The Mighty 100 Celebration

What a weekend this turned out to be. First, I was blessed with two awesome awards from fellow bloggers, then my blog achieved the milestone (for me) of reaching 100 followers. When 2010 began, my goal was to have 100 followers by the end of the year. I achieved that goal by the end of the first month. Talk about setting your sights too low.

It’s not all about the numbers though, is it? No. It’s about reaching out, to other aspiring writers, to accomplished authors who are compelled to share their experience, and to those who simply enjoy the turn of a phrase and an occasional witticism. But it’s also about what we get in return. The feedback, the encouragement, the inspiration, and the support…all invaluable.

As I started approaching the magic number, I found myself wondering what I should discern from reaching my goal? That I read a whole lot of blogs? That is the easiest way to garner readers, just follow their blogs. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. Although gratifying, it’s not entirely satisfying. My true goal, one that is only remotely associated with numbers, is the tingle factor. When thinking about your own list of followed blogs, I bet there are a select few that stir excitement in you when that update notification pops up in your reader. So much so that you can hardly wait until there’s a quiet moment to read it. The anticipation is because you know you’ll be treated to something that will either further your personal growth, brighten your day, or touch your emotions. That’s the tingle factor, and that’s what I want to strive for. I believe you can’t really gauge that by just the number of followers, but it’s hinted at in the amount and quality of comments you receive from your postings. Can you write something that would awaken even the lurkers? A perfect grade would be one comment, per follower, per post. A standard that is too high? I don’t think so, not if I am to become the writer I hope to be!

So, you all know what reaching a 100 followers means, right? Yep, a party! One with prizes. I’m not calling it a contest, because it really isn’t. It’s more of a celebration. I’d like to give each and every one of you something as a reward, but Oprah I’m not. What I can do is give to a gift to a lucky two. That’s right, two. The first, a $25 gift certificate to Amazon, will be awarded to one of my original 100. The second, a $15 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble, is open to new and old alike.

Here are the rules and guidelines. You must be a follower to Cruising Altitude and leave a comment to this post to have your name thrown into the pot. If you’re one of the mighty 100, you will automatically receive two points, new follower’s one point. If you post about Cruising Altitude on your own blog (so make sure to tell me about it) you’ll receive another point. If a reader of your blog becomes a follower here as a result of your posting (they have to mention you directly, in their first posting), yet another point to you. Oh yeah…family members are excluded (let the grumbling begin). I’ll announce the lucky winners on Monday, February 8th.

Thank you all…for letting me stand upon your shoulders.

DL