bloggiesta Party - ch ch ch changes

 Bloggiesta

hosted by Natasha of Maw's Books

January 8th, 9th and 10th, 2010

It's time for the 2nd annual Bloggiesta - get out your party hats, whip up some mexican food, mix up a few margarita's and join in the blogging marathon.   Bloggiesta is the brain child of Natasha and the purpose - to clean up and improve and make ch ch ch changes to your blog.   You know, those little things that have been nagging at the back of your mind.  Like changing your header, updating your links, improving your labels, etc.

There are multiple things to do as suggested by Natasha:

• Write reviews.
• Write backup posts for a rainy day.
• Write that great post idea from three months back.
• Work on series posts.
• Write guest posts.
• Put out invitations for guest posts.
• Conduct and edit author interviews.
• Create template posts for your future reads (ie: title, images, linking, tags, etc,) so you can open up, write review and post without being bogged down with technicalities
• Clean up your tags, archives, books reviewed list, etc.
• Create a text file (or Google Doc) of cheat sheets (html codes, post url’s, etc)
• Improve your blog template, clean up sidebars, add a favicon, install those plugins that you’ve been meaning to do.
• Add or edit your about me page, review policy, disclosure policy, privacy policy, create landing pages (for example – an about me for Twitter readers page) or any other pages you might have.
• Any bloggy type housekeeping that you’ve been neglecting.
• Clean up and update your challenge lists.  Link up your posts with hosts.
• Make sure all of your social network profiles are up to date.  Brand yourself through those profiles with color scheme, images, etc.
• Go get a gravatar.
• Visit the Blogging Tips group on the Book Blogs Ning and find ways to improve your blog.
• Work on any specialized projects that you may have going.
• Clean out and organize your feed reader and blog subscriptions.
• Create an elevator pitch.
• Make business cards.
• Find a blogging buddy.
• The sky’s the limit!

I now have three blogs so you can imagine what goes into keeping them up to date and writing posts.  My Two Blessings had a mini make over recently when I accidentally blew it up.   There are some things I still need to work on such as a new header, update the link bar and a few other things.   I want to arrange for some Author and blogger guest posts for 52 Books in 52 Weeks,  add the disclosure policy and find a way to encourage all my new participants to comment, comment, comment.   I've decided on a A B C  theme for 52 Books which is working for me creatively, so going to do the same thing with Mind Voyages.  The A B C Theme hopefully will help me to be a bit more creative with weekly topics.  Such as A is for Apocalyptic and we discuss those books with an apocalyptic theme.  Then B is for Bester and I highlight the Hugo winners books.  You get the idea.  I'm a little bit intimidated by all your wonderful sci fi blogs with all the cool information.    I don't just want to do a regurge of everything else out there, so will give some thought to the posts will be doing weekly.  I also want to arrange for some guest posts.  Any suggestions you guys have will be totally welcome.    Even though I've been blogging for three years now, I'm a novice when it comes to having guest posts and doing interviews.   So I'll be joining in with the 100 plus other bloggers this weekend and come Monday, we'll all have nice, shiny, clean blogs.

Come join in the fun.  There will be mini challenges and all kinds of interesting things going on this weekend. Click on over the Natasha's, sign up and get to work.  I think I'll go make some Enchilada's now.