Announcing a new Blogger Holiday: Voluntine’s Week!

Posted by C. T. Murphy on January 27, 2014January 27, 2014

What: A set-aside week where bloggers and fans volunteer articles to be published as Guest Posts on their favorite blogs
When: February 17th, 2014 to February 21st, 2014
Where: #Voluntines on Twitter

In December, we celebrated the holiday spirit with lists. It was a great success! Listmas provided an opportunity for lots of fellow bloggers to reinforce the social and community elements of their blogs. Many participated and even more joined in to share or comment on their favorite posts. More than just an increase in views, it resulted in a stronger blogging community.

In February, I wanted to try something a little different. Largely in the spirit of Valentine’s Day (minus the romance), I wanted a holiday to celebrate other bloggers we each admire. I am calling it Voluntine’s Week.

This holiday’s primary purpose is to get us all to stop being one another’s secret admirer and start being more open with our admiration. Views are great, but without comments they lack meaningful context. It is easy to read a great blog, but it takes a true admirer to go that extra step. Commenting and even sharing are great ways to show you care. They can also be essential for keeping many of us writing on a regular basis. Voluntine’s Week will also focus on guest blogging.

In case you aren’t familiar, guest blogging is the simple act of writing a post for another blog. It is the perfect way to show mutual admiration, respect, and appreciation. It is also an excellent chance for fans (not necessarily ones with their own blogs) to give back and have their own thoughts featured on a blog.

In the few times I have guest blogged, it was great, but it almost always takes one person going out on a limb to get others interested. Voluntine’s should give us all an opportunity to volunteer a post without feeling awkward about having to break the ice.

Here’s how it works: Pick your favorite blog(s). You know, the ones that have the articles you wish you had written or the subjects you wish your blog covered. Imagine yourself writing an article that would fit on that blog, perhaps choose one of their regular features or emulate their unique style of writing. And then write them a post!

I am not against a little more forethought and communication than that, but this is a special event and I don’t think that will be necessary. Unlike Listmas, there won’t be a set number of posts to write, though I encourage you all to write as many as you can. I advise that you consider writing at least one post for a favorite blog of your’s that you know doesn’t get nearly as many hits as it deserves.

Voluntine’s Week will run the week after Valentine’s Day, from February 17th through the 21st. Posts or tweets referring to it will use #Voluntines. If you are definitely considering participating, I suggest you re-post this on your own blog so others know you will be happy to accept their guest blogs.

And, as always, commenting and sharing content is a great way to show you care, no matter what week or event is going on at the time. Don’t let a good post go unloved!