The Trap of Stats {Smaller Bloggers}

What defines a “smaller blogger”. There really is no “formal” answer but many people define themselves by their stats. So what exactly constitutes a “smaller blogger”?

It’s the mindset of the blogger.

When you play the comparison game, there will always be someone to stand next to you who has more readers, more likes, more follows than you do.

When we define ourselves (or others) by stats, we create barriers in various areas. When we use stats to define the value of a person (including ourselves) we put up walls and create stereotypes based on stats. We may not even realize we’re doing it! Yet, what happens is we start to make assumptions about people based on their stats. We think less of our ministry when our stats don’t mirror someone else’s. We become discontent with what we’ve been given.

Take a moment to watch this video that helps illustrate well what I mean. Click here if you’re reading in email or a reader.

Until we can look beyond our stats, all we’re going to see is stats. We are going to miss the ministry God has placed in front of us because we are too busy chasing after what someone else has.

There are many factors which lead to why stats look the way they do for different people. Some examples include:

• time invested
• goals/mission/vision of blogger
• God’s vision (!!!)
• unique gifts
• reach
• education (and I don’t mean a college degree, but willingness to seek out and learn)
• consistency of blogging

These are just a few things. The goal today isn’t to overwhelm you — in fact, the overall goal for this entire series is to keep the information simple and straightforward. The last thing we want you to do is throw your hands up and think it’s hopeless based on this list. It’s not!

Our goal, however, is to make you aware of the elements involved in what creates these stats. The one thing you need to know about “bigger bloggers” is that they were once “smaller bloggers”. So when you see them write or hear them speak on topics like stats, they are doing it from a position of experience, not arrogance.

If you think you’ve hit a wall, don’t waste anymore time running into it. If you’ve done all you can and you believe you’re getting nowhere, it might be time to think about starting fresh. It might be time to dream again; to revisit your vision and goals.

It is important to understand that building a blog and extending your reach takes dedicated, consistent work. It requires that we stretch beyond what we know and be open to learning new things constantly. We must be willing to grow if we want our blog to grow. Growth involves more then merely stats. It includes the development of your writing, and your willingness to learn beyond the basics. It requires some investment.

This week, we want to challenge you to break the barriers of defining yourself and other people by their stats.  Blogging is not a popularity contest; it’s a community where we work together.

 

*Post from the archives, authored by Christin