The 2013 WordCount Blogathon is well underway, so let’s look at how many people signed up, and the different reasons why someone would want to put themselves through the joy pain of writing every day for a month.
This year, approximately 217 bloggers registered a total of 222 blogs. You can see the entire list on the Blogathon blog roll, use #blog2013 to follow their tweets or hang out with them on the WordCount Facebook page.
A Who’s Who of #blog2013
Who would voluntarily agree to write every day for a month? How about:
- 5 bloggers who are writing posts on two or more blogs
- 2 couples
- A father and son
- Bloggers from Canada (a lot of them!), Japan, Australia, Sri Lanka, Serbia and Scotland, and those are just the countries I know of.
- A handful of virtual assistants, thanks to Jan Udlock, who’s helping me run the Blogathon for the second year. Jan is wonderful at getting her friends to join in.
- A handful of literary and other translators, carrying on the tradition started a few blogathons ago.
- A fair amount of fellow Portlandians, including Jennifer Willis and Teri Cettina.
- More freelance writers than I can count.
- Lots of freelancers I know from Freelance Success, the online forum for professional writers I’ve belonged to since 2008.
- YA novelists.
- People who review YA novels.
- Storytellers.
- A boatload of people who are launching blogs or re-launching blogs that have been domant.
- A few people who blog as a fictional character.
- People who are blogging their way to career changes
- People who blog about vampires, sex, parenting, babies, Paleo eating, the Catholic church, the Sonoran Desert, and much more.
Why Do a Daily Blogging Challenge?
What could anyone possibly hope to get out of writing blog posts 30 days straight?
We posed that question to everyone who signed up for the 2013 WordCount Blogathon — and got all kinds of answers.
Plenty of bloggers sign up to learn how to post more consistently, get more comments or page views or even launch a blog.
Here’s a sample of other reasons people gave for joining a daily blogging challenge:
“‘Test the waters to see if there is any wide interest in what I write about.”
“Increase readership, as I am looking to work with brands.”
“Land at least one client through creation and subsequent promotion of my blog posts.”
“Turn my passion for blogging into a paying job.”
“My main goal is to build a community.”
“Broaden my reader base – the boomer/retiree/travel/expat group. Learn from more experienced bloggers.”
“Hoping to dig further into my psyche to allow old and new followers to read and voice their opinions on certain topics I will bring to the table.”
“I want to see if I have enough ideas, creativity, discipline and stamina to actually do this on a regular basis. I also want to see what’s rattling around in my head.”
“I’m getting ready for a WordPress re-design which will be launching by June 30.”
“I am just about to launch an e-book, and have a few other improvements in the works (email newsletter, new sections, a few income-generating ideas). My plan is to use the Blogathon as motivation and inspiration for getting several of these projects rolling, while also building readership and engagement.”
“To complete another year and further my blogging skills. So far this all has helped me pursue a career as a professional blogger for an ad agency.”
“I’d like to challenge myself to offer some of the things I’ve learned in 35 years as a therapist to a wider audience.”
“Start my own business!”
“I am writing a novel and having trouble keeping at it. I often find that having too much to do helps me write.”
“To build a mailing list for two of my interests: the series of children’s books I write about savvy, spunky, six-year-old Sal; and a new venture into finding the best source of purified water.”
“To write enough blogs that the form starts to come naturally to me and I find my blogging voice.”
“I hope to use this blogathon to help me jump start my movement of empowering and promoting self-advocacy amongst women of color with disabilities. I would like to write about the racial and gender specific issues woman of color with disabilities face, as well as spotlight women of color with disabilities who are making significant strides to shatter glass ceilings so that the next generation of women of color with disabilities can achieve even greater success.”
“I have never done this blogging everyday thing so my big goal is just to blog everyday!”
“To manage to keep writing regularly 6 months after the blogathon ends.”
So much good comes from the Blogathon for me. I like this post because I get to see how it works for other people, too. Thanks for hosting and organizing, Michelle!
Thanks Sarah. It really is educational to read through all the different reasons why people do blogging challenges. And as the success stories I’ve run over the past month show, the pay off can be huge.
Michelle
A couple of years ago, I challenged myself to an entire month of blogging every day. When I found out about this 2013 blogging challenge, I was in! The good stuff that happened to me as a result of my own little challenge can only be magnified by the community that this blogathon has – I’m happy and excited to be a part of it. Thanks, Michelle!
PS. Even though I “home-base” in Vancouver, WA, I consider myself Portlandian in spirit since I spend more time here than anywhere else!
The community that we aspire to create around the Blogathon is what, in my opinion anyway, sets us apart from other community blogging challenges out there, and they are out there. That’s why we run an online forum as part of the challenge, so bloggers can get to know each other, follow links to each others’ blogs to leave comments, find guest post partners, ask questions, and learn from the experience. Glad you find all of that helpful.
We tried to do a blogathon IRL (in real life) meetup in Portland last year and only four people made it, so not sure we’ll try it again this year — I’d be happy for someone else to organize it, right now my plate’s full enough running this and doing my other work.
Michelle
I´m doing so much that writing daily is the only way to record it. I´m a list maker and memory keeper. 😀
I´m loving the community already! Thanks for organizing this. 🙂
My third year. I’m in the middle of a cross-country move (MD to CA) and just published my newest novel, but I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. Thanks, Michelle!
It is interesting to read why people are participating! Thanks for sharing that!