Sunday, May 3, 2015

Reflections on April's #AtoZChallenge

introducing some of the people who are part of my family tree
What can I say - I'm happy I took on the #AtoZChallenge, I'm happy it is May (so I am finished), and I feel a little bit like that sunflower - exhausted but pleased that my efforts paid off with a bit of color and bringing new life to my blog.

  • What Was Good
    • knowing that I was part of a team and that others were working away with great ideas and interesting posts to share; 
    • having a project that I was engaged in every day (except that Sunday day of rest thing); 
    • reading blogs that blew me away with their creativity and unexpected depth;
    • picking a theme that was easy enough to write about each day and that taught me something every single time I blogged;
    • learning more about a number of family members in my Legacy family tree; and
    • hearing from other bloggers with comments (love comments) and from the co-hosts with encouragement (definitely made me want to continue and finish strong).
  • What Was Bad
    • falling behind a few times and playing catch-up (never fun); 
    • not spending enough time before April preparing for the blogging challenge; and
    • being crazy enough to want to treat my 2 blogs fairly meant I wrote 2 posts each day - some days it was 2 much!
  • What I Will Do Differently Next Year
    • Yes, I am already thinking about next year and I will start planning in about 6 months;
    • Once I have my theme (and I think themes are a huge help) I will start scouting images and word clouds as I am visual and thought it added something to my posts;
    • Write up my posts in advance - I need to get even farther in front of the project (3 to 4 days would be ideal);
    • Check in more often with other bloggers - I read 3 blogs each day just by clicking on random numbers in the #AtoZChallenge list. I definitely want more time for this aspect of the Challenge as there were so many great bloggers taking part; and
    • Encourage more of my friends and fellow bloggers to join in the fun - there is strength in numbers!
Did you follow along during the month by reading and/or posting? Did you find some new blogs to follow? Are you going to be a repeat next April? 
  • Thanks to the co-hosts for tips and suggestions, as well as your written encouragement.
  • Thanks to Jeremy Hawkins for the great artwork/graphics - normally I am not a yellow person, but I went with the bold yellows and blues and it worked. 
  • Thanks to any readers out there who gave a +1 to my posts, shared them on Facebook, or made a comment - you don't realize how much your encouragement meant. 
  • Thanks to the other Legacy software bloggers - you kept me going and I learned so much from you. 
  • Thanks to the websites that have information about given names, most especially Behind the Name and Nordic Names.
  • And finally thanks to all those family members from Ireland, Norway, Slovenia and Sweden for such great given names - your given names made the #AtoZChallenge fun, educational and entertaining - knowledge, it's a good thing.


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4 comments:

  1. I'm sorry I discovered your blog so late in the Challenge! I'll have to go back to read your posts, since I'm a major name nerds (my other blog is a names blog), and I love the Slovenian people.

    It's so helpful to have all the posts written, scheduled, and edited in advance. I already know next year's theme, and have most of my topics selected.

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    Replies
    1. Wow - you are on the ball. I need a short break before I think about theme and topics again.

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    2. I didn't realise you wrote two blogs during the challenge - I found writing one enough! I really liked how you managed the AtoZ theme and your family history.

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  2. Just now getting around to visiting the blogs in the challenge. April was a busy month for me. Congrats on completing the A to Z Challenge! Looking forward to next year! See you on the Road Trip!

    Mary
    www.JingleJangleJungle.net

    ReplyDelete

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