In 2007, the SWG newsletter quietly began including a section called Around the World and Web for announcements from groups other than the SWG. Part of our mission had always been "connectivity," which for us meant helping out other sites, groups, and events trying to get the word out about the cool things they were doing.

For many years, Around the World and Web was published monthly (as was our newsletter) and compiled by hand by our moderator Elleth. Elleth had a list of sites she'd check every month, then write up a "blurb" for each link or event. Sometimes the other mods would pop something in there too. It was a time-consuming task for Elleth and far from perfect (we definitely had the situation, more than once, where an event was announced after the newsletter was posted and had concluded before the next newsletter), but it did let us get the word out as best we could and, hopefully, generated some interest in other fandom groups and events.

When we rebuilt the site (which will be open for two years on April 6!), we discussed the fate of Around the World and Web. We decided to keep it and automate it, as the new site allowed us to do.

I mention Around the World and Web this month because, in recent weeks, it has been an extremely busy part of our site as we enter the time of the year when many Tolkien-related events run. If you're wondering how to get your (or anyone's!) event included, any SWG member can be given permission to post in Around the World and Web as a scout. If that seems too much, you can send your announcement to the mods. We also crosspost most everything that gets posted to the #signal-boost channel on our Discord and try to watch out for announcements on Tumblr too.

If you're looking for a challenge or appreciation week or swap or event to nudge your muses, check it out! Scroll down to see the current announcements in this newsletter, or find it on our site under the News menu.