This Is Me--2024 A to Z Theme

My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2024 the theme is a personal retrospective that I call "I Coulda Been" which is in reference to my job and career arc over my lifetime. I'll be looking at all sorts of occupations that I have done or could have done. Maybe you've done some of these too!

Monday, March 28, 2011

The Final Countdown



         This is it folks!  This is the week that the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge 2011 begins.  This past weekend I've watched as sign-ups for the Challenge surge toward the 700 mark.  Does anyone want to give us an 800?  Do I hear 1000?  You know at this point at the rate we're going it's very possible.

          There have been some great posts with tips on how best to approach the Challenge and ideas on how to make the experience easiest for all of us.  Please consider some of these great suggestions that others are making, and if you're doing something that you haven't seen anyone else mention please let the rest of us know.  Watch the blogs of all of my co-hosts this week for any other last minute ideas or words of encouragement.

          Soon we'll see who has what it takes to finish the Challenge honorably.  From last year's experience I think it will be most of you. 

          Some of the blogs signed up may have no intent in participating or will have decided to drop out for some reason--this is the nature of any blog event on this scale.  If you happen to run across a blog that is not actually participating in the Challenge or is only added to the list for show, please let me know so I can contact that blogger first to see what's happening, and if necessary drop them from the list.  We don't want any of us to be wasting our time clicking on blogs that have misrepresented themselves as part of the Challenge--I hope there are none like that.

           Also, let me remind you to follow blogs that you are not yet following.  No blog should end this Challenge without having at least 100 followers.   For those of us who already have a large number of followers this may not be such a major thing, but to those new blogs with only 5, 10,  or 25 followers, to reach 100 would be major for them.  Remember when you were just starting out?  Believe me, I will never forget.      

            Some of you have sent me some great ideas on how to make the Challenge better.  I truly appreciate these innovative ideas and I hope you will keep them coming.   For most of these suggestions it is too late to act upon them, but I will be definitely keeping some of these in mind for next year.

             Whoa!  Did I say next year?  Have I gone mad?  From the looks of things this year, the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge of 2012 will be massive with more improvements to make it even better.  But first things first--this Friday is April 1 with 25 more days of blogging to follow.  Have fun!

            Are you ready for the start of the Challenge?   Do you have any ideas that might make the Challenge easier for others?   Do you have any plans to post anything special this week about the Challenge?

Nicki Elson scored another online news article.   This one surprised me as it popped up on my "Google Alerts".  Thank you Nicki.   Check out the link.



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69 comments:

  1. Thanks Lee .. for all your support, advice and encouragement ..I'm sure it will be one major success for all concerned. And we will all learn so much on many aspects ... bloggers new, creative ideas, marketing promotional approaches .. etc etc

    Great - (don't roll on Friday) but roll on!! Hilary

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  2. You've done a tremendous job promoting and encouraging this, Lee. You should get a gold star. I've picked up some great blogs this weekend and gotten some followers as well. I prob. won't post anything else this week (but I'll be reading and commenting) as I'm cleaning up paperwork and clearing the slate for April. Hope you had a nice weekend!

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  3. I can't believe how many have signed up. It's gona' be great!! Looking forward to it.

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  4. It's amazing and wonderful how many people are going to join in! :-)

    I've decided to chose a special theme for my ABC posts, have a look: April ABC Challenge

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  5. One amazing event! It has already been great fun.

    Thank you so much for the work you have put into this.

    I am ready to go!

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  6. I keep saying how amazed I am at the number of entries, never did I expect all of these,
    I shall be away Tuesday and return home Wed. going to see Daniel but will be back in time for the onset on Friday.

    Have a good week
    Yvonne.

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  7. Holy guacamole! :) Do I smell a thousand participants? That's almost enough to win presidential elections in Blogging world :)

    PS, I'm sending you an answer to your e-mail later today, after I close my office for today ;)

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  8. I am super excited to be a part of this. I have only been blogging a short time and I have to say you're attitude and outlook to blogging are exactly what I have been looking for. Thanks for hosting this. I can't wait.

    I wanted to ask about the daily posts. This might be a silly question but for example the first day is A so the post should be about something that begins with the letter A? or how exactly???

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  9. Well,first I am amazed that we are nearing the 700 mark. Second, I am ready. I have written almost all my posts which truly amazes me. It has been very fun to work through each letter and write the posts.

    As far as anything special, there are no proposals, birth announcements, or even a job prospect in my posts, but they are very informative and interesting. They will add some very wonderful facts and information to many if they choose to drop by my blog. Especially on the day for "L" I will be introducing a new hobby, "word", and new "skill" to probably all of those who chose to read on that day.

    Lord willing, I am already looking forward to the 3rd Annual A-Z Challenge.

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  10. OOPS I forgot to add I have one more reminder blog about the challenge scheduled to post on the 31st!

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  11. Posted my expectations today on the challenge. You sure know how to make a girl feel pressure :)
    Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

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  12. There's probably some broken links as well...
    My last minute tips go up on Wednesday.
    I'll check out some of our newest particpant's blogs this week. And then Friday is the main event!

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  13. I can't believe the challenge starts this Friday! I wish I could say I had all my posts pre-written.

    I'm getting a little bummed as I haven't heard back yet from our local paper about the Press Release. The person who originally contacted me was excited about it, but perhaps the writer she assigned to the story isn't. Do you recommend contacting them again?

    Have a great day, Lee!

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  14. Joining for the first time I'm quite nervous but I got to see it up to the end! Beyond Zzzzzz :)

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  15. Thanks for these kind words so far. Sounds like we've got some bloggers all set to go on Friday.

    Brianna -- If it is a local paper I would call back to see what the status of the press release is. They probably get a lot of stories and things get backed up. If you keep your story fresh on their minds they will remember better. Just be polite and nice and ask if there is any other information they need. I'm facing the same situation with certain papers that seemed interested but my problem is that they are 3000 miles and 3 time zones away from me. My local Los Angeles papers are tough to crack and I really haven't had the time to pursue it adequately.
    Good luck, Brianna. If nothing else you've planted the seed of your name and maybe next time you contact them with a story they will be more receptive.

    Lee

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  16. As a relatively new blogger, I am looking forward to the challenge!

    I just started following you and I'm already impressed!

    Thanks for putting all this together!

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  17. Ah The final count down. I love that song! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_IKcMl_a9A

    I have been planning my posts and have written about 6 of them so far. I think preparation and planning is key. Prescheduling posts means you can write and design the posts when you have more time Good luck eberyone.
    :O)

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  18. Man, you people are brave souls....
    Here were are, a few days from the Big Challenge, and I'm still all wishy-washy on the concept.

    Godspeed to you!

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  19. Andrew -- C'mon. Just do it! You know you want to and are perfectly capable of doing a great job with it. Wishy-washy is as bad as namby-pamby.

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  20. Oh, wow! It's amazing how many people signed up. I'm basically all ready to go, and I've already been thinking what I might do special next April for the challenge too. Yes, I am thinking about it as well. You've done a great job, and I can't wait to get this party started, so to speak. :)

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  21. This will be my first year participating and I am definitely excited. I just heard about this and I just started following. I'm also a bit nervous. Having not written in so long, this'll definitely be a challenge!

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  22. Wow, the A-Z Challenge numbers are amazing! Am hoping to participate next year. Looking forward to seeing the posts this year. Thanks for the link!

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  23. Over 700 now! That's amazing!!! I'm happy to hear you're already thinking about next year, since last night as I was working on THIS year's posts, I got a fabulous idea for next year's. ;)

    I'm going to go visit the other organizers now to keep up on the latest tips, etc. Thanks for all your hard work, Arlee---looking forward to getting started.

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  24. I'm already thinking about next year too ;) I've got pretty much 1 blog down, and the other blog still under construction - I hope I can make it!! Good Luck to you all!

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  25. I'm so excited... and I just can't hide it...
    My one eyed count down has begun, I just hope the other one doesn't go down else I'll be dictating my A-Z blogs for my long suffering other half to upload!
    You are a complete hero for organising this... *deep bow*
    Lx

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  26. Your blog is lovely. I am looking forward to participating!
    jean

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  27. I'm such a slacker. I still haven't started writing my posts, but I'm 95% of the way toward knowing what I'll be writing for the month.

    The articles that I've read on how to do the challenge have been helpful. Looking forward to exploring more blogs and meeting new people.

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  28. I can't believe you made 700 plus! CONGRATS! I just remember posting to get you to 500 LOL.

    I should be amazing and insane at the same time...

    I am so looking forward to it.

    Michael

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  29. 700 participants is amazing. I'm planning to post up an introduction to my A to Z on Wednesday 30th March. I'm going to be using a brand new word. My blogs will be called quadragintal blogs because each one will be exactly 40 words. (The word was created with the help of fellow blogger Sarah Callejo) It's fascinating how much clearer a piece of writing can become when constricted in this way.

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  30. Wow. 700...absolutely amazing! I'm not able to participate this time around, but I'll definitely be checking the blogs out. I'm taking a break for April from blogging myself, so I can finish editing my ms. With family and work and all I just can't blog every day :) I thought I'd leave it up to the a-z participants and have fun reading what they all have! Good luck!

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  31. Starting to panic. I have no game plan, I know Fridays post, but thats as far as I can go. Writers block, Uh Oh. LOL
    Im really happy for you Lee, this has really taken off. Whe its all over you deserve a big ol' chocolate cake or somethin'.

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  32. Well CRIPES...now look what you made me go and do--sign up for A to Z Challenge. Really? goodness, you have the power of persuasion.
    Actually I can blame you but need/desire to be a little more spontaneous so that's why I signed up...but if all else fails, I can still blame you!
    :)

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  33. Again, I thank all of you for your wonderful words of compliment and encouragement. After we finish with this April it looks like we'll be planning for 2012.

    Mercy or anyone else who is having "writer's block" or any apprehensions about what to write about -- If all else fails, think of a topic about which you are very interested and then Google it. You can find alphabetical lists of just about everything in most general topics. For example, authors, songs, countries, restaurants, or you name it. And don't forget the dictionary. You don't have to have a theme either. Random topics are fun.

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  34. Over 700???? THat's huge! It's going to be such fun :)

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  35. Inhale. Exhale. Ooommmm.....off to schedule a few more posts. Gonna take it easy till Friday as far as posting and visiting.

    Bring it on!

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  36. I’m going to track all the blogs I visit – well, maybe just the new blogs or maybe I’m make a spread sheet listing old and new and followed and blue. It’s late. I’m tired and well, April is also poetry month so I’m getting a head start.

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  37. Arlee, I am getting all pumped up for this challenge. I have never done anything like this before. Eek! Can I make it? Can I make it? That is a lot of posting for little ol me.

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  38. Hi! I just found your blog through a friend's blog and I've signed up for the challenge. I've had my blog going for awhile now but don't get much traffic, so I'm really excited to be participating in such a great, fun event. I just completely rearranged the layout and look of my blog on the weekend, good timing! lol
    I'm going to post a blog entry about it tomorrow and add the button to my blog, hopefully at least a couple people will see it and will join!
    Thanks for having such a great challenge for us!

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  39. Forgot to mention: I'm now your 750th follower! :-)

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  40. That's a great idea to contact bloggers signed up but not participating. I want to focus on visiting those bloggers who really want to get the most they can out of this. Thanks again Lee for your vision and all your hard work.

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  41. Hello!
    I've a new blogger at http://www.socialsciencemedley.com/ that just started following you. This challenge is pretty inspiring, so I'm glad that I decided to go on and join. It's amazing to see so many bloggers at one location. Thank you!

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  42. I'm counting down to the sight of my google reader feed exploding! So many people I know are blogging along that the entries should start stacking up in no time!

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  43. I'm still pretty new at blogging. To date I have been blogging 2-3 times per week so it will be a challenge to be funny everyday. I announced my participation yesterday on my blog: http://www.laugh-quotes.com/2011/03/endings-and-beginnings/

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  44. Hi! Great blog! I have spent the last 30 minutes looking around and can't get enough.
    I also signed up for the challenge and I'm looking forward to keep my creative juices flowing!!

    Thanks!
    Halli
    http://halligomez.blogspot.com

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  45. Up to 51 blogs for YCN writers now, and more to follow!

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  46. I'm ready as a radio to be a rootin', watchin', and enjoyin' spectator - go for it, y'all! (wink)

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  47. I was just wondering how we were all going to manage to read 600+ articles every day throughout April, or is that what the Sundays are for lol :)

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  48. Ooo...I am so excited and thrilled that the number of bloggers signed up has exceeded your wildest dreams!

    I know I keep saying this over and over like a broken record but KEEP YOUR POSTS SHORT!

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  49. Plain Jane -- Yes, you can do it! Don't stress and have fun.

    Sweet Marie -- Excellent! Thank you.

    Marie Ann -- Thanks for your efforts.

    Tony -- Anyone who manages to even get through 100 blogs a day needs to share their methodology. 600? Not gonna happen. Not even on a Sunday.

    Ellie -- Keep reminding us.

    Welcome to all of my new followers and to new sign ups to the Challenge!

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  50. I'm so excited the time is finally here!

    I'm still working on some--okay, most--of my topics, but I am SO ready for April to start.

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  51. I'm so excited about this Challenge! It looks like it's going to be a lot of fun. I've scheduled the first two weeks--I want to spend as much time as I can visiting/commenting/following, meeting new people.

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  52. Hi, New to blogging, new to your challenge and very curious as to how this challenge works. Didn't really see any rules page but then again I am tired and my eyes aren't so focused. Following your blog and checking back soon for more details. Regards from Norway, hope the time difference is taken into account :)

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  53. Siv Maria -- In a nutshell, in A to Z we will be blogging every day except Sundays during the month of April with topics starting at the letter A and going thru the alphabet with one letter per day. Click on any of the links of co-hosts listed at the top of my page or click on the Apple Badge in the sidebar and you should find more detailed instructions. Let me know if you have any further questions.

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  54. Lee, you've done a great job with a great idea. I wish I could participate but have got to finish up with my holiday story. And I checked out Niki's link...awesome!

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  55. Brand new follower, and future A-Z challenge taker! can't wait! Thanks so much for sharing such awesome creativity!

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  56. OMGoodness! I can't believe how many people have signed up! I hope everyone is doing short posts...YIKES!

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  57. Short posts during April will be much preferred.

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  58. http://fabulositynouveau.blogspot.com

    I honestly appreciate people like you Arlee because there is so much value add in going through your blog. I've been at blooging for almost three months now and it is my first attempt to right anything of my own other than to do lists and therefore need as much help as I can get. I really started blogging because of my love for books I suspect. I say suspect because even though it wasn't a conscious decision it seems my blog is getting swamped with books and their creators.

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  59. Wow--up to 775 signed up! I've been having fun finding new blogs to follow.

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  60. I'm signed up and ready to go...I hope!! Now a GFC follower of your amazing site!!

    Monica
    http://oldermommystillyummy.blogspot.com/

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  61. Heya! I'm actually going to have to step off the list :( I'm number 445, The Writer Coaster. I'm looking for your contact info at the moment, but thought I'd leave a comment in case I couldn't find it.

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  62. I am ready (I hope), as I am still quite new to blogging. I have only recently learned of this challenge and signed up, and I am ready to go and write my "A" post, but I am still confused as to how it works. Do I post it somewhere so you know I am participating, or just hope that I am found in the list of 700+ blogs?

    also, is there a time to post. I am in New Zealand, so it becomes April 1 in 4 hours (I was going to post in the am, about 16 hours from now, is that ok, or is it on US time?

    I just added your badge to my sidebar.

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  63. Thanks for all you are doing. My "theme" is centered around writing.

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  64. HI-thanks so much for hosting. I just signed up and it sounds like fun. I saw the button on another blog and came over to check it out for myself. Looking forward to visiting some new blogs!

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  65. Greetings to all new entrants. I hope I have responded to all above mentioned concerns--I'm starting to lose track some. Let me know if there are still any questions.

    Lee

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  66. lee please point me to the section that gives the instructions on what to do. My understanding is that I just have to make sure I post on my daily basis on my blog. Is there something else?

    Wendy

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  67. I am #936 signed up for the challenge!I am so excited for this challenge. I have been blogging for a few years now and it is one of my favorite things to do. This will be great getting to know other bloggers out there.

    Sheila
    Why Not? Because I Said So
    (http://www.whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com)

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  68. I'm geared up. My strategy is short posts, reflect on the things I've written already, clean up my keyword tags and use those as inspiration to share more about my Sci-Fi kids.

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