Sometimes, I’m tempted to open each yeah write challenge or hangout grid with the words: You know what to do. Then drop the mic.
Then I remember about the first-timers who probably don’t know what to do and, since I love yeah write virgins, I can’t abandon them.
“I’ve been linking up with yeah write since it was lovelinks.”
Then there are you old-timers who could probably use a refresher course. Each week, I’ve gotta send out what is for me a very difficult email with the subject line “your yeah write submission” and remind at least one person that promotional posts aren’t allowed on the grid (while ads are certainly allowed in the sidebar!) or that if a submitted post has already enjoyed its time in the sun while being linked up with several other blog events, I’d rather leave a spot on the grid open for someone who may have written a post specifically for yeah write.
What? The FAQ is still a thing?
So. Although I acknowledge the challenge grid is closing at 50 blogs earlier and earlier each week, it’s important that you read and understand the FAQ before linking up. I am a big fan of making the grid promotion- and giveaway-free while collecting as many first-run blog posts as possible. Those policies make for a more enjoyable grid and remind us this is a writing challenge designed to give our readers our very best stuff, not just a blog linkup of standard blog fare.
Kick in the butt
I’m very glad for the kick in the pants to create the hangout grid, a non-competitive community of writers that is just as supportive as the challenge grid. It’s also a great place for a week’s exposure for those who may have missed the closing of the challenge grid and need a place to go. The hangout grid has the same guidelines as the challenge; the only difference is there is no voting. We still expect your very best stuff. We want yeah write to become the one-stop shop for the best blog stories gathered on the Web.
The mystery lurker returns
Emma T has had to bow out as a yeah write lurking judge. Hey, it’s a tough job with very little pay (none), yet I’m determined to keep five writing awards on the books each week: editor’s choice, popular vote, and three lurker’s faves.
Would you mind being the mystery lurker for yeah write #59? I’m gonna pick a random number post-vote for yeah write #58 and, if that blogger has linked up with yeah write at least 10 times, I’ll privately ask him or her to be the next week’s mystery lurker. Yes, you can still link up even if you agree to judge. I’m sure you won’t choose your own and you’ll choose fairly among the others. What’s the saying? Only you can prevent forest fires. I hope you’ll help me out until I find a semi-permanent replacement for Emma.
Share your yeah write addiction on the Web
Inlinkz, the app that hosts our grids on its server, has added social media to its options. After you link your submission, you’ll be given the chance to announce to the world by tweet and Facebook status your excitement of linking with yeah write #58. Go for it, and let’s see how many new people will stop by to read your post and the others.
Don’t forget, if you’re having problems adding your post to the grid and you don’t get a response from me immediately, either to your tweet, comment or email, please please please tweet @inlinkz and Aris will be happy to help you figure it out. Sometimes, I’m sleepin’. Usually between the hours of midnight US CDT and 6 a. m. US CDT [-5 GMT]. Aris will help while I’m snoring.
Helpful links
Yeah write #58 hangout grid is open over there.
Yeah write #58 challenge grid is open right here.
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The yeah write #58 challenge grid has now closed at 50 blogs. Please consider grabbing a “hanging out” button from the sidebar to join the wonderful bloggers on the hangout grid.
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Definitely consider that that you said. Your favourite justification appeared to be at the net the easiest factor to keep in mind of. I say to you, I definitely get annoyed even as people think about issues that they plainly do not recognise about. You controlled to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the whole thing without having side effect , people can take a signal. Will probably be again to gt more. Thank you
Very good blog and article
Thank you, Erica, for creating this outstanding community that supports writers. I appreciate all of your hard work and am so honored to be involved.
It’s been a while since I’ve linked up (yeah, I’m one of those lovelinks “old-timers” who’s been AWOL for a bit) and wow, you fill up to 50 fast these days. By the time I got my post into the shape I wanted? BAM! Done – no room at the Inn. So I’m over on the Hangout side. I have a feeling I’m going to be there a good long time and you may not see me on the challenge grid again, as I NEVER get posts written early. SIGH. — signed – a chronic procrastinator and perfectionist.
I wonder if I’m not doing something correctly? This morning, when the count was at 49, I put a link to Yeah Write and pasted a button into my post, but when I tried to submit a message kept popping up telling me I was missing a backlink. Would you please shed some light on this?
Also, just curious: do you always send out the email at 2 am?
You’ll get an error about the missing backlink if the permalink to the current yeah write challenge post isn’t in the post you’re trying to link to the challenge grid or if the permalink to the current hangout post isn’t in your post if you’re trying to link to the hangout grid.
The email is scheduled to send each Tuesday morning at 5 am US EDT although the tweet is sent from the yhwriteme account right as the challenge post or hangout post is published at 12:01 am EDT or midnight EDT, respectively.
Make sure you put the right post up guys! Otherwise, it’ll get taken down without anyone telling you and you’ll miss the “50” deadline because you posted something at 2AM trying to meet that deadline.
Yes, um, what he said. And what the FAQ say:
personal blog posts only; no commercial, giveaway, sponsored, review or otherwise promotional posts. I delete those immediately, and please consider this to be your first and final notice of the matter
My point being that I have three tabs to different posts on my blog open. In trying to get in I copied and pasted the link from the wrong tab. And being that was the tab that was open, I pasted the badge code and put it in. Never once, dawned on me that I put the wrong post up.
But as a point of fact, I have NEVER tried to sell anything on this site or any other place than my facebook page, twitter page, and MY site. The point being that I accidentally put the WRONG link in. But instead of giving me the benefit of the doubt, you’re going to just assume that I maliciously disregarded your rules.
I have seen you hold positions for people in the past when they accidentally put a link up to the wrong post. You know, because people are human and make mistakes. You could have deleted it, and at least saved the spot for me until you figured out what was going on.
This wasn’t my first time at the rodeo. I have never posted anything other than personal blog posts. And in my haste to try to get in, I made a mistake. But I guess, mistakes were only allowed when you were having a hard time filling the 50 spots.
Like I said before, a simple tweet asking if that was the post I intended would have cleared things up quickly and neatly. Instead…we have this. But hey, thanks for chastising me publicly before finding out what happened. Maybe I’ll be a good example for the others.
I’m just disappointed because I have been a part of this community for awhile now. I remember when you couldn’t get a full 50 slots filled. I have even gone out and tried to get more people to post here. And the weeks I wasn’t able to post, I still came by and read. I still voted. I still followed the community.
I believe in what you are doing. I’m just a little miffed at the treatment.
My apologies for appearing to chastise you publicly, Scott. Thanks for the support you’ve given to the yeah write community and for introducing others to it.
I think the mystery lurker thing is a great idea, too. When will you use up all of your brilliance, Erica??? It just goes on and on. On the other hand, I can’t seem to get my laundry done. 😉 Ellen
good thing i decided to pass on this week’s challenge (not sure yet about the hanging out grid)… already at 47!! wow.
still looking forward to reading everyone, though.
as always am so excited to see the strength of this yeahwrite community, erica! any day now, we’re going to need t-shirts and tote bags, is what I’m thinking. yeahwrite swag…I’m telling you, it’d be huge.
I was on the fence about hanging out or challenging this time. Thanks to the Sensible Moms for a prompt that brought this one about!
Please don’t link me… I DID IT MYSELF THIS TIME! OK, I used my hubby’s bad-ass laptop (and he has a bad-ass Firefox browser). Any way, it worked! Yipee! And now I’m totally jealous of his laptop! (Mine’s getting creaky old. An oldie but goodie, NOT!) I’m going to borrow his laptop more often! LOL! Thanks for putting up with me needing link-up help!
Exciting new developments on the judging front. Can’t wait to meet our new lurker judge (once he or she is chosen), and in the meantime, a mystery judge from the grid sounds pretty cool!