National Blog Posting Month
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Okay, I'm now an official member of NaBloPoMo. Do I have to
post here on the NaBloPoMo site every day, or on my own
blog?
Most people prefer to post on their own blogs but if you don't have a blog of your own yet you should feel free to do all your posting here on NaBlo.
2. How do I get on the blogroll?
You send your blog name and URL to nablopomo@gmail.com so it can be added to the list of links. You need to format your link EXACTLY like this or it won't be added:
3. What if I don't want to be on the blogroll every month?
You won't be automatically added to the blogroll every month. When you receive the e-mail announcing the upcoming month's theme, that will be the time to send in your link. It may not the most efficient method, but for now it's all we've got.
4. What's the deal with the prizes?
November is the big free-for-all giveaway month, with prizes donated by NaBlo members and awarded to randomly-chosen bloggers who have managed to post every single day that month. Click the Prizes tab to see what was offered last year!
5. Do I have to use the monthly theme to get on the blogroll?
The monthly theme is totally optional, it's for people looking for a little more structure for their posting. Sometimes limits free us to think in new ways. You will always find the monthly theme near the top of the left column of the main NaBlo page.
6. The Flash badge provided by the Ning network doesn't work on my blog. Do you have any HTML badges I can use?
YES. Click on the "HTML Badges" tab and you'll find some there, with instructions on how to install one onto your blog.
7. It's called "National" Blog Posting Month, does that mean I have to be in the United States to participate?
Heck no! The name NaBloPoMo is derived from NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, where participants try to write an entire novel in one month. We're here because we can't commit to an endeavor of such magnitude, but we can post on our blogs every day for a month! Weekends included.
8. My cat died/my boyfriend asked me to marry him/I just spent the night in the hospital and I missed posting for a couple of days. Can I just post a little extra this month to make up for the missing days so I can still be eligible for the prize drawing?
First of all, I'm so sorry/congratulations/I hope you get well soon. Secondly, no. If I let you skip a couple of days then I'd have to let everybody post whenever they felt like it, and that would defeat the whole purpose of NaBlo which is to get you to sit down and write something every day. If there's one thing I've learned from all this it's to post as early in the day as you can. You'll catch more readers that way (most blog reading gets done at lunchtime), and you won't have to worry about posting something lame after work when you're tired, or accidentally forgetting to post at all.
9. My blog is not public, only people I've given permission to can read it. Can I still be on the blogroll? Can I still win a prize in November?
You can totally have a private blog and still be on the blogroll and be eligible for a prize. If I end up choosing you at the end of November I will send you an e-mail to ask if I can have permission to check and see if you posted every day during the month; when I'm done you can revoke that permission and enjoy your privacy knowing that I would never abuse the privilege of having briefly been granted access to your online thoughts.
10. I live in Spain/New Zealand/on a distant planet with really good WiFi -- do my posts have to conform to a U.S. time zone to be considered "official" each day, or do I just post according to my local calendar and time zone?
Post according to your own time zone. Most blogging platforms will give each of your posts a unique timestamp that you can set to reflect your local date and time, so just keep it set like that.
11. I just found out about NaBlo and it's after the first of the month. Is it too late to join and be on the blogroll?
Heck no! You can join at any time and send in your link for the blogroll after the month has begun. The only month where starting late might matter is November, when you won't be eligible for the random prize drawing if you haven't posted every day from the 1st to the 30th. But there's always next year.
12. I sent my link in last night and I'm still not on the blogroll. What gives?
The blogroll is normally updated once a day, so try to allow at least 24 hours for your link to go up. If it's been a day or two and you still don't see it, go to my page (http://nablopomo.ning.com/profile/toasteroven) and send me your link through the network.
13. How do I get my updated blog posts to appear on the main page?
You have to cut and paste your blog posts from your outside blog into your profile page here on the network to get them to appear on our main page. Go to your profile page and scroll down and look for the link that says "add a blog post." You can paste in your latest post from your outside blog and it will show up on the main page of the network until it gets bumped down by newer posts from other people.
Other questions? Suggestions? E-mail them to nablopomo@gmail.com.
Most people prefer to post on their own blogs but if you don't have a blog of your own yet you should feel free to do all your posting here on NaBlo.
2. How do I get on the blogroll?
You send your blog name and URL to nablopomo@gmail.com so it can be added to the list of links. You need to format your link EXACTLY like this or it won't be added:
3. What if I don't want to be on the blogroll every month?
You won't be automatically added to the blogroll every month. When you receive the e-mail announcing the upcoming month's theme, that will be the time to send in your link. It may not the most efficient method, but for now it's all we've got.
4. What's the deal with the prizes?
November is the big free-for-all giveaway month, with prizes donated by NaBlo members and awarded to randomly-chosen bloggers who have managed to post every single day that month. Click the Prizes tab to see what was offered last year!
5. Do I have to use the monthly theme to get on the blogroll?
The monthly theme is totally optional, it's for people looking for a little more structure for their posting. Sometimes limits free us to think in new ways. You will always find the monthly theme near the top of the left column of the main NaBlo page.
6. The Flash badge provided by the Ning network doesn't work on my blog. Do you have any HTML badges I can use?
YES. Click on the "HTML Badges" tab and you'll find some there, with instructions on how to install one onto your blog.
7. It's called "National" Blog Posting Month, does that mean I have to be in the United States to participate?
Heck no! The name NaBloPoMo is derived from NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, where participants try to write an entire novel in one month. We're here because we can't commit to an endeavor of such magnitude, but we can post on our blogs every day for a month! Weekends included.
8. My cat died/my boyfriend asked me to marry him/I just spent the night in the hospital and I missed posting for a couple of days. Can I just post a little extra this month to make up for the missing days so I can still be eligible for the prize drawing?
First of all, I'm so sorry/congratulations/I hope you get well soon. Secondly, no. If I let you skip a couple of days then I'd have to let everybody post whenever they felt like it, and that would defeat the whole purpose of NaBlo which is to get you to sit down and write something every day. If there's one thing I've learned from all this it's to post as early in the day as you can. You'll catch more readers that way (most blog reading gets done at lunchtime), and you won't have to worry about posting something lame after work when you're tired, or accidentally forgetting to post at all.
9. My blog is not public, only people I've given permission to can read it. Can I still be on the blogroll? Can I still win a prize in November?
You can totally have a private blog and still be on the blogroll and be eligible for a prize. If I end up choosing you at the end of November I will send you an e-mail to ask if I can have permission to check and see if you posted every day during the month; when I'm done you can revoke that permission and enjoy your privacy knowing that I would never abuse the privilege of having briefly been granted access to your online thoughts.
10. I live in Spain/New Zealand/on a distant planet with really good WiFi -- do my posts have to conform to a U.S. time zone to be considered "official" each day, or do I just post according to my local calendar and time zone?
Post according to your own time zone. Most blogging platforms will give each of your posts a unique timestamp that you can set to reflect your local date and time, so just keep it set like that.
11. I just found out about NaBlo and it's after the first of the month. Is it too late to join and be on the blogroll?
Heck no! You can join at any time and send in your link for the blogroll after the month has begun. The only month where starting late might matter is November, when you won't be eligible for the random prize drawing if you haven't posted every day from the 1st to the 30th. But there's always next year.
12. I sent my link in last night and I'm still not on the blogroll. What gives?
The blogroll is normally updated once a day, so try to allow at least 24 hours for your link to go up. If it's been a day or two and you still don't see it, go to my page (http://nablopomo.ning.com/profile/toasteroven) and send me your link through the network.
13. How do I get my updated blog posts to appear on the main page?
You have to cut and paste your blog posts from your outside blog into your profile page here on the network to get them to appear on our main page. Go to your profile page and scroll down and look for the link that says "add a blog post." You can paste in your latest post from your outside blog and it will show up on the main page of the network until it gets bumped down by newer posts from other people.
Other questions? Suggestions? E-mail them to nablopomo@gmail.com.
62 Comments
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Comment by Eden Marriott Kennedy on February 20, 2008 at 12:16pm - Not as far as I know.
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Comment by Judy on March 21, 2008 at 10:05am - I just joined...what were the themes for January and February??
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Comment by Eden Marriott Kennedy on March 21, 2008 at 12:35pm
- We didn't go monthly until March.
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Comment by Yvonne on March 21, 2008 at 5:33pm -
Re posting daily and time zones? Any guidelines or recommendations
for those who might be posting from outside the US? (Say, 16 hours
ahead of New York...)
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Comment by Eden Marriott Kennedy on March 24, 2008 at 12:41pm
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As long as your posting conforms to YOUR time zone, it shouldn't be
a problem. When I'm going through and checking blogs at the end of
the month, I'm looking at the timestamp of the post, I am not
trying to figure out whether or not the post made it up by midnight
MY time.
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Comment by 40SomethingMom on April 6, 2008 at 4:13pm - What is the purpose of "friends" and what are its advantages?
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Comment by Eden Marriott Kennedy on April 7, 2008 at 9:50am
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Cherry, you can post in any language you feel comfortable writing
in. Being "friends" with someone can mean anything -- it can link
you to someone you know in real life, or someone whose blog you
read, or someone who shares your interests. It's a way to find new
blogs to read and to get people to notice your blog.
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Comment by Dezdemona Lopez on April 24, 2008 at 5:00pm
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I want to put a Flickr badge on my Nablopomo page - I made the
badge on Flickr, copied the code into the widget box - but it won't
display the photo badge - just a link. Am I going about this wrong?
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Comment by Eden Marriott Kennedy on April 29, 2008 at 12:53pm
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I get the same thing when I put the Flickr code into my profile
box, but if I put the Flickr code into the main box in the center
column I can see the whole Flickr badge. I'm sorry Flickr doesn't
seem to like our sidebars!
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Comment by Mrs. Smith on May 1, 2008 at 1:20pm -
I am posting everyday on my NaBlo page but only about once a week
on my own blog, should I still put my name on the blog roll?
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Comment by Eden Marriott Kennedy on May 2, 2008 at 10:48am
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You should probably send me the URL of your NaBlo page if that's
where you're posting every day.
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Comment by Andie Summerkiss on July 4, 2008 at 2:48am
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Hi Eden, I am experiencing something unusual on "MY PAGE", I can't
seem to find the "edit" button to update my RSS feed from my blog.
Can you send me the link to edit it? We have problems with the
internet connection, the page might not be loading fully ...
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Comment by Trees on July 4, 2008 at 10:35am -
Okay, I'm have the same question as Andie S (I think). In order for
me to get my daily posts to have any connection with Nablo from my
own blog, I would need to copy/paste, or link on my Nablo page. In
other words, I'm on the blogroll for July on Nablo, but this is not
an automatic link to my personal blog on Wordpress? Right? I ask
because I see "recent activity" on the front page, but I guess that
would only happen if I cross-posted from my blog to Nablo.
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Comment by Eden Marriott Kennedy on July 4, 2008 at 11:21am
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Exactly. Being on the blogroll has nothing to do with what shows up
on the main page feed.
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Sorry maybe I wasn't making myself clear.. on the left sidebar at
MyPage, there's a RSS (right under +add Video) that says "Please
click Edit to ...". But there's no edit button under there. I saw
some members' pages that have snipped of posts from their blogs on
the RSS section of the MyPage ..
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I saw the edit button now. The page was not loading properly before
due to bad internet connection in this area. Way way in the middle
of nowhere in the Philippines. Thanks!
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Comment by Eden Marriott Kennedy on July 5, 2008 at 11:12am
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Sorry, Andie, I understand now. The "Edit" button is on the top
right of your RSS box, not underneath. It will only show up if
you're logged in, so make sure you've done that. Are you seeing ANY
"Edit" buttons around your page? If you're logged in and still
don't see any on your page then I'll have you contact the Ning help
desk.
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Comment by Eden Marriott Kennedy on August 4, 2008 at 7:43am
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I was having trouble with Photoshop and couldn't do anything for
the whole month of July. I just got it working, though! I will make
a couple of "I did it!" badges right now.
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Comment by Sukanya on August 15, 2008 at 4:12am -
read about NABLOPOMO in the middle of July, installed the widget
and started posting. Can it be considered a month from Mid July to
Mid August
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© 2009 Created by Eden Marriott Kennedy
blog, but the code doesn't work. Is there another code I can use
for THIS badge that will work on my WordPress blog?