Callapidder Days

Note: Spring Reading Thing 2009 has begun! Visit the official launch post to sign up as a participant or to see what everyone is reading!

Planning on joining Spring Reading Thing 2009? Here are a few things to add to your SRT T0-Do List:

1. Start working on your list of books. I just sat down to consult with my bookshelf yesterday, and I’m ashamed to admit how many books I own but have not yet read. I wrote them all down… and then realized I’ll never read them all in just three months. So now, I must narrow down my list and decide which books I’d really like to read between March 20th and June 20th.

Spring Reading Thing 2009 starts in two weeks. Have you started your list?

2. Write your post before you sign up on the Mr. Linky that goes live on March 20th. I know that it can be tempting to try to get your name near the top of a reading challenge Mr. Linky, but please, please have your post written and published on your blog before you add your name to the Mr. Linky list.  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 going to join 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, 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. Use a permalink when you sign up. In other words, 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 March 20th, 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/2009/03/spring-reading-thing.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 challenge, 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 contact me (just click the “contact me” tab in my navigation menu above). 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!

4. Keep your post family-friendly. I realize that, with hundreds of challenge participants, the Spring Reading Thing is going to represent readers of various reading interests. However, I do request that you keep your “official” Spring Reading Thing post (the one you add to the Mr. Linky) family-friendly and “clean.” In other words, please make sure that any book titles or book covers you include would be safe for little eyes to see. I’ve had kids participate in my reading challenges in the past, and I just want to make sure the links presented on the official Spring Reading Thing list are safe for them. Links to posts with explicit titles or covers may be deleted. Please feel free to check with me ahead of time if you’re not sure about a particular book.

5. Get ready to read! Personally, I plan to abandon all housework, bill-paying, and cat-puke-cleaning during the spring season, so I can focus exclusively on reading. Okay, maybe I won’t go that far, but I do hope to rearrange my schedule a bit to fit in some more reading. I also plan to visit as many Spring Reading Thing participants as I can, to find out what they’ll be reading this spring and to share our mutual love of books and reading. I encourage you to visit other participants as well. It’s fun to be in the challenge; but it’s even more fun to enjoy the challenge with others.

I’m still organizing the final details of the Spring Reading Thing. Next week, I’ll give you more information about the giveaways and prizes that will be part of Spring Reading Thing 2009. It’s all coming together very nicely and I’m looking forward to telling you all about it!

As always, if you have any questions, just leave a comment here or contact me privately.

Oh, and one more thing: I’d love it if you would help spread the word about Spring Reading Thing 2009! Post about it, put a button in your sidebar, let your friends know about it — however you want to spread the word is okay with me. Let’s get as many readers as we can to be part of Spring Reading Thing 2009! Thanks!

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