Connect With the Book Blogger Buddy System!

Cross-posted from The Estella Society, which is generously hosting this project

One common thread in I saw posts wrapping up Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2012 was “reconnection.” There were no awards or big sponsored giveaways this year, and no one really seemed to miss them! On the other hand, many of us did seem to enjoy a renewed sense of our community--getting reacquainted with one another and adding new-found book blogs that we want to know better to our feed readers--and a boost to our enthusiasm about blogging.

I follow a lot of book blogs (you don’t want to know how many!), and consequently, I read a lot of posts responding to the daily BBAW topics, but this sums up what I took away from the week, via Laura @ Musings:

“We all have those low periods where our blogging energy flags. When this happens to me, it’s almost always because I’m feeling disconnected. Sometimes I bring this on myself — such as when life gets busy and I don’t visit & comment on blog posts as often as I’d like. At other times, I’ve felt ‘overworked’ by blogging itself.”

I completely related to this, and I doubt Laura and I are the only ones who struggle with this sort of disconnection. It got me thinking about how to foster the blogging energy that comes from connection...in a very specific, ongoing way

Sometimes I feel like it would help if there were one specific person I could get in touch with when I need that energy boost--someone to bounce an idea off, to give feedback on a post draft, give me a reality check, or just commiserate with over the kinds of things only other bloggers really understand. And I suspect I’m not the only one who feels that way...but sometimes it’s hard to know who it’s OK to ask. What can we do about that?

My proposal: the Book Blogger Buddy System, connecting one blogger to another to be there for each other and encourage that energy flow!

Buddies may have similar blogging experience, or may want more of an  entor/learner arrangement. They may work out a formal schedule to check in with each other, or let things evolve. The specifics are up to the Buddies. The most important thing about the Book Blogger Buddy System is that it’s intended to foster a mutual relationship. If you want support, you have to be willing to give it in return!

The Book Blogger Buddy System will use information on the submitted Connection Form to match up bloggers. Participants may not request a specific Buddy by name--if you have a certain person in mind already, you probably don’t need this! All other match preferences will be taken under consideration, although ability to meet them will be affected by the participant pool.

The Book Blogger Buddy System will make the connection and put Buddies in touch with each other--then it’s in your hands to build your relationship, and the matchmaker is out of it!

I’m asking just one thing: please give your Book Blogger Buddy arrangement six months. These things take some time. If it’s working out, you’ll probably both want to continue past that point on your own, and that’s great! (I hope that will be the outcome of many matches!)

In order to keep things manageable, the first round of sign-ups for the Book Blogger Buddy System will close on October 12. If things go well and there’s interest in keeping this going, I envision opening sign-ups every six months or so. (If your Buddy match didn’t work out so well, that’s when you can give it another shot!)

Interested? Submit the Connection Form!

Questions? Willing to help make matches? E-mail me at 3.rsblog AT Gmail dot COM or “@” me (florinda_3rs) on Twitter!

Thanks to The Estella Society for supporting the Book Blogger Buddy System and providing it with a home!