As I posted in my Friday "On Blogging" series, I am frustrated by my lack of time to both write and read posts. All too often, there just is not time to accomplish both tasks, no matter how organized my system is. So what happens? When forced to choose, I always elect to write a post rather than read those that others have written. And that is a shame. Because the purpose of blogging, for me anyway, is to get to know other bloggers in this great, big, wonderful blogosphere. How can I get to know them if I don't even bother to read them?
I have a very organized Google Reader that is overflowing with posts from all of my favorite bloggers and bloggers that I have recently discovered and intended to get to know. Thanks to my newborn son, Sammy, I do not anticipate having the time to go blog hopping through my feed reader for the next, oh...I don't know, 18 years or so. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I am calling upon my little ninjas to help this Bumble reclaim her reader!!!
For the week prior to Thanksgiving week (11/14 - 11/18), I will not write any posts. Instead, I will devote that writing time to visiting and reading other blogs. With all of my attention, zero guilt and minimal time pressure. I will be taking a blogging vacation...by visiting all of you in the blogosphere.
I will prepare for this by making sure that I have quality posts and images up on my blog the week before, to entertain all those visitors stopping by while I'm visiting them. I might even run archives of my favorite posts since it could be fun to revisit my B.S. posts - "Before Sammy" that is ;0).
If you would like to join me in reclaiming your reader, simply leave a link to your blog's home page below. I'll send the ninjas over to you when I'm done with them here and we can all enjoy a week of visiting each other without having to write a thing from 11/14 - 11/18.
And because I firmly believe that bribery will get you everywhere, I am throwing in a $25 Amazon gift card. Sammy will pick one random winner from the list of participants leaving links here with Mr. Linky. Just remember that to qualify, you cannot have ANY posts published during Reclaim Your Reader week 11/14 - 11/18. Has there ever been an easier way to win a gift card? Link your blog's home page, don't post anything for a week, and spend that time reading other blogs instead.
Spread the word - the more people participating, the less guilty we'll feel for not posting anything fresh. Proclaim your participation in a Sunday Salon post. Tweet this page link. E-mail your followers. Share the news on Facebook. Or you could just Mark All Read in your reader. But I might sick my ninjas on you if you do...
And here's a button for your blog if you feel so inclined:
