 |
For me, the challenge wasn't in posting everyday. In a normal month, I average 20 posts. Adding a few more is no big deal. (There's a reason my Saturday posts were just pictures.) The challenge for me is keeping up with all blogs I normally follow as well as visiting the requested five new blogs a day.
I couldn't do it without Feedly.
According to my groupings on Feedly, I'm following about 30 new blogs. In addition, I visited nearly 130 other blogs. And that's not counting the blogs I was following before the challenge, many of which were also participating. That's a lot.
By the end of the challenge, I was #159 on the list. I started with the blog under mine. I visited blogs until I had commented on 5 new blogs. By Z, I had gotten to #360.
(I say "commented on", because not every blog did I comment on. Some had dropped out. Some I could not leave comments on--Wordpress users, if you only allow Wordpress users to comment, I can't. And some... Well, I just had nothing to say. So I didn't.)
Many of those bloggers did not return the visit. I understand. My blog isn't for everybody.
But what was amazing was how many new visitors I did receive. I am humbled. Thank you for dropping by. I hope I see more of you in the months to come.
On G day, I started a giveaway. (I felt so clever, coming up with a giveaway for G day.) It ran through the challenge. Winners have been chosen. Congrats to...
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Winners were drawn and contacted on Friday. If you have not heard from me, check your email. Then check your spam. If you didn't get the email, let me know and I'll resend.
And now I get back to my normal schedule.
Although, one last thing. I'm also a moderator at Unicorn Bell. May 11-15 is my next posting week. I do book tours and book promotions. If any of you have a book you'd like to promote, let me know. At the moment my week is completely open.
WHEWT! Congrats for making it to the end!
ReplyDeleteTo you, too.
DeleteIf I didn't already have a tour stop next week, I'd take you up on that offer.
ReplyDeleteYou're right - it's the commenting that is the challenge. And it is sad for those who never returned comments. They probably didn't get a lot of visitors.
I am happy to have met you through the challenge. Good reflections post!!
ReplyDeleteThanks. It's been great getting to know you, too.
DeleteCongrats on being a survivor!
ReplyDeleteGreat reflection post! I too agree how frustrating to comment on some posts. I do have a Wordpress account only because I set up a blog there awhile back and once you have an account, you can never delete it, LOL (believe me I tried). It was hard to find something to comment on with some blogs too and I do admit I skipped some for that reason :) I do plan to visit all doing reflections though I'm not doing one, LOL :)
ReplyDeletebetty
Yeah, some blogs just don't lend themselves to comments. That's when a question or two helps--gives us something to say.
DeleteI won?! YAY!!!! Unfortunately, I didn't see the email. It might have gotten mixed up or went into my spam and I didn't see it when I cleared it. Oops!
ReplyDeleteKeeping up with the blogs is the biggest challenge. I was discouraged as a co-co-host when bloggers didn't return a single comment when I visited them several times. :\
Yes, you won. Congrats. I'll resend the email right now...
DeleteYeah, there were a couple great bloggers that didn't return a single comment. So, I chose to keep up with the ones that did.
It was great to meet all those new people. There's always a lot of cool people doing the Challenge. I'm glad that it's over, though. It's exhausting.
ReplyDeleteYou did great! I found it the most challenging in visiting new blogs and commenting. Congrats to the winners!
ReplyDeleteI think you did great. And you've always been very organized when it comes to blogging.
ReplyDeleteBeen thinking about Feedly and/or Bloglovin. I need some help to keep better organized. And Congrats! on finishing A to Z!
ReplyDeleteI'd never keep up otherwise.
DeleteFun challenge! Congrats on finishing it
ReplyDeleteCongrats to you, too.
DeleteI love your organized approach to visiting blogs! I enjoyed your posts throughout the challenge. :)
ReplyDeleteYvonne
Thanks. If I can't get a routine down, it doesn't get done.
DeleteI agree. Writing posts wasn't too bad, but I felt that I didn't get out to visit and comment on enough blogs.
ReplyDeleteI didn't get many new visitors who simply visited me from the list. Most of mine came from me visiting and commenting on theirs first. My reflections post is going up Friday. Not sure if I'll even add my name to the link, since most people don't really bother reading other people's. I'll just click around and read everyone else's and make new friends that way!
ReplyDeleteSame here. I've been reading the reflections of everyone who I followed throughout the challenge, and I'll try to get to the ones I visited once, but we'll see how this week goes first...
DeleteI wondered how bloggers kept track of the blogs they had visited. I tried to bookmark (I rarely subscribe by email anymore-it is just too overwhelming) blogs but I didn't get all of them - and, I am ashamed to say, I must have deleted yours somehow. I wanted to thank you for the opportunity to win one of your knitted card holders. I look forward to surprising a special someone in my life whose first name begins with "G". Alana - ramblinwitham.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome.
DeleteYeah, feedly works great. You can (I often do) go in and "mark as read" categories of blogs so you don't get overwhelmed. (Some days I just don't have time to get to them all, so some get skipped.)
Great job, Liz. So good to be done, though. Congrats, and thank you for visiting and the comments.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome.
DeleteI have never run a giveaway. But I'd love to! But I want it to tie into Life & Faith in Caneyhead. I can't figure out how to ship a dozen fresh yard eggs to a winner. I need to find something uniquely Texas and Caneyhead. When and if I do, I'll run a giveaway sure enough!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on finishing the Challenge! You're right - finding 5 new blogs to comment on was unexpectedly challenging. Some days I had gone 20 places down the list before I had found five to comment on.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on completing the A to Z Challenge! Looking forward to next year! See you on the Road Trip!
ReplyDeleteMary www.JingleJangleJungle.net
Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteIt's great that you we're diligent in visiting new blogs. I made my way down the blog list a bit, but not as many as I should have. Well done. And how cool to have a giveaway! Congrats on finishing the challenge. :)
ReplyDeleteAs long as you made it to some, you succeeded. And what is should? That list was massive. No way we could make a major dent in it. Not in a month.
DeleteI agree that the real challenge is making the rounds. As usual I didn't make as near as many visits as I would have liked, but I enjoyed many that I did visit. Someday I need to try that Feedly thing or some reader. Maybe that would get me better organized in making blog rounds.
ReplyDeleteAs to Wordpress blogs, I no longer have problems leaving comments and some of those blogs are really good. I used to have difficulty, but I've persisted and apparently now have the hang of it. My biggest gripe is that a lot of Wordpress bloggers seem to make no effort to comment on Blogger blogs saying that it's too much trouble. I don't believe that because a number of WP bloggers do comment on my posts and if they can do it so can the others.
In any case, yes, the cross platform commenting can be a real nuisance, but once you've got it down it's no big deal.
Thanks for participating in A to Z and for this fine Reflections post.
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Road trippin' with A to Z
Tossing It Out
Hello there.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on completing the challenge! I got to visit your blog during the crazy month of April and want to thank you for visiting me in return. I'm popping over again today from the Road Trip/Reflections linky.
Entrepreneurial Goddess