I'm really, really sad to see the end of my Second Crusade. I've had a wonderful time meeting so many new people, some who joined me from my First Crusade and others I'd never met before. I was blown away by the interest shown in this Crusade, and I know we would have had FAR more than the 217 Crusaders if I hadn't closed the list!The Crusader Challenges were awesome fun, and I couldn't believe the quality of the entries. The flash-fiction 100-word Challenge with the beginning, "The goldfish bowl teetered" was my favorite I think, just from the amazing range of topics covered and the level of creativity you all showed. It was followed (very) closely by the "Show Not Tell" Challenge, which combined with Lee's A-Z Challenge for the letter "S". I had such a great time judging the Crusader Challenges, and thanks to everyone who volunteered to help me with the judging. Thanks also to Lynnette Labelle and C.A. Marshall for donating the fantastic prizes!
I've learned a lot this Crusade, and I'll be doing some things differently next time:
- numbers have grown to the point where it's no longer possible for all Crusaders to follow each other. A huge thanks to all those Crusaders who did make the effort during the Second Crusade, I know so many of you found it worth it even though it did take a lot of time. In future Crusades, I'll just be asking Crusaders to follow those within their own groups, which should make things a lot easier all round. What it won't do is give everyone that huge increase in followers, though I know that won't matter to those who join for the networking opportunities the Crusade gives.
- I won't be able to personally assign Crusader Groups anymore, given the numbers I'm expecting for the Third Crusade. I'm planning to have linky-links, where people can add themselves to the Group(s) they want to join. This will let everyone get to know their Groups much sooner, and make things a little easier for me *grins*.
- I'll be announcing the dates of the Crusader Challenges beforehand, so people can pop them in their calendars ahead of time.
- I'll be keeping the Twitter #amcrusading hashtag for people to chat all things Crusade-related during the Third Crusade. I'll also re-start my weekly Crusader Notice-Board. Lynnette Labelle's idea about the Yahoo Group was awesome, so we'll set up a forum for Crusaders for all Crusades going forward. And Chris Kelworth had the fantastic idea to set up a Critiquing Crusaders opportunity, which we'll make sure to carry forward in future Crusades as well.
And keep an eye out for our Choose Your Own Adventure Bloghop, featuring the Group 9 Crusaders from the Second Crusade - it begins on May 17 at Kerri's blog (just click on the badge in my sidebar to take you there).
I'd love to hear your thoughts: Did you enjoy the Crusade? What did you get out of it? Any suggestions for improvement, noting the comments I've made above? Are you coming on board my Third Crusade?
