Just a few housekeeping notes about the upcoming Spring Reading Thing (remember – it starts this Thursday!).

1. DO get your blog post written. Include the list of books you plan/hope to read this spring, and include a link back here, to Callapidder Days (preferably to the Spring Reading Thing post that goes up Thursday, but a general link to Callapidder Days would be fine). The Mr. Linky will go up Thursday morning (or Wednesday night, if I am really on the ball), and will remain open throughout the spring.

2. DO NOT add your name to the Mr. Linky before you have put up your post. If I click on your name/link and do not see your post and reading list, or if it takes me to a post that says, “I’m doing the Spring Reading Thing but I don’t have my list yet. But I’ll do it soon.” or something like that… I’m sorry, but I will have to delete your entry from the Mr. Linky. Not because I’m mean (although I’m quite sure my 9-year-old would tell you that I am indeed mean at times). But because it’s simply not fair to the other participants who have already prepared their lists and blog posts. Of course, once you have your post/list up, you are more than welcome to come back and submit your name again.

3. DO use the Mr. Linky to link directly to your Spring Reading Thing post, not just the main address (front page) of your blog. When you see the Mr. Linky here on Thursday, you’ll see a space where you can type your name (or the name of your blog, or whatever you’d like) and a space under it for your URL, or website address. In that space, you’ll need to put a “permalink” to your Spring Reading Thing post.

For example, instead of something like:

http://myniftyblog.blogspot.com

You’d want something like this:

http://myniftyblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/spring-reading.html

I completely made those addresses up, but you get the idea. Blogging Basics 101 has an article on how to find the “permalink” to a particular post HERE.

Once again, your link will be deleted if it does not go to a specific post (the one with your reading list). And again, I’m not being picky about this to be mean, but rather as a courtesy to all involved. People will be checking out everyone’s lists throughout the spring, and we want to make it as easy as possible for them to find your list. That means submitting a link to your specific post, rather than a general link to your blog.

If you have tried and tried, and read the post at Blogging Basics 101, and are still having trouble figuring out your permalink, please feel free to email me (there’s a link in my sidebar). I would be glad to help you and to get you signed up on the Mr. Linky with the correct link. Depending on the volume of email, it might take me a little while to get back to you, but I definitely will. I want you to be part of the Spring Reading Thing!

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Okay, now that all those nit-picky details are out of the way, you can get back to making your list. And I need to get back to making mine!