I left a webinar today that was filled almost to capacity.

The beginning didn’t grab me, but I waited and listened.  I had learned a lot in another webinar of similar format, so I wanted to give this a chance.

Common blogging pitfalls, converting readers to subscribers, not having to create too much content—these topics all sounded promising.

But the more I listened, the more I realized that it could be helpful content, but it didn’t really apply to me.  The more a fellow blogger and I compared notes on Facebook, the more we knew it wasn’t a webinar for mommy bloggers.

I am fascinated by learning about blog growth techniques, the anatomy of a retweetable Tweet, and what makes things go viral on Pinterest. And often, I can glean that kind of information from webinars like today’s. But when I get overwhelmed at how the pros do it, or start turning a deaf ear to growth-oriented blogging advice, I have to remember to take a step back and run it through a different filter than my geeky, tech-loving side.  I need to put the advice through the filter of upside-down blogging: that kingdom where small bloggers are big, that place where we write to spread His fame, not ours.

When I sit at my laptop with an empty post open in front of me, waiting for the Word to whisper His truth into my heart, I’m not interested in SEO: I only want God to help give me clarity in my own life.

When I spend a sink full of sudsy dishes composing a post in my head, I don’t care about getting comments from readers: I’m just desperate to write.

When I subscribe to another mom’s blog, I’m not looking for someone who has it all together: I’m looking for a kindred spirit who’s real and who knows where I’m at.

When I read posts by other bloggers, I am not trying to copy their blog growth techniques: I’m trying to find community with other people who understand what it’s like to need to write.

When I browse popular Christian blogs, I’m not looking for one-step answers: I’m looking for genuine humility from a fellow pilgrim.

Maybe that’s why it’s often the people who break all the blogging “rules” that have the most followers.

Maybe that’s why the posts with the most likes sometimes have the fewest comments.

Maybe that’s why it’s those who write for an audience of One have the most subscribers.

Maybe that’s why mommy bloggers will ever be more about comments and kindred spirits than clicks and traffic conversion.