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So, how did it go?
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Commenting is a good habit to get into
it reminds me that I am not the only one who like[s] comments.
-Alex
I found some great new blogs and connected/reconnected
with some amazing people. I even joined a conversation on another person's blog
that continued back and forth there before it moved over to my blog as we
shared similar interests. What fun!
-Michelle
My goal was to change my thinking about comments…
one of the things this challenge reminded me is that
one of the best things about blogging is the dialogue.
-Debra
I visited everyone who
signed up.
I've got some new boo[k]s to read and found some wonderful posts. A
very enjoyable journey.
-Susan
it was a lot easier
this year than last year, because after last year, I kept commenting regularly!
-Mrs. Silverstein
It was my first year in the comment challenge, and I
had a great time! I loved having new visitors to my blog, and I stretched
myself to leave thoughtful, reflective comments on as many blogs as I could
visit. (Even when captcha attempted to thwart me!)
Definitely a win - win
experience!
-Cathy
While I was nowhere close to 100, I definitely
commented more than I ever have and I loved it!
-Stacey
This was my first time participating in the challenge.
It led me to some wonderful posts and I discovered blogs that were new to me.
Thanks for hosting.
-Jeanette
This was my first time doing some like this and I
really enjoyed it! I found so many wonderful blogs and added a lot of books to
my reading list. …It's helped get me into the habit of commenting (and not
overthinking the comments)!
-Katrina
at
it's core the Comment Challenge is a reminder that we're all connected by a
love of kid lit that we share across the kidlitosphere, and that's a beautiful
thing.
-Lee
***
It's been 21 days, and the goal was to leave 5 comments a day on kid lit blogs. We gave you one day off, so the numerical goal was 100 comments. But there were other goals, hidden inside (and besides) those numbers. Tell us about those, too!
Leave us your responses in comments here (you're so good at that by now!) and I'll update the body of this post with some choice quotes throughout the day and weekend ahead.
Winners will be randomly selected for prizes (kid lit and teen books, naturally) and MotherReader and I will announce those next week.
I'm off to New York for the Winter SCBWI Conference, so the comments will be approved in bunches - please be patient with me (and with my internet connectivity on a travel day!)
I'm still (somewhat unrealistically) aiming for 100 comments, but I figure I have until the end of the last day... today! So I'll chime in a little later on with how I ultimately did... stay tuned.
***
Lee's final update, at 11:43pm Thursday January 31, 2013: This year was really challenging. I got nowhere near 100 comments, clocking in at 35 total. I know, I know. But I'm determined to keep going and visit EVERYONE's blog who signed up. Participating did make me realize that I miss the interactions and discussions and engagement, as I've become so busy that my blog-hopping and commenting has really slowed down... and I did enjoy the blog reading and commenting I managed to do! I learned something else, too: It's okay to not be perfect. Sure, I wanted to get to 100 to be a good example, but perhaps this year I'm an example that there's a lot to be gained from the comment challenge even if you just put more intention into the blog reading you do! Even if you leave a handful, or even one, comment more than you might usually do. Because while it's great to cultivate a new habit like 5 comments a day, at it's core the Comment Challenge is a reminder that we're all connected by a love of kid lit that we share across the kidlitosphere, and that's a beautiful thing.
***
I'm grateful to all 73 people who signed up for participating, and to everyone reading this for being part of our wonderful kidlitosphere community!
I hope the Comment Challenge fired you up about commenting on blogs and participating in the online discussions more throughout the year ahead. We'll be back in 2014, and until then...
Comment On!
Lee
11 comments:
This is my third comment challenge and I look forward to it each year because I know I will be finding more blogs that I like and it is a change to visit old friends. And it reminds me that I am not the only one who like comments.
Commenting is a good habit to get into and Comment Challenge helps to jumpstart that habit.
Thanks, Lee and Pam for hosting this again this year.
WOot WOot! I made it this year (this is comment 101 and the day isn't over)! I was much better prepared than last year for the time I would need to commit.
I found some great new blogs and connected/reconnected with some amazing people. I even joined a conversation on another person's blog that continued back and forth there before it moved over to my blog as we shared similar interests. What fun!
I am wondering.. did others comment as much as last year? Or maybe you were like me last time- thought you could do it but fell short? It feels like people were less active overall this year than last year.
No matter- I still made some wonderful connections and my TBR list is now WAAAYYY to long. Thanks so much for sponsoring this again, Lee and MotherReader!
I totally didn't make it even close to 100 comments. I did one or two a day, which is a big improvement. My goal was to change my thinking about comments. For so long my attitude has been, "Don't even LOOK at the comments!" Beware of trolls and all that. But one of the things this challenge reminded me is that one of the best things about blogging is the dialogue. The Discourse Community of Kid Lit/YA Lit Bloggers, to borrow something from one of my grad school classes, is not generally given to trollery. It's a pretty safe place to have a conversation, and conversations are not one-sided.
Have a wonderful time at the conference, Lee. I know you will. I'm copying you on the comment I made at Mother Reader.
Last year I sat by my brother in hospice as he slept.To keep myself occupied I set a goal of 10 comments a day and exceded it. It's a bittersweet memory.
This year I kept my comments around 5 a day. I discovered I could do it an around 45 minutes. I found it was a reachable goal. I usually did it before turning the computer off for the night.
I've made 113 comments as Pen and Ink. I visited everyone who signed up.
I've got some new boos to read and found some wonderful posts. A very enjoyable journey. I'll post this same comment at Lee's so I'm not counting that. Thanks for the fun.
Susan at Pen and Ink. (drat!!! I thought you were turning off captcha.)
I posted over at MotherReader too, but I wanted to thank you also. I love this encouragement to be a good blogging community member--it was a lot easier this year than last year, because after last year, I kept commenting regularly! Not necessarily 100 a month, but enough that this month it didn't feel that difficult at all to get back up to 100. I hope you'll continue to hold this event; it's a fantastic way to remind ourselves to connect!
Perhaps I will see you at SCBWI (it's my first writing conference ever!) Can't wait! Safe travels!
Mrs. Silverstein - make sure to say hello! We're very friendly folk, we kid-lit types!
Susan, I tried to turn off captcha, but seriously I was swamped with spam - no kidding, more than 20 a day!)
If it's ever too annoying, just email me your comment and I'll post it manually, okay? leewind (at) roadrunner (dot) com
thanks for all the comments, everyone!
best,
Lee
It was my first year in the comment challenge, and I had a great time! I loved having new visitors to my blog, and I stretched myself to leave thoughtful, reflective comments on as many blogs as I could visit. (Even when captcha attempted to thwart me!)
Definitely a win - win experience!
Thank you as always for running this challenge. While I was nowhere close to 100, I definitely commented more than I ever have and I loved it!
This was my first time participating in the challenge. It led me to some wonderful posts and I discovered blogs that were new to me. Thanks for hosting.
This was my first time doing some like this and I really enjoyed it! I found so many wonderful blogs and added a lot of books to my reading list. I started a little late, but I'd hoped I'd be able to catch up and reach 100, but I fell short, only making it to 80. Still, it's helped get me into the habit of commenting (and not overthinking the comments)! Thanks for hosting this!
i did hilariously few comments but the blogs I visited to leave comments on were awesome. We are sooo in the information age. the wisdom bits are infinite. and a quest like this raises my awareness to a level beyond what i can do on my own. :) thank you Lee!
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