I write stuff for kids...and muse on writing, children's books, and the publishing industry in general

Monday, August 22, 2011

Third Writers' Platform-Building Campaign

There are so many of us out there. Aspiring authors, bloggers (whether established or beginning), industry peeps, even published authors, all of whom want to build their online platforms. We write insightful posts and articles, actively blog within the blogosphere, take part in challenges, competitions, and contests galore.

We have the passion and the drive to make it, but…we could all do with a bit of support.

So I started thinking. What if we link all these people together? What if we create a way to meet people in a similar position, people who genuinely want to help build our online platform while at the same time building theirs? People who want to pay it forward in the spirit of writerly writerness and blogging beautificity (and see it come back to them in turn).

And so, my Writers’ Platform-Building Campaign was born.

What is the Campaign?

Basically, the Campaign is a way to link those of us in the writing community together with the aim of helping to build our online platforms. The Campaigners are all bloggers in a similar position, who genuinely want to pay it forward, make connections and friends within the writing community, and help build each others' online platforms while at the same time building theirs.

I originally referred to my Writers' Platform-Building Campaigns as "Crusades", but I've recently changed that name for reasons including this one. So we'll be referring to ourselves as Campaigners rather than Crusaders from now on (and I hope you can all get behind the new name as strongly as you did behind the original one).

In 2010 we had 55 people take part, many of whom have become great blogging friends. We saw our followers skyrocket and the comments on our posts increase, and had fun taking part in the Challenges as well (kartofflepuffer anyone???).

In February 2011, we had 217 people take part before I closed the List, and many more who wanted to join. I made so many wonderful friends, and heard of some awesome connections and friendships being made between other writers. The new Group concept worked very well, and we saw Group interviews, get-to-know-you sessions, a Choose Your Own Adventure bloghop, among other things. The Challenges were again heaps of fun - I think we'll all remember the goldfish bowl flash fiction for a long time! And the Show Not Tell Challenge in April (linked with Arlee Bird's A-Z Challenge) was a ball of fun too!

I can't wait to see what fun comes out of this Third Campaign!

As the Campaign kicks off, you'll have the names and blog addresses of the Campaigners on my List of Campaigners page (above), so you can keep in touch with the other Campaigners. That way you’ll have a list of bloggers in the same position as you, who genuinely want to help you succeed. And you'll be able to meet those who have the most in common with you. You can visit their blogs and other places they haunt, follow along, leave comments galore, and share your highs and lows as you journey through the blogosphere and build your online platform. And they'll be doing the same for you.

Length of the Campaign

This Campaign will run from August 22nd to October 31st. I'll be closing the List of Campaigners on August 31st, so join up before then if you want to come on board!

Organized Campaign Events

During the Campaign, I'll be running Campaigner Challenges and the Campaigner Notice-Board. Other than that, go for your life! I've set up a Campaigner Yahoo Group here, for you to chat among yourselves, and there'll be lots of Twitter-talk at #writecampaign.

Mark these dates in your diary now:
  1. First Campaigner Challenge - Monday, September 5
  2. Second Campaigner Challenge - Thursday, September 22
  3. Third Campaigner Challenge - Monday, October 17
Each Friday I'll be running a Campaigner Notice-Board, where you can announce blogfests, book launches, things you'd like to share with your other Campaigners, etc etc. You'll need to send me the information in advance, and I've made up a form to make things easier. If you want me to include your details in this Friday's post (August 26), please fill out this form.

How to join?

If you’d like to join the Third Campaign, here’s what you’ll need to do:
  1. follow me if you haven't already, so you can check out the Campaigner Notice-Board on Fridays and take part in Campaigner Challenges 
  2. comment on this post, to let the other Campaigners know you’ll be coming on board
  3. blog about the Campaign to help spread the word (include a link to this post and encourage your followers to join)
  4. tweet about the Campaign if you're on Twitter, and include a link to this post. Follow me here if you wish
  5. pop a link to this post on Facebook (if you’re a Facebook fan) and/or on Google Plus if that's your favorite haunt. Or anywhere else you hang out, it's up to you. My links to Facebook, Google Plus, and LinkedIn are on my sidebar if you want to find me there
  6. and fill out this form.
Thanks to JYS at A Writerly Pensheep
for designing this - you're awesome!
Once you’ve joined the Campaign:
  1. Go to my List of Campaigners page and put your name down for a Campaigner Group (or more than one if you want to get to know more people)  
  2. pop round and introduce yourself to all the Campaigners in your Campaigner Group. If you wish, pop round to some or all of the other Campaigners and introduce yourself as well
  3. follow the Campaigners in your Campaigner Group(s) (and others if you wish). Due to the size of the Campaign, there's no need to follow all Campaigners!!!
  4. put this Campaign badge on your sidebar and link it back to my Writers' Platform-Building Campaign page. Don't forget to take down the old "I'm a Crusader" Badge
  5. keep an eye out for posts/comments/tweets by other Campaigners (and particularly those in your Campaigner Group) and do your best to comment on as many as you can, as often as you can. Also consider following your fellow Campaigners on Twitter and liking them on Facebook, mentioning their blog posts and re-tweeting their tweets, and otherwise supporting them
  6. get to know your fellow Campaigners at #writecampaign and/or at the Campaigner Yahoo Group
  7. see what fun you can come up with in your Campaigner Groups
  8. join in my Campaigner Challenges if you wish. They're a great way to get to know the other Campaigners and have fun at the same time.
I can't wait to have you on board!

521 comments:

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Anonymous said...

I'm in! I'm pretty new and I'm sure I'll learn tons from you all :)

Scott Stillwell said...

This is an awesome idea, Rachael! I'm a little late to the party, but I'm in!

Jessica Therrien said...

I'm in! This is exciting. My YA novel, THE DESCENDANTS, comes out in February.

Brenda Sills said...

So glad I found you! I love the uniqueness in your campaign in that people can gather together in groups of the same genre, etc. How fantastic to meet, support, and help other writers who write what I write! Thanks, Rachael!

Anonymous said...

What a great idea! I've never participated, having just dived into the blogpool in April.

Definately count me in! Looking forward to meeting others who enjoy writing in my genre. (Thrillers)

Off to the rules.....

Chet Bailey said...

This looks great! Count me in. This is my first campaign and looking forward to it.

The Sisterhood said...

We're in!

JO said...

Goodness, aren't there a lot of us! Would love to join the party.

Heather Justesen said...

I'm in! Thanks for organizing this!

Charmaine Clancy said...

Great idea, I've gotten around to the form, posting the badge and link and will now go visiting blogs.
You're so organised to handle all this!
Wagging Tales - Blog for Writers

Crystal Collier said...

This has been a long and hard debate, but the last time around was SO much fun. I'm in.

Anonymous said...

I'm joining in! :)

Jennifer Hoffine said...

Looking forward to this! Thanks for hosting!

Lissa said...

I cannot wait to join this! Blogging is not my strongest point and is something I sincerely want to get better at. Plus, I just want to meet new people!

Michael D. Young said...

I'd like to join up!

Nicole Settle said...

So many writers! How exciting! I'll be joining and looking forward to getting to know some of you.

Callie Leuck said...

Hey! I'm joining up :)

Clar http://clarbojahn.wordpress.com/ said...

Yep, count me in. Find me at
http://clarbojahn.wordpress.com/
I'm looking forward to meeting all of you or as many as I can. See you around. :)

Elizabeth Mitchell said...

I've been wavering back and forth on this, but I'm going to take the plunge.

I'm really looking forward to helping and receiving help on building platforms.

Oh, and I can always use a hug!

Anonymous said...

Finally signed up! ^_^ Thanks for hosting again, and look forward to meeting new friends!

C. Janelle said...

I'm in!

MC Rogerson said...

This is a really exciting idea. Looking forward to getting to know the other campaigners.

Linda Gray said...

Just joined (first timer) and am very excited. Thank you Rach, for doing this!

RP Aficionado said...

Okay, I *finally* got on board with this complete with a blog post!

Maria said...

Wow! This sounds like fun, I'm up for it...count me in. Thank you for organising it. Off to complete tasks. :)

I write Urban Fantasy.

Maria

Anonymous said...

I'm in! Thanks for this. :)

Dane Z. said...

I'm in. What's the deal? Men don't need platforms?

Dane

Scribbling Scarlet said...

Yes. I'm on board.

I write YA, currently a paranormal romace.

http://scarletssanctum.blogspot.com

KCarey said...

I would love to join in on this. Sounds like an interesting prospect.

Jani said...

Sign me up. Looks like I made it just in time.

ruth.the.writer said...

I've joined the campaign and am really looking forward to it. What an excellent idea!

Nadine Feldman said...

I'm in! Wow, this is like an answer to a prayer. I was at dinner telling my hubby that I needed to figure out how to build more of an audience. I'm more than happy to pitch in and help others, too! Awesome idea!

Debbie Edwards said...

Hi all, looking forward to the campaign!

Catherine Stine said...

Sounds like big fun, so yes, I'm in. First time campaigner! I write YA and middle-grade fantasy/adventure/sci-fi-ish fiction.

Chipper Muse said...

This sounds like a great idea. Thanks to Twitter (@AEMarling), I found out about it, so I'm a newbie. I'm writing a fantasy/horror novel at the moment.

Janet Johnson said...

Wow, you are amazing! I'm going to join in this time. Can't wait to meet a bunch of new people!

Carrie said...

First time joining in...sounds fun!

Keith Robinson said...

I signed up a couple of days ago and have blogged, tweeted, facebooked, and now I'm posting here. Did I miss anything? :-)

Anonymous said...

Wow, this sounds exciting. I hope I can keep up. I'm working on it!

jonyangorg said...

This might be the longest comment streak I've ever seen. I'm a new campaigner!
http://jonyangorg.blogspot.com/2011/08/stumptown.html

Tara said...

Holy cow, Rachael! this might be a blog comment record!

I guess I started blogging again just in time. I'll link this to my sidebar. :-)

Xaenyth said...

What an amazing idea! I can't wait to get involved with it.

Daina Rustin said...

I'm in! Hope I'm not too late. My first time, so excited!

Wonder Jens said...

Dude! Sounds awesome. Sign me up! Hope it's not too late. Oh, I'm a complete campaign noob.

Emy Shin said...

I'm hoping it's not too late to join!

Anonymous said...

I'm joining! I'm also in the process of completing everything else... :)

Laura Pep Wu said...

Very excited about this, thanks for the awesome opportunity Rachael, you rock!

Unknown said...

I forgot to comment yesterday, just made it before Rach kicks my butt out of the campaign!
I'm new to here but super excited!

Cristina said...

ohh I'm in!!

Juliana L. Brandt said...

I was super bummed after I missed the last one. I can't wait to start getting to know everything! Thanks, Rachael :)

Doralynn Kennedy said...

Better late than never. I'm in! Thanks for running this!

Marcy said...

I'm going for it! This is my first time, but I've mentioned it in my blog and on facebook.

Anonymous said...

I'm looking forward to participating in this. It'll be my first time

Samantha Stacia said...

This is my first time but I'll give it a whirl even though I suspect it's my subconcious finding a way to procrastinate writing on my book. :)
I have no idea what I am doing by the way either, seems like a lot of stuff!

Bonnie said...

I signed up earlier today...just posted on blog. Looks like I signed up for the group ok but I never received any confirmation.

Unknown said...

im a first timer but up for it! count me in x will blog later about it xxx

Shante Sylvester said...

I hope I squeezed in just in time to participate! I'm in and will post to my blog.

Natalie said...

count me in - can't wait!

Natalie said...

count me in - can't wait!

WritingNut said...

YES! I'd love to be a part of this again... I nearly missed signing up! Thank you so much for organizing again! :)

Amy L. said...

Signing up as well. Thanks for this opportunity. Sounds like fun!

Jill Campbell said...

Hope I'm not too late.

Teresa Burrell, Author, Attorney, Advocate said...

Hello, everybody. I'd love to join this group. I'm just trying to figure it all out. Thanks, Rachel.

Jessica Peter said...

I'm going to give this a shot! I'm still not entirely sure what the day-to-day results will be, but I'm sure it will be a great opportunity.

Arlee Bird said...

I'm signed up. Hope I can keep up with this adequately as I have a lot going on of late. I'll do my best!

Lee
Tossing It Out

JAJohnson said...

First Campaign, yay!

Maggie Caldwell said...

Thanks, I'd love to be a part of this. And thanks to She Writes for sending me here.
Cheers,
Maggie

K.T. Hanna said...

Thanks for doing this. I've tweeted and retweeted about this a few times in the last week, so it's time for me to sign up and get to know people!

Thank you, again!

Brenna said...

I am really excited for this! Yay!

Totsymae said...

I'll join also.

www.totsymae.com

@kankan929 on twitter said...

Wow...I just learned about this, so it's my first time participating. Looking forward to meeting campaigners & showing support. I'm Kandie, my Cyberpeeps call me KD or KanKan. You can find me on twitter @kankan929. I posted my 'blog' about the campaign here: http://www.kandiedelley.com/2011/08/31/someone-to-follow/

Good luck to all of you!

Sheri L. Swift, Author said...

Sounds like fun! Joining just now, can't wait to meet all of you! ; )

F.E. Sewell said...

Looks like I'm signing up just in the nick of time. Whew! Looking forward meeting everyone!

Stobby said...

Very Excited!! Thanks for doing this!

MISH said...

Yes !! *air punches*
Made it in ... by the skin of my teeth ... :)
Phew ! My blog post is up at http://writer-in-transit.co.za/blogfest-writers-platform-building-campaign/
Going to fill in form now .

Unknown said...

Sounds great - I'm in!

Fairview said...

I'm excited to join. Looking forward to it

Jocelyn Rish said...

I'm really looking forward to this. As a shy kind of gal, this will be a huge help in connecting with other writers.

Kris Bock said...

Just found this via The Write Advice on Facebook. I'm in!

Write Like a Pro! A Free Online Writing Workshop: http://chriseboch.blogspot.com/

Bess Weatherby said...

Awesome! Just made the cutoff. Excited to be on board for another crusade. Thanks arch!

Anonymous said...

Just learned about this today, and am pleased to join.

Marie Andrews said...

Good evening! I'm very excited to join in with everyone here. I look forward to taking part, offering support, and cheering everyone on :)

Marie Andrews

Jacqui said...

I'd love to join. What a great idea!

Nadja Notariani said...

Hi Rach!
It's still the 31st...so I'm hoping I made the deadline! Found your Campaign via Jamila Jamison's blog page. I'm really excited to see where this takes me. ~ Nadja Notariani

Author Valorie Baker said...

Hello! I hope I'm not too late! I'm Val

Super Happy Jen said...

Am I too late?

Super Happy Jen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Super Happy Jen said...

I filled out the form at 11:59 on the dot (dramatic to leave things that close to the wire, I know). But now all the linky links are closed, so I guess I was too late. But at least I get a hug right? Seriously, I need a hug.

lacycameywrites.com said...

Hi! :) I hope you will kindly let me join. I just joined 11:37 CENTRAL time....and just saw your eastern note. (I'm smiling angelically). :)

Nichole Giles said...

This sounds like a good idea. I think I'll jump in and give it a try. *waves* Hi!

One Way Link Building said...

Thanks for nice blog, these are really useful tips.
One Way Link Building

Sandwiched Writer said...

Just found this an hour ago. Frantically trying to sign up before 11:59. (It is now 11:33 pm, Pacific Standard Time).

Will she make it? (insert narrative tension here...)

Rachael Harrie said...

Welcome to all you awesome Campaigners!!! The List of Campaigners is now closed.

If anyone signed up for the Campaign but didn't manage to put their name down in the Linky Lists before they closed, shoot me an email with your details (name, email, url, picture) and what group(s) you want to be in, and I’ll put you in.

Please make sure that you did sign up for the Campaign before the deadline though, as I'll be cross-checking against the Campaigner form I asked you all to fill out.

Hugs,

Rach

Tia Bach said...

I joined, but at the last minute yesterday. Promise to get caught up!

Shawndra Russell said...

Yes, I would love to be a part of this! Thank you for organizing/promoting!

Jennie said...

I am so bummed I missed the deadline by one day! ARGH! Oh well. I am following your awesome blog anyway, and will definitely catch it fourth campaign around. :(

Nancy Thompson said...

Thanks for this opportunity! I'm a new follower of yours and have joined an open group for general adult fiction. I was gone on vacation and missed the deadline for the thriller group which is what I write. I hope to meet and connect with many new writers. (I duplicated this comment from a later post to qualify.)

laughingwolf said...

rats! missed it by THAT much :(

Marie Andrews said...

The linky lists were closed so I was unable to sign up for a group. Is there a way to still be placed in a group? I filled everything else out last night but my internet stalled so I didn't get to join a group.

~Marie Andrews

Ruth Josse said...

I can't remember if I commented, but I've joined the ranks!

Anonymous said...

Oh man...so sorry I missed this. Moving and spotty internet. Will join next go around and for this time will cheer you all on. Fabulous idea!!

Jordan McMakin said...

I just learned about this. Can I please join too? Will definitely make the deadline next time.

Rachael Harrie said...

Sorry Charmalot but I'm not taking on amy more people this time. Feb 2012 :)

Hugs,

Rach

Unknown said...

great to see this

Write Life said...

Love to join in but me thinks I way too late!

Write Life said...

Love to join in but me thinks I way too late!

Intangible Hearts said...

Not very technical but I would like to enter the 200 word challenge.
Am I too late?

Rachael Harrie said...

Yeah, too late. Sorry guys, next time :)

Sorry Desert Rocks, but the 200 word Challenge has closed as well. Next Challenge opens on Sept 22nd :)

Hugs,

Rach

unikorna said...

Good luck to everyone I shall be watching closely :). It seems very exciting.

Jeffrey Koconis said...

Hugs are good. Hope I can still participate, sounds intriguing, and fun!

ETowns said...

I know it is after August 25, but is there any way I can jump on board? I just lucked upon this information today. I blog, I write, I need all the support and encouragement I can get. Please let me know.

Mark Koopmans said...

Aloha Rach,

I'm new to the blogging scene (http://markkoopmans.blogspot.com/)and just missed your deadline by 11 days!!
I heard about the campaign from Jessica Therrien and wanted to wish you all well with what looks to be a great, fun adventure.

I'll follow you and look out for news about the next campaign.

Mahalo and regards,

Mark

Unknown said...

Just found you this morning, Rachael. I'd love to be a campaigner. I'm follower #1200.
I write adult historical, crime/thriller and noir fiction and I'm working on a YA dystopian book.

Unknown said...

Darn! I see now I'm far too late. I'll try again in Feb 2012 if I'm still breathing!

Rachael Harrie said...

Hi JJ, lovely to meet you. Yep, unfortunately the List of Campaigners is closed now, hope you can make it for Feb 2012 :)

Hugs,

Rach

SumWhereUpNorth said...

What a great idea! Unfortunately I stumbled across your site too late to join in on the campaign however I am glad that I found your site. As a new blogger and aspiring freelance writer I believe I will benefit from your posts... Looking forward to meeting writers, readers, editors, illustrators, etc. and making new friends.

hilda dada said...

Nice post. I was checking continuously this blog and I am impressed! Extremely useful information specifically the last part :) uv detector

C.V. Marie said...

First time participating in the campaigning! :D Can't wait!
-Cindy

ETowns said...

Is this a new round? I am all in! Woo hoo

ETowns said...

My first time participating as well and I am geeked. Getting all my other stuff organized so I can consecrate - I mean concentrate on my blogging...

Dagar Magar said...

Maybe you could space pirateproxy out better?

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