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Here you will find the guidelines for joining the Locked Hair Blog Exchange. Please read all posts by me, including this one to understand the exchange. Thank you!
12-31-05
Although this "locking" blogging craze could or could not just be a "fad", I am going to give those novice and veteran lock bloggers a place where many blogspot lock blogs can be found. So if you have an active blog on blogspot documenting your locking experience, email me at maryeepc at gmail.com with your request to join the exchange.
I'm looking for blogs that are documenting at least 65% of your locking journey. We all know that hair and life go together, so that's why I say 65%. Check out others' blogs to see what I mean. The blogs don't have to be "lock" exclusive, but you do need to have some kind of discussion from time to time about your hair with pictures. That is why this is called the Locked Hair Blog Exchange. If you're not sure, email me and let me take a look at your blog/photo album and I'll give you my honest feedback.
If you have pictures and are documenting your journey, then holla back. If you have made the decision to lock and are already journaling the transition, please email your request to join the exchange the week of your installation. That way, when you join you can make your debut post of your new babies to the world!!!
Listen, One blog post and no pictures doesn't count! Please don't send me a request to join and you are not used to blogging. Spend some much needed time learning the art and craft of blogging before sending me a request. I mean it! :-)
Now...If your blog has negative vibes with potty mouth explicatives and angry rants throughout it, then please reconsider sending me your link and request. That's just plain rude. You know good and well, that's not the vibe I have in the exchange. You'd be surprised how one's character is easily revealed by what they deliberately place in their blogs. It's quite deep, to say the least. It's ok to have a bad hair day or two or three ...but come on! Even more so, employers are always looking for ways to "not" have you on their team behind your own self-tarnishing on line.
I will have this linked to my main blog and I'm not trying to give "angry blogs" that kind of exposure and I myself am not interested on feeding on that negative energy. Feelin' me? Cool. My hopes are that anyone, young or old, can come to the blog exchange and be inspired and not offended by someone's wacky off the wall posts in their blog. Simple but fair request. Hope this makes sense. So the guidelines are simple: 65% of your blog be about your locks or transition to locking, actively blogging your journey, and it's rated PG. (LOL)
The blog exchange was not created to take away from any other online group or forum, for you see they are promoted in the links section in the exchange, but to have a central place on blogspot for all to post their lock blogs and photo albums. From the links on this exchange you can find blogs of those who want to journal their lock experience and share photos who just happen to have accounts with blogger/blogspot or other blog/photo services. Most of us don't post our daily journey drama/trials in yahoo groups, but we do and can have the liberty to do it in our own blogs and carry on for ever and ever about it. Another cool thing about blogspot is that each person's blog can promote whomever or whatever they want. Other's blogs and online businesses get free exposure and advertising. So you natural hair care business people with locked hair, I'd suggest you consider starting a blog. It's worth it. The Locked Hair Blog Exchange is easily found on line. For example, See Maryee's Sisterlock Journey.
I believe we all just want to share our experiences to be an inspiration to all who have come before us and are on the journey currently and strive to stomp out the LYES and deception about our natural beauty, specifically our hair!
2007 Update:
In Jan 06' the Locked Hair Blog Exchange started out as a test. It has worked nicely and has grown tremendously since then with over 70 folks blogging their own personal account of their locking journey. It's been grand! So, for now the Exchange is here to stay. Please let me know if you have any suggestions, comments, or observations about the Exchange. I even take complaints. (smile) If you can, please let bloggers whose stories have inspired you know it by commenting in their blogs/photo albums. We'd all love to hear from you.
January 2008 Update/Reflections:
I have no control over inactive blogs, which after 2 yrs, there are a few in the exchange. Sorry. Since no one gets paid to blog, including me, I've chosen to not bug folks to update their blogs, post more pics or any other micro-managing for that matter. That has led me to be a bit picky about who joins since most folks think blogging is easy. Well it's not. Blogging takes time and commitment.
I'm also clueless as to why I'm receiving requests to join the exchange from folks who apparently have not carefully read the guidelines (see above). Come on people. I'm looking for bloggers who have locked hair and are actively journaling their process on line with lots of photos. Seems clear as mud to me. Other than that, with the inspiration from the bloggers and many converts, I'm gonna give the exchange another year. Keep it natural and Keep it locked up!
2009 Update/Reflections
It seems the LHBE has made another year in the on line community. I've completed my 2nd year teaching, but each year I am teaching a different grade level in Math, so it's like I'm starting over each time. My first year was 7th, this past year was 6,7,8 TAKS Math, and this year will be 6th. If you'd like to support my teaching by adopting my class, I'd really appreciate it.
With all the busyness of teaching, I cannot devote the time to visit blogs like I used to. The Exchange has well over 200 members, so if anyone needs a little moral support, add the Exchange to your list of blogs to follow. If you sent me an invitation and did not hear back from me, please email me again. Sometimes requests get lost in the shuffle or overlooked during peak seasons during the school year. If you did not get a request sent because of not meeting the guidelines, make the necessary changes and email me again.
Remember you do not have to have your blog show cased here in order to be a part of the locked on line community. There's plenty of locked bloggers who are not in the Exchange and have lots of activity on their blogs. If you have any specific questions, please email me rather than leaving a comment. I will respond as soon as I can. Thanks for stopping by and keep blogging.
Blessings to all!
Maryee
LHBE Members: Please only make ONE BLOG POST for your blog. You can update your original post often, changing pictures, but do not post new messages/pictures elsewhere in the exchange about you or updates to your blog. Take care of that in your original post. If you have something you'd like to share with the exchange not related to your blog or have questions about posting, email me first at maryeepc at gmail .com If you post more than one time, the new one will be removed or the two merged with your original blog post.
Thanks for your help in keeping the locked hair blog exchange orderly. Having only one blog post makes it easy for me to moderate and take care of the exchange and have a somewhat normal life. The feedback I receive offline about how the exchange is helping ladies make their decision to lock is VERY positive! Thanks for sharing your wonderful journeys!
