Wednesday, April 8, 2015

G is for Guest Blogging

R.a.n.t. of day 04/08/15
Believe it or not, J.A.Scott is not the first blog I've written for. There is actually a history of how my blog got to where it is now. I mention this because for a time I was writing for two other blogs. One was 'Doctor Who' themed and the other a 'Biggest Loser' theme. Early in 2012 I was invited to guest blog for a friend who wrote for an online Philadelphia newspaper called PhillyBurbs. She also wrote Biggest Loser articles and had a feature called, "Tweets of the Week". The point of the article was to scan twitter for various comments on the current weeks episode of 'Biggest Loser' and chose the ones which best illustrated how the general populace viewed the particular episode. Then snarky replies were provided for the benefit and humour of those reading the article. Jennifer Weilgus, the writer, has a sarcastic wit, much like mine, so I seemed to be the perfect fit. It was a big thrill when she asked if I'd be willing to substitute for her. Though the article on the site has disappeared, I saved a copy of the article I wrote to my own blog. You can find it HERE.

Three years later and I've never guest blogged again, though I wouldn't mind it. Till then, I still love to host my own guest bloggers. I produced an anniversary article two years ago where I invited others to guest blog on one collaborative article. They were each given a small paragraph to write on a specific topic. I.E. Business, Food, Sports or Current affairs. You can find that article HERE. Only one of those guest bloggers has continued to do additional guest work for me. Since then, I've acquired two more who are willing to help out from time to time. Sure, I could skip a week when something comes up in my life and have no time to write. But I hate seeing gaps on my blog, times where nothing is being written. And to be honest, I sometimes make-believe they are staff; hired help. No, they don't get paid. Their reward is knowing something they wrote is being shared on my blog, and I always give them credit. Which to be fair, is all the reward I ever wanted when I guest blogged, once upon a time.

Some questions for discussion:
Would you ever be willing to guest blog?
Have you ever hosted a guest blogger?
Do you believe guest blogging is a good thing or bad thing? Why?



My current 'staff' writers are featured below.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Jenni Long is a writer and editor
of the Canadian children's magazine
'Fille Forte'. That being said, her
thoughts do not necessarily reflect
those of myself.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Professor Sanee resides in Italy
and teaches the course 'the
Ethics of Humour' at I.M.A.
She's also author of the book,
"Why Isn't Anyone Laughing?"



* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Charles Winthrop is a Washington
state writer & D.J. His interests
include music (both modern and
classical) and is a fine art connoisseur.
His articles have appeared in various
magazines including, 'Art Beautiful',
'Music of the Renaissance', and 'The Walla Walla Whistler'.

12 comments:

  1. The challenge fest does bring out the best in us...so many cool places to explore and make friends.

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    1. I agree. I've been finding a lot of neat new blogs to read. Many I have added to my blog lists.

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  2. I found one article that was a fertile source of good ideas about guest blogging. Google '28 brilliant bloggers talk about guest posts' for some hints on how to get the most out of shared blogging.

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  3. I love to provide guest posts and host guests on my blog. I recently started guest blogging at Unicorn Bell. It's a lot of blogging, but if I plan ahead I can manage it. I do like it, though. :)

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    1. I'll keep you in mind when I do my next guest blog special. :)

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  4. I've never hosted a guest before, but it's fun acting as a guest blogger for a day!
    Good luck with the 2015 A to Z Challenge!
    A to Z Co-Host S. L. Hennessy
    http://pensuasion.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I had lots of fun doing the guest blog I did. Thanks for stopping by.

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  5. Very different guest bloggers you've got there. I've posted on others once or twice and it was nice to see my thoughts some place else. I've yet to host any bloggers on mind though, that would be nice :)

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    1. Considering I rant about anything and everything, I like having a variety of different people stop by to help out. One I've actually know for a lnog, long time.

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  6. Hello there.
    I've been a blogger for more than ten years, always as assistant for hubby when he was a regular blogger. I started my own blog as a hobby and place to put my ~mewsings~. That's about all I can cope with for now. Never been a guest blogger nor had the desire to do so.

    Entrepreneurial Goddess

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    Replies
    1. I like the guest blogger every now and again to get a fresh perspective.

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