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In Which Arlee Bird Explains Why Blogfests Are a Big Deal

A to Z Challenge, April 2011, by Arlee Bird

A to Z Challenge, April 2011, by Arlee Bird

Many of you would remember the mega-blogfest, A to Z challenge, held in April. That is how I met mega-blogger Arlee Bird, or Lee, and with his support and encouragement along with that of a host of others, I published my first, experimental e-book: A to Z Stories of Life and Death. If not for the A to Z blogfest, there would be no such book.

Today, Lee has agreed to share his wisdom on a topic he knows much about, namely, Blogfests. So take it away, Lee!

Fun and Gains with Blogfests

What’s the deal with blogfests anyway?  You’ve undoubtedly seen them and many of you have even participated in at least one of them.  Why would you want to participate in a blog event?  Let me give you my answer.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, a blog networking event, as I prefer to think of these fests, involves bloggers signing up to participate in a themed activity in order to get one’s own blog some exposure while, at the same time, being able to interact with other bloggers.  The activity of such an event might consist of writing something with a common theme in mind, listing favorite things in a chosen category, or some other creative exercise which showcases your own blog and allows you to learn something about other blogger participants.   Or a blog event can be as simple as adding your blog link to a list from which you can find other blogs to follow and others can follow your blog.

To put it more succinctly, the primary intent of the blog event is to network and gain followers.  Sure, an event like this is usually full of fun and diversion, but it seems to me that the time investment required to adequately participate in one of these events should, for the serious blogger with a goal to attain, have some kind of payoff.

I don’t want to get too much into the controversial issue of followers.  I’ve said plenty about this topic on my own blog and it has been often discussed on other blogs.  Usually one offshoot of joining in a blog event will be gaining new followers, but more importantly perhaps is that the exercise provided by a blog event may help you to become a better blogger.

So what type of blog event is the best?  It depends mostly on what you want to achieve.  If you just want followers, then a blog hop that is a “you follow me and I’ll follow you” type of an event is a good way to rack up followers.  There is little commitment other than trying to follow as many other participants as you can and making sure that you follow anyone who follows your blog.  There is great potential for gaining tons of followers, but not much in the way of building a cadre of regular readers and online friends.

The blog event that asks you to do more than just show up seems to me to be the preferable option.  You add content value to your blog, show others what you can do, and learn about the other bloggers who are participating.  You make blogging investments that will result in your having a better blog and building online relationships that can be mutually beneficial.

I’m of course partial to the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge   not just because I started it, but mostly because I have seen the value of what is put into the participation and gained in return,  and the lasting online relationships that come as a result of being a participant.  The A to Z Challenge is a month-long event that requires daily input of content to one’s blog–that’s why it’s called a Challenge.  The ultimate value comes in the interacting with the other bloggers.  Participation in an event like the Challenge will hone your blogging skills and instill greater blogging discipline.  Becoming a part of the larger community of the other bloggers is the added benefit.

In the end it comes down to how much you’ve invested in a blogging event.  You’ll usually get about as much as you put into it. It’s always to your advantage to have quality content on your blog.  You garner greater respect from other bloggers and give them a reason to want to come back.  You will also strengthen your internet presence with strong and frequent content.   When you leave substantive and relevant comments on the blogs of others, those bloggers are more encouraged to check out your blog in return and reciprocate with their own comments.  And don’t forget to acknowledge all of the comments you receive on your blog.

When you see an event or blogfest that piques your interest, think about why it would be good for you before you just dive in.  What is the point of the event?  How does your blog fit in with what the event is about?   And perhaps most importantly, can you make a sincere commitment to the fest or are you just adding your link to another list with no intent to participate?  The latter is a bad reason and it won’t make you any new friends.

Also, evaluate your own blogging goals.  What is your primary purpose in networking with your blog?  If you are just in it for the social aspect, blog reputation based on strong content and internet presence is not particularly important.  However, these things are vital if you are blogging to establish a platform.  A solid, well-directed blog event can be a fast track to adding to one’s platform via blogging.

The Blogging from A to Z April Challenge of 2012 is sure to be even bigger than the last one.  This is an event that in its two years has rapidly gained a favorable reputation among all kinds of bloggers worldwide.  If you want to be part of one of the best blogging events around, I encourage you to plan on joining us next April for a blogging experience you will not forget.  Be watching my blog Tossing It Out for details about the Challenge and the sign-up list which will probably be in place next February or March.

A to Z stories

Stories from A to Z

Next time you see a blog event that appeals to you, join in the fun.  You can meet some pretty cool bloggers in these blog events.  That’s how I met Damyanti–in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge of 2011.  Damyanti’s contributions to the Challenge inspired her to put together a book compilation of her A to Z stories.  And as was the case with Damyanti, you might be so inspired by the event that you could possibly come up with an idea that you can use later.  Blogging events are definitely worth looking into.

Damyanti, a big thank you for inviting me here today.  And thanks to all of the readers.  I will be happy to respond to any questions or comments that you leave in the comment section below.  And I hope you visit me at Tossing It Out !

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Arlee Bird- A to Z challenge

Arlee Bird

Arlee Bird has spent much of his life in the field of entertainment and related industries.  He grew up in a family of jugglers and now applies the juggling metaphor referring to himself as “a juggler of words and phrases” as he becomes more dedicated about his pursuit of a writing career.  A widely varied background that includes management, sales, marketing research, and even construction provides Arlee with a diversity that is helpful in his writing endeavors.

As the author of the blog Tossing It Out and the originator of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge, Arlee has gained a decent reputation and a loyal following among those in blogging circles.   His blog primarily deals with writing, blogging, and memoirs, but has been known to go off into many other topics as well.

Currently living in the Los Angeles, California area, Arlee majored in English at the University of Tennessee before dropping out a few credits short of graduation in order to run away with a traveling magic show.  He later obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix.

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Rule of Three Fiction Blogfest

Rule of Three Fiction Blogfest

After Lee’s post on Blogfests, it would only be fitting to plug the month-long blogfest I’m helping organize, The Rule of Three. If you’re a fiction writer, what are you waiting for? Sign up here!

Damyanti Biswas

Damyanti Biswas is the author of You Beneath Your Skin and numerous short stories that have been published in magazines and anthologies in the US, the UK, and Asia. She has been shortlisted for Best Small Fictions and Bath Novel Awards and is co-editor of the Forge Literary Magazine. Her literary crime thriller series, the Blue Mumbai, is represented by Lucienne Diver from The Knight Agency. Both The Blue Bar and The Blue Monsoon were published in 2023.

I appreciate comments, and I always visit back. If you're having trouble commenting, let me know via the contact form, or tweet me up @damyantig !

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8 Comments

  • Karen Lange says:

    Nice to meet you, Damyanti! Thanks for hosting Lee, and thanks Lee, for a great post. Have been seriously considering A to Z and this just may tip the scale in the right direction!

    Have a great weekend!

  • Arlee Bird says:

    Patricia –You should try to host your own blogfest. Just do your research to make sure you aren’t conflicting with another event and that you schedule far enough ahead to promote it adequately. Then leave lots of comments on other blogs that will direct people back to your blog to find out about your event.

    Gargi — Without the blogfest fans we wouldn’t have any blogfests.

    Gladys — Don’t underrate yourself too quickly. There are blog events for everyone that require varying degrees of effort. They are not all labor intensive and don’t all require that much creativity. The real fun is in the networking.

    Joy– The interactive nature of the blog events is really what it’s mostly about. There are plenty of side benefits, but getting to know others and allow them to learn about you and your blog is the biggest plus.

    Alex — I think you have gained a reputation for being the King of Blogfests. I know they are a lot of work, but you seem to manage all of yours very successfully.

    Lee
    Tossing It Out

  • And I’ve gotten so much out of both A to Z Challenges! To me, it’s even more fun to host blogfests, which is why I do several a year. And I give each one my all.

  • Arlee, I have to admit, I was a little reluctant at first to participate in blogfests. I wasn’t sure what they were all about or that I’d have the time to visit other blogs. I think the A-Z was either the first or second one I participated in and I enjoyed the challenge of finding something writing/food related to chat about each day. I also met some wonderful people and we’re still visiting each others blogs. The best thing is how much people are willing to support each other once they know what you’re about.

    I agree that knowing what you want out of blogfests is important. Makes no sense to sign up if you don’t have the time to visit and chat with other people.

    Damyanti, I would love to participate in yours but with all the editing I have to get done for the book I want to release later in the year, I don’t think it will be possible. Wishing you lots of success with it. It sounds like fun and I think it’s gonna be big, with good things coming out of it.

  • I am a fan of Damyanti. I am amazed at her ability to produce such good writing in the space of a few minutes. You have both convinced me that I would be useless participating in these events. I am far too slow with both writing and reading. True, I do have sight problems and my body creaks with age, but it isn’t just that. I can’t touch type and I make many mistakes when trying to speed up. Inspiration has faded. I admire anyone who can cope with these sort of events — good luck and powerful writing to all of you!

  • Gargi Mehra says:

    I entered two blogfests last year and enjoyed doing them both. Count me in as a fan of blogfests!

  • I’ve been tossing around the idea of doing my own blogfest, but not quite sure yet. Great post though, I met both of you through the challenge and Damyanti and I tweet each other constantly as result.

  • Arlee Bird says:

    Thanks for hosting me, Damyanti! I’ll be monitoring the comments in case anyone has any questions.

    Lee
    Tossing It Out