Planning to join Spring Reading Thing 2011? I hope so! And I hope you’ve started working on your list, because the challenge starts this coming Sunday! In the meantime, here are a few posting guidelines/rules. I’m not too picky, but there are a few things I need you to do.

1. Write your post before you sign up on the linky list 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 participant list, but please, please have your post written and published on your blog before you add your name to the 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 list. 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.

2. Use a permalink when you sign up. In other words, use the linky list to link directly to your Spring Reading Thing post, not just the main address (front page) of your blog. When you see the linky list here on March 20th, you’ll find a space marked “Your name” 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.com

You’d want something like this:

http://myniftyblog.com/2011/03/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” button under my header). I would be glad to help you and to get you signed up on the linky list 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 Spring Reading Thing 2011!

3. Keep your post family-friendly. I realize that, with potentially hundreds of challenge participants, 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 linky list) 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.

4. Get ready to read! Personally, I plan to abandon all housekeeping this spring, 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 many Spring Reading Thing participants, 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.

One other note:

My plan right now is to put up the official Spring Reading Thing 2011 launch post at 3:30 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, March 20th. I know that’s late in the day, and I know I usually get things going first thing in the morning, but this year’s a bit different. Spring Reading Thing is starting on a Sunday and I’ll be at church until after noon, so if anything were to go wrong with the linky list, I wouldn’t even be aware of it for hours. This way, I’ll be able to make sure things go off without a hitch. If for any reason that time will change, I’ll let you know.

Wondering what this “Spring Reading Thing” is all about? Visit my post about The Basics to find out!