Introducing my New Co-Blogger!

Yes, I have found a co-blogger! *squeals with excitement* Those of you who regularly stop by will probably have read my post on co-blogging a month ago (thank you to all of those who commented and gave me tips and suggestions).  It's my first day back at school today and it's gonna be a pretty important year: it sort of defines/shapes my future and the path that I'll take (I'm being cheesy -.-)  As much as I love blogging, I can't deny that it is very time-consuming indeed and I don't want my grades or school work to suffer so the perfect solution was to look for a co-blogger to take some of the pressure off me.

I hadn't actually advertised that I was looking for one because I still had loads of reservations and worries but the night after that post on co-blogging went live, I got a DM on Twitter from a certain blogger who asked if she could join ARD.  I was both surprised and flattered: someone wanted to give up their blog to join mine?  We exchanged emails but I still wasn't entirely sure if co-blogging was what I wanted.  A few days and emails later, I just knew I couldn't turn down her offer! And the rest is history :D

We've been emailing each other everyday like crazy ever since and I feel like I've known her for months!  Obviously we have our love for reading and blogging in common, but we also both do ballet, we're the same age and we're both Chinese (Asians FTW!)  Plus we've been getting on really well so far - when we're not arguing over Tom Daley, of course ;)

'Put us out of our misery and tell us who she is!' I hear you say.

Okay guys, *drumroll* meet...

'Hey everyone! I'm SO incredibly excited to jump into this awesome blog and become a part of it. I think that this will be an amazing experience being able to work with Beverley and interacting with readers from the UK! I am very honored to be Beverley's new co-blogger, and I hope you all enjoy the exciting upcoming posts and reviews!

A little bit about me: I'm a highschool girl (in the US!) and a very passionate dancer and reader. I'm Chinese (like Beverley!!) and I have an obsession with Tom Daley after watching the Olympics. I love nail polish, glitter, and all things pink and girly. :)'

So now you've met Jen (former blogger at The Dancing Reader), I hope you'll all give her a warm welcome and treat her with the same kindness and friendliness you have shown me!

I adore her reviews: they're fresh and sweet and I can't wait for you to read them! I'm so happy to have found someone who I feel I can work with and I hope we both enjoy this experience and learn from each other.

And we'd also like to ask you this: what format would you like to see joint reviews in?  We're both very excited about the prospect of reviewing the same book together but we don't want to tire or bore you with two reviews put into one long post so we're looking for different ideas to keep you interested as well as hearing two opinions.  Suggestions will be greatly appreciated :)

That's it from me today.  I feel like a new chapter has opened; an important day of A Reading Daydreamer's 'history'.  It's the start of something exciting and I hope you will join us on our journey.  By working together, this blog will hopefully become bigger and better!  

Thank you all for your support,

Beverley x

P.S. We're also planning something exciting for next year, so watch this space!

Let's Talk About... Co-blogging

Recently, I've started thinking about taking someone on to co-blog with me.  The reason being that I will be going into a pretty important year at school after summer so I probably won't have as much time to update the blog frequently.  The prospect of shutting down the blog and stopping blogging entirely is AWFUL.  I've made so many new blogging friends since returning from my hiatus and I don't intend to leave the blogosphere - you can't get rid of me that easily ;)

I have a few worries about taking on a co-blogger.  What if I end up not getting on with her? I've thought about putting them on a trial basis.  Would this be a bit harsh? I know it would be better to have someone I already know but I none of my friends like reading and I don't think they'd want to blog with me.  

Suppose we did get on well, what if there's something I don't like about their reviews?  I know everyone has their own style and I have no right to tell someone to do this or that but it's still my blog and I am somewhat of a perfectionist - which can be very annoying sometimes!  The wonderful Eileen suggested I could get the people who sign up to write a guest review so I can get an idea of their style etc.  (Thanks for the help, Eileen - it was very useful!)  And if the person has no experience with using Blogger, I'd be more than happy to show them the 'ropes' but should you trust someone with your password so they can access all areas of your blog? 


And how can you work well together?  I'm guessing you'd have to be in regular contact through email to decide who does what each week.  Since I'm a bit obsessed with checking my emails, I don't think that would be a problem.  However, I'm a procrastinator. I don't plan ahead or schedule so maybe I'll have to change my 'ways' in order for everything to work out.


Say we get on really well and the schedule of the blog is perfectly organised between us, what if there are books we both want to read and review?  How can we split it fairly? Should we write a joint review? I kinda have this thought that since I founded the blog and everything, I should get the first say but I want my co-blogger to have fun too, I don't want to end up being a grouchy, bossy thing who crashes the party -.-  But then what if the co-blogger 'takes over' everything?


I'm not even sure if anyone will want to blog with me but I'm thinking of posting a form (a few weeks after school starts) for people to sign up if they're interested.  I'm still not entirely sure if I want to go down this path but if you know anyone who likes reviewing but doesn't want to commit to their own blog, send them my way!  


So, please please PLEASE leave me your thoughts on co-blogging.  Do you think it would be a fun thing to do since it takes off some of the pressure on yourself? If you co-blog, I would appreciate it if you could tell me the highs and lows of co-blogging and what you do to make it work well.

I know this is meant to be a discussion but I've just realised I've asked a LOT of questions so any tips or advice will be highly appreciated!

Happy reading,
Beverley x