O for Onward in the #atozchallenge !

This Letter "O" post is brought to you by Damyanti, co-host for the A to Z Challenge.

So we're nearing the finishing line... and I'm thrilled to say a whole lot of us are marching on, commenting widely and often, and having a rollicking good time.

Posting to theme everyday for a month can drain a blogger, however, so to everyone whose energies are flagging, we say, "Onward! We're almost there!"

And now, I'll repeat the advice I've been harping on all month: 

1. Turn off your word verification. It helps no one. You may moderate comments for a while if you're unsure. I still find blogs with the Captcha on, and it makes me feel sorry.

2. In your comment id, link only to your AZ blog, NOT your profile which may have five other blogs. Trolling through ten links to find your A-Z blog is too much to ask any one visiting back.

3. Leave a link to you when you comment, so no one spends hours finding you.

4. Comment when you visit blogs, and you'll get comments in return.

5. Make it easy for people to follow your blog and follow you on social media.

So, Onward, folks-- 9 more days to go, and you'll be a winner! You can do this :)

Don't forget about the May 7th Reflections post.  Save the Date!  Details coming soon.








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N is for No Reply-Comment

N is for No Reply-Comment

I find that bloggers handle responding to comments in one of four ways.  1) They simply don’t, or they do so very sparingly.  2) They answer the comment by leaving a comment of their own on the same post, or they utilize an augmented system that allows replies within the comment screen.  3) They email their reply directly to the commenter. 4) Use a combination of the above.  There is no right way, or wrong way, just the way that best suits what the blogger is most comfortable doing.

After years of experimenting and trying the different methods, I settled into using the third one – emailing my responses.  As with each of these techniques, it has its pluses and minuses.   As an incessant blog-reader, I RARELY return back to a blog to see if the author has responded directly to my comment, so believing that most people operate similarly I chose a method that would ensure they heard my reply.  I also find it more personal and a way to create an open dialogue that extends beyond the post/comment.

I have my blog setup so that I receive an email notification for every comment (remember the smiles?) and I merely reply to that.  Here’s where the main drawback comes in, and this is a big one, a lot of readers still do not have their email address visible through their profile, so when I receive the notification it shows up as No Reply-Comment.  That means I cannot reply back to them as I would like.  Some prefer it this way for security reasons, others simply are unaware.  For those of you who would like to change that, instead of me going through a tutorial (and making this post much longer than I intended), here’s a link to Nancy Olivia’s blog where she explains what to do.

Tell me, how do you handle responding to comments?

DL

Get in the locker room! It's half-time!

Alright team, let's huddle up. It's half-time, and that means it's time for our locker-room talk. (I'm an avid football fan and would love to know what the coaches say to the team when they head in there for either a tongue lashing or a rah-rah good job talk...)

We're ½ way there! You're doing an awesome job out there! I've seen some great plays! No fumbles so far, and we're sticking to our game plan. Are there any questions?

“Yeah, coach. I was wondering if I could sit out the third quarter. I'm just so tired!”

*If you need a couple of plays off, that's fine. There's nothing wrong with posting twice in one day to catch up for a rest day of no posting.

“Coach – I've visited a lot of folks who haven't visited back. Should I just stop reaching out and concentrate on those who are being active in this game?”

*That's a tough one. Your call. As far as I'm concerned, the visiting is one of the most exciting parts. You never know what you're going to find. You don't know if your next blogging buddy is right around the bend, five blogs away! I think the navigation buttons that you'll  be able to install will get the fire going again on the visiting.

“Coach – I've got lots of energy left. Where should I spend it?”

*That's an easy one. Visiting! I'm sad to say some folks have only gotten a very few visitors. Sad state of affairs! So if you've still got a lot of spring in your step, then step up your blog-hopping. Wherever you land, they'll be glad you came by.

Ok folks, it's time to head out there again. Keep up the good work, and don't forget our goals. Discipline to blog frequently, and community building through finding new bloggy friends! When this is all over, you'll be glad you stayed in the game.


And now some news!


A to Z Reflections post on May 7th


       On Monday May 7th the Linky list for your Blogging from A to Z Reflections Posts will open.   For those who have blogfests or other plans made already for that day, don't worry the list will be open for the entire week.  We hope all A to Z participants will plan to sign up and present your thoughts about the April Challenge.


        Be watching for more information about the Blogging from A to Z Reflections Post.

The A to Z Navigation Buttons Are Ready!

Many of you have asked for the A to Z Navigation Buttons that we had last year.  Those of you who do not know what I'm talking about can find the buttons at the top of the side bar.  Check them out--they are pretty cool.

Marcus Clearspring who created the popular A to Z Navigation Buttons for last year's Challenge   has done it again.   For those of you who are interested in adding the buttons to your site visit Marcus's site Writing Investigated.

If you don't want to add the buttons to your site or would just like to test them out, there is a special site for the badges at http://a-z.marcusclearspring.com/

Here are a few more words from Marcus:

1) Blogger's new "Dynamic Views" do not show custom widgets. Choose a
theme from a different group, if you have switched to Dynamic Views.

2) Wordpress.com (only .COM) bloggers cannot use custom widgets. They
simply don't allow it. For these people, the page at
http://a-z.marcusclearspring.com
offers the buttons. You can just add an image in your sidebar and
link it to open the above page.

Here are some more Challenge participants who Missed the List:

Kerrie at Here I Am Kaycee has been leaving some wonderful A to Z posts with excellent reminders for all of us.   Stop in for a visit and while you're there click her follower button to help her try to reach her first 100.



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