This post brought to you by Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out:
Today I had originally planned to post about the negatives of the A to Z, but instead something else came to my attention which I wanted to get your opinions on before I continued with the Challenge evaluation. I will discuss the bad next Monday.
Something else we'd like some feedback on:
Here's a link that was brought to my attention through my Google Alerts for "Blogging from A to Z Video Challenge"You might enjoy checking this out. I found it to be quite a surprise. I've never seen a YouTube notice like this which includes not only all of the entries for the A to Z Video Contest, but also many links to blogs that have something to do with the A to Z April Challenge. Check thisout. Your blog may have been included. Have you seen something like this from YouTube before?
So far in the Reflections or the evaluations posts I haven't read anything about the A to Z Video Contest. I'll tell you more of my thoughts about the contest in a couple of weeks, but perhaps you can tell us yours in today's comments. Did you pay much attention to the Video Contest? Do you think it added value to the Challenge? Were the video promos that were later linked to on Twitter, Facebook, and elsewhere effective in reaching those unaware of the Challenge?
Did you watch any of the videos? If you missed them, you can find them at YouTube or at the A to Z Video Challenge. How did you like this year's video entries? What suggestions would you give to the entrants?
Would you be interested in submitting a video for a future contest? Would quality prizes such as gift cards, video related equipment, cash, or something else be a greater incentive to participate in a contest of this nature?
What suggestions do you have concerning a video contest for the A to Z Challenge? Are there other types of pre-April contests we might consider to bring more attention to the A to Z Challenge?
There's lots of activity going on as we make our big push for 1000 sign-ups by March 1st. If you haven't signed up yet why not do it now. Also please consider liking the A to Z Facebook page. We're still sort of 200 likes there--shouldn't we have more like at least 700 likes? Same with this A to Z Blog. Have you clicked the "Follower" button yet to become a "Friend of the Alphabet"? Let's fire up some A to Z spirit!
We had some great posts on the A to Z Blog this past week. If you missed any be sure to go back and check them out. We are no longer accepting guest posts for the A to Z Blog as the schedule is now full. Thanks to all of you who have shown such hearty participation.
Fellow co-host Konstanz Silverbow is providing some incentive with a great give-away. Check out what she's offering at her blog No Thought 2 Small and then be sure to tell others about it as well. Somebody's going to win a very cool package.
Be sure to be at the A to Z Blog this coming Tuesday February 28th. I won't tell you what's going on, but I bet some of you can guess. Tuesday is a very special day to celebrate.
Sommer Leigh at Tell Great Stories provided one of the best A to Z posts that I've seen so far. Make sure you pay her a visit to thank her for providing this valuable information and make sure you follow her advice when the April Challenge starts. In fact, don't wait, start now!
RJR Daydreamer gave not only a nice summary of what the Challenge is but also provided an excellent graphic layout of what he did last year.
Donna Mc is a first-timer on her blog My Write Spotand she's getting organized for April. She provides some excellent tips on how to plan for the Challenge. I hope all of you will go through her checklist and make sure you've got these points covered.
Jman at Death of a Hardcore Gamer appears to be ready for April. I think you'll have loads of fun, Jman. Let all your friends know about this.
Susan Kane at the contemplative cat provided a round of A to Z brainstorming inspired by the "How It's Made" TV show.
Teresa at Journaling Woman was having an internal debate about the Challenge, but it looks like the Alphabet won.
Mish at Writer-In-Transit got very creative with her Challenge post. Just goes to show what kind of inspiration comes from Blogging from A to Z. Can you top this one?
Marcy at Maine Words(#235 on the Linky List) played the "Getting to Know Me" game by answering some of the questions posted to co-hosts. Always a good time to get to know one another better and everyone is welcomed to join in the fun.
Dave at Dave Wrote This is another blogger who joined in the "Getting to Know Me" fun--Dave went with the entire list. Whether you answer them all, just some of them, or make up your own questions; we'd all enjoy hearing some of your answers. As we head into the Challenge you might want to set aside a post to introduce yourselves to the others who may not know you yet.
Susan Gourley/Kelley at Susan Says provided some important tips on her blog that can't be said too many times. I hope everyone listens to what Susan says.
And hooray Inspire Nordic who also touted the Challenge on her blog. So glad you're with us this year.
Patricia Stolteyis a solid supporter of the A to Z Challenge. She's been giving weekly shout outs for us on her blog.
Janice at Jabbloghad some kind of snafu with her sign up on the Linky List, but it gave her a reason to post about the Challenge which is always good. Might as well turn lemons into lemonade.
Call it what you will, there's no reason to be in a tizzy about the April ChallengeLizard Happy--who is #370 on the sign up list by the way.
Tower of Archmage is a gamer blog that is returning to play the A to Z Challenge for the second year. Have fun!
Thank youChristine Rains for helping push for the March 1st 1000!
I'm learning about Twitter and in doing so I spotted Laurie Carlson's Challenge to her readers. Check out Laurie's great A to Z Post. Then follow her blog while you're there--she deserves it.
Spirit Calledput forth a call out for more folks to be a part of the April A to Z. Yeah! That's the spirit!
The adrenaline is pumping high at Whatever. Thanks Gossip Girl for your energetic post.
Susanne Drazic at Putting Words Down on Paper announced our drive to get 1000 sign-ups by March 1. Come on bloggers! Get everyone you know involved in the April Challenge. Let's make this a party to rival any Oscar party out there.
Lindi fromF.A.I.T.H. Girls gave the Challenge a nice mention and provided the link for others to sign up. Anyone can do this--how about you?
More and more of you are posting about the Challenge. We are trying to keep up with these posts to list on our Sunday Summary. I'm watching Google Alerts, emails from co-hosts, and the messages I receive from you who contact me. If you've posted something and we've missed it here, let me know and I'll try to put it up. In the weeks to come we may have so many mentions that I may have to distill them into the highlights and the most unique posts.
But Please! no matter what--keep on promoting A to Z to get more sign-ups. We are looking for 1000 by this Thursday and it would be nice to pass 1300 by April 1 so we can surpass last year. Our goal is to make the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge bigger and better each year. Thanks to all of you for helping us meet this goal.
And now a word from our sponsor courtesy of Ron Easton at Dads Unlimited:
Our fellow co-host from Retro-Zombie has been turning out some beautiful blog art for those who want to adorn their sites with A to Z decor. Check the tab at the top of the page for additional selections.
We're looking for you to start promoting the A to Z Challenge outside of the blog circle that includes you who have joined already. There are an untold number of bloggers who would love to do what we're going to do this April, but they don't know about it yet. When it comes to telling others, it starts right at your own blog. Have you been helping to spread the word about the A to Z April Challenge? It helps the cause when you tell friends and post publicity articles on your blog.
Here are a few that I found this week:
Lucy Adams announced her intentions to return to do the Challenge of 2012. We're glad to see you back Lucy. And thanks for that rousing plug for A to Z. I was surprised to learn that Lucy published a Kindle book based on her posts from last year--the third A to Z inspired book that I'm aware of. Take a look at ABC Book of Literary Devices.
Joyce Sully from Small Wonders is also going to be joining us in April. How do I know? She announced it in her blog! Welcome to the April fun.
At Older Mommy Still Yummy Monica tells about her experience in last year's Challenge and provides words of encourage to those who are considering this year. Nice job Monica!
I absolutely adored the alphabetical call to action from Anna Smith at Universal Gibberish. Go by and say hello after you read this for yourself.
Ella at Ella's Edge found her topic for the letter Z. She provides a peek into her April plans.
Cherie Reich is offering a promotional opportunity for published or soon-to-be published authors on her blog Surrounded By Books. Don't pass up this one up if you want to get your name out there a bit more. Free promotion? What's not to like about that?
Since we're on the subject of getting yourself promoted, if you missed my discussion of this topic earlier in the week please check it out starting with Tossing It Out and following the link trail from there. Self-promotion is nothing to be ashamed of nor be intimidated by. In fact, for authors or anyone with something they want the world to know about, if you don't promote it yourself it may not get done at all. Helping to promote A to Z will get your feet wet and make it easier for you to promote yourself later. Stephen Tremp has already stated his intentions on becoming a "publicity hound".
Show your support for all of these A to Z Challenge allies by visiting their blogs, leaving a message, and giving them a follow.
Tracy Jo at Brand New Day dropped a teaser in her blog that she has an A to Z video forthcoming for the A to Z Video Contest. I'm anxious to see what she'll come up with.
We're still accepting submissions for the A to Z Video Contest and you can find details in a tab at the top of the page. To inspire you here's an entry received this week from Dale Smurthwaite from Smurfin' the Web. Enjoy:
