Housework, Purposes, and How To Contribute

I just added a new feature at the top left on the sidebar of important links - this will continue to grow, but the basic idea is to provide new readers links to understand the purpose of Alabama Bloggers, introduce themselves, know how they can contribute, and be able to access helpful posts.

The purposes of Alabama Bloggers are to:

• Provide a centralized meeting place for all Alabama Bloggers.
• Provide an outlet to sample other local bloggers' work and make new blogging friends.
• Provide helpful and important information about Alabama cities, attractions, dining, entertainment, and tourist locales.
• Provide a place to disseminate information to all Alabama Bloggers at once (announcements, upcoming events, etc).

To make this vision come to fruition, it will take everyone's involvement, ideas, and writing. It has been so exciting to see how many new bloggers have already stepped forward to participate! I am really enjoying getting all of your ideas and contributions. Please keep them coming!!

And if you haven't contributed yet but would like to, by all means email me at rachel@alabamabloggers.com! You can read here for more information on what to contribute and how.

Thanks, everyone, for making this site a success!

Your Best Foot Forward.

First of all, thank you all SO much for your help in getting the word out about Alabama Bloggers!! I already have my first giveaway lined up (stay tuned later this week), so please keep up the good press, give me some feedback and ideas, and let's together help this site be all that it can be!

Without making it join the Army, of course.

So anyway.

Have you ever had a new visitor come to your site and groan inside and think, "Why did they have to come TODAY?? With THAT post up?? Why couldn't they have come another day, when a better post was up?"

No?

Oh.

Well, I guess I'm the only overly obsessive-compulsive one around here. Because I do it ALL the time. Which is why I have a section at the very top of my sidebar of my most popular posts, just begging new readers to not just judge me on whatever's at the top of my blog at that moment.

Okay, yes, I need to work on my concern about appearances.

However, I thought it might be a fun way to further get to know each other if we linked in our most favorite post ever.

Of our own, of course - not someone else's.

And if you can't choose, take two linkies - I'm generous like that!

I have people ask me all the time how to link one post into Mister Linky (i.e. a Permalink), so here's a quick lesson: Find the post you want to link in, and then click on the title of it. That should pull up just that ONE post (and all of it's comments). Then, you'll notice at the top of your screen that the web address will be specific - it will have your blog URL, then it will have the specific address of that post. Copy (CTRL-C) the whole thing, and then paste (CTRL-V) it into the second box on Mister Linky below. And be sure and let me know if you have any trouble with it!

And remember - there's no better way to get to know people and to get visitors at your blog than to go to someone else's blog and comment. So be sure to visit some people's favorite posts - and comment!! You never know when you might meet your new bloggy best friend. . .

Welcome to Alabama Bloggers!!

Hello!

My name is Rachel, I live in Birmingham, and I stay busy blogging at Grasping for Objectivity in my Subjective Life. I love blogging and getting to know other bloggers by reading their blogs. However, I have discovered a major gap in blog interaction: There is no blog networking site for Alabama!

Every day I am amazed when I run into another awesome Alabama blogger - you are innumerable, and I want to know you!

So I created this site. It will have a LONG way to grow, but you have to start somewhere, right?

Here are some of the things that I hope to accomplish at Alabama Bloggers:

• First and foremost, I see this as a place for Alabama bloggers to convene, meet like-minded bloggers, find blogging friends, be entertained, and ultimately be a centralized meeting place for all of us.
  
  
• There will be local interest posts, reviews of events, and opportunities to link up your blog posts on events and places around Alabama.
  
  
• You will have the opportunity to have your blog posts featured here, or even be a recurring contributor.
  
  
• There will be local contests and giveaways. Which, of course, means that if you have a local (or non-local) product, you can donate items to be featured and given away and benefit from the amazing the win/win/win of blog advertising!
  
  
• There is "The List", which groups all Alabama Bloggers that have joined the site by cities and regions in Alabama.
  
  
• And there will definitely be blogger meet-ups and parties!
  

However, today is just a start. And to start it off, let's have an introduction time.

You know, one of those uncomfortable, cheesy, "go around the room and introduce yourself" moments.

I'm going to put a Mister Linky on here to link up your blog to make visiting easy, but also be sure and leave a comment on this post and tell us about who you are .

I'll start us off:

As I said, I'm Rachel of Grasping for Objectivity in my Subjective Life. I post there at least once a day, but I also put my "seconds" on a blog called B-Sides. I also have a weekly column at 5 Minutes for Parenting called A Dose of Humor.

My main goal in blogging is to document our lives (and anything else that pops into my head) in the most entertaining, and hopefully even humorous, way possible.

Besides my blogging, I am 27 years old, a wife to my wonderful husband, and mother to a precious two year old daughter, Ali. I stay at home with her, but during her naptimes, work at home for two companies - doing accounting and human resources.

So now, please introduce yourself!! Also, please feel free to share any ideas you have for this site, any participation you would like to offer, or pretty much anything else!! I will need all of your help in turning this into the community that it has potential to be!

As you add your comments and linkies, I will add you to the "The List", which is grouped by area and available on the sidebar.

Also, PLEASE spread the word! Tweet, Blog, Facebook, Digg, Stumble, Kirtsy, whatever you use, let's get the word out that there's a new place for Alabama Bloggers to hang out!!

Be sure to visit the other bloggers who have introduced themselves - there's no better way to network than to reach out!

Also, please be sure to follow by clicking the button on the left, and subscribe if you use a reader. There will be much more going on here soon!

I look forward to visiting your blogs!