“What better way to suggest friendliness – and to create it – than with a cup of tea?” -J. Grayson Luttrell
Aloha, charming WordPressers!
I’m delighted to announce you that The Little Mermaid is hosting her first ever monthly tea party on her website. What? A tea party? On WordPress? When? How? For whom? Alright..alright…take it easy. I’m coming on to your questions.
Classically, a ‘tea party’ makes one think of superiorly elegant and elaborate affairs of the Victorian times. It also conjures up images of fluffy scones, flavoursome muffins, Devonshire Cream and dainty sandwiches served on fine silver or deluxe bone china. Still, the elemental part of a tea party remains the affable exchange of dialogue among the invitees. Almost indistinguishably, the tea party that I am organizing is an online social event hosted in honour of bloggers, that is US! Blogging is most enjoyable when it is done interactively. The tea party, therefore, is an ideal occasion for socialising and making, as well as maintaining the acquaintance of those in the blogosphere. It is a chance to truly relax and to take some time to recharge one’s batteries by engaging in a light-hearted conversation, to be with friends and simply delight in each other’s company.
Feel free to talk about anything: music, food, news, sports, fashion, books, travel or nature. The tea party will be open on the first day every month. The thread will be ongoing for that particular period and will be closed on the last day. Make sure that you share your favorite blog post as a comment on the latest one and allure bloggers to read you. As for newcomers out there-grab the golden opportunity to let your freak flag fly by sharing your first post with a huge gathering. Aren’t you excited?
Now that you’re in, it is noteworthy to mention that along with tea and cups, tea parties bring to the table certain etiquettes in the bargain that must be followed to make it more respectful and all the more interesting. Not only does this process make the tea party an entertaining one for everyone involved, it also makes coordination a lot easier.
So, let’s check out the guidelines below.
-Etiquette Number 1- Introduce yourself.
Introduce yourself, your blog or even your latest post to the community in such a way that it encourages others to converse with you. Avoid posting just a link as a comment which looks rude and spammy. Be polite.
-Etiquette Number 2- Mix and mingle.
Tea is a communal experience and there it requires that you meet and greet at least some of the other wonderful people in attendance. Participate by actively reading others’ comments and visiting their links/sites.
-Etiquette Number 3- Share & reblog the most recent tea party.
The purpose of the event is to create a platform where everyone benefits from real diversity of thought; and for that we need to find people who genuinely hold different views and invite them into the conversation. So, please spread the word in the blogosphere through reblogs.
It’s a sure thing that the tea party ritual punctuates our day with precious, refreshing pauses. Perhaps that is the true gift of a teatime celebration: it fills our cups with joy, warmth and friendship. May the echo of the teacup’s message be heard not only at special functions, but anytime friends come together, both in the virtual world and in reality.
With love,
The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid 