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Hi Everyone, and welcome to the first day of a completely NEW way to be part of the community of bloggers about Children's Literature.
For the next 21 days, MotherReader and I challenge YOU to leave 5 comments a day on different blogs that you read.
Research shows that it takes 21 days to form a new habit, and the habit we're going for is engagement in our COMMUNITY.
How do you find the blogs?
Here are five tried and true ways to get to 5 comments a day:
1. Blog leap-frog. Go to a blog, like this one, or MotherReader's. Scan the links list of blogs we love, and click on over. Then, click on THAT blog's links to the blogs they love. You'll get to five fast!
2. Dive into the amazing resource of the Bloggers' Carnival of Children's Literature - check out the links to past blog posts and look at the current posts as well!
Here's December's hosted by Lori Calabrese
November, hosted by Wendy Wax
and check out all the carnivals, past and present - and think about submitting your own article for January's carnival here, at Anastasia Suen's Carnival of Children's Literature Information Hub.
3. Do a google blog search on a topic that fascinates YOU. Go here.
4. Browse the extensive blog lists over at KidLitosphere Central's member pages, with lists of:
Bloggers in Children’s and Young Adult Literature,
Author and Illustrator Blogs,
and Publisher/Editor/Group Blogs.
It's an amazing resource.
5. Check out the list of fellow Comment Challenge participants at the sign-in post over at MotherReader's. These are your fellow kid lit bloggers, and it would be great to spread the commenting love in the group!
What do you say in a comment?
Don't get caught up in the feeling that you have to craft an entire essay in response to a blog post. If a certain point the blogger made resonated for you, that's great to share. If you agree, or (respectfully) disagree, that's great to share as well. The idea is to engage in a conversation - to say, yeah, I hear you. Thanks for telling us what you think - here's what I think...
What's in it for you?
The benefits of participating in The Comment Challenge:
1. You'll discover a lot of great new blogs that interest you.
2. More people will discover YOUR blog (two or three good comments will have people clicking back to see what you blog about!)
3. You'll feel more connected with the community of children's literature bloggers - and over the course of being part of this challenge, it will become YOUR community, too!
4. There will even be some prizes! Including random winners pulled from commenters who check in at the one- and two-week marks here! (Look for those posts, January 12 and January 19)
So what are you waiting for? Go check out some amazing children's literature blogs, and start tallying up your comments...
Just click on over to MotherReader and leave us a comment saying you're "IN" and taking the challenge.
And hey, if you comment here as well, you'll only have 3 more comments to go for today!
Join us!
Namaste,
Lee
32 comments:
Love this! Thanks, Lee.
Hooray! I participated last year and while I couldn't quite keep up five comments a day, I did comment more, in general, in 2010, compared to 2009. AND, my blog reader grew and grew and grew as I found blogs of interest to me.
So, thank you two for the motivation and support.
brenda
This is such a helpful write-up! You hit all the high points - where to go, who to talk to, what to say, and why it matters. And of course, when... starting NOW!
I'm doing it! Yay! :) e
Thanks for all the tips in your kickoff post, Lee. I had not heard of doing a blog search before. Learned something new today! Yeah!
I'm so glad to be joining in again this year! My goal for this year is to be a better blog commentor instead of just reading, so this will help tremendously!
I'm so glad the comment challenge is happening again - last year it really made a difference to me, my blog and the enjoyment I get out of blogging - all because of the connections made.
Thanks so much for doing this, Lee! Also timely: Today at www.nathanbransford.com, he wrote a post on how to write a good comment. (It's some no-pressure advice.)
Lee,
This is great advice and it just so happens that one of my new year's resolutions is to be a more active part of the blogging world.
Thanks for this awesome post.
warm regards,
Nutschell
I tried this last year and loved seeing what's out there. Thanks for this. Leap frog!
I love it - look at all the comments! Off to get in my Five a Day, too (and no, I'm not counting this comment on my own blog!)
Namaste,
Lee
Since my blog is so new this comes at a great time for me!
I don't count comments on my own blog either. We take the high road, man!
Ah, but Jim, it's like Greg Pincus (http://www.thehappyaccident.net/) says, "you should be sleeping with your #1 commenter" - of course, because that commenter should be YOU, engaging your commenters in the conversation!
He's a wise one.
And I guess, so are we!
Namaste,
Lee
I'm so excited about this challenge. I read at least 6-8 blogs from he KidLitosphere regularly, but don't often comment. I've been thinking about starting my own and this will be a great opportunity for me to 1-start a new habit and 2-really think about what is out there and what I might be able to contribute. Thank you!!!!
Great ideas! Thanks for all the links. This is going to be a fun challenge.
Thanks for letting us know about this. I plan to sign up!
Great stuff, Lee. And I thought it was quite nice of Nathan Bransford to post today about How to Write a Good Blog Comment. It's a nice follow on to your ideas, I think!
Excellent advice, Lee and thanks for cohosting!! I'm going to now go check some of your links!
The only problem with comment challenges is that some days I feel I "talk" to more adults on blogs than I do in person. Great tips for finding blogs.
Thanks for the inspiration! I'm in!
Wow. Thanks. What a great way to just get over it (funny how you can even be shy in cyberspace) and get on with it (sharing in the passion for kidlit, reading it, sharing it!!). Really appreciate the tips!
Just signed up and am thrilled! Really looking forward to discovering all of these amazing blogs as well as meeting some new writing comrades along the way. Great post and awesome site!
Thanks for organizing this again, Lee. I "met" a bunch of great bloggers during last year's event.
Carmela
Can't wait to get started. I've been a lurker for years...time to change my ways :)
We're in. Thanks for the tips Lee. We'll be checking back for more tips and more blogs to follow
Last year I did not know what a blog was. This year, I'm in on your COMMENT CHALLENGE. 'So exciting how time changes us...thank you! I'm looking forward to exploring the world in here even more. A.
Thanks for hosting this great contest! I sent an email to MotherReader donating a signed copy of my book for a prize - now, I'm off to comment! :)
The Management over at Pen and Ink blog asked that I write a witty bon mot. Uhhhhh......ummm....Sorry, you may have to actually go there for the "witty" part. Thanks Lee for doing this again this year. We're happy to be a part.
Thanks for the tips, Lee.
I'm joining in a little late. Guess I have some catching up to do.
Inspiring, Lee! I'm glad you & Pam host this every year--reminds me to be better about clicking through from my feed reader.
I just ran into this so I'm starting today. Great idea. I'm thinking following Twitter is another great way to stumble upon good blogs.
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