This is something I find beneficial on both sides. I get to read
some great posts from a variety of people on a variety of subjects, and I learn
things from them. I comment on those blogs and end up with others visiting my
blog to see what I’m all about. This is a great tool for authors and is a lot
more fun than self-promotional marketing, but there are so many more benefits
that extend beyond the selling of books.
There are people all over the world who have the same
interests as I do. There are even more people who are vastly different in their
lifestyles, interests, and beliefs. I enjoy learning about all of them, to one
degree or another .
One blogger makes me laugh. One helps me in my quest to grow
my own food more efficiently. One makes me wistful for when my children were
younger. Another calls me to a deeper commitment to my faith. Yet another helps
me to think more logically. One simply produces wonderful art I wish I had the
talent to create.
You never know what’s out there until you start looking . The
A to Z challenge has been a wonderful vehicle for this, and I’m already looking
forward to next year.
I agree, I love reading other blogs. Although sometimes, like this week when we traveled for several days, I fall way behind in my reading and the entire process causes me stress.
ReplyDeleteThis month has been a challenge, to say the least! But I'm determined...
DeleteDon't stress. Just enjoy and come back next time. :)
I'm often less interested in writing my own than in heading off to other blogs.
ReplyDeleteI seesaw between being chock-full of ideas and having crickets chirping in my head.
DeleteFor this blog, at least I keep a regular Monday & Friday schedule, but my personal blog only gets sporadic attention. Other people are much more fascinating.
I enjoy visiting a variety of blogs, Lynda. It can also be helpful to gain ideas that may help with writing. It stimulates my imagination and I can learn so much.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of how huge and tiny the world is at the same time.
DeleteI love seeing how many wonderful and creative people there are out in the world. Blogging - and this A-Z Challenge - help me meet them. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying finding so many great people out there! A to Z has certainly given me a push in the right direction.
DeleteI enjoy all the blogger buddies I visit, and many of them aren't writers.
ReplyDeleteI find the variety of people and personalities keeps me wanting to learn more, regardless of whether the blog is about music, writing, art, or a personal struggle. And I'm encouraged by every comment I get, knowing that someone took time out of a busy day to read and let me know he or she was here.
DeleteI'm not a writer for a start and Alex is kind enough to visit me regularly. I do so agree - you do end up 'meeting' some great people in the blogosphere.
ReplyDeleteSame here, Jo! I may not have "met" you if not for the challenge, but I'm enjoying your blog quite a bit!
DeleteI learn so much through blogging. AND I have made some cherished friends.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing to me the number of bloggers out there who are just terrific people.
DeleteGreat advice. I love my computer because my friends live in it. I've made some wonderful friendships on here, and some of them go back years. There's this one chick for example, a book editor, who's posting every day with this A to Z thing...
ReplyDeleteEnough about her. What about ME? ;)
DeleteI have so many new friends I may never meet in person, and I enjoy every one of them.
This post was very meta today. I'm having a busy day, so I was thinking, "I hope I have time to pop over on some blogs," and lo and behold, when I get a spare minute, what do I find but this? It was kinda creepy, to be honest.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, happy Friday. I can't believe you're on V already, darn the month went by fast.
Happy Friday to you as well! And I'm glad you made the time to visit here. I'm okay with creepy, and apparently you are, too.
DeleteFour more days of the alphabet...it doesn't seem like the month is heading to a close "so soon," though in many ways it's seemed incredibly long.
The variety and the possible connections are infinite, aren't they. That's part of what makes this Challenge so exciting.
ReplyDelete"Exciting" is a great word for it, Lee. I've gotten to know a lot of people through the A to Z who share my warped sense of humor, and that's been great.
DeleteLike your cat! That cat loves me. :)
Great point and post! That is why I enjoy doing the A to Z challenge.
ReplyDeleteShawn from Laughing at Life 2
Thanks, Shawn! Yours is one of the blogs I'm happy to have found.
DeleteIf you search enough blogs you discover that you're not so crazy after all...or that you're in really great company
ReplyDeleteSo you're finally admitting you like my company? It's about time you told the world...
DeleteI've tried associating with memes such as Theme Thursday, Flash 55, Sepia Saturday... All of them introduce you to a wider crowd of people. In today's post you give good advice for writers and people in general. :)
ReplyDeleteThe A to Z has been the first real blog-get-together thing for me, and I'm enjoying it so much, even while suffering the exhaustion of it.
DeleteI agree. It's fun to read other's posts, and by regularly visiting other bloggers, you build friendships and develop a sense of community.
ReplyDeleteReading about your family cracks me up, Sherry. And it makes me wistful for when my kids were younger.
DeleteI do my best to visit new as well as revisit blogs throughout this month. Sometimes it's very hard to keep up. Ok, who am I kidding. With over 2000 blogs, it's really hard! And you're right, there are some really interesting topics and bloggers out there I wouldn't have met otherwise. :)
ReplyDeleteJamie Dement (LadyJai)
My A to Z
Caring for My Veteran
Keeping up with 2000 has certainly been beyond my capabilities. BUT BUT BUT I've found some real gems I'm enjoying right now, and have met a lot of people who have come here to visit me. I love it.
DeleteIts exciting exploring strange new blogs, yeah it really feels like we're in this together.
ReplyDeleteSome stranger than others! But the sense of community is wonderful.
DeleteI like this one. Of course I like this one, you wrote it. The connections in the blogging world are wonderful. ;)
ReplyDeletehmmm I thought you said you liked *all* of them.
DeleteAnd I'm seriously forever grateful you dragged a bunch of your friends over my way.
Visiting other blogs help me a lot to evolve ss a writer during this month
ReplyDeleteV for Viscous Solution
That's what it's all about: the sharing of ideas.
DeleteSpeaking of Blog Visits....Thanks for yours to my blog and for the thoughtful comments on my posts. I have so enjoyed visiting your AtoZ Challenge posts, and look forward to visits in the future.
ReplyDeleteSue at CollectInTexas Gal
Thank you, Sue! Your photos have been so full of life and details, I feel like they're my family, too.
DeleteI go to this blog and maybe a couple of others. I don't blog but I am trying to learn how. I tend to try to be eloquent which I guess is not a prerequisite if a few blogs I have visited in the past are examples. (not this one)
ReplyDeleteEloquent? No. I try to aim for "coherent."
DeleteIn the end, I've got to be myself, which doesn't always lend itself to coherence. But being myself is what makes the blog enjoyable to me.
The blogs I tend to visit more often sound real to me and not the "how great can I make my life sound?" type. People share their experiences, good and bad, as if we're all sitting around the dining room table after a good meal, and it makes me want to get to know them better.
I could probably do that.
DeleteSo very true, Lynda, and I appreciate your support this Challenge. I haven't stopped by as much as I would have liked, but glad we could still connect as I find your blog pretty darn interesting :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mark, for the kind words. I've enjoyed your blog as well, laughing a lot over the shows that were "do not miss" status in my house while growing up. I seem to be managing about every two to three days for visiting everyone I'm aiming for, so I'm going to consider that a victory.
DeleteMay will bring a little bit of a breather for all of us, and we can visit at our leisure. :)
Interesting post, Lynda. I haven't managed to get around as much as I would have liked this month so am now doing a last minute sprint and finding so many interesting blogs, including yours!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Paula. I think each day I've discovered a new blog and am playing catch-up with what's been happening. "Last-minute sprint" is a pretty good term for it!
DeleteLynda, I agree with you. There is so much to learn from others in a wide variety of places and with a wide variety of interests. We are fortunate to have the internet to do this.
ReplyDeleteI too am enjoying the A to Z Challenge, and I will be doing it again next year too.
I really am fascinated by some of the blogs out there, and am thankful for the wonderful tools the Internet makes available. The A to Z has been like a month-long party for me. An exhausting party, but one I don't regret.
DeleteThis is so true.
ReplyDeleteThere are many interesting people/blogs out there... and we can exchange ideas... learn from one another...
And when the a to Z challenge is over, we can visit at a leisurely pace, get to know others better.
I'm glad we connected via the challenge Lynda!
Thank you, Michelle! I'm glad we connected as well. Your blog is one of the ones I've tried not to miss. I am SO looking forward to that leisurely pace I keep hearing so much about.
DeleteThis is one of the best pieces of advice a new blogger can take. Yes visiting blogs can be time consuming, but it's also entertaining and I learn so much. I'll admit that I can't wait until A To Z is over and I get to take my time with the blog visits because there aren't so many.
ReplyDeleteI wish more people would realize that community-building is not going on Twitter and shouting. It's all about the blog interaction. Thanks to the A to Z Challenge, I have a bigger blog family filled with a lot of pretty interesting people. I'm looking forward to the catch-up time, too.
DeleteThis is such a great concept, as well. I really need to get better at this. One of my new year's resolutions is to visit on average 10 blogs 5 out of the 7 days in the week. I learn so much from other blogs, but I haven't been doing very well at that. Except for during April. Hopefully I'll keep up with it :)
ReplyDeleteApril blog visiting has felt, in many ways, like a progressive dinner. I've stopped here for appetizers, there for soup, yet another place for salad and then the main meal at a fourth place. Dessert is coming back to my own blog and reading/replying to comments.
DeleteI am going to try to keep up with the blogs I've found through the A to Z and perhaps get around to visiting some of those I've missed, once I have my leisure time back again.
I just do drive-by commenting, so it appears as though I'm engaging while I'm actually too self-centered to bother reading the article.
ReplyDeleteSo if my comment seems off-topic, I'm sorry but half my mind was on something interesting...
As long as you don't say, "Great post! Thanks for sharing!" I won't shun you.
DeleteBy "interesting," I'm assuming you mean my other posts, of course. Because let's face it, each new one is more fascinating than the last.
Hello? Hellooooooo . . . Martyn? Come back here!
What? I was reading Raymond's blog. You should read it, he's pretty interesting. Especially that blog article on info dumps with that guy who writes about that freelance assassin...
Delete