Monday, 18 February 2013

I'm an A to Z Friend


This April will be my third A to Z Challenge and it's going to be especially exciting as, this year I’m also lending a hand behind the scenes. Last year, with well over 2000 bloggers taking part, the admin became unwieldy so A to Z Friends [like me!] have been drafted in to help. 

My team leader is Damyanti from Amlokiblogs,

Her team includes Misha from My First BookMina from Some Dark Romantic, Pam from Unconventional Librarian and me of course!

And here is my official badge:

One of the things we’ve been asked to check on is whether participants have posted up their A to Z 2013 Badge yet. You can see mine top right and it links you straight to the A to Z Challenge page so if you need to get your badge then that’s the place to go. The application list is there too and it’s still open so if you haven’t already signed up, what are you waiting for? Get over there, sign up and make sure you don’t miss out.

[For those who don't know what I'm talking about, we create posts in alphabetical order six days a week during April. We visit lots of other A to Zers and they visit us.]

This is what I get from the A to Z:
  • I love writing out the lists pre-April and planning the month’s posts.
  • My number of followers increases.
  • I get to meet a lot of interesting bloggers
  • I’ve made many blogging friends through the A to Z and some have become real as well as virtual friends.
BUT
  • I get a headache when people post up 1000+ wordy posts each day. I want to get round as many people as possible and so I won’t have time to read your carefully crafted 1000+ words, not during April.
In 2011 I wrote each post using exactly 40 words. I even made up a name for them. I called them Quadragintals. I’m not going to impose such a tight restriction on myself again but I promise to keep my A to Z posts snappy and to the point. I'll be revealing my topic shortly. All I will say is that I'm enjoying researching it just as much, if not more, than last year's Nostalgia posts.

If you ARE taking part:  Have you planned your A to Z  yet? 

If you're NOT taking part:  What do you like [or dislike] about the A to Z Challenge month?

38 comments:

  1. I will be spectating this year.

    Hugs and chocolate,
    Shelly

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  2. I'm cheering you on from the sidelines. There's just too much Life around at the moment to this on.

    The very best of luck!

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    1. Thanks Jo. I can just see you dressed up with pompoms as my cheerleader!

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  3. Hi Ros .. promise I won't do long posts!! I'm a minion too ... once my blogging break is over .. cheers Hilary

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  4. I did enjoy your 60s posts last year and Anne's 70s posts - so much so that I decided to take part myself this year and had a list all ready, but life has got in the way and I just can't do it. However, I'm saving the list for next year - looking forward to finding out what yours is this time.

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    1. Thanks Anabel, it's a shame you can't join in but life must take priority. Hope it smooths out soon.

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  5. My posts are naturally quite short, but last year I did find myself skimming posts that were too long - which is a shame, but like you say, there are so many to read. Good luck with your task in April :-)

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    1. Thanks and glad it's not just me who has trouble with long posts in April.

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  6. You'll be a great helper! I don't think I'm signing up this year. I loved the challenge - and writing the posts wasn't the problem - visiting sufficient posts was. I didn't get a single word in of my own writing last year. I'm hoping to pub a couple of stories later this year, so I need that time :)

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    1. That's a shame, Jemi, but I have to admit that it is time consuming.

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  7. I am vacillating. Must decide on a theme, that's more fun. Good luck as a friend - I know you'll have fun with it and meet more new people.

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    1. Looking forward to finding out what your theme is, Joanne.

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  8. I Ros....Not long. I'm a little nervous about my computer. I need a new one but I was hoping I could make it through A-Z. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
    That is when we met on the A-Z. My 3rd, too.

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    1. I'll give it a shout out.... FINGERS CROSSED FOR MANZANITA'S COMPUTER!!

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  9. Good for you Ros you'll be great in the job it was good having your help last year. Still not signed up yet as not sure if Im doing it going to jot some ideas down today and see if I can up with something interesting.

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    1. I hope you think of something enjoyable and fun. I think it has to be fun. I know mine is. Looking forward to sharing again.

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    2. I have this funny feeling we might be choosing something similar as I'm not doing the things I mentioned to you before. lol!

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    3. That would be great! :-) We could keep Direct Messaging each other again and help each other out with those dastardly x type letters.

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  10. So good of you to help out. A to Z is such a beautiful thing - way more than one person or even one small group of people to manage effectively.

    I do have my A-Z planned. I've done some writing but need to do a lot more. Keeping them short can definitely be a challenge.

    Take care and thanks for stopping by.

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    1. Hi, thanks for the visit. Yes A to Z has a special charm to it I think.

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  11. I entered last year and gained some followers, but I'm giving this year a miss. Too mush other stuff to do, though I shall look in on the site.

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    1. I'll look forward to seeing you here, Lizy :-)

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  12. Can't wait to read your posts Ros. Love the badge too!

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  13. Thanks for stopping by my blog Ros, count me in as a new follower.
    ps - I love the A - Z friends badge.

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    1. Welcome, Deb. Yes it is rather a smart badge, isn't it.

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  14. Hi. Found you on the A-Z list and plan to follow. This is my first blog hop and I plan on keeping my posts short (well, with one exception :). I hope others do, too. It's a lot to read in 26 days!

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    1. With the one exception, you say. Now I AM intrigued ;-)

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  15. Congrats on being an official A to Z Friend! I'm glad to call you a friend from our first A to Z back in 2011. I remember your Quadragintals very well! They were wonderful, as were your 2012 posts!

    Julie

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    1. Thanks, Julie, it was great to meet you. Strange to think how much we have in common but we'd never have met if it hadn't been for A to Z... GAAAAH! I'm sounding like a dating agency advert now!!!!!

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  16. Rosalind, I couldn't figure exactly where to put my badge in order for it to link back to the A to Z site. So far, everyone I have asked, hasn't answered. I too am a minion for L. Diane Wolfe.

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  17. Hi Rosalind. I read your post at the A-Z Blog and that brought me here. Boy, am I glad I started preparing for the challenge. Best way, by the look of things, to have fun in April. Thanks for all the great pointers.

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  18. Strange! I was so sure I'd left a comment here. Great challenge, Roz, but I'm afraid I'd be useless at this. Good luck with it all! I make lists and then forget where I've put them. I am hopelessly scatterbrained which is something my students have learned to live with. They know to remind me of things I've promised to do for them...haha

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  19. I did the challenge last year and found it to be such good fun.
    Thanks for helping.

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