Changes To PFAM Coming Soon!!!

I'm changing things up a bit for 2012.  Since participation has been waning a bit, instead of there being two carnivals a month, there will only be one.  Therefore there will only be 12 coveted host spots instead of 24.

Host Application Requirements 

In order to make this fair for all, you must now apply to be a host, by answering the following questions:

- What is your name and the name and web address of your blog?

- Why do you want to host PFAM?

- If picked, what are some themes/questions you would be interested in posing?

- Have you hosted PFAM or other blog carnivals before?

- Have you participated in PFAM and other blog carnivals before?

- What dates are you able to host?

Please send answered questions to gettingclosertomyself@gmail.com by November 1st, 2011. 

Host Responsibilities

In an effort to get things more streamlined, from now on hosts will have a few additional responsibilities than what they have in the past. 


Call for Submissions
Your call for submissions should be posted on your blog sometime between the 1st and 5th of the month, as all editions will go live on the 15th of each month.  This will give people between ten days and two weeks to prepare their submission and get it to you. 

Facebook
It is the responsibility of the host to post a link to the call for submissions and then a link for the completed edition on the PFAM Facebook page (there is a Facebook badge on the right hand side of the blog page, which provides a direct connection to the Facebook page).  This will insure that you get the coverage that you want, when you want it, and don't have to wait for me to realize your link is up, etc.

PFAM Master List
I haven't done as good a job getting the calls out to everyone who has ever participated in PFAM.  I will be providing the list of e-mails in a tab, and it will now be the host's responsibility to send your call for submissions link out via e-mail. 

PFAM Blog
I will continue to update this page and post the links for the submission calls and the completed PFAM edition.

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If you have any questions, please let me know. 

I have created a tab for Host Responsibilities and Application Requirements, which includes all of the information in this post. 

A Personal Plea

Hi everyone,

I am hoping to appeal to your sense of chronic illness blogging community-ness. 

As of late, participation in PFAM seems to be waning a bit.  Additionally, nearly all dates in the next few months need hosts to commit to them. The following dates need hosts ASAP:

- July 6, 2011
- July 20, 2011
- August 10, 2011
- August 24, 2011
- September 7, 2011

I am really hoping that we can keep the momentum going, and keep PFAM as is.  But if I cannot get enough people to host, it may necessitate reducing the frequency of PFAM, or getting rid of it altogether.  If you don't want to see that happen, I ask that you volunteer to host, or, at the very least, participate in PFAM by submitting posts.

Thanks to Duncan for starting this blog carnival, and thanks to all of you for helping to keep it going strong!

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011: An Appeal

First off, I want to wish everyone a very happy and (as) healthy (as possible) 2011.

I also want to thank everyone who has hosted PFAM and contributed posts. Everyone has been so on top of things. You are what keeps this blog carnival going. I cannot do it alone!

Personally, I think this year has been very successful, and I think the transition from Duncan Cross to me was pretty smooth.

I’ve tried to standardize things a bit, with the PFAM blog and Facebook page. In 2011, I plan to send out each submission appeal to my PFAM master list, along with posting it on the blog and Facebook. I also plan to do that with each new edition.

And I leave you with a plea:

First off, I really want to build the PFAM contributor list. So even if you have only contributed once, I’d love to put your blog on the list. I only add if you give me permission, so please let me know if you are interested in being on the list – which is a sidebar on this blog.

More importantly, I need hosts for 2011. Right now, only *6* slots are filled out of the possible 24. I want to keep this carnival biweekly, but I won’t be able to do that if I don’t have enough hosts. So please check your schedules and see if you can host. I’m also always looking for first-time host-ers, so please don’t be shy if you’ve never hosted before, that’s not a problem.

That’s all for now!

A Special Opportunity In Conjunction With Invsibile Illness Awareness Week

Check out my blog:

http://gettingclosertomyself.blogspot.com/2010/09/invisible-illness-awareness-week-2010.html

Contributors List

If you check the right hand side column, you'll see a list called "Contributors".  I was hoping to make a link list with the blog names of ANYONE who has ever participated in PFAM.  This will be a good way to show who is out there in the patient blogosphere.  If you want to be added to the list, leave a comment or e-mail gettingclosertomyself@gmail.com.