Running your own meme can be fun. Not only that it helps to raise your blogging profile.
Writers like to enter memes as the prompts may give them inspiration and also they can get to know other bloggers. It is like an online club.
If you have a worthwhile idea for a meme write it down. Discuss it with some friends and if it still seems like you have chosen a good topic then you can start planning how to bring it to life.
Planning your meme
It may look like memes spring up from no where but it can take a lot of thought and planning.
1)Home for your meme
There are a number of options here.
On your site
You may like to keep it simple and host it on your own blog. This is what I do on Sex Matters with my ad-hoc meme Life Matters. I have created a page in the menu which keeps a track of all the topics and dates. From this page I link to each of the prompts. I assigned a separate tag which will display only the prompt posts, as an archive. I also include categories for each topic.
As a subdomain of your site
This post is all about setting up, as simply as possible, a meme on a subdomain.
You can go into your hosting site and create a subdomain. If you don’t know how to create your own then contact your hosts and they should be able to help you do this. Marie has a subdomain for her Wicked Wednesday meme.
Create a completely new site
Most hosts let you have more than one domain in your yearly package. So if you were thinking you may host more than one meme or that your chosen project may expand then why not let it have its very own name. Missy has done that for her numerous Tell Me About memes.
2)Badges
The badge is a must have item for your meme. It acts like a logo for your meme.
People will recognise the meme the moment they see the badge so make sure it distinctive. You need to create an image that is 300 by 300. If you want to also give your readers the html of your badge then check our how to do that here.
3)Linky Tool
Some people who run memes ad hoc don’t use a link up tool. They simply tell people to include the url of their post in the comment section on the meme prompt post.
However if you are hosting a continuous meme it would be better to include a link tool. There are a few out there. Many of us use inlinkz. It is free (with adverts). Simply sign up and it is reasonably easy to use.
4)Time
You also need to decide if you want to have a new topic each week or bi-weekly. And let’s remember some memes have monthly prompts and some last for a year or more and are used as a resource.
How much time you have on your hands may be a factor that helps you decide.
5)Social Media
It is a good idea if you are on twitter to have a hashtag such as #WickedWednesday. Then anyone who is tweeting a post they have linked to your meme can include that hashtag. It enables other people to find entries when browsing on social media.
Running your Meme
1)Promote
Twitter is also a good platform to promote your meme. And remember as bloggers link up – as the meme owner – you should read, comment and tweet their work. By doing this you are not only promoting their post you are also letting others know your meme is active.
2)Round ups
You don’t have to decide straight away about this. Perhaps get going and then have a think. I do like round ups though. In my opinion they help people feel more involved, even if you are just highlighting one post. In the beginning you may have only a handful of entries so having a spotlight post to give a shout out to in the following weeks prompt post is a good idea.
As time goes on, and you get ten or more links, then a round up of three entries invites healthy competition and also makes the writers feel welcome and appreciated.
Community
Another thing you can do is ask those who contribute regularly to chose a prompt and pick the round up. Bloggers love to feel involved and this really creates a sense of community.
I am sure there are many things that can be added to this post. If you have any questions then please write in the comments or add to a forum 😉
