Biannual Blogathon Bash June 2013 Wrap-up

Biannual Blogathon Bash Wrap-UP

This has been an excellent Biannual Blogathon Bash. The mini challenges were superb and the prizes astounding.  Kathleen Garber, you have outdone yourself with this Blogathon. Every Blogathon is better than the previous one.

I accomplished what I set out to do. The main goal was to take part in as many mini challenges that I had time for.

I managed to complete the following:

Tasks not on Mini Challenge List

Wrote and published starting post.
Wrote and published post Challenge:  The Four Faces and the Lost Map
Signed up for free class at Blogelina
Took part in Twitter parties

 

Biannual Blogathon Mini Challenges

The support the hosts of the challenges gave was absolutely wonderful.

These are the challenges I completed. The challenge titles are self-explanatory. Click on the link if you want to read more about the challenge.

1)      How to Make Your Own Blog Button @ Misfit Momma

a)      Downloaded Paint.Net

b)      Made my blog button

 

RETHA Groenewald Author”>

 

2)      Make Your Own Media Kit @ Misfit Momma

a)      This was the most difficult challenge to me.

b)      In the end I did make a media kit for one blog.

 

3)      Setting Up a Cloud Account for Image Hosting @ Geek With Style

a)      Cloudinary is a great solution for uploading images.

b)      Signed up on Cloudinary by using the link on Geek With Style

c)      Uploaded images

d)     Used Cloudinary for the image I used on my blog button

 

4)      Tips to Keeping Your Blog and Online Self Secure @ Geek With Style

I did the following on all three blogs:

a)      Installed Wordfence plugin

b)      Scanned with Wordfence

c)      Fixed any issues

d)     All plugins were updated

e)      Deleted unused plugins

f)       All themes updated

g)      Deleted unused  themes

h)      Updated WordPress 3.5.2

 

5)      StumbleUpon 101: A Beginner’s Intro @ Divas With a Purpose

a)      I updated my StumbleUpon page and added more likes

b)      I stumbled three blog posts I came across during the Biannual Blogathon Bash

c)      I followed other pages

 

6)      SEO Basics: The Perfect About Page @ The Made Thing

a)      Updated About Page on Author Blog

b)      Read and applied the recommendations by The Made Thing.

 

7)      Branding Basics @ Keystrokes by Kimberly

Elevator pitch for my blogs:

a)      RETHA Groenewald Author blog – The fantasy novel, The Four Faces, is about the purpose in life. Together with The Four Faces, you and I discover more about our life journey and our purpose.

b)      Bible Fascination blog – Getting to know the Bible better

c)      Discover Bible Treasures blog – Imagine studying the Bible by landing between the verses and pages of the Bible as if it is a territory to discover. Join the heroes and heroines on their quests, adventures and solving puzzles.

 

8)      You are Your Brand @ Keystrokes by Kimberly

a)      The logo on Discover Bible Treasures is pomegranates, a mysterious fruit with hidden seeds.

b)      The theme used on Bible Fascination doesn’t allow a logo

c)      I am trying to figure out how to add a logo to the theme used on Author blog

 

9)      There is Much Advantage in a Guest Post. Take Advantage @ Keystrokes by Kimberly

a)      I have guests posts lined up for the near future.

 

10)  13 Things Your Blog Should Have @ Keystrokes by Kimberly

Two of the 13 things I did this weekend:

a)      Improved the About Page

b)      Added a blog button.

 

11)  The Art to Irresistible Post Titles @ Keystrokes by Kimberly

a)      The title I chose – Challenge: The Four Faces and Lost Map of Kingdom

 

12)  Writing a Series or Theme On Your Blog @ Savvy Suburban Mama

a)      I use series on Discover Bible Treasures.

b)      On Bible Fascination I write about the Gospel in chronological order. Would that be a theme?

c)      Optimize Series is a great plugin. Click here to see how I use it.

d)     New series I am planning is 30 Days of Bible Stories

e)      I am considering a theme for a specific day of the week

 

13)  Create New Blog Content Using Today’s Trends @ Dirty Laundry

a)      Emerald green is an excellent trend for The Four Faces, especially with the forest people

 

14)  The Social Media of It All @ Keystrokes by Kimberly

a)     I updated my About.me page

 

15)  Understanding Google PageRank, Alexa and Klout @ Biannual Blogathon Bash

a)      I looked at all three rankings.

b)      Google Page Rank – The blog is too young to rank.

c)      Alexa – I will follow-up with this ranking.

d)     Klout – This score had taken a dive but climbed two points this weekend.

 

16)  Creating a Blogging Notebook (Revised) @ A Jewel in the Making

a)      Printed the Notebook

b)      Compared the Book Review page to the one I use and updated mine with Author Bio and links to Author sites

 

17)  Create a Pinnable Image for Pinterest @ Saved By Grace

a)      Used Pickmonkey for the first time.

b)      Created my first quote with an image.

c)      I have wanted to create quotes from my characters, but didn’t know how to. Now I know.  -

d)     Also added the  image to Pinterest

 

18)  Getting Started With Bloglovin’ @ Basics4Bloggers

a)      My three blogs are claimed on Bloglovin’

b)      Added Bloglovin buttons to all three blogs

c)      Connected my facebook profile to Bloglovin’

d)     Updated Bloglovin’ page

 

19)  A Professional Cover Photo for your Facebook Page @ Biannual Blogathon Bash

a)      My cover photo is an image of The Four Faces novel with the forest in the background. I don’t want to change it because it is exactly what I want.

 

20)  Create a Custom Static HTML Tab on Your Facebook Page @ Biannual Blogathon Bash

a)      I created an HTML Tab on my Author Facebook Page redirecting to Bible Fascination blog.

 

21)  Maximizing Your Call-To-Action Button @ Biannual Blogathon Bash

a)      I used call-to-action buttons in the Challenge post -

b)      I have a Goodreads Call-to-action button on my blog

 

22)  Understanding Blog Policies @ Biannual Blogathon Bash

a)      I wrote a Book Review policy for Bible Fascination

 

Once again thank you Kathleen Garber, our Biannual Blogathon Bash host, and the Mini Challenges hosts.

The challenges improved my skills and inspired new ideas for my blogs. I will be spending most of the coming week planning how to carry out all these inspirations.

×Heads up! Mark Your Calendar. : The Winter Biannual Blogathon Bash will be held on 24-27 January 2014.

 

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