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May 02, 2013

A-Z: Reflections on My First Blog Hop

I've just completed The Blogging from A-Z Challenge for 2013. This was my first blog hop and I made it – from my very first post "A" is for Art all the way through to "Z" is for Zodiac.

What a great experience!



"A" is for Art


Now I know how a well-run blog hop works. For me, writing the posts was the easy part. The technical aspects were more of a challenge, but before the event even started the organizers offered helpful tips to ready the setup of my blog to facilitate comments and add new followers. I learned how to make a hyperlink signature. And IT Foodie showed me how to add a Pinterest widget to my blog. (Click on the BOOKS & MOVIES tab at the top right to see the results.)

I also learned a lot of new things in researching my topics, for example that the Pulteney Bridge in Bath ("B" is for Bridge) was the actual location for the filming of Javert's suicide in the movie Les Miserables, and what the heck the giant red lips in Les Baux-de-Provence ("C" is for Chair) were all about.




"C" is for Chair



The exercise forced me to think outside the box, which was a lot of fun and will come in handy for future posts. And I think my post with the most page views, "G" is for Garden, may have been a reflection of the frustration many gardeners are feeling with the lousy spring all across North America this year. (By the way, it's snowing right now with more on the way.)



"G" is for Garden



I also discovered some great new travel blogs, like Destination Unknown and Wander One Day, and an excellent new source of colourful Aussie-isms at Tropical Territory which will come in handy with my writing. And I discovered many friendly, supportive bloggers who were generous with their comments, like Thelma at WidowSphere: A Circle of Hope who included Destination: Fiction among her 26 favourite blogs during A-Z. It's a wonderful thing to receive such positive feedback.

So I should pay forward some positive feedback to the organizers of A-Z 2013. Planning the blog hop must have been an enormous undertaking but they carried it off with great success. Would I recommend it to other bloggers? Definitely.




Arles

And now it's time for me to return to my regular posts on my travels in France last summer, with An Olive Farm and Les Baux de Provence. I hope to see you again!

25 comments:

  1. There seemed to be an even greater sphere of interests represented this year. I found a few sites with cooking ideas I really liked.

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    1. I liked the option of coding by subject. It really helped you find those special interest blogs.

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  2. Love your pictures, and congrats on making it through from Art to Zodiac! A hop like this really is initiation by fire - even the most inexperienced blogger has to feel like a seasoned pro after 26 relentless blogging days!
    Jess/Blogging on the Brink

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    1. Thank you! It was a great learning experience for me.

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  3. THANK YOU! This is what we like to hear. It's always a big plus when bloggers learn a thing or two during the Challenge. Glad you got something out of it. You did well. Thanks for participating in 2013.

    Lee
    An A to Z Co-Host
    Tossing It Out

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    1. None of us could have done it without YOU!

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  4. From one AtoZ cohort to another ~ cheers!

    thriftshopcommando.blogspot.com

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  5. Congrats on completing the Challenge!! I can't believe how quickly April went by. I planned and wrote my posts ahead of time, too, which makes it go much smoother. Then all I have to do is comment on blogs!!

    Happy reading and writing! from Laura Marcella @ Wavy Lines

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    1. Thanks, Laura! It did fly by, didn't it?

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  6. April went by in a flurry. Congratulations on finishing the challenge. Thinking outside the box keeps the brain cells energized. Snow in May - I can't even imagine. Here's to staying warm:)

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    1. Thank you. (And today we got rain instead of snow, so things are improving!)

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  7. Great job! Hope to see you again too.

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    1. Thank you, Teresa. I appreciate you stopping by!

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  8. Congratulations on making it through the alphabet!! I can certainly relate to the challenge and totally agree with you - writing the posts was the easy part!

    I enjoyed your posts and I appreciate the mention here. Look forward to future blogging connections!

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  9. Okay, I am IN LOVE with the Red LIPS!!! Great pictures. Congratulations for finishing!

    Connie
    Peanut Butter and Whine

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  10. Well done on completing the A to Z, and it sounds like you had a great time this year!

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  11. Love your photos! Sorry I didn't find you sooner!

    ~MPL
    http://pepperwords.com

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  12. Thanks for your kind praise! I really appreciate it. Sounds like you got just what we hope for as organizers. And I feel that gardening pain. Colorado's April was mostly snow covered. I got out into my perennial bed just this last Saturday...hopelessly behind...
    Tina @ Life is Good
    Co-host, April 2013 A-Z Challenge Blog
    @TinaLifeisGood, #atozchallenge

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  13. Stopping by from the #atozchallenge . Congratulations my fellow reflector post maker!
    @JLenniDorner

    Beautiful pictures.

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  14. Congratulations, Faye - a job well done. I'm dropping in from the Reflections List - I'm one of these bloggers that does a lot of post-challenge visiting - I will be enjoying your A-Z posts with my morning coffee over the next few days.

    Now that the pressure is off I can really enjoy my blogging travels.

    Cheers, Jenny @ PEARSON REPORT

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  15. April flew by and there were so many interesting blogs, themes and topics this year. I'm sorry that I'm just now discovering your blog, but I am a new follower. Thanks for sharing your experience and congratulations on completing the challenge.

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  16. This was a bizarre weather year here in Colorado, too. We had snow through May, which was actually welcome due to drought, but didn't quite do the job. I like your pictures!

    Shannon at The Warrior Muse

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    1. Thank you, Shannon. I hope you're enjoying a beautiful summer!

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  17. Congrats for finishing the challenge; I'm glad that it helped you learn new cool things...from technical HTML stuff to interesting tidbits about the topics that you researched for the alphabet letters. It's also nice to see participants who have enjoyed their experience so much that they want to share it with other bloggers. Cheers to you!

    ~Nicole
    @MadlabPost

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