Happy Birthday to Us!

One year ago today, our humble open adoption blogroll got its start. Now there are over 150 blogs listed! Call me clueless, but I had no idea there were that many of us blogging about open adoption--and I'm sure the list only scratches the surface. I've been introduced to so many writers I never would have known were out there. Loads of new blogs have made their way into my feed reader. (Too many, actually. The things is bursting at the seams.) I hope the same is true for you. I love seeing people coming over to the list from all of your sites and clicking out as they explore the blogs.

First a bit of business, then some fun: If your blog is on the blogroll, please take a moment to look at your listing and see if you'd like to make any changes. (You can search for your blog by using the "find" function in your browser.) Let me know about the updates here.

And now for the fun! In the spirit of the Great Interview Experiment, I thought we'd celebrate the blogroll's birthday with a virtual mixer: The Interview Project. Everyone who'd like to join in will be paired with a fellow open adoption blogger. You'll have two weeks to get to know their blog and send them some interview questions by email. On March 22, you'll post the interview on your blog and your partner will post their interview of you. It's a double benefit to everyone who participates: you'll get to know a blogger better and introduce them to your readers, and your blog will be introduced to their audience. Hooray for networking and cross-pollination!

Details and a badge you're welcome to grab are below, but the most important thing to know is that to participate you need to register by next Friday, March 5.

I hope you'll join in!


The details:

1. Sign up no later than March 5.
2. By March 7, I will send you an email letting you know your interview partner's info.
3. Read through that person's blog. You don't need to read their entire archives. But read enough to get to know them a little, especially their posts on adoption.
4. Send your partner 5-10 creative questions by email. They don't all need to be about adoption.
5. Answer the questions your partner sends to you.
6. On March 22, post the interview on your own blog, introducing your readers to another fabulous open adoption blogger.

Pairing will be semi-random. When you sign up, you'll have the chance to let me know about any special requests. For instance, maybe you're a first parent who wants to be paired with another first parent blogger. Or vice versa. You get the idea. If the first blog that pops up randomly doesn't fit your criteria, I'll spin the virtual wheel until a blog comes up that does.

Here's a handy badge if you'd like to help tell people about the project (and please do!):

<a href="http://www.productionnotreproduction.com/2010/02/happy-birthday-to-us.html"><img src="http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn230/heatherpnr/OAInterviewProject.jpg" alt="Open Adoption Bloggers Interview Project" title="Open Adoption Bloggers Interview Project" width="150" border="0"></a>

Image by wheatfields used under a Creative Commons license