Blogging from A – Z, Blog Hop Christmas Event of the Year!

by M. J. Joachim

I’m getting ready for the Blogging A – Z Challenge, what I like to think of as the Blog Hop Christmas Event of the Year. Just like Christmas, months of preparation and paying attention to every small detail, can and will make a huge difference in whether one catches the spirit or not.

In a common gesture of human decency – something no Christmas would be complete without, here’s a list of things we all can do, to get ready for the annual season of gift giving, in the case of the A – Z Challenge, receiving and welcoming visitors, exchanging kind words and generously making most (if not all) of our April blog posts, worthy of the esteemed participants who will meet and greet us in turn.

Plan Your Menu

• Appetizer:  This is your unique and phenomenal idea.
• Salad or Soup:  Transform your idea into an energized topic or theme.
• Main Course:  Perform the necessary research and background work to develop the most ultimately satisfying content.
• Dessert:  Top it all off with something delicate, rich and scrumptious.
• Gourmet Coffee & Digestifs:  Bid them a soothing close to such a delightful and decadent meal.

Clean & Decorate the House

It’s time to put away all the old dust collectors and get rid of all the junk. Step back and take a good look at the blog(s) you plan to enter in the 2013 A – Z Challenge. Check your stats, review your posts and make room for a festive celebration.

Plan your content presentation – no, not merely the words you’ll be writing, but the actual presentation of those words. Will you use pictures, and if so, how?  What about your titles, headings and subtitles? Are they going to attract more visitors, because they’re catchy and true to your actual posts? Are you going to make them stand out, or keep them a bit more subtle, to add to the overall ambiance of your blog?

Create a small notebook, providing one page for each letter. Scribble and jot down things as they occur to you, so you can be concise and deliver the perfect blog post, to the most receptive blog audience in cyberspace. Short is considered a bonus in this party. However, I’ve found some amazing blogs that delivered longer posts, because they were delivering the goods, and not taking the easy way out.

Put Up the Outside Lights

Naturally you’ll want to display the A – Z Badge somewhere on your blog. The question is where? While you’re considering this enthusiastic question, it might be time to untangle some of the old lights – you know, find and replace the one, solitary bulb that seems to have killed an entire section of the strand. Yes, I know, you might have to invest in a new theme, test out some advanced layout options and change up a few link colors. But hey, if it means you gain more than your share of faithful new blog followers, it might be the highlight of your season.

If you still have a bit of energy after all this, then you can become Santa’s helper, and contact Arlee Bird to see if he’s hiring any elves or having trouble with any of his flying reindeer.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

See you at the A – Z Challenge,

M. J.

Photo credit:  Stock.xchng Image ID 1179098

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