“One Body, Many Blogs” – Review

When T.J. Burdick launched his blog back in 2010, he was puzzled by one question: how do you become an effective Catholic blogger?

Two years and many blog posts later, T.J. had few answers. So he began searching for help. He emailed a number of blogging friends and asked, "in your opinion, what are the 'ten commandments' that Christian bloggers should keep in mind?"

Ten Catholic bloggers responded with a diversity of answers. Some were deep, some pithy; some were practical, some spiritual. But together they provided T.J. a solid foundation for Catholic blogging.

Wanting to help others, T.J. decided to package all of this wisdom into a short, $1.99 eBook titled One Body, Many Blogs: A Guide for Christian Bloggers (eBook, 52 pages).

The eBook includes contributions from:

Brandon Vogt (BrandonVogt.com)
Deacon Greg Kandra (The Deacon’s Bench)
Devin Rose (St. Joseph’s Vanguard)
Frank Weathers (Why I Am Catholic)
Jeff Miller (The Curt Jester)
Katrina R. Fernandez (The Crescat)
Kevin Knight (New Advent)
Lisa Hendey (CatholicMom.com)
Marc Barnes (BadCatholic and 1flesh.org)
Susan Windley-Daoust (Ironic Catholic)
T.J. Burdick (TJBurdick.com)

Each contributor provides his or her own ten commandments for Catholic blogging. For instance, you'll find advice like this from Marc Barnes:

"Don’t suck. There is a tendency within the Christian world to think the work we do will be good work, if only we do it for God. This is not true. Whatever work we do will be good work if and only if we do it well. Truly “writing for God” is not something lackadaisical. It does not come with holy feelings. Writing for God means harnessing the intellect, making full use of the talents He endows us with, seeking inspiration in Him, and producing excellent writing, in both style and content. Anything less is no service to God, no matter how well we think we are witnessing, giving testimony, or whatever Christian euphemism we want to use to disguise the fact that we can’t be bothered to make something awesome."

Here's another sample from Deacon Greg Kandra:

"If you’re wondering if you should comment, don’t. When in doubt, keep quiet. Remember Mary, who chose the better part by sitting and listening. Often, that can be more illuminating. Not everyone needs to know what you think about every little catechetical twist, spat, disagreement or feud."

T.J. rounds out the chapters with his own Introduction, Glossary, and synthesis of Church teaching on social communications, all of which makes One Body, Many Blogs a comprehensive, practical, spiritually-informed guide to Catholic blogging.

To top things off, T.J. is donating 100% of the proceeds to The San Juan Diego Academy, a Catholic school that serves immigrant children in Wyoming, Michigan.

So rush over to Amazon, spend a couple bucks, and get your copy of One Body, Many Blogs.

(You don't necessarily need a Kindle to read this eBook. Amazon provides free software which lets you view Kindle eBooks on your PC, Mac, smartphone, iPhone, iPad, or other device.)

Here's what other people are saying about the book:

"One Body, Many Blogs is a nifty look at the mission to cyberspace that Christians, obedient to the Spirit, have undertaken! Read it and be inspired!"
— Mark P. Shea, blogger, author of The Heart of Catholic Prayer

"Finally, a resource for Catholic bloggers that speaks to the humor, community, and faith that is integrated into the Catholic blogging community! This book will inspire you, motivate you, and maybe even make you chuckle."
— Sarah Reinhard, author of Catholic Family Fun and A Catholic Mother’s Companion Guide to Pregnancy

"If you are a Catholic who writes a blog or are thinking of starting one, you must read T.J. Burdick’s One Body, Many Blogs. Here you will find the Ten Commandments of Blogging from some of the most experienced Catholic bloggers. As you apply these wise principles not only will you create more effective posts, you will also make a real contribution to the New Evangelization by drawing your readers nearer to Christ and the Church."
— Bert Ghezzi, author of Discover Christ: Developing a Personal Relationship with Jesus