Contesting the Contests

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Comment by Mike Seidle on October 29, 2009 at 4:14pm

@Cindy - A lot of us are still enjoying it!

Comment by Cindy Hartman on October 29, 2009 at 4:13pm

OK; time for me to chime in. I take my blog seriously (I'm told that people actually read it!). Even though I knew I wouldn't win, the new traffic would have been great. I hesitated, and by the time I chose to enter, days had gone by and the "issues" were being blown way out of proportion. This reminds me of the neighborhood kid who will ruin everyone else's fun if he can't win.

Reading all these posts makes me realize that I should have entered. Just to prove a point. That point is that it isn't a nobel prize here, folks. These are fun contests - popularity or any other kind - that help bring recognition to some excellent blogs. And shame on me for not joining in on the fun.

Is all of this bickering and cheating because of the passion for writing - whether professional or as a hobby? Is it because we feel we must protect and defend it? I certainly hope that's the reason. Let's not get hung up on who won and who didn't.

The additional traffic for all indicates that everyone is a winner. But when all is said and done (and written), the winners will be those who will continue to write their blogs because they want to, not because they might win something. Kudos to Mike and Kyle for taking the time and effort to put together what could have been something all could have enjoyed.

Comment by PK Koduri on October 29, 2009 at 3:58pm

Forget all the other blogs - I am the Best! ;-) See if I will get any traffic.

Comment by Robby Slaughter on October 29, 2009 at 3:36pm

@mike If you fix Chuck's name, do I fix Chuck's name in my citation? I already fixed one set of my own inaccuracies thanks to you. But this would be a conspiracy to aid Chuck and hide the evidence! Hmmm....

Comment by Chris Theisen on October 29, 2009 at 3:36pm

This has now turned into the BCS of blog contests. No way to ever get a clear winner. No way to differentiate (sp?) between the good and popular. Is Florida better than Cincy because they are cooler and are more popular or because they could beat them? Is Kyle Lacy's blog better than Ricky Potts blog for the same reasons as Florida is perceived better than Cincy? Even though I posted some criticism I too agree that it doesnt technically matter and publicity has been awesome. Just as the BCS wont change because a couple people bs about it I dont see the blog contests making wholesale changes because someone is "throwing poo" as Mack so eloquently puts it. Robby is like Jim Rome to the BCS and we all know how many listeners Jim Rome gets. This whole thing might drive me to start a blog :)

Comment by Mike Seidle on October 29, 2009 at 3:26pm

@Amy - Right you are. There's no such thing as bad traffic for something like this. If a typo gets me 500 visits, that's what, $1,215 that I wouldn't have to pay Google for the traffic. At least .5% will convert even if it's BAD TRAFFIC. Pretty high value typo, I think.

@Robby - Next don't leave you code showing when rolling out the [sic] :)... It's a good thing you actually have a sense of humor...

@Elizabeth - It's all only negative if you let it be. I'm with Kyle on the whole thing. It's been a lot of fun and I think we've done some good in the process. The focus on being perfect all the time is just juvenile. Being genuine and authentic means you don't hide your imperfections or run away from who your are. There are some amazing blogs that are now getting a ray of sunlight from the attention that these two promotions contests focused on them. I'm seeing the same effect as Kyle - this *has not* been bad for business. If the social media community doesn't get it... well, the they are putting the "Smaller" in Smaller Indiana, I suppose.

@Chuck, I'm debating if I should correct my misspelling of your name or leave it as a monument to my human imperfection. As a guy with a last name that defies the laws of the English language, I can sympathize. So should I fix it or not?

Shameless link for both contests so you can go discover some great Indiana blogs:

Indiana's Favorite Blog
Top 50 Indiana Blogs

Comment by Mack Earnhardt on October 29, 2009 at 3:11pm

Each of us perceives this Event through our own tinted view of the Universe. Folks who need validation want a high ranking and whine about an 'unfair' process. Traffic hounds are joyful as the ruckus generates more clicks. Cynics see it as a sham. Some are offering constructive criticism, and others behave like monkeys and throw poo.

I think it harmless fun, potentially beneficial, and there's a lot of humor in watching. So my turn for snark:

@robby - I know you're more into stirring the pot than validation. Nicely done.
@elizabeth - 2nd Lorraine's answer, and quit throwing poo.
@kyle - The ladies agree you're sooo not Deep Impact, but Robby's got you on the Elijah Wood thing.

Comment by Austin Wechter on October 29, 2009 at 3:05pm

I had the privilege of entering most of the nominated blogs for the Top 50 Indiana contest to the site. I say privilege because I got to see some of the awesome content that is out there. I took the time to glance at each blog before I entered it and found there is some great stuff coming from bloggers in Indiana! I have even have added a lot of the blogs to my rss feeder.

With that said, of course the contest (s) aren't perfect. But the bottom line is, no matter what the motives, if any, the contest is meant to be fun, which it is for me at least. And it has a been a great way to connect with others.

Comment by Lorraine Ball on October 29, 2009 at 2:41pm

Elizabeth,
I think you missed the point which is to create conversations about Indiana Bloggers. And both lists have done just that. I have had traffic every day since the two launched from links on the contest pages. My guess is some of those folks have never visited before. That is a huge win for every blogger involved.

Comment by Kyle Lacy on October 29, 2009 at 12:47pm

Elizabeth... you tend to gravitate toward negativity around the contest.. which is fine. We have been getting plenty of emails and phone calls from people congratulating us on actually doing something about blogging in Indiana. We have actually received business from the blog contest (which is not a negative).

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