#atozchallenge Hello! Howdy! How Are Ya?

The great Yogi Berra was known for his unique way of twisting the English language. He knew exactly what he was talking about, but sometimes it came out in an unintentionally funny manner. One of my favorite quotes of his is this:

You should always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't go to yours.

What he meant to say was that if you want people to care about you, you should show them that you care about them. Or, to put it in blogging terms, if you want people to read your blog, you should show that you want to read theirs.

That's the purpose of the A to Z Challenge, after all: to open your blog up to a wider audience, to hold a dialogue with other bloggers and non-bloggers. Nothing can be more disheartening than writing a fantastic blog post and not getting any feedback from anyone. Likewise, nothing feels worse than leaving a comment on someone's blog and having the blogger ignore the comment completely.

The Golden Rule applies here: Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you. If you want people to come visit your blog, go visit theirs, and be sure to leave a comment when you go. If you want people to reply to your blog comments, be sure and reply to the comments people leave for you.

It isn't always easy, I know. There will be days when you fall behind in keeping up with comments, and life happens when you're busy making other plans. But you should make the best effort you can to reply to comments, and to visit the blogs of people who visit yours.

"Okay, John," I hear you say. "There are hundreds of bloggers signed up for the A to Z Challenge; how am I going to get to all of them?"

I'll tell you right up front, you won't. You can't. At least not in the thirty days of April. I'm sure, if you didn't sleep and did nothing all day but visit blogs, you might be able to do it, but you have a life, too, and it's not good for you to spend that much time sitting in front of a computer. So, don't try.

Instead, resolve to visit a few blogs every day. Say ten. Take the list of blogs and visit the five bloggers before you and the five after you. So, if you're number 789 on the list, visit 784 through 788 and 790 through 794, as well as all the bloggers who have left you comments. If you have more time on your hands, visit the ten before and after you. Or, you could do what I did one year and visit ten blogs each day whose numbers were chosen by Random.org. Visit them, read what they have to say, and leave them a comment, even one that just says "Hi! I'm stopping by from the A to Z Challenge. I enjoyed your post!"

And, just so you know, the list of blogs that participated in the challenge will be around at least through the end of the year. That gives you eight months to get through the entire list. More on that later.

John Holton
The Sound of One Hand Typing
The Sound of One Hand Typing FM


**editor's note: Check out our Helpers page, that lists all the awesome bloggers donating their time to make the Challenge run well! We hope you'll visit and tell them you appreciate their work! ~AJ **

Tackling the Challenge with Gusto!

So the Challenge is lots of fun and excitement for those who enjoy this business of blogging.

One of the best things about the Challenge is meeting new people and finding cool blogs that are super-interesting. However, the only way people will know you've visited is if you leave comments on their blogs. That not only says that we've dropped in, but that we were engaged enough to introduce ourselves.

There's no better way of fueling the gusto to continue visiting participants than to charge through a section of the list each day.

You'll find that by leaving meaningful comments, other bloggers will gravitate to your blog. So it pays to put your energy into crafting creative posts and making as many visits as you can, so you can power through the Challenge with gusto!

Are we having FUN yet? #atozchallenge

Your first full week of A to Z is concluding!

Are you having FUN?

This challenge, first and foremost, is supposed to be an enjoyable experience. While it is designed to challenge you, your focus, writing skills, and your blogging resolve, all of that is moot if you are not having at least some amount of fun with it.

A to Z fun can take many forms. Here is how you can achieve them:

1. Getting appreciative comments on your blog
Sure, "Good post!" is also a sign of appreciation, but everybody loves to get more detailed, personal comments. People reciprocate: The better comments you leave, the more likely they will visit you back and show their appreciation for your work. Everyone likes being complimented.

2. Finding new blog treasures
Visit at least a small amount of new blogs every day. Work your way down the list (even if it's at the pace of a snail). You will find treasures - people, blogs, and themes you love. Make sure to bookmark of Follow them, so you can come back later for more.

3. Making new blog friendships
Blog friendships can last beyond A to Z, and they are the best outcome of the challenge. Nurture them, build them. Connect with your new blog friends through other media - follow them on Twitter, friend them on Facebook, whatever. Enjoy getting to know all the wonderful people out there who share your interests.

4. Participating in the community
Join us for the #azchat Twitter chats! Talk to others about the challenge. Make yourself at home in the A to Z community.