Thoughts on Blog Awards

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One of many blog awards on the web.

Anyone who maintains a blog will understand my post today. You get an email from a known and respected fellow blogger and smile to see you’ve been nominated for an award. Wow! Me? Little old me? You sit back in your chair and think, Yes! Though I can’t see that I deserve this, I’ll accept any tribute to my talents! And you read on. You’ve been awarded the Absolutely Splendiferous Blog Award.  A prize ribbon or trophy accompanies the award.

And then you read on.

You have to answer 41 personal questions about your life, your food, your likes, your dislikes (you don’t have any, do you?) and the guy who kissed you on the lips behind the school-house in Grade 5. (How exactly did that feel, in 13 words or less.)

You must nominate 50 of your closest blogger friends on whom you will bestow this prestigious Absolutely Splendiferous Blog Award, too. Yikes! I don’t know 50 other bloggers. I must be a loser. How did I get this award? Yada yada yada. You suck it up and start checking. You can only come up with 10 but dutifully send out the instruction-bearing emails although a little voice inside keeps saying, this isn’t writing, this isn’t editing, this isn’t research, this isn’t even fun. The clock ticks on.

And yet you love your fellow bloggers and respect them. You are so happy to be a winner in their eyes that you forge ahead and post the award-winning notice on your blog. And inside your head–is this a new version of a chain letter?

Has this happened to you? What are your thoughts on blog awards? I know they make me happy that someone has noticed my blog but that little voice keeps whispering into my left ear about all the time this takes. And not just my time but that of the other bloggers on whom I bestow this amazing honor. In the comments section below, feel free to tell us how you really feel about this topic.

And now I must get back to my writing.

33 thoughts on “Thoughts on Blog Awards”

  1. If it takes all that time-wasting effort to be awarded recognition, I’d say forget-about-it. I’m happy when someone leaves a comment because then I know my blog has been read and appreciated…and that’s my reward…not some ambiguous query who’s only obvious goal is to collect personal information.
    Have you considered it might have come from someone phishing?

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  2. I just read a blog post on Savvy Authors about promotion and ultimately book sales. Laura Kaye mentioned more than once how important it is for writers to connect with readers via social media tools like blog tours, blog hops etc.

    I see what you’re saying, Elaine, and I think you must pick and choose what blog award challenges to participate in, but the ultimate goal, I believe, is to let the world know who you are and what you write. You may gain connections by participating in these things, although who knows? I imagine you are doing a fine job connecting to readers and writers alike with your wonderfully witty blog posts!

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    • I think blog tours and blog hops are a little different, don’t you, Sharon? They are great exposure and I particularly like finding out about someone new whose blog might be interesting to me, not to mention their books!
      Thanks for your comments about my blog posts. I really appreciate them, especially since I love writing my blog almost as much as my novels.

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  3. I don’t know if an award adds to my readership, but a well-timed honour does provide blog fodder when the idea train has refused to roll out of the station.

    But, I do refrain from passing on the award, or I pass it on to fewer than the award rules determine, because my cyber-circle is not that big, and chances are anyone I nominate has been nominated already. And yes, there is that whole chain-letter feel.

    I have exercised the right to respectfully decline more than once.

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  4. Love this post. I’ve had two awards that I haven’t found the time yet to deal with. I was happy to get them, but then tick tock, get to writing and not playing on the internet. Glad to see I’m not the only one…

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  5. I have received three of these awards which I have as yet done nothing with. I only discovered their existence recently, and I find that for the most part the people who participate in these (I’m speaking about my personal experience) are people who are blogging for personal reasons only. They have no products to sell, services to promote, information to share and are not writers with books. They have the time for these things. One in particular (the one who nominated me for the 3 awards) writes out of a need to talk to someone about her troubles. I have found that spiritually I have been able to help her somewhat and consider that to be my reward. She has begun to do some creative writing and is improving. I enjoy watching this lady blossoming in the midst of difficult trials. I agree that it’s nice to be noticed in this way, but like Gay, I would much rather receive a comment on my posts and people to follow my blog and share it with their friends and followers. I haven’t had time to write a new post for a couple of weeks now, so don’t relish taking all that time to promote an award which, in the end, really means little except in the eyes of the one who awarded it.

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    • Good for you, Diane. Your time is better spent helping your friend, I would say. Maybe I should award you the wonderful helping friend award. Just accept it and don’t feel you have to do anything for it. Have a great day!

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      • Thanks, Elaine. I’ll accept it quietly and carry on. 🙂 I think it’s just great how we can become friends with people we have never physically met before and build a relationship on these blogs. I think that is a perfect reward for the time we spend reading them and commenting on them.

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  6. Hi Elaine,
    Being a blogger, I must admit that being recommended for a blog award is an honour, but it is also a lot of work. However, the people who have nominated me for an award are people who read my blogs on a steady basis, and it is their way of showing their pleasure with what I write. They are also writers who would not just select me, because they think I need an award on my blog. Therefore, I accept the honor. I only recommend blogs that I read personally. If I don’t have the number of people that the award requires, I send out the ones that I have. I don’t go scrounging looking for blogs to meet the quota.
    It is my personal opinion, that we must be careful when we reject something. If I am not going to accept the award, then I write the person who recommended me, and thank them for their kindness, and let them know that I will not accept the award and why. After all, writers are people too and have feelings that can be hurt.
    For me, it is an honor to know that someone believes my work deserves an award.
    Ciao,
    Patricia

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    • Ah, Pat, you are my hero when it comes to people being kind to others on blogs and the web in general. Good for you, keeping all your ducks in a row. And thanks for your comments!

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  7. I am still a newbie to blogging so struggle to just post something occasionally. My opinon is that blogging is hard work and to do it consistently, and well, takes a lot of effort and thought. I’m happy for you, Elaine. I hope this award brings you new readers and more awards.

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  8. Nice article Elaine.
    Blogging can be hard work, especially if you want to be consistent, which, I might add, I’m not. Life is so full of other events, unless you are getting recompense, a continual buzz or the internet is your only contact outside your home, then spending 24/7 writing is not feasible.
    Although it is nice to be recognised in any small way, having the time and inclination to accept, what is generally, a meaningless award, is well…. meaningless. If you received your award by being nominated, short listed etc. etc.I could see some credence in the award and of course you would not have to jump through rings to accept it, but otherwise just leave a good comment.
    I have received some awards in my naive days and jumped through some hoops to accept them, my winners acceptance speech is @ http://wrapcloth.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/the-award-season-is-in-full-flow-whos-the-latest-to-lift-an-award-wrapcloth/
    Basically, I passed them onto the few people I was following at the time, my guess is, this is what happens a lot.
    Luckily I haven’t received one for awhile, no I’m not fishing, so haven’t had to test my resolution 😉

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  9. I love that you’ve written this post Elaine. Unfortunately I’ve fallen into the “time trap”, and haven’t had a chance to even respond to the last few I received. I feel SO ungrateful, and that’s the furthest from the truth. I simply can’t afford the time it takes to fill them out. This may sound very harsh, but the people that think these up… wouldn’t they realize the time they take to accept and pass on to others?

    I absolutely admire Pat for her response. My intentions were really good… I even created a space on my blog for the awards because I was thrilled someone took the time to nominate me. Sadly, that space just serves as a reminder that I haven’t done my “duty”!!
    Tami

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  12. Elaine, I have been nominated as well but I have also won various awards for video production, script writing, story writing, short stories, advertising, etc. Besides the fact that you still need $5 to go with the award to buy a coffee, they did very little to elevate my career. I’m glad you wrote this post, I’m tired of being the only cynic in the room.

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    • Oh, so there was a bit of a cynical note in my post but, truly, I only meant to put the question out there: Are these awards useful? And I don’t even have an answer although I am enjoying seeing the different points of view of commenters. Thanks, Jim, for your words. We’re nothing if not true to ourselves, right?

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  13. I have to agree with PatGarcia – maybe it’s because I only started blogging this year, but I felt honored by the person who nominated me – and she was someone who regularly comments on my blog & vice versa. That said it was a lot of work – you certainly don’t have to do all of it, & perhaps if I’ve been nominated to a few I’d get tired of it. But I took it in the spirit it was given, which I see as both (virtual)friendship & recognition of writing something halfway decent. I can understand why people aren’t keen on them though . So I say go with the flow – good topic for a post. Thanks for standing up & making the comment.

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  14. I smile and thank someone when I don’t have the time to follow the proper response required. I love getting them, but I don’t like to talk about myself THAT much. I know lots of bloggers who proclaim themselves in a “no blog award zone.”

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  15. This just happened to me! Something doesn’t feel right about it yet I am honoured that a follower nominated me. I have been googling the rules for these awards and am not coming up with anything other than it could be just something someone made up and not part of wordpress or blogger.

    And that is how I stumbled to your home on the web. Thanks for your post!

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