Official A to Z Sign Ups open today

       The list is open.  You can now sign up.  Please enter your information carefully so that the link goes to your blog.  If you haven't read the A to Z posts that appeared on this blog over the last three days, I would suggest that you scroll down this page and read through them.  There is information that is very helpful to you if you will be participating in the Challenge.

       Also, please stop by the co-hosting blogs to let them know that you have signed up for the Challenge.  Show us your appreciation by becoming a follower of our blogs and introduce yourself to us.  You can find the list of A to Z co-hosts to the right of this page about halfway down the sidebar.  While you're on the sidebar please become a follower of this blog and click that you Like Us on FaceBook.

       We have added Contact Us and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) tabs to the A to Z page in case there are things you need to know or problems that you may have concerning the Challenge.   Let us know if you find a link that you think is faulty or directs you to a non-participating site.  We are going to try to keep the list filled only with active A to Z participants, but we will need everybody's help to do this.   After today, the A to Z Linky list will be found at one of the tabs at the top of the page.     

       There's lots more to come on the Blogging from A to Z Challenge Blog so keep checking back on a regular basis so you don't miss any news.  Now get your link on the list:









         And now that you're signed up, feel free to meet and greet the others on the list.  April is sooner that it seems!




..

The Countdown Begins.....

     

           Kick off for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge starts in just a few hours.  Are you ready?

           Are your blogs dressed for the occasion?  Badges, buttons, and banners?   Are you ready to meet your fellow bloggers who will be taking part?

         Have you been planning posts and strategies?   It's time to put on your best blog face and show the blogosphere what you've got?  

        Wait a minute!  We still have two months don't we?  Sure we do, but it's not too soon to start getting ready.

         The list will be going up soon and hopefully you will be adding your name to this blog roll of honor.  But don't forget your fellow bloggers.  This year's list is bound to be big.  So big that few of us will make it through during April.  This week will be the time to start meeting your fellow A-to-Z-ers.

          Over the course of the next couple of months take the opportunity to get to know the others in the Challenge.    Go through the list and follow your favorites or follow them all if that's your preference.   And please don't forget to follow the hosts of this Challenge.  We've been working hard putting together the mightiest blog event of them all. There will be a lot happening on all of our blogs and you won't want to miss any of it.

           Keep your eyes right here on the A to Z Blog for all the latest happenings.

           Also, don't forget that there is still the A to Z Video Contest going on.  Let's have some videos.  On Wednesday we'll have a special post about the Video Contest that may be of big help to you.

            A to Z is everywhere.  Keep your senses alert!     

Related articles

• Show Your Support! (a-to-zchallenge.com)
• Blogging from A to Z April Challenge-- 2012 Edition (tossingitout.blogspot.com)
• The Official A to Z Badge Is Ready and the News on the A to Z Reflections Tour (a-to-zchallenge.com)
• Don't Forget the Audience You Already Have (a-to-zchallenge.com)

Tell Me About This A to Z Challenge

Artwork by Ada Z

         Many of you reading this know about the April Challenge, but there are still some of you who have heard about Blogging from A to Z and don't know what it is.  Or perhaps there are those who are still trying to decide or are even afraid to try it.  Don't worry--it's all in good fun!

        If you're new to the A to Z Blog, be sure to click on the tabs at the top of the page to see if that information answers your questions.   There are a couple of polls in the sidebar for you to answer if you'd like to express yourself.  And please click the "friend connect" button to become a "Friend of the Alphabet".  That's not the same as the sign-up list but it will keep you connected to the official Challenge blog.

        The sign-up list will appear this coming Monday January 30th.  You will be able to find it at the A to Z Team of hosts' blog sites and on this blog.  The A to Z Team blogs are listed about halfway down the sidebar to your right.   Be sure to visit all of the blogs of our Team members, drop in to say hello, and follow our blogs.   We will all have our own updates in addition to the ones on this Challenge Blog and each blog host may have their own special surprises along the way.  Don't miss out on that part of the fun.

         Alex Cavanaugh talked about the Linky List yesterday on this blog.  If you missed that post be sure to scroll down and read it.  Tomorrow we'll have some last minute business before the big day on Monday.

        After Monday the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge Blog will continue presenting daily posts with Challenge news and helpful tips about doing the Challenge and blogging in general.  Be sure to check into this site frequently.

          Here's a check list of what you can do before Monday if you will be participating in the A to Z April Challenge:

• Add the official A to Z Badge in a prominent place on your site.  The top of the sidebar is probably best.  Announce to other bloggers that you will be participating in April by displaying the official logo.  Use the code under one of the badges on this page to place it on your site.
• There are a couple of  animated A to Z graphics that I'm sure you've seen.  These were created by co-host Jeremy at Retro-Zombie.  If you copy the code beneath each of these you can transfer this code to your own blog design page and you will have your own animated banner or button minus the code.   It makes a snazzy addition to dress up your page and show your enthusiasm for the Challenge.   If you still don't know which animated pieces I'm talking about, it's the apple to zebra banner at the top of this page and the flashing letters of the alphabet about halfway down the sidebar.   They'd look very nice on your blog.
• Plan a post about the A to Z Challenge.   Let your regular readers know what you'll be doing in April and encourage your fellow bloggers to join you.  You can do one or as many posts as you like about the Challenge.  Talk about previous years, what you plan on doing this year, or ideas that you think might help others.   This provides your blog content and gets the word out to others.
• Spread the word about the April Challenge.  Shout it out on Facebook, Twitter, or whatever social media you like to use.  Let others know that the sign-ups will be starting and let them know when you've signed up.  Let's make the first day of sign-ups a big splash.
• Follow the A to Z Challenge Facebook page.  Also click the follow button for Networked Blogs.  Help the A to Z presence grow.

       You are a big part of the success of A to Z.   Last year was a hit because of wonderful bloggers like you.   We're going to make 2012 even bigger and better.    

          Some of you have been putting up some wonderful promotional posts to spread word about the A to Z Challenge and that is greatly appreciated.  There are posts like the one found Sommer Leigh's blog.  That's the kind of post that will stimulate more interest as it explains what the Challenge is all about.

          If you blog about the Challenge, let us know here in the comments or by sending one of us an email.  We'll try our best to get you and your post recognized.   Thanks for your help and participation.  Now let's do some prepping for Monday's big day.

Related articles

• Meet the A to Z Team for 2012 (a-to-zchallenge.com)
• A Favorite Blogger Speaks: Reflections from Alex J. Cavanaugh (a-to-zchallenge.com)
• The Fantastic A to Z Ride: Observations by Shannon the Warrior Muse (a-to-zchallenge.com)
• Show Your Support! (a-to-zchallenge.com)
• Survival Hints for the A-Z Challenge: How to Pre-Schedule a Post (a-to-zchallenge.com)
• Stephen Tremp Celebrates the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge (a-to-zchallenge.com)

Making the Sign-up List Work

With the sign-up for the A to Z Challenge starting on Monday, some of you may have questions and concerns. There were almost thirteen hundred participants last year and some people felt overwhelmed. Some signed up but never posted. A few sites were nothing but advertisement.

This year, we are prepared!

The sign-up list will be monitored by all thirteen hosts. We will check every link before the Challenge begins. This should eliminate advertisement and ghost sites.

Once the Challenge is underway, non-participating blogs will be removed. Now, we will give people a chance to get started and benefit of the doubt if they miss a post or two. No problem! But those who fail to post over a long stretch or at all will be removed as soon as they are discovered. Wasting time visiting sites that weren’t participating was a complaint we heard often in 2011, and we want to maximize everyone’s time this year.

Looking at a list of over a thousand blogs is daunting! Here’s the plan for avoiding feelings of hopelessness:

In order for everyone to benefit from the Challenge, we ask that you start with the blog immediately following yours and move towards the end of the list. (Looping back around to the beginning if you ARE the end of the list!)

Don’t overwhelm yourself trying to visit everyone. Can you visit just five a day? Start with the one after yours and visit five each day –  after twenty-six days, that’s a hundred and thirty blogs. Everyone on the list has time to visit five new blogs a day!

By implementing all of this, we hope that everyone will have a great time during the Challenge.

Because if you don’t have fun, we don’t have fun!

And for me, that is cause for Epic Ninja Fail….

A Whirlwind Romance: Guest Post from Mish, Writer-in-Transit

        Today, January 26th, marks a first year anniversary for Mish's blog Writer-in-Transit.  As part of her celebration of blogging she is here to tell about her love affair with the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.

                                         A Whirlwind Romance

No matter what people say or how much you read about a whirlwind romance, nothing can prepare you for the experience!

Last year, I had a holiday romance. My very first! You know the one where you live in the moment; steal away to connect at every available spare moment; experience that heady anticipation; constantly think ahead to the next tryst; you know it cannot last forever but you can’t help yourself anyway… you are sucked in by this entire episode.

The daily rendezvous was exciting… magical… and just three days short of the end, life threw me a curve ball and – BOOM!! It was over! Just like that! I mean, I knew that it wouldn’t last forever, but to have the “rug pulled from under my feet” was a major anti-climax…

And that, dear bloggers, describes my 2011 A-Z experience. Despite the curve ball (of a technical nature), I DID complete the challenge but failed to do so within the specified time-frame (I posted X, Y & Z two days late…)

Sadly, there was no one to greet me at the end of my Zip-a-dee-doo-dah post. I even re-worked the lyrics of that rather infectious, happy-go-lucky-not-a-care-in-the-world styled song, to suit the mood of that moment.

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah

Zip-a-dee-ay

My oh my what a sense of dismay

Total deflation at the end of the day

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah

Zip-a-dee-ay !!

I didn’t get to collect the wonderful “I survived” button or even write a Reflection post (well that’s a whole different story…)

Now to the good news!! This whirlwind romance will resume in about 2 months time. I can’t wait for it… the anticipation… the trysts… the frenzy… the feeling of being swept away on a sea of emotions… and I will be there, wearing my heart on my sleeve!

        Some steamy fun ahead for the participants of Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.  Sign-ups begin on Monday January 30th.  Are you ready to be "swept away on a sea of emotions".   Now hop on over to Writer-in-Transit and say hello to Mish and a bon voyage for her journey into another year of blogging and a new A to Z Challenge.  Thank you, Mish,  for visiting us today.

Related articles

• A Real Challenge for the Moody Ones: guest jnana from Spill Beans (a-to-zchallenge.com)
• The Retired Knitter Is Not a Quitter: Elaine Shanks (a-to-zchallenge.com)