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.