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Saturday, July 9, 2011

Linky Party Etiquette

One day, my college roommate sat me down and asked in her quiet voice, "Jenn, do you think you could try not to let the kitchen cabinet doors slam?" Apparently I had been doing just that for weeks and she finally got up the nerve to approach me about it. I had NO idea I was doing it, but once she pointed it out, I started noticing my tendency to swing it closed and the resulting BANG. Once I was aware, I quickly fixed that obnoxious behavior. I was grateful that my roommate told me and didn't harbor bad feelings all year.

So this is me, bringing up a topic for discussion:

 Hosting my Font Linky this week, I discovered there are some new bloggers who don't understand 
1) exactly what linky parties are
2) how to link up politely

Here are my thoughts...
WHAT ARE LINKY PARTIES?
The purpose of a linky party is  to share ideas about a particular topic across blogs. Not only is it great to share with each other but you often learn about new blogs this way.  When you link up you are saying that you have blogged about this topic, come see my response.

THERE IS A POLITE WAY TO LINK UP?
When you link up you should paste the url of the specific post, not just your main blog url.
Linky parties can be left open for months. If you link to your main blog page the blog post they are looking for could be buried. It is NEVER okay to link up if you have not blogged about the topic.

For those who don't know about the thumbnail pics: When you link up there is an option to crop-click it and it will bring up the available pics on your blog. I always select my blog header and then slide the crop tool so it is centered nicely.

CONTENT
If you link your blog, make sure your post adds valuable content.  I personally don't think just stating there is a linky party garners enough to link up but others may disagree. I do think you need to mention the name of the hosting blog and make it a link back to them. That way if someone reads your post 1st they will be able to get to the party!

I hope this post was helpful to some of you. My intent was not to be preachy, I hope I didn't come off that way. If you disagree with me on any of this (I am certainly not the Miss Manners of blogging) by all means comment (nicely please.)
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36 comments:

  1. JillJuly 9, 2011 at 3:59 PM

    If this was Facebook, I would "like" this. :)

    Marvelous Multiagers!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AdrienneJuly 9, 2011 at 4:19 PM

    I think this was very nicely put :)

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  3. Learning with Mrs. ParkerJuly 9, 2011 at 4:24 PM

    Hosting a party (linky or not) is always fun! Parties can be a great way to make new friends. But it is always polite to thank the host/hostess.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Miss KindergartenJuly 9, 2011 at 4:40 PM

    I agree with you Jenn. I realized that I didn't link back to you in my post because it was an old post I had just re-published. I am going to make it a point to be aware of adding a back-link to linky parties. Thanks for the reminder! :)

    Hadar

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  5. ashleyJuly 9, 2011 at 4:48 PM

    I agree! People have joined my bucket filling linky party and didn't even link to a bucket filling related anything!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mrs. PattonJuly 9, 2011 at 5:26 PM

    Amen, sister! Very nicely put!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nancy WilsonJuly 9, 2011 at 5:58 PM

    Thanks for sharing this. I think MANY of us have been at this and are constantly learning new things. Your input and advise are well stated. I know I just finally figured out how to use the link button on my posts (how your can type--'Jenn's Font Linky' and then the url of the actual post) On most things when I started I didn't know how to link to the specific post, only how to place my button. I really can't believe how much I've learned in this last year!!! I love blog world and want us all to respect one another, sometimes as your cupboard door story shows stepping on others' toes isn't intentional. Thanks for your great blog!
    Thanks, Nancy

    The Apple Basket Teacher

    ReplyDelete
  8. Nancy WilsonJuly 9, 2011 at 6:00 PM

    Oops "MANY of us have been at this LESS THAN A YEAR and are..." sorry I skipped a few words!
    Thank, Nancy

    The Apple Basket Teacher

    ReplyDelete
  9. CamilleJuly 9, 2011 at 6:08 PM

    Jenn, Thank you! I have yet to join a linky party because I wasn't sure what was expected. Now, thanks to you, I understand it a whole lot better and will be able to join one soon. : )

    Now for an etiquette question: I have purchased many WONDERFUL items from TPT. I would love to share these items with my teaching team, but I don't want to cheat the teacher who created the item. I noticed one item had a statement "Only for use in the purchasing teacher's classroom", but the other items don't seem to say that. We are all trying to collaborate more, so I want to share with my team. But if I have to pay for four downloads of each item, it becomes financially difficult. So ... what's the etiquette?????

    ReplyDelete
  10. Melissa SmithJuly 9, 2011 at 6:12 PM

    Good points. I just started blogging less than a month ago and at first didn't know how to link up to my specific post to match a linky party. I still don't know much about the blogging world...like how to make my blog site show up as a link like Nance above does with The Apple Basket Teacher! I've also realized I really want the blog name I created to be for my classroom and want to create another one for teachers and sharing. I'll try to figure that one out...
    mrs-smithsroom.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. LisaJuly 9, 2011 at 6:50 PM

    Thanks, Jenn! I learned a lot - for example, one thing I was doing wrong was linking to my blog, but not the specific post that I wrote on the topic: Once you wrote it, I realized that I SHOULD have figured that out, but haven't been doing this. I will from now on. Thanks for the good advice! Lisa (Mrs. Mac)
    First Class With Mrs. Mac

    ReplyDelete
  12. Fran RichardsonJuly 9, 2011 at 8:20 PM

    Thanks for posting this. I have only been at blogging for about a month, and I saw "linky party" for several weeks, but I didn't know who to ask, but I did want to participate. Posts like this are helpful to those of us who are just starting.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Jena SnowdenJuly 9, 2011 at 8:29 PM

    Thanks girl for posting this! I've only hosted one linky party and I didn't have that problem. I did notice on the last one that I joined that some people put their link on there but they didn't even post about it! I have been wanting to do an etiquette post sharing things that you have made but the idea is not originally yours. You should always say, "I got this idea from..." right? I am just not sure how to word it without sounding mean. I may call on you for help because you did a great job!

    Thanks!
    Jena
    1st Grade with Miss Snowden

    ReplyDelete
  14. MeredithJuly 9, 2011 at 8:34 PM

    Thank you so much for blogging about this. Someone had to say it - and you did it in a very polite way! It's very frustrating to click on a link in a linky party and find the person joined the party without even blogging on the topic.
    Meredith
    Keen on Kindergarten

    ReplyDelete
  15. RachelJuly 9, 2011 at 9:08 PM

    Thank you so much for your post. I didn't know about the links back to the hosting blog. I went back to the posts I had linked to parties (just earlier today - my first ones) and added something about the link party to each one with a link back.

    ReplyDelete
  16. KristinJuly 9, 2011 at 9:11 PM

    I just started my blog this week and I joined my first linky party. I read your post, checked back, and am happy to say that I did it all correctly. Phew!!!! But it's nice to have this for us newbies . . . I appreciate it. Now can you do a post on how to link my blog name right below this sentence?
    Kristin
    A Teeny Tiny Teacher
    Anyone? I see that a lot of you know how to do that . . . but I am stuck!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Jennifer @ Simply KinderJuly 9, 2011 at 9:12 PM

    I admit, I did that get that the first few days of blogging (and i have only been blogging for under a week.) I eventually got it. Your ears must have been ringing because I was just telling someone I wish there were Blogging rules for us newbies! Just a list of them somewhere. I am so afraid to break an unseen rule. =) Thank you for being so polite about it, and I do think it is OK to talk about... otherwise how else will we know?

    I shared your blog with a group of newbies that I am interacting with privately.

    Thanks! Jennifer

    Empowering Kinders and Other Kids Too

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  18. Jennifer @ Simply KinderJuly 9, 2011 at 9:13 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  19. Ms.MJuly 9, 2011 at 10:14 PM

    I have had ALL these things happen in my linky party. I think the one thing that BUGGED me the most was that a person just had linked up to promote their blog. I read the WHOLE blog and not ONCE was my topic mentioned. :( Sad.

    Ms. M
    Ms.M's Blog
    A Teacher's Plan

    ReplyDelete
  20. Fran KramerJuly 9, 2011 at 10:33 PM

    If you buy something on Tpt it was intended for a single purchase and not for an entire team. I hope teachers understand that individuals have spent an incredible amount of time creating something and the prices are kept very low so that it doesn't strain anyone's budget. I try to be fair to the creator and not take advantage of them.
    Fran@kindergartencrayons.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  21. Jenn BatesJuly 10, 2011 at 12:03 AM

    I am glad so many of you got something useful from my post! I do want to add that I think it perfectly acceptable to delete a link if there is no topic post. Follow up with a polite email explaining why and inviting them to link back up with a relevant post.

    Fran responded very well to Camille's question on TPT buying. I do spend an INCREDIBLE amount of time on these creations and only charge a few dollars. I think of it this way, if I were to buy the game in a store I would not be able to share it with my friends AND it would be MUCH more expensive. I agree with you that perhaps the terms of use should be more clearly spelled out for buyers.

    Kristin,
    As requested, I will blog about leaving direct links in comments tomorrow. Right now, I am headed to bed!

    ReplyDelete
  22. YearntoLearnJuly 11, 2011 at 6:11 PM

    Great post. I just started a Lots of Linkies Linky party on my blog to generate a running list of past and current linkies. I always found myself searching or not remembering whose blog I shared an idea for a Linky to go back and see new posts. Then if I did find it I had to scroll and look through postings. So long story short, I made a permanent page of my "Lots of Linky Parties" on a tab at the top of my blog. Your etiquette guidelines for Linky parties are well stated. If you think it would be worthwhile, I could link your etiquette post to my page. Also, I invite anyone to continue to add to the Linky party listings.

    Denise
    Yearn to Learn Blog

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  23. YearntoLearnJuly 11, 2011 at 8:45 PM

    Jenn,
    I posted a link to your etiquette tips. Thanks.
    I also posted a link to your Font party.

    Yearn to Learn Blog

    ReplyDelete
  24. TraceyJuly 12, 2011 at 4:05 PM

    I appreciate the 411! I'm sometimes clueless!


    シ Tracey
    ❤ Our Cool School ❤

    ReplyDelete
  25. LisaJuly 18, 2011 at 8:21 AM

    Thank you for sharing this. I am trying to learn about linky parties. I would love to throw a party! Now to learn more about the technical side of things.

    ReplyDelete
  26. ObeseparrotJuly 20, 2011 at 12:48 PM

    Helpful - now I know what a linky party is and how to take part. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  27. PreKMomJuly 20, 2011 at 8:51 PM

    Thanks so much. Totally new to the blogging thing and this helps out alot.

    ReplyDelete
  28. RachelJuly 21, 2011 at 7:59 AM

    Maybe this is a very basic question, but is it okay to contribute more than one link to a party if you have more than one post that matches the category?

    Thanks!

    -Rachel
    Minds in Bloom

    ReplyDelete
  29. suzyJuly 24, 2011 at 6:11 PM

    I am SOOOO NEW... I want to link up with teachers but I don't know how. Do you think you could walk me through... step by step. Like for example if I found something I want to blog about because I saw someone else blog about it what do I do to refer to their blog/that particular post?

    ReplyDelete
  30. Jenn BatesJuly 24, 2011 at 8:52 PM

    Rachel-
    If you can combine both ideas in one post I think that is better. However, if you are linking to previous posts that match the topic, I could see multiple links.

    Suzy-
    Did that person say to link up? If they did, you will find a button or box at the end of their post asking for you to enter your link (the address to your post or url.) If they didn't then it isn't a linky party. You can always still post on your blog about that topic. Just say, I saw Jenn at Finally in First talking about xyz and ... Just make sure you make that person's blog a link back to them (Finally in First in this case.)

    If I wasn't clear or you need more help just email me.

    P.S. EVERYONE needs to put an email in their blogger profile so I can email you directly!!!

    ReplyDelete
  31. BarbaraJuly 30, 2011 at 8:42 PM

    Ok, so I've been at this less than a month and I"m learning SO much. If there's a linky party for bulletin boards, for example, and I have a bulletin board page on my school's website to share, is it ok to link to that page? I've done that twice prior to reading your Linky Party Etiquette and now it seems like that's not really in line with the expectations. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Jenn BatesAugust 1, 2011 at 9:40 PM

    Barbara-I think it is fine to link to your school's website if the info is already there. If you also have the info on your blog then a blog post is preferable since you can link back.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Amber UngerSeptember 10, 2011 at 5:00 AM

    Wow! This is GREAT advice. As a semi-new blogger (I started this summer), I so appreciate this information. Most of it I already learned via trial and error, but it is good to know that, yes, I am doing the right thing. Some of it was also new to me, so thanks! :)

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  34. MichelleFebruary 10, 2012 at 5:02 PM

    Thank you for the advice! We need a Miss Manners of the blogging world.

    Someone asked about leaving a direct link to your blog under your name in the comment section. I think I found out how to do this at Ladybug Files. I think this is the right place: http://ladybugsteacherfiles.blogspot.com/2011/02/leaving-direct-link-to-your-blog-in_20.html

    Michelle
    Teach123

    ReplyDelete
  35. UnknownDecember 26, 2012 at 3:35 PM

    I am new to blogging and have tried several linkys so I appreciate finding this advice which was a link at
    bainbridgeclass.blogspot.com/2012/12/2012-bloggy-best-and-brightest-linky.html! You mentioned something about thumbnails. My blog header doesn't show up for me to choose! Do you have any suggestions for that? Always going to try Michelle's suggestion from above!
    Thanks!
    Kim
    TheVeryBusyFirstGraders

    ReplyDelete
  36. UnknownJanuary 17, 2013 at 6:56 PM

    I am new to the blogging world. This is a great post. I am so happy I found it. Thank you for the tips.

    Thanks,
    Krystyn
    Ms. Richards's Musings

    ReplyDelete