Tag Archives: Blog
Happy Birthday once again CMO!
Posted on04. Apr, 2010 by Kenny.
Yes, today is Easter. However, it’s a very special Easter because it’s also the day this website turned three years old. It’s a special birthday because I also hit a pretty huge milestone yesterday when I wrote my 1000th post. It almost feels like the odometer flipped and I’m starting back at #1 all over again. So, here’s my first post of the new millennium.
So, for the last two years, I’ve reviewed the previous year for this blog and then set goals for the coming year. So, let’s take a look at how I did. Here were the goals I set:
- 550 posts (that’s a post an a half every day… I want to hit 1000 posts by the end of year three)
- 1,500 comments (I had twice as many comments as posts last year, so let’s see if I can triple it this year)
- 50,000 Unique Visitor (This should be doable, but we’ll see)
- 100,000 Page Views (This will be a bit of a stretch, but very possible)
- Most popular post: Hmmm, I’m thinking about it right now…
And here is what I actually did.
- 551 posts. Not only did I meet my goal, I exceeded it by one post. Seriously, even though I met my goal of 550 posts, I’d totally be bummed for ending year 3 a 999 posts.
- 1,389 comments (Okay, I’m kinda bummed on this since I was so close. I think with another 2 weeks or so, I would have hit 1,500. Although I didn’t make the goal, I’m very satisfied with what I did.)
- 25,141 Unique Visitors (I think I just assumed that I’d be able to quadruple like I had from the year before. Guess I was being a bit too optimistic.
- 72,665Page Views (I knew this one was going to be a tough goal to hit. I’m satisfied with what I was able to hit though)
- Most popular post: This one. It doesn’t surprise me, seems like a lot of people really engaged in the conversation.
So, I hit one of my four goals. In some people’s books, that would be considered failure. One out of four is just 25%. However, these goals I set last year did actually drive me at a very intense pace this last three months. As a result of hitting the first goal, it enabled to get me pretty close to two of the other three goals. I’ve heard a saying all my life, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” However, another quote I really like is, “Aim for the stars. If you miss, there’s still a great chance you’ll hit the moon.” I aimed for the starts and I’d recon I hit Saturn. I’m very satisfied with my trajectory.
So, what about year four? I hope this doesn’t disappoint, but I’m not going to lay out the goals like last year. To some degree, my goal-driven personality about got the better of me. I really didn’t need to hit 1000 yesterday, but since it was my goal, it would have been really hard not to hit it. I’ve also got some other projects I’m hoping to work on this year. I’d be surprised if I came anywhere close to 550 blog posts this year; however, I think I would like to hit around 300 for sure. Everything else is up for grabs. I have certain things I hope to develop and improve on when it comes to this blog an other ventures, but not really things that can be numerically tracked like visitors and page views.
So, thanks for sticking with me another year (or joining me this year). Here’s to one more!
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This is the end of the line
Posted on01. Apr, 2010 by Kenny.
This is it. This is the end of the line friends. Over two weeks ago the March Madness for Kidmin bloggers began From the 64 who started, there are only four remaining and I am one of those four. It’s been a long journey (comparatively speaking) and it’s all come down to this. As a reader of this blog, a friend or maybe a family member, I’m going to ask that you send a vote in my direction. You know what would make a victory Oh So Sweet? This competition ends on Friday afternoon which this weekend happens to be the THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY/BIRTHDAY of this blog. Wow, how amazing is that? Coincidence? Fate? I’ll let you decide. In addition, this weekend I’ll post my 1000th post on this blog. That’s a lot of content. How great would it be that one of the first posts of this new millennium of blogging be an announcement that your vote brought me to a solid victory?
You can make this happen. Click here to vote for this blog! Click here and vote for Kenny Conley to wish this blog a happy three year birthday! Click here and vote for Kenny Conley because it just feels right!
Thanks so much for your vote!
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A different blog you might enjoy
Posted on30. Mar, 2010 by Kenny.
Do you ever get tired of reading ministry blog after ministry blog after ministry blog? Do you need a “blog vacation?” I thought you might.
Let me introduce to you my favorite, non-ministry blog. It’s called Dixie Gypsy and it’s written by my beautiful wife. When I was 18 I made a list of the things I wanted in a wife (yeah, I was that kind of guy). I’ll share a secret with you. One of the items on the list was that she would be a Southern girl. Hey, what can I say? If you’re from the South, you know what I’m talking about. 
So, my little Southern Belle is writing her own blog. Actually, she started the blog almost two years ago but got busy with other stuff. She’s back at it again, writing about food, trips we’ve taken and raising a little giant. She’s such a gifted writer and has such an amazing way with words. I think you’ll really enjoy reading her blog, but I’m partial.
So, click here to visit the Dixie Gypsy.
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Why I blog so much
Posted on22. Mar, 2010 by Kenny.
In recent months I’ve had a handful of people ask me why I blog as much as I do. Actually, more people ask how I blog as much as I do. The average Children’s Ministry blogger pushes out 2-5 posts a week where I push out 2-4 a day. Some of you will notice that the tempo has really picked up since Christmas. Well, there is a reason for the blogging insanity and I guess I’ll let you in on the motivation behind the posts.
My name is Kenny Conley and I’m addicted to goals.
That’s pretty much it. I love goals. I have grand goals in my life as well as silly little meaningless goals that I set each day. As often as I can, I’ll do just about anything to reach a goal that I set for myself. I’m not like this with everything or every goal, just in the things that are important to me.
So, last year on this blog’s 2nd birthday, I assessed the number of posts I wrote that year and set a goal for year two. I set other goals as well, but the big one I really wanted to hit was to write my 1000th post by the end of year two. That would mean 550 post in 365 days. Based on my writing frequency, that goal was totally doable. Even four months into the year, I was well ahead of schedule. However, during the summer and fall months, I fell behind. I think I assumed I was far enough ahead that it wouldn’t matter. I was wrong.
The week after Christmas I realized how far behind I was. I saw that I would need to write on average, 2-3 posts every day to hit my goal. I was a little frustrated as I realized there was little chance in me pulling that off. However, a day or two passed and I thought to myself, “I can do this.” So, since Christmas, I’ve been at a break-neck pace of hitting my goal of 550 post by the end of the 2nd year. My plan is to post my 1000th post on April 3rd. My blog turns three on April 4th. I’m also committed to writing quality posts. I’ve tried to limit the silly posts, I don’t want to pad the blog with meaningless content.
So where am I now.
Where do I stand now? This post is likely post #960. That’s only 40 more posts to go. Although I’ll have at least 5-10 posts already written by the time this post publishes, I’ve still got 30-35 more to write. Only 13 more days to go, that’s a little more than 2-2.5 posts a day. Almost there. Almost there.
BTW, thanks for reading, I really appreciate it.
Obvious followup question: do you plan to slow down a little after hitting April 4th?
YES!
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Site of the week: Bookie Woogie
Posted on15. Mar, 2010 by Kenny.
A few weeks ago I started a weekly series called app of the week that posts every Sunday. I think I’m going to start another weekly series to post ever Monday morning called site of the week. One of the best things about blogging is the way blogs are intended to link out to other sites. I seem to come across cool new sites all the time and I usually share the real gems with others on this blog. However, I’m going to be a little more intentional with a weekly post where I feature a great new blog or site that I’ve discovered.
So, this week I’m starting with a blog I found last night. It’s called Bookie Woogie. It’s a blog written by a dad and his kids. It’s essentially a book review from a family perspective. I just absolutely love the idea. It totally seems like something I would do with my children. Not only is it funny and even helpful, but it touches my heart to see a father connecting with his kids by sharing this fun thing together.
Here is a link to their review of one of my favorite children’s books by Max Lucado.
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Bringing big city quality to the small church
Posted on24. Feb, 2010 by Kenny.
Yesterday I became acquainted with Jared Massey. He did something he totally didn’t have to and it blessed me so much. He simply wrote to tell me how much he’s been encouraged and equipped by this little blog. The part that warms my heart the most is that he told me that I’m (indirectly) impacting the kids at his church in Warsaw, IL. I’ve never been there, but I’m grateful that the time I’ve put into this site is making a difference.
But this isn’t about me. Jared told me about his situation. He’s at a small church in a rural area and he’s got a vision that gets me excited. He’s challenged by a very limited budget, sparse resources and not much opportunity to network with other children’s pastors. However, his vision is to “bring big city quality to the small church.” Isn’t that cool.
I’ve had so many conversations with Sam Luce (well, we spent just about every waking hour together last week) about equipping the church. Between our blogs, we have a lot of influence. However, when you add up all the churches here and there, we’ve not even touched the surface of the church in America. When the average church is less than 100 people, who’s looking out for the kids and who’s equipping them. I’m not sure how big Jared’s church is, but he’s taking initiative by getting out there and seeking resources to make the children’s ministry experience at his church the best possible. I’m so excited about that! It’s what I did when I was at my tiny little church in Jenks, OK and it’s what I wish every children’s pastor did.
I’m not done with Jared yet though. Not only is he a bi-vocational children’s pastor, but he’s a new blogger. Now that’s what I really love. Too many people never start blogging becasue they feel like they don’t have anything to say or since they’re in a small church, they feel that they don’t have an audience. I think that children’s pastors at small churches should blog to share their experiences as they have the potential to share and encourage others in their situation even better than I do. I read Jared’s first post, and it’s awesome. I told him that he give the blog posts of the mega churches a run for their money. He’s just gotten started, but check it out, it will challenge you right where you are.
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It’s the end of the road 2009
Posted on31. Dec, 2009 by Kenny.
Well, 2009 was a great year. I’ve been amazed and blessed by the community who reads what I write on this blog. It’s been a privileged to email, tweet and chat with many of you and even better to exchange phone numbers and chat on the phone. When I look at my stats, here is what the most popular posts are (not all were written in 2009 though).
- Making your resume count (2007)
- Elementary schedule using 252 Basics (2008)
- Child Dedication: Know any good songs? (2009)
- Registration cards (2009)
- Sample budgets and event planning forms (2008)
- The problem with Sunday School (2009)
- Child Dedication tag (2009) A lot of popular posts
- New Kids Quest t-shirt design (2009)
- Requiring parents to serve: Called to serve? (2009)
- Orange Tweet Up (2009)
If I had to rank my favorite posts of the year it would be:
- My series on rethinking baptisms
- My series on reinventing child dedication
- My series about communicating vision to my staff
- Volunteer week with Sara Conley (my wife)
- My 3 post series on theology and kidmin
- Jonathan’s guest blog post
So, thanks for sticking with me in 2009. It was a great year and the community has grown. I’m looking forward to 2010, it’s going to be an amazing year!
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Making this blog pretty… as in pretty cool lookin’
Posted on10. Jul, 2009 by Kenny.
I’ve put it off long enough. I started cleaning up (and adding) tags to the hundreds of tagless posts back in September and in May I made some major “behind the scenes” changes to this blog. Now it’s time for the facelift. So, tonight I’ll be updating the look and feel of childrensministryonline.com. It will be in progress most of the afternoon and I hope to have most everything done before I hit the sack tonight. Feel free to drop in and tell me what you think.
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Have you published your blog at Amazon yet?
Posted on19. May, 2009 by Kenny.
Do you have a blog? Have you published your blog for Amazon’s Kindle yet? What are you waiting for? Do it right now, it only takes a second. Okay, maybe 3-5 minutes. Click here!
Do you think people are going to pay $2 a month to read your blog? Why not?
I personally don’t see people paying for blog subscriptions when they can get them for free everywhere else, but if and when they drop the fee, I want my feed available… and if someone want’s to pay for my feed in the meantime, I’m perfectly fine with that.
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Let me re-feed you
Posted on18. May, 2009 by Kenny.
Okay, in my transformation from www.childrensministryonline.com/blog to www.childrensministryonline.com, I lost some of my reader. Not too many, but some. I think I know what happened. I started blogging in April of 2007, but I didn’t start using feedburner to manage my feed until two or three months later. Some of my friends who said they haven’t been getting my feed since I made the move this weekend had my original feed address (pre-feedburner). So, if you haven’t gotten any of my posts since last week, let me re-feed you. Click on the RSS button to subscribe.
There are some of you who are wondering what the heck I’m talking about. RSS, feeds and burning stuff, huh? You may have thought that this post was an invite to my place for dinner. Let me make this simple. If you want to get my blog posts sent directly to your email, click here.
If you want to learn what this RSS and Feed stuff is about, click here.
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