaves a comment on your blog they have to give you their name and email address.  Why not give them the option to go ahead and sign up for your list/newsletter?  Better yet, it works perfectly with Aweber and other email services.

OIO Publisher-Once I saw that other bloggers I respected used this plugin it was a no brainer to sign up.  It does two things for you:  Makes your ad space neat and tidy while allowing you to sell ads on your site.  You have total control over the content and style(banners, in text, paid reviews) of your ads and you can also use them for your affiliate links.

All in One SEO package-Search Engine Optimization is the way to get your blog recognized by the search engines.  This plugin makes that a whole lot easier.

Contact Me Button-gives readers a host of options to get in touch with you.

Wibiya-great toolbar add-on that helps build your community of readers.  Easy to install and lots of great options with more to come.

Google Analytics-helps you discover where you readers are, what posts they looking at, how long they’re staying on your site, and whether or not they are looking at multiple pages.  Plus, it tells you about a million more things to help you build a better blog.

Share/Save Button-This plug in makes it easy for people to share your post with the world in a variety of ways.  My favorite part is the print option which is missing from so many of my favorite blogs.  One click and folks can print your post neatly.

Social Media Tools

If you aren’t promoting your blog through a Facebook fan page then what are you waiting for?

Twitter is a great way to build your brand, connect with like minded people, share insight and humor, and promote your blog.  I use Tweet Adder to build my following, and Tweet Deck to build the relationships.  Tweet Deck allows me to update my twitter, Facebook, and MySpace accounts all at the same time.  I use cligs to shorten my links because it helps me track clicks easily.

Finally, I am pretty new to all of this.  I certainly don’t claim to know it all.  If this page has been of any help to you then I would love to hear about it in the comments.  Did I leave something out?  Share your thoughts.  If you have any questions about any of this blogging stuff, my life, or life in general then please do not hesitate to leave a comment or contact me.

God Bless and thanks for stopping by!