February Comment Love Challenge!

When I started this blog, coming up on two years ago (WOW!), I knew nothing about blogging. Everything I knew about blogging, I had learned from livejournal.com. I used to read friends of friends' livejournals when I was bored at my old boring job. Mostly they talked about food and failed relationships. Somehow this kept me afloat at work until it was time to quit my job and quit my Jersey life. So it's basically a miracle that I ever started to blog because I didn't yet see all of its potential.

I see it now. I did it because I needed a place to relearn how to write and take photos after years of anxiety, uncertainty and paralysis. I figured that if I did it publicly, I couldn't hide from it and I would be doing everything for myself, with the knowledge that others were reading and watching. And I liked that others were reading and watching. I grew more and more.

Blogging was one of the best decisions I ever made. It's not up there with marrying Cassidy and having children with him, but it's pretty darn close! Like living in New England close. Like major life-changing close.

Blogging is a land of opportunity. You can show, you can tell, you can show and tell, you can sell, you can buy, you can connect, and then connect some more. One of my favorite experiences has been to "meet" other bloggers and become blogging friends. We don't have to live close to share our lives with one another.

That is why I decided to sign up for the February Comment Love Challenge, hosting along with the blogs Edison Rex, One Lonely Apricot and Desirous of Everything. We are excited to launch the first ever Comment Love Challenge for February 2012! As all or many of us bloggers know, getting a comment is kinda like Christmas. It's hot caramel (I'm not a hot fudge person) on ice cream. It's gravy and butter on mashed potatoes. It doesn't have to be earth-shattering or thought-provoking. Just a simple, "I get you." or "I loved this post."

And as many of us know, getting blog comments isn't always easy so we learn to stick together and support one another. It feels good, it helps you learn about other bloggers and their blogging styles, and it feels all warm and fuzzy.

Here's how it works:

When you follow the link below and sign up, your blog will appear on the Comment Love Challenge page.

The Challenge officially begins on February 1st and ends February 14th. All you have to do is: read, read, read and comment, comment, comment! Have fun and connect with other bloggers! We encourage you to comment on blogs participating in the challenge but you can comment on any blogs that you like.

Not to mention, there's a prize!

Keep track of your daily comments for the entire two weeks. At the end we will feature the blogger with the most comments.

Not only that, but all participants who made at least 42 comments (that's 3 per day for the course of the challenge) will have a chance to enter a very special giveaway...to win a copy of Elsie Larson's Blog Love E-Course, graciously donated to this event by Elsie and Emma of A Beautiful Mess! It's a wonderful prize for any aspiring or active blogger.

Since four blogs are hosting this challenge, your blog will be seen in the link up by a lot of readers, and we guarantee that you will get comments on your blog!

Get ready for February 1st and sign up below!

Grab a button to post in your side bar, too!

<center><a href=" http://tamaralikecamera.blogspot.com/2012/01/february-comment-love-challenge.html " target="_blank"><img alt="Comment Love Challenge" src="http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j307/soholla/commentlove.jpg" / height="200" width="200" /></a></center>