Today's Apocalypse Sign: Reflections Of The A-Z Challenge

This will be the last post for this A-Z Challenge 2011. Almost sad to see it go. You will notice the nice award from elizabethmueller.blogspot.com, which I appreciate very much. It was a good time and I still have so many blogs to get through before I am truly done.

To get the raw numbers out of the way first and quickly:

March 31st (End of day)
57 followers
5238 page views


April 1st (End of day) 
79 followers
5412 page views
This is due largely in part to Alex mentioning my blog on this first day. He speaks... people listen. Curiously out of 186 page views I only impressed 20 people enough to follow. Not complaining, just a curious note.


April 30th (End of day)
99 followers
6174 page views

**follower number 100 happened 5/1/11, he shall however remain N4M3L3SS

The A-Z challenge was exciting in several aspects.

I was determined to post each letter on the correct day and not get behind so the pressure was on. I had to focus daily because I did not have a theme or thread of any kind and I did not "can" a weeks worth of posts in advance. The whole month unveiled like a painting but without a specific completed picture as its goal. Each day was a piece that completed the whole bit by bit. I started several draft posts as words or thoughts came to me and worked on several "layers of the onion" simultaneously, adding daily thoughts to which ever one needed it. I am going to add a page to my blog with just the links for the A-Z challenge 2011, then 2012 and so on.

Another exciting part of the challenge was the checking each day to see the new faces of commenters and reading their take on the day's post. As I tracked the follower and page counts each day I could see the relationship between page views, followers, and the number of comments. It appears that many times there were a decent number of page views but surprisingly few comments. Whether this means that the post was not provocative enough to comment on or that the viewers simply had too many blogs to read (and still did not take the time to comment) I don't know. I would be impressed to know if anyone managed to read all 1282 blogs that signed up for the challenge. I do appreciate the additional followers, viewers, and commenters that stopped by.

Without a doubt the most fun was discovering new blogs to read. I'll admit I tried to get to 20 new ones a day but with the craziness that is my daily life I was lucky to get my post done, read previous day's comments, read the regular blogs I follow (and I even missed commenting on some of those, sorry), read the new blogs I had picked up from commenters, there were several days I didn't get to any new blogs! But I made a decision I would check out all the sites from each person who signed up for the challenge. It may not be quick but I'll get there.

I enjoyed seeing all the blogs dedicated to writing (the majority) and photography (the impressive). If I had that magical lifetime do-over, those are two career paths that I would have enjoyed. I am now a dabbler at both but still derive enjoyment from the keyboard and the camera.  Since the Mayan calendar in the upper right sidebar is at less than 600 days, might all be moot anyway, right? As long as I get to read Alex's sequel before then I will be satisfied.

I thought the month went fast. On March 31st I thought April would drag on, not the case. The Challenge made work go faster, knowing I had more work to do once I got home. But it was exciting work. Every day a mini-Christmas of sorts. I am proud to say I completed this endeavor.

Now this post has gone on long enough. It could go on longer, as people who know me could attest, but I know you have other summaries to read. I want to thank Alex and Arlee for a sensational turn-out for an idea conceived but a year ago. If all things that needed that fast of action and commitment in the world today had you guys behind them, life would be sweet...at least for the next 598 days!

Best wishes to all who consumed this month of April like a fine wine, and I'll being seeing each and every one of you either again or for the first time over the next few months.  

Take care.