The Party Has Started!!! Click Here Now.

Hurry up… you’re late… the party is already rockin’ the blogosphere.
GET OVER THERE!

If you don’t know what’s going on, read on… it’s all explained below.

During the week of March 7-14th, the blogosphere will be party hopping – jumping through our Mr. Linky list of participating bloggers, meeting new friends and partying blogger-style at the Ultimate Blog Party 2008, here at 5 Minutes for Mom.

Are you going to be there?

Last year’s Ultimate Blog Party was a blast with almost 1000 participating bloggers. So make sure you don’t miss out on this one. It is a fantastic opportunity to introduce your blog to a bunch of new people and to find new blogs that you will want to read regularly.

As well, The Ultimate Blog Party features tons of prizes. The prize list is constantly growing – check it out! Thank you to Pamela, from Happy Panda, who is coordinating the prizes and will draw the winners.

Last year we made the prize draw only open to participating bloggers. But this year, because we have so many faithful non-blogging readers at 5 Minutes for Mom who may want to join in on the party hopping to find some great new reads – we have decided to open up the party – and the prize draw – to non-bloggers as well! For more about prize eligibility read on and visit our prize page.

So how do you party with us?

This is how it works for bloggers who want to participate in The Ultimate Blog Party 2008 and be eligible to enter the prize draw:

• Invite your friends

  Put our Invitation Button on your sidebar and write a post inviting all your friends. Click here for the button codes. We have two designs available in various sizes courtesy of our winner, Selene from iDesign Studios, and runner up, Karla from Looking Towards Heaven and Fruition Design, of the UBP Design Contest.

  We hate to be exclusive, but sorry boys… this the party is for women bloggers only. All women bloggers are invited regardless of parental status, religious affiliations, etc. This party is about having fun with friends and meeting new people.

  We do ask, though, that participating blogs are not offensive. Please keep your party posts family friendly. We recognize that “family friendly” and “offensive” are subjective terms, so we just ask you to be considerate of one another.

  Having said that, if someone isn’t your style and you aren’t fond of their blog – no worries- just jump back to the Mr. Linky and visit someone else.

  If, however, you see a post or site that contains nudity or vulgar language or images, please let us know. Offensive blogs will be removed from the Mr. Linky list at the discretion of the 5 Minutes for Mom team.

• Host a party at your place

  The UBP ‘08 is all about meeting people and getting your blog noticed.

  So throw a party that showcases your blog and your style. Add some pictures, music, video, slide show, or even a voice post, decorate, include recipes, make your guests laugh – whatever you want. Be creative and have fun!

  And, of course, make sure you introduce yourself.

  You only need to make ONE party post during the week of March 7-14th. The rest of the week you blog as you normally would. But please link the URL of your party post in the Mr. Linky so that others can find it – or put it as a sticky at the top of your home page.

  (If you are stuck for ideas,you could always visit last year’s Ultimate Blog Party post, complete with the Mr. Linky of all the participating bloggers. You might get some ideas from some of the bloggers who partied last year.)

• Sign the Mr. Linky here at 5 Minutes for Mom

  After you have your post ready and published, come on over to our central Ultimate Blog Party Post here at 5 Minutes for Mom and add your link to the Mr. Linky.

  It will be a week long bash from Friday, March 7, 2008 to Friday, March 14, 2008. The prizes will be announced on Monday, March 17th.

  The Mr. Linky will go live at Friday March 7th, 12:01 am Eastern Time and participating bloggers who have their party post up can add their link any time during the week of the party. (The Linky will stay permanently in the post, so you can come back later and catch up on any blogs you may have missed.) Obviously linking earlier in the week will result in more people visiting your party, but you do not need to have your link in the Mr. Linky until March 14 at 12pm Eastern to be eligible for the draw.

  PLEASE do not add your link until your party post is up on your blog. As well, please link to the URL of your party post or put your party post as a sticky at the top of your blog for the week so that other partiers can find your post.

  To put the URL of your post in the Mr. Linky get the permalink for your post (by clicking on permalink or the title of your post) and then copy that URL into the Mr. Linky.

  Please Note: Please use only the central Mr. Linky at 5 Minutes for Mom. We don’t want anyone to miss the chance to find people’s posts by adding their name to another Linky. And, as we said, please link directly to your Ultimate Blog Party post or have your Ultimate Blog Party post as a sticky at the top of your home page.

(In case you are wondering what a Mr. Linky is. Mr. Linky is a great little invention that allows bloggers to leave their name and URL link in a convenient box. Bloggers use them for carnivals, parties and memes so participants can leave their link to their blog/post.

Head over to the official Mr. Linky site to learn all about them and how you can use them on your own blog. There is even a FAQ page to answer all your questions. If you want to see a Mr. Linky in action, check out our latest Wordless Wednesday.)

• Submit a prize (optional)

  Our prize page is generating a lot of traffic and attention. So if your blog or store wants to submit a prize let us know.

  Everyone is welcome to host a prize. All prizes will be listed on our Ultimate Blog Party 2008 Prize Page. The page is continually updated with new prizes as they are submitted.

  Please Note: Prizes must be for something FREE. Discounts on products and services will not be included. If you are providing a gift certificate, it must be for an amount that can purchase an item.

  Only party guests (bloggers who signed the Linky and invited guests via a post and Invitation Button AND non-bloggers who have attended and commented on at least 20 participating party posts) will be eligible to win prizes.

  The prizes will be drawn from the comments at the main 5 Minutes for Mom UBP ‘08 party post. So make sure you leave a comment on the 5 Minutes for Mom UBP ‘08 party post. (Our post during the party – not this one!)

  All prizes will be awarded by a random draw. 5 Minutes for Mom (Janice and Susan) and Pamela, who is the prize coordinator, will not be eligible in the draw. Prize hosts will be responsible for sending their prize to their winner. If a prize host wins their own prize, their name will be put back and a new name will be drawn. Email Pamela to submit a prize.

• Get out and PARTY!

  It is time to meet people! Search the Linky and look for names you don’t recognize and hop over to their party.

• Have an After Party

  The week after the Blog Party, write a post and introduce some of the new bloggers you met at the party.

So there you have it. If you have any questions, just contact us.

We can’t wait – see you soon!

Click here to get the codes for the UBP ‘08 buttons and banner