Apr 14, 2014 / Beginner

Last Call for Blogging U.: Challenges Start Tomorrow

The submission form is now closed; anyone who has registered should have received a welcome email and we’ll be responding to all requests for switching challenges. If you didn’t sign up, all assignments are posted here, so feel free to jump right in!

NOTE: the sign-up form for both challenges is now closed! However, all assignments for both challenges are published publicly here each day and comment threads are open, so even if you missed the sign-up period, you’re welcome to join in!

Anyone who filled out the form should now have received a welcome email, and any unfulfilled requests to switch challenges will be answered tomorrow as well. Thanks for your patience — and your enthusiasm!

Our Blogging 101: Zero to Hero and Blogging 201: Branding, Growth, and Traffic challenges kick off tomorrow, and it’s not too late to sign on. Learn more about each challenge and sign up below!

Blogging 101: Zero to Hero

Zero to Hero is thirty days of digestible blogging assignments to give you a solid grounding on all things blogging. At the end, you’ll have:

  • A half-dozen (or more) published posts, and a handful of draft posts to get you through your next 30 days.
  • A customized theme, with widgets to draw new readers in and highlight your favorite reads.
  • A (small but growing) audience.
  • An understanding of the blogging community, blog etiquette, and how to build a readership of your own.

Blogging 201: Branding, Growth, and Traffic

Branding, Growth, and Traffic is a 14-day challenge to give your blog’s growth a serious kick start. We’ll help you:

  • Define your blog’s brand and make sure it’s effective and consistent.
  • Build your audience both within WordPress.com, and without.
  • Understand and use your blog’s stats to grow your traffic.
  • Make the most of your existing posts, to bring them ongoing attention.

At the end of the two weeks, you’ll have some new readers, new tools, and a to-do list you’re excited to attack. If you’re participating in either challenge, you’ll also have access to The Commons, a private, conversation-focused site where you can chat with other participants, share works-in-progress for feedback, and more (there will be separate sites for 101 and 201 bloggers). Staff will be on hand there to answer questions, give feedback, direct you to more resources, and keep the conversation flowing. Get ready to blog!

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  1. Hello, I signed up for the blogging 101 challenge but the emails I have received from you indicate that I am participating in the 201 challenge. Can you help?

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      10. hi i think there might be some confusion with my user name and blog name. My blog name is ‘orangepippy’ but when i registered for Commons I put phillipabadman as my username. If you can’t find me, I can just sign up again!

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  2. Hi, I signed up a week ago for the blogging 201 and I received today a reminder to sign up. Something I’ve missed?

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  5. Hi! I registered for Blooging 101 but I got an email saying I am registered for Blooging 201…Can you please fix this? I really want to complete Blogging 101 first 🙂

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  6. I’m new to all this, what is the cost, and, is it in person somewhere or online? Could you explain how it works or point me in the right direction?

    Thanks, Peggy

    Sent from my iPad

    >

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    1. There’s no cost. It’s on online challenge we run here, at The Daily Post. Each day, we’ll post a new assignment designed to help you develop/grow you blog for you to complete — simple as that.

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  7. I signed up for the 201 but have been receiving 101 notifications in my reader (which is frustrating). Do I need to do anything to make sure I’m not missing any 201 assignments? Thank you! J

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  14. Hi I just saw this post! I’d love to sign up but I don’t have time atm to fill everything out and write down goals. When is the deadline to sign up?

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    1. You can skip that bit if you want — just fill out the blog/email info so we can keep track of you 🙂

      Both challenges start tomorrow, and both will happen again in the future.

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  15. What’s happened to the weekly photo and writing challenges lately? I haven’t been seeing them come up and cant find them on the blog either.

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    1. They’re still here — look on the right-hand side of the home page, right under the prompt. There is a glitch that’s stopping them from showing up in the Reader, which we’re working on fixing as a type, but you can always find them on The Daily Post itself.

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  22. Sounds like too many kinks in the system to get involved with right now. I have enough frustration going on with my “Copy a Post”. When I click copy a post it becomes add a new post. It’s frustrating because I use it often…or I used to. 😦

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    1. There’s no need to sign up if you’d prefer not too — all the challenge assignments will be right here on The Daily Post, publicly accessible, so you can follow along.

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  23. Strike my previous comment; the form was not coming up on the app so I check on my explorer and signed up that way! Signed up for 101

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  25. I’ve been blogging on WP for a few years but never done this challenge. Is 101 required for my existing blog? I’m also considering starting a new blog that is only in the planning stages. I would really like to get that going soon…which challenge would suit me?

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  27. I am very very excited for the challenge! I am hoping to make many new blogger friends! Everybody needs a little challenge, don’t we?

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  28. I think I may have registered about 50 times on Saturday. I kept getting the mostly blank screen, and thought it was because I was using Starbucks wifi. I just want to make sure that I am registered, but not taking up potential “spots” for other bloggers because of all my form submissions. Thanks!

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  29. I am really excited to sign up for this challenge. As a beginner (just started 2 days ago) i would love support from the blogging community. Like and follow on vivacious7.wordpress.com
    Thanks all!!!

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  30. I signed up for the Blogging 201 track but the email I received was for the Blogging 101 track. Also I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to login to the private site anyway since there were no details in the email of how to setup a username and password for the private site. Please help.
    Thanks!

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    1. I’ll get you switched over. The Commons doesn’t require a separate username — if you’re logged in to WordPress.com, you should be able to access it. (There was an additional security requirement, but we’ve since removed it.)

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    2. Ah, I see you don’t have a WordPress.com site. You should have gotten an email with instructions on what you’d need to do to access the private site; I’ll re-send it.

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