Swarovski Guest Blogging Contest

I'm going to Guatemala in a couple of weeks and I'm told that between the rigorous itinerary and the uncertainty of Internet access, I need some help covering the blog. So what do you do when you are the sole writer of a blog and you need some time off? I've used a guest blogger, like the trusty Non Birding Bill and, before she had her own blog, Julie Zickefoose covered for me while I was in Arkansas looking for a certain woodpecker for two weeks. Julie now has her own blog and well NBB only has so much interest in covering for me, so I came up with a plan.

I talked with Swarovski Optik and asked if they would help me host a guest blogger contest. So I bring you the Swarovski Guest Blogging Contest--you could be a writer for my blog! If you already have a blog and would like to get a larger readership, this is an opportunity to show off your content to my readers. If you're not sure you can do a blog but have an adventure to share, I have a great audience willing to read it.

You can submit a blog entry for my blog. Non Birding Bill and I will read through them and select 10. We will post one blog entry a day while I'm gone (it will be ten days starting on February 18). If your blog entry is one of the ten published, you win...

...a Swarovski Cleaning Kit ( $39.95 value) for your optics. At the end of the 10 days, there will be a poll up for the ten entries for readers to vote on. Whichever entry gets the most votes wins...

A pair of Swarovski Crystal Pocket Binoculars (a $900 value)!!!! They're pocket binos, but made with Swarovski glass and coatings so they're awesome and they're covered in swag. I love these! These are hand down the snazziest pocket binoculars you have ever seen. I got to play with these in Cape Cod last year and fell in love!

Rules:

1. ANYONE CAN ENTER: If you already have a blog you can enter. If you have never blogged at all, you can still enter. If you do already have a blog and your entry gets selected, I will link back to your site with your entry.

2. BLOG ENTRY MUST FIT THEME OF THIS BLOG: I'm not going to say that you have to write about wild birds for the contest, but do keep in mind what the themes for my blog are - mostly wild bird related (watching, feeding, rehabbing, banding) with some pet rabbits, other wildlife, and honey bees. NBB and I will choose blog entries that are not only great, but fit in the overall theme of this blog. Our decision is final.

3. Content must be emailed to birdchick at gmail dot com by Monday, February 16th at 5 p.m. CST. It can include text, photos (web appropriate size) and links to videos. We may not proof read so if you your entry has typos, chances are good it'll go up that way. Make it look good before we get it. You, obviously, agree to let us post your material in the blog by sending it to us.

4. The email entry with your blog submission MUST include your full name and mailing address. These will not be published in the blog entry, but we need them for the prizes. Also, be sure to include how you would like to be credited in the blog entry. Do you prefer that we put up your actual name or your user name and a link to your website.

5. Content must be original--your own content that you wrote. If you have a blog and you want to recycle and old blog entry from your own blog, that is your choice. If it is discovered that you use someone else's content without credit or pass off someone else's photos as your own, not only will you be disqualified, but it will be blogged. One entry per person.