1.29.2014

Minions/helpers needed! #atozchallenge

As we announced over on the A-Z blog today, us co-host types are in need of a few good people to work behind the scenes to make the Challenge run well. I think I'd like 6 or 7 wHooligans to help me out. Here are some details:

  • You'd get a super-awesome badge to put on your blog, identifying you as one of my people.
  • We'll list your name as a helper on the A-Z blog - this is really great for traffic, as we get TONS of visitors over there leading up to and during the Challenge.
  • I'd like to do a feature post on each of my wHooligans in the two weeks before the Challenge, so you get to benefit from my extra traffic too!
What you'd be doing:
  • I'll have a list of participants' blogs to keep track of. Y'all would be my team to actively support those folks as well as make sure they're actually participating (they're not just an ad site, etc). 
  • You'll need to participate in our private blog where we'll keep track of all the goings-on with our list.
That's pretty much it! Being an A-Z helper is super fun and a great way to make new blogging friends. I was on Tina's Terrific Team last year and it made the Challenge just that much more awesome! 

Leave a comment below if you are interested :)

1.27.2014

A-Z Sign-ups are open!!

You guys! You guys, you guys, you guys, I'm so excited!
The April A-Z Challenge sign-up is open! The guidelines are included in the post below (make sure to read ALL the guidelines before signing up, please) but basically, we do a blog post every day in April except Sundays, with a topic going from A-Z. Last year I wrote character sketches and you can check out my posts from last year, starting on April 1st. Or take a read-through of the ever-popular Percy's Pick Your Plot Prequel, which was last year's entry for the letter P :)

This blog hop is one of my favorite things about blogging - meeting all the people, seeing all the random blogs, laughing at people's silly themes.. It's really a good time.

And! This year I am one of the official co-hosts of the Challenge! That means I'll be running around behind-the-scenes making everything work and helping to keep things fun. Have you done the Challenge before? Want to help out? I am looking for a team of 'minions' to help keep everyone encouraged throughout the month, and make sure the Challenge runs smoothly. If you're interested, comment on this post and we'll get you hooked up!

And now for the official details...

Please read and follow the sign-up instructions outlined below so you sign onto the list correctly!   

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out, the A to Z Challenge is posting every day in April except Sundays (we get those off for good behavior.) And since there are 26 days, that matches the 26 letters of the alphabet. On April 1, blog about something that begins with the letter “A.” April 2 is “B,” April 3 is “C,” and so on. You can use a theme for the month or go random – just as long as it matches the letter of the alphabet for the day.

We recommend short posts, turn off Word Verification, and visit five blogs (or more) a day beginning with the one after yours on the list.

To streamline legitimate blogs from advertisement blogs, the Co-Hosts will be visiting each blog on this list throughout the Challenge. Blogs on the list showing no activity once the Challenge starts will be removed.

There are categories for those looking for like-minded blogs. Select ONE category code and enter it after your blog’s title/name. The code applies to your blog, not your theme for the Challenge and is purely optional. However, if your blog has adult content, you MUST mark it (AC) or it will be removed from the list. Codes are as follows: 

1. WRITING: (WR) 
2. BOOKS: (BO) 
3. FILM: (FM) 
4. PHOTOGRAPHY: (PH) 
5. GARDENING: (GR) 
6. CRAFT: (CR) 
7. ART: (AR) 
8. MUSIC: (MU) 
9. CULINARY: (CU) 
10. LIFESTYLE: (LI ) 
11. FASHION: (FA) 
12. PERSONAL: (PR) 
13. SOCIAL MEDIA: (SO) 
14. GAMING: (GA) 
15. EDUCATION: (ED) 
16. POLITICS: (PO) 
17. HISTORY: (HI) 
18. SCIENCE: (SC) 
19. HUMOR: (HU) 
20. TRAVEL: (TR) 
21. MISCELLANEOUS: (MI) 
22. ADULT CONTENT: (AC) 

Be sure to grab the badge and display it in your sidebar so we know you are participating and link to the 
A to Z Blog. 

For more information we recommend you follow the A to Z Challenge Blog and the hosts:

Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/
Damyanti@Amlokiblogs http://amloki.blogspot.com/
Jeremy @ Being Retro http://www.beingretro.com/
Nicole Ayers - The Madlab Post www.madlabpost.com
M. J. Joachim's Writing Tips http://mjjoachim.blogspot.com
Heather M. Gardner http://hmgardner.blogspot.com/
AJ @ Naturally Sweet http://frodofrog.blogspot.com
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian http://unconventionallibrarian.com/

We also have a Facebook page,
email address is infoatoz2014@gmail.com,
and the Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge.

Sign up below and join us for a month of alphabet fun!