.jpg)
Let's be honest, visiting all of them is a massive undertaking. Needless to say, the "move along at your own pace" nature of our Post A-to-Z Challenge Road Trip is a relief for those of us who may have pulled our cars over for a tune-up, more than a few times. Whoever has managed to get through the entire list in April, let alone throughout the rest of the year (where road tripping helps participants get caught up to speed) needs to bottle their superpowers up into a productivity drink, and sell it!
Having participated in the Road Trip for at least three years, you'd think I'd have this blog-visiting think down to a science. The truth is, like most things in life, I can only visit as many blogs as I am able...when I am able. Sometimes I visit more than a handful of blogs. On other days, I don't visit any at all. While I'm at it, allow me to confess some other things about what transpires during my Road Tripping activities:
- If I visited, read your content and left a response but you still don't see the comment, chances are it's not me....it's Blogger!
- When I have to prove I'm not a robot every single time I leave a comment on your blog, this task makes me less likely to visit again. That doesn't mean I won't ever return. It does, however, make me hesitant to bother with the extra steps involved with reading your blog posts...especially when there are a number of other blogs that provide a better, user-friendly experience.
Speaking of being user-friendly...
- If your blog takes forever to load, I'm not sticking around, regardless of how interesting the subject matter of the post you wrote (and/or the name of your blog) appears to be.
By the time April rolls around, I am certain that I will have not visited all 2,000+ blogs that signed up for last year's challenge. Still, between May 2014 and March 2015, I know I will have visited (many) more blogs that I didn't get to in April -- because of my participation in the Road Trip. That's good enough for me...and the bloggers who were, and will be, on the receiving end of those visits and comments, of course!
What confessions, if any, do YOU have to share about your participation in the Post A-to-Z Challenge Road Trip so far?
How many (estimated) new blogs -- on the A-to-Z Signup List -- have YOU visited between April 2014 and today?
A-to-Z Challenge Co-Host Nicole Ayers is listening to Beyonce's "Flawless (Remix)," among other tunes, while arranging this blog post. She currently supports members of the U.S. Armed Forces, discusses emergency preparedness and movies that make you cry at The Madlab Post. Connect
with her @MadlabPost on Twitter.
I'm with you all the way on the slow loading blogs and the captures. As to my road trip, my car overheated the middle of last summer and I never got on the road again. I have no idea how many blogs I visited in any year. I'm aiming for at least 5 a day in the upcoming challenge. Not a high number, but likely do-able. And of course there will be the occassional glorious day when I can visit like a mad woman.
ReplyDeleteLife & Faith in Caneyhead
Thanks Nicole ...Yes I did visit new blogs and road tripped post 2014 A-Z (when I could pick myself off the floor i.e. after the month of April). What a road trip! What a gas! Thank you for being part of the hosting yet again.
ReplyDeleteMy 2015 badge is up and I'm raring to go! Not really, but I am making notes and will preplan. It's always such a wild ride ... and best to be prepared.
Agree re: captchas (and if I have to do it a second time I escape); anything that takes forever to load is a no-no.
Am going to head over to the list that's already up and make my acquaintance, now -
I haven't participated in a Post A-to-Z Challenge Road Trip.
ReplyDeleteWould love to but time is sooooo tight.
I do check in here to read about the new blogs that you Roadtrippers have discovered along the way... then I try to pop by some of them.
Too many to count.
ReplyDelete:)
Great post, Nicole!
I try to get around to at least 30 to 40 per day but those numbers don't add up to all of them. I skip blogs that take a long time to load also.
ReplyDeleteLast year was my first time doing the Challenge. Like Michelle, I didn't participated in the Post A-to-Z Challenge Road Trip. I'll try to visit more after April this year, though. :)
ReplyDeleteUsually I visit about a dozen blogs a day but during April I do 50 or more. I skip very long posts in April - there is no time for it. Many blogs I follow but not those where I have to prove that I'm not a robot.
ReplyDeleteI didn't do the road trip last year, but did check out some blogs as I had time. I know I checked out a lot in April during the challenge. These days Blogger, despite people's preferences, has put "prove you aren't a robot" on people's comment pages. Like I noticed it was on mine when I have it set up not to be. But I have learned in most cases you can just skip through it and hit "post comment" and it will without you having to prove yourself. What frustrated me last year during hte challenge was there were a handful of blogs that I couldn't find where to leave a comment despite looking high and low. After a few minutes I just gave up and moved on to the next blog. Make it simple people if you want visitors :)
ReplyDeletebetty
I only visited a few of the new blogs after the Challenge.
ReplyDeleteWith the 'prove you're not a robot,' you can just skip checking the box and hit publish comment. It will go through.
I did manage to visit every blog in the A to Z during the A to Z last April . . . I did it because I didn't think it was possible so it was worth a go. I have visited almost none of them since. I guess the fact is we can only follow a few on a regular basis and to try anything else is madness unless you can blog 24 7
ReplyDeleteI have not entirely made my mind up about this year yet I am working on an idea but will only do if I get all the pictures drawn well in advance and at present I am involved in some work on our house. . . . so it is in the lap of the Gods.
Ironically, I just left a comment complaining about how much I hate it when I leave a comment, but it doesn't show up, so then I don't know if it's pending approval or if the Internet has eaten it... and that just happened here. Fingers crossed that this posts, because I rarely retype a second time!
ReplyDeleteYay.
DeleteI visited a few blogs a month from May to August, but after September, I completely forgot about the road trip...
ReplyDeleteHello there. I started out on the signup list, but got tired of seeing word verification, nowhere to even leave a comment and blogs simply not existing anymore. I visited all on the Road Trip & left comments where I was able. I'm about 3/4 through with the Reflections list. I probably have about 750 left on the signup list to finish. My goal was to complete that list before the next challenge...not sure if I'll make it. There's already 377 on the new list...that's kind of nerve racking!
ReplyDeleteEntrepreneurial Goddess
Shamefully very few. I started off good, but as regular blog routine resume to norm then I'm afraid I left the road trip along the way. Perhaps this year, I'll be more determined to stick the course to visit more folks. I like your points on what will keep you coming back. I did away with word verification years ago, and it annoys me a bit when I visit bloggers who insist on using it. Hopefully, if ever my blog is slow to load, then I hope someone leaves a comments saying so. In December when I changed themes it put a drag on my load time. As soon as Christmas was over I reverted to my standard theme. I don't know, if I'll make another change like that again, but once in great while it's interesting to see what happens. Oh well...I'm looking forward to participating in the challenge for a second year!
ReplyDeleteI was amazed by Rob Z Tobor in his efforts as a member of my team Arlee's Ambassadors. Visiting every blog is a massive undertaking.
ReplyDeleteArlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out
I'm a funny sort of traveler. When I find a blog I like, I want to keep going back to that one, even though I like finding new places, too. I'm overwhelmed at the idea of visiting ALL of the blogs, but I'll find some new favorites--places and people I feel connected to. I'm sure it will be another good trip.
ReplyDelete