Wednesday, May 22, 2013

3 Ups Blog Hop!



I know, I know...."Come on, Mark, not another blog hop!!" Now, before you start burning me in effigy....or Cincinnati......or New Jersey.....or wherever else you're from, read below :)

While this is "technically" a blog hop, it's not your typical blog hop. Randi Lee, over at The Emotional Process of Writing a Novel (say that three times fast...I dare ya!), came up with this great idea to help 'community build' while giving everyone a chance to find some new and different blogs.

Here's how Randi put it:
"Over the next week or two (depending on how much interest I get) I’d like to generate a list of people who want to participate. Once this list is at a good number we’ll get started. The way it will work is like this: each blogger will pick the blogger listed below them, visit his or her site, read a post or two, and then tell them three things they like about the person or his or her blog. Easy enough, right?"
Yep...easy enough! Checking the list, today, I saw my 3 Up partner was M.J. Joachim. I've been following a couple of M.J.'s blogs, for a while now, so this won't be difficult at all. In fact, the most difficult thing will be limiting myself to saying only three nice things about her and her blog.

So, here goes...in true, old school, Nintendo video game fashion:

1 UP! Extremely Interesting Blog Achievement: Unlocked!

I've said this before, in other posts, but the whole reason I got into blogging in the first place was that I really enjoyed reading about people's lives. Why this is, I don't know, but I just find it very interesting to hear about the ups and downs people go through. For me, M.J.'s blog is one of the most interesting out there. Her topics always hook me in and I can always relate. Her writing style flows well and is very conversational...something that's always a plus with me.

2 UP! Passionate Soul Achievement: Unlocked!

Just read one of M.J.'s posts and you can see that she pours her soul into each and every one of them. It's this kind of passion for, not only writing, but living that's also a huge draw. Never preachy, but always thought provoking.

3 UP! Great Looking Blog Achievement: Unlocked!

This should be a given on any blog out there but, unfortunately, it's not always the case. M.J.'s blog, though, looks great. The background is crisp and clear, her text and background color don't clash (believe it or not, I've seen some very hard to read blogs out there) and her columns are well organized and not cluttered. Overall, it's just a nice site to navigate and that's something I always appreciate in a blog.

So what are you waiting for? Don't just take my word for it......go check out M.J. Joachim's place and see for yourself! You'll be glad you did, I promise :)

A big 'thank you' to Randi for hosting this little hop and, if you'd like to see the list of folks involved, check it out HERE.

34 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

She does put passion and soul into every single post!

Unknown said...

I enjoy her posts very much as well.

Anonymous said...

(((BIG HUGS))) You just got me all choked up, Mark. May has not been my easiest month so far this year, and you just made it a whole lot better! Thank you :)

S.P. Bowers said...

That does sound like an interesting blog hop. Joachim's blog is new to me so thanks for sharing.

Tara Tyler said...

I knew JM is a great, multi talented gal!
loved your video game style presentation! sounds like a great hop!

Brandon Ax said...

Lol, love the Achievements. This sounds cool, if I wasn't in the writing cave at the moment I might try it out.

Also M.J. does have a great blog I agree.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I'm not sure I'm following her but it sounds like I should be.

Shallee said...

What a cool idea for a blog hop! I'll go check out her blog. Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

I think I ought to take a look at her blog. great reading.

Yvonne.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

You sold me. I'm going to check it out.

Dee @ A Deecoded Life said...

Very well done! I love the achievement unlocked parts. Gonna go check her out.

Allison said...

Great idea! Nice comments about M.J.

Allison (Geek Banter)

John Wiswell said...

Okay, I'll go check it out. Thanks for the heads up, Mark!

Sheena-kay Graham said...

You've really pumped her up Mark. I have to see what she's about now.

Elise Fallson said...

Awesome Mark, and Hello to M.J. Joachim!

Randi is great and I do like the idea behind this bloghop, but I think I may have misunderstood the bloghop directions. I left my 3ups as a super long comment in my partners comment box. I didn't realize it was supposed to be a post on our blog . . . oops. Easily fixed though. (:

randi lee said...

Oh thank you so much for mentioning 3 Ups in such a positive manner on your blog, I GREATLY appreciate it!

And I love your Ups and completely agree with them. Saw in your comments that some people want to see what she's all about...which is awesome and part of what this hop is all about!

Again, thanks so much, and thanks for contributing!!

Mark Means said...

@Alex: That, she does! :)

@Julie: And, obviously, likewise :)

@M.J: Sorry to hear you've been having a rough month, but I'm glad I could make it a little better. Besides, I was just telling the truth! I hope things get better for you, soon.

@S.P.: You should definitely check her out, yes :)

@Tara: Thank you and the best thing is that it's simple, yet still great for helping build the community.

@Brandon: Thanks and best of luck with your writing!

@Diane: I think you should, yes :)

@Shalle: Glad to spread the word!

@Yvonne: Well worth the time, in my opinion :)

@Susan: Great! I hope you enjoy :)

@Dee: Thank you!

@Allison: Thanks, it sounds like a blog hop that's right up your alley :)

@John: You're welcome and I hope you enjoy!

@Sheena: Yep, check her out! :)

@Elise: LOL....that's o.k, I'm sure your person appreciated it :)

@Randi: Glad to help spread the word and thanks for the great idea!

Unknown said...

What a neat hop idea. I wish I would've signed up. Sounds like M.J.'s blog is a great one, so I'll pop over to check it out. :)

Mark Means said...

@Celeste: I think you can still sign up and, I promise, it's pretty painless :)

PK HREZO said...

Nice! I don't think I know MJ, so i'm off to check her out. Thanks! :)

Anonymous said...

Nice to see so many cool comments here, Mark:) Thanks for such a positive review!

I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you and hope we become great blogging friends.

Random interruption - some of you stopped by my blog during a little "experiment" using G+ comments. Suffice to say, it didn't work very well, and I reverted to traditional blogger comments. If you left a G+ comment, it disappeared. So sorry for that, but if you read my latest post, you'll understand why. Google needs to work out some things on their end before I make the switch. My blog visitors are the best, so I'll stick with what works best for them.

Whew! What a week it has been...looks like May might well end on a high note too:) Best to all!

Nicki Elson said...

Sold! I'll head over right now.

Christine Rains said...

This is a cool idea. I'm popping over to M.J.'s now!

Jack said...

It sounds like you had fun with this blog hop, I think it is a cool idea.

And I am going to check out her blog, because it sounds wonderful!

Ella said...

I love this idea! How sweet n' positive~ I will definitely check it out....
YOU are a good salesman :D

Hope you are staying cool~

ATB

Arlee Bird said...

I feel kind of lost with what you're doing, but it sounds very positive and I'm all for that.
M.J. is a wonderful blogger and with something like 5 blogs! She was a huge help during the A to Z Challenge.

Lee
A Faraway View

Mark Means said...

@P.K: Thanks and I hope you enjoyed :)

@M.J.: My pleasure and, yeah, I was thinking of converting over to the G+ format, but was worried about comments flying all willy nilly in everyone's Google Plus streams. Hey, live and learn though :)

@Nicki: Yay! :)

@Christine: I thought so, too :)

@Jack: Thanks and, yes, it's a great blog!

@Ella: Heh, thank you and, so far, so cool...yes. Hope you are, as well :)

@Arlee: Sorry, I probably blew the explanation but, yes, it's a very positive thing :)

Tyrean Martinson said...

MJ definitely puts soul and passion into her posts. She's an amazing writer!
Great post Mark!

~Sia McKye~ said...

I enjoy reading about other people's life too. I prefer it to blogs that just slap a blurb up. And while I enjoy the occasional piece of writing, I much prefer blogs about what's going on in your life. What you're facing, dealing with, or solved and how.

I'll have to look this blogfest over. My June and July is pretty booked. I'll see if I can squeeze it in. Maybe on one of my Mondays.

Have a great weekend, Mark!

Sia McKye OVER COFFEE

Anonymous said...

Figured it only right to share some blog love with you, Mark...celebrating the small things, like a few bloggers I appreciate today...http://effectivelyhuman.blogspot.com/2013/05/celebrate-small-things-052413.html

As for the rest of you...I absolutely appreciate your kind and thoughtful comments and plan to visit each of you in turn through the weekend:) Thanks for giving me so many reasons to smile:)

Mark Means said...

@Tyrean: Thank you and, yes, she sure it :)

@Sia: It sounds like we're on the same page, blogwise. :) It's an easy one, so give it a look if you can :)

@M.J: Thank you very much!

Sherry Ellis said...

Those are great comments about M.J.'s blog. She's a wonderful person. I've been reading her posts for quite some time, and I always enjoy reading what she has to say!

Lisa said...

I didn't need to do this blog hop to follow you! I'm already a fan. Thanks for your Memorial Day post. Perfect. And your healthy blog hop. I LOVE juicing, and eating healthily. Great idea! Thanks for your words, again, for my Dad. You're the best!

Mark Means said...

Lisa, thank you very much!! I appreciate that! :D

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