Blog hopping with One World, One Heart: how I do it

Have you entered my One World, One Heart (OWOH) giveaway yet?  If not, go do it!

I've participated in OWOH for 3 years now, and have learned to really look forward to it. As of today, there are 853 blogs participating -- and that is a lot of blogs to visit and a lot of comments to leave!  But it is so worth it to make the effort and play along.  Not only because you can win some lovely gifts, either!  It's really about the great friends you meet, and the connections you can establish.  Here's just one example: yesterday, I found a blog post from a very talented jewelry artist, Betsy, who was in my old hometown (and hers) recently, and blogged about my favorite antique store there!  You cannot imagine how pleased I was to see photos of the store, where I'd spent so many happy hours!  It made me "homesick" -- but, in a good way!  I'm not sure I ever would have seen her post, if not for OWOH.

I thought I would share with you how I manage the OWOH event.  First, I post my own giveaway, which is number 45 on Lisa Swifka's list of participating blogs.  Then, as soon as visitors begin to comment, I respond to each comment and visit their blogs, too.  If I like their prize, I comment for a chance to win it.  If it's not something I want or need, I just comment on another of their posts anyway.  Once I finish returning all the visits from those who have commented on my blog, I go back to Lisa's list and begin visiting all the blogs on it that I haven't already been to.  When I comment on their blogs, I invite them to mine to enter my giveaway. In this way, last year, I was able to visit all the participating blogs!  I know, I know -- I'm such a die hard!

The other thing I do, while I'm busy visiting all these blogs, is make a note of all the ones that I just LOVE.  I keep a Word document open on my desktop, and whenever I'm real impressed with a blog, I copy the address and paste it into that Word document.  At the end of OWOH last year, I had about 100 blogs to revisit that way, and also many more from among my new followers during the event.  I became a follower of most/many of them in the months after OWOH!

I love to read all the comments from new visitors to my blog -- it makes me so happy when folks say they like it here, and when they sign up to follow!  As of now, almost 50 new followers have signed up since last week when OWOH began!  And I am so happy to have them!

So, this is the two weeks out of the year when I have my nose in my computer every chance I get, trying to see everyone and say hello.  If I'm otherwise a bit scarce, now you know why! 

I know that there are a lot of super-bloggers out there who have been keeping up with visiting all the OWOH blogs as they have been posted/added (yes, I'm talking about you, Michaele)...but this is what works for me.  Are you doing OWOH?  If so, how are you doing it?