Catching Fire! #atozchallenge

We are day three of the Challenge now – have you caught the fire of excitement?

Catching fire is a good thing. It was the slogan for the release of my second book.

But we don’t want you to burn to a crisp!

You probably had a lot of visitors already. You’ve visited a lot of blogs. After two days of a firestorm, you’re probably wondering how you will survive.

First, pace yourself. In one month, it’s unlikely you’ll visit everyone on the list. Don’t kill yourself trying. And don’t let guilt goad you into overload.

Focus on visiting at least five new blogs a day, starting with the one after your own. After that, focus on returning comments. If you have time, explore more of the list.

If you’re still working on your Challenge posts, keep them short and simple.

Remember, you’re doing this to make new friends and have fun. Burn with excitement, but don’t burn out!

The #atozchallenge #Blogging Song

by M. J. Joachim

Blogging in the morning

Blogging through the day

Blogging in the evening

A – Z is here to stay

Betcha never thought it

Bewildered by the crowd

Billowing with comments

At times it’s rather loud

Bring on the excitement

Build your network grand

Believe in your abilities

Don’t sink into the sand

Bladder’s overflowing

Black coffee’s on the stove

Big Brother isn’t watching

Inside your treasure trove

Brainstorm all the letters

Blog like no one can

Bleaching out the background

Cuz you’re the blogging man!

Or woman, as the case may be!

Wishing everyone a jolly good time this year!

And loads of comments and followers too!

M. J.

©2014 All Rights Reserved

Photo credit:  Jeremy Hawkins, A - Z Co-Host

The Alphabet Express has Arrived #atozchallenge

As the blog turns….

Adrenaline is pumping everywhere,

Among authors, travelers, artists, culinary experts, mothers, fathers and more…with tips, games and stories to share.

All in the name of the A-to-Z Challenge, we’re banded together, our fists held high in the air.

An Athletic Approach is needed to stay the course because flexing your blogging muscles to build stamina is a marathon, not a sprint.

An Abundance of Amusements have us in for a ride, anxious to find out what's around the next bend, twist or turn on the signup list.

An Adventure like no other is now brewing with new discoveries and the formation of online alliances of likeminded folks.

April is here. Time to party -- visiting many online destinations to see what people have going on, while other guests read what you wrote.

Now that we know our ABC's, the time has come to start blogging from A-to-Z. We'll see you on the court; or, in the park. Let's go and Ace this thing!

Are you in this Challenge for the Athletics, the Adventure, the Amusement or All of the Above?

LET'S GET READY TO BLLOOOGGGG!!!! #atozchallenge

Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/
Author Stephen Tremp http://authorstephentremp.blogspot.com/
Tina @ Life is Good http://kmdlifeisgood.blogspot.com/
Damyanti@Amlokiblogs http://amloki.blogspot.com/
Jeremy @ Being Retro http://www.beingretro.com/
Nicole Ayers - The Madlab Post www.madlabpost.com
M. J. Joachim's Writing Tips http://mjjoachim.blogspot.com
Heather M. Gardner http://hmgardner.blogspot.com/
AJ @ Naturally Sweet http://frodofrog.blogspot.com
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian http://unconventionallibrarian.com

We also have a Facebook page, (https://www.facebook.com/atozchallenge)
email address is infoatoz2014@gmail.com,
and the Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge. - See more at: http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/a-to-z-challenge-sign-uplist-2014.html#sthash.BmSm1aZM.dpuf

Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/
Author Stephen Tremp http://authorstephentremp.blogspot.com/
Tina @ Life is Good http://kmdlifeisgood.blogspot.com/
Damyanti@Amlokiblogs http://amloki.blogspot.com/
Jeremy @ Being Retro http://www.beingretro.com/
Nicole Ayers - The Madlab Post www.madlabpost.com
M. J. Joachim's Writing Tips http://mjjoachim.blogspot.com
Heather M. Gardner http://hmgardner.blogspot.com/
AJ @ Naturally Sweet http://frodofrog.blogspot.com
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian http://unconventionallibrarian.com

We also have a Facebook page, (https://www.facebook.com/atozchallenge)
email address is infoatoz2014@gmail.com,
and the Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge. - See more at: http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/a-to-z-challenge-sign-uplist-2014.html#sthash.BmSm1aZM.dpuf

"Good morning. This is Stormy the Weather Gnome."

"And, Sparks!"

"Zip it, Sparks, I've got a speech to deliver to the troops.

In less than a day, Bloggers from here will join others from around the world. And you will be launching the largest Blog Challenge in the history of Blogkind. 

Blogkind.

That word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our Blogging differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests."

"Common Blog interests!"

"Yeah, Sparks, they know.

Perhaps it's fate that tomorrow is April 1st, and you will once again be Blogging for 26 days... Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution... but from boredom.

We are Blogging for our right to be AWESOME.

And should we win the Challenge, Blogging from A to Z will no longer be known as a tiny Blog Challenge but as the day the world declared in one voice: "We will not go quietly into the night!" We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to BLOG on! We're going to survive!

Tomorrow we celebrate the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge!"


Things are just getting started my Gnome friends!

Hang out with us here on the Blog, on Facebook, and stay tuned for the continuation of the Twitter Chats!

GO BLOG!

TELL A FRIEND!

YOU ROCK!


Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/
Author Stephen Tremp http://authorstephentremp.blogspot.com/
Tina @ Life is Good http://kmdlifeisgood.blogspot.com/
Damyanti@Amlokiblogs http://amloki.blogspot.com/
Jeremy @ Being Retro http://www.beingretro.com/
Nicole Ayers - The Madlab Post www.madlabpost.com
M. J. Joachim's Writing Tips http://mjjoachim.blogspot.com
Heather M. Gardner http://hmgardner.blogspot.com/
AJ @ Naturally Sweet http://frodofrog.blogspot.com
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian http://unconventionallibrarian.com   

Facebook
Email: infoatoz2014@gmail.com
Twitter: @AprilA2Z #AtoZChallenge #AZchat
WEBPAGE

Do You Blog? Have you joined the #atozchallenge yet? #blogging

Today, in the last week before  the A to Z challenge, Csenge Zalka from #TeamDamyanti is here to tell you the basics.

If you haven't heard it yet: As a blogger, one of the best ways to boost your audience is to sign up for the A to Z Challenge!

Every blogger gets a kick out of writing, but a large part of the fun during the month of April is discovery: Hopping from blog to blog, reading about things you never knew before, making connections that will last well beyond the 26 days of the challenge.

Whether you're joining today, or you've signed up long ago, here's a quick and dirty list of things that might help:

1. Start visiting early.

The list is already up! You can get an early jump on visiting your friendly A to Z neighbors, and follow the ones you find particularly interesting.

2. Don't overdo it.

Set a comfortable number of blogs per day that you want to visit. Keep in mind that you will spend more time on some than others, especially later in the month when there is a lot more to read! Make it a number aroun 5, but make sure that these are 5 new blogs, not some that you have visited before!

3. Visit later in the day.

Some people post later than others, because of time zones or personal schedules. If you set out very early in the day, you might run into blogs that have not updated yet. If you give them some time, you can get the fresh letters from everyone!

4. Visit those that visit you.

This is really important, people! If someone visits you and leaves a comment, go check out where they came from! It's common courtesy, and also can take you to blogs that you might have missed otherwise. It can be the start of a beautiful blogging friendship!

5. Make your visiting routine diverse.

You might be drawn to a particular kind of blog – books, crafts, travel, etc. - but make sure to give a chance to some that are outside your comfort zone. Go crazy on the categories, that's why we have them!

6. Mark the blogs you like.

Click Follow, or bookmark the blogs you especially like, anything you need to do to make sure you will find your way back to them later.

7. Give some extra love to the smaller blogs!

We have a special list for blogs that have less than 100 followers. Make sure to check it out and help them grow!

8. Don't start from the top.

If everyone stars with Blog No. 1, people at the bottom of the list will have a disadvantage, and you might miss some great blogs that have higher numbers. Start at your own name and work your way down. Or, alternately, jump around like a crazy caffeinated frog. Believe me, it is fun.

If you haven't done so yet, sign up for the A to Z Challenge, trust me, you'll love it.

Look up a detailed checklist for the A to Z challenge, join the Facebook page, become part of the Facebook group, follow the challenge via @AprilA2Z on twitter, and check out some quick social media tips to help your blog.