Crusade Biz(ness) - February 11, 2011

I want to start by saying how absolutely amazed I am by the enthusiasm and support you’ve all shown for my Crusade. Hugs to you!!! When I finally worked up the courage to dive into the blogosphere in June last year, with no followers, no idea of what I was getting myself in to, and no clue what I was doing, I never dreamed I’d be welcomed with such open arms. So I’m really chuffed I’ve had this opportunity to pay it forward just a little bit! Ok, I’m not going to get all mushy on you, I promise, so I’ll just say I love our community of writers (and you guys are awesome!) and leave it at that.

I’m going to dive straight into some Crusade business...(and apologies for the long post!)

A big decision

When I called the Crusade last Friday, I was expecting (honestly) perhaps 70 or so people to jump on board. We’ve more than doubled that number, and at the time of posting, we now have 163 Crusaders who’ve filled out my form *gulps* and another few who are still to do so and more still joining.

Because the Crusade is not just about getting heaps and heaps of followers though I can’t help but squee when I see all your followers go up, I’ve had to make a big decision. So...I’m going to close the List of Crusaders. Not something I thought about before, but it will mean you all have the chance to get to know the Crusaders who’ve already joined, without having to spend your time keeping track of new Crusaders who join as the weeks go by. And I’ll be able to spend more time getting to know you, without all the administration required when new Crusaders sign up.

I know some of you haven’t filled out the form yet, so I’ll keep the List of Crusaders open until 11.59pm (EST) on Saturday, February 12. After that time, I’m afraid I won’t be taking on any new Crusaders this Crusade, even if you have commented in my original post. So, if you haven’t filled out this form, please do it ASAP if you want to be a part of this Crusade!!! And, obviously, please make sure you've read my original post and followed the requirements to become a Crusader.

I will be running further Crusades in the future, and possibly even one later in the year, for any of you who want to rejoin, and for others who missed out this time around.

So where is the List of Crusaders? You promised Rach!

*sighs*

With so much interest shown, my dream of posting the List of Crusaders a few days ago has fluttered out the window (I dived for it, but was left with nothing but a gorgeous maroon tail feather in my hand and a ringing cry that sounded suspiciously like a laugh in my ears!).

I’m working my way through the list, checking links, popping round to visit people, sorting Crusaders into their different Crusade Groups, and all the stuff I need to do to make sure this Crusade runs smoothly. Fingers crossed, I’ll be posting the List in the next few days, so keep an eye out for it.

Once the List of Crusaders is posted, what then?

I’ll apologize in advance if I’ve made any mistakes! Email me at rachael[dot]harrie[at]gmail[dot]com if there are any problems.

1. Check your name is on the List of Crusaders. Please tell me I’ve included everyone!
2. Check I have your details and links correct.
3. Check you’re happy with the Group(s) I’ve put you in. Some of you have asked to be placed in more than one Group, others I’ve based on the genres you listed in the form. I’m happy to switch things up if needed, or pop you in more than one Group, just let me know (remember that being in more than one Group will increase the number of Crusaders you’ve committed to actively support).
4. Take note of those Crusaders in your Group, and do what you can to actively support them. Comments on as many of their posts as you can manage, in particular, are a fantastic way to show your support. But...see what else you can come up with too :) And, who knows, you may even find critique partners (or groups), or beta readers, or lifelong friends who can share your writing journey with you!
5. Have a look at the Crusaders in the other Groups. I’ve included everyone’s genres in the List of Crusaders so you can see people with common writing interests to you. Think about who you’d like to get to know better. Perhaps they write in a genre similar to yours, perhaps they have an interesting project on the go, perhaps they have an awesome blogging voice. Sky’s the limit really. Then, hie thee over and make contact.
6. And, of course, make sure you’re following all the Crusaders. It’s fabulous to see so many of you already out and about, and meeting and following each other! A little hint for what’s to come, but Crusader Challenges will be judged on a points basis, and one of the requirements for you to score top points in a Challenge (and have a chance at winning the prizes!) is that you are following all the Crusaders or have subscribed to their feeds for those who don't have the followers gadget :) So you’ll have two weeks from today to get round and follow everybody if you want to be in the running for the awesome First Crusade Challenge prize!

Basically, you’ll get out of this Crusade what you put in. I guess it’s the same for the blogosphere in general, the more comments you make, the more you get out there and interact with your fellow Crusaders, the more it will come back to you in kind! Once I have all the administrative organizing out of the way, I won’t be involving myself too much in this part of the Crusade (though I have already hooked up one of the Crusaders with another Crusader I thought they’d get along fabulously with!!!).

How can I make sure I see all your posts about the Crusade?

I usually post about Crusade business on Fridays, though I might need to post at other times too. I have a link gadget thingy on my sidebar, which lists all the posts that are related to the Crusade. Check it out whenever you visit Rach Writes... just in case there’s a new post you’ve missed.

First Crusade Challenge

The First Crusade Challenge will be posted next Friday morning, woot!!! Keep an eye out, you’ll have a week to post and put your link in Mr Linky if you want to take part.

Crusade Challenges are voluntary – they’re just for fun and giggles, and as a way for you to get to know your fellow Crusaders better :) I know many of you are doing the A-Z Challenge in April, so I'll see what I can do to combine Challenges in April with posting for that event, so you don't have more than one big thing on your plate.

Any Volunteers for the Challenge Judging?

I’m putting together a posse of Crusaders who’ll help me out by judging the Crusader Challenges. I’ve asked a few Crusaders already, but I thought I’d throw it open to anyone who wants to volunteer to help me out (if I get heaps of interest, I’ll rotate Crusader judges around). It would disqualify you from winning that Challenge (though you can still take part of course), but you’d have a lot of fun, and it might be a way for you to get to know your fellow Crusaders even quicker. Just shoot me an email :)

*takes a deep breath* Phew, I think that’s all. Um, any questions???