It is imperative, during the Long Dark Tea-Time of The Blogathon, that bloggers stay connected to the community of participants. Despite the fact that we're all blogging together, it can seem mighty lonely in the wee hours. Over the years, we've developed a number of ways to combat this.
Chat
On IRC, the server is irc.freenode.net, and the room is #blogathon. Dustyhawk is our stupendous IRC god. If you don't have an IRC client, you can use the web at the CGI IRC Client. Just type in the server name in the appropriate spot.
Forums
The Blogathon Forum has been up for a while, as moderators, translators, and other enthusiasts gathered. It may go a bit quiet during the event, but it's a great place to get tips and support during the run-up.
Radio
We have two radio shows this year. Official Blogathon Radio is Mango Radio Live 365, hosted by the wonderful WebKittyn.
Lewis at BlogExplosion will also be doing a radio show:
Most of you know me as "orange haired boy" and many of you used to read my blog. But, for various personal reasons I decided to suspend blogging for a while. I participated in the Blogathon the past few years and am even credited with choosing the unofficial blogathon theme song. (Long story). Well, this year, since I am one blog short of being a blogger, I've decided to do a radio show instead!
For 24 hours, BE Radio will have full Blogathon 2006 coverage. I will be your humble DJ for a whopping 24 hours straight. There will be music, contests, announcements, give-aways, call-ins, the unofficial blogathon theme song, and lots of tips to help you stay awake!
BE Radio is open to everyone - not just members of BlogExplosion. I will have special buttons made up and there will be more details in the next newsletter.
I'm not doing my show for charity directly, I'm doing it for you: the bloggers. This year promises to be the best Blogathon by far!
Surfing Frame
The top of the surfing frame will have a ticker of what's going on at Blogathon.org during the event. This will include games, best posts, all sorts of things. Cat won't be keeping her own blog this year--instead, she's devoting her time to keeping the front page of Blogathon.org full of goodies.
So hang in there, and stay connected!