It's funny to think that before I retired I'd never read a blog in my life, though they'd been around for almost ten years by then. I'd no idea about all the tricks of the trade: giveaways, links, Search Engine Optimisation, memes and awards, all geared towards increasing traffic on one's blog. I do link to other blogs, but only because I like them enough to share them with you. I comment on other blogs because it's an opportunity to air my opinions! As for giveaways, I have enough stuff, thank you. I only vaguely understand the principles of SEO, and I enjoy playing around with my blog titles such that they amuse me but often give no clue as to the content of the post. Memes and awards, if you like them, are a form of playing 'tag, you're it'; if you don't like them, they are akin to the infamous chain letter. I think it's the latter connotation that has made me keep my blog awards a secret. Until now.
I've been honoured with two awards: the Sunshine Award, from A Femme d'Un Certain Age (Tish), and A Blog of Substance Award, from Fatscribe.com (Jg). I've given you the links so you can check that I've not made this up! Strictly speaking, I've not followed the rules as I've not passed these on, though I thought about it quite a bit. Most of the blogs I read don't seem to fit neatly into any category, being either too serious to be called 'sunshine' or too frivolous to be 'substance', too big to care they got any awards, too personal to be bothered with playing tag... I finally took the decision that in the same way that I don't do chain letters/emails, I could take the same stance with awards, except for different reasons. On the other hand, I'm not insulted when I get the things - chain emails - it means someone thought of me, which is better than being completely ignored, you know. And in the case of the awards, someone thought well of me, which is even better.
Tish was just saying thank you for my comments and encouragement during the early days of her increasingly successful blog. Jg's more recent award still has me a bit bewildered, but polishing my nails on my lapel and admiring the shine. Here's a man who takes his writing seriously and labels his comments as pithy (there is a story I have attached to that word, but that's another post). I'm still beyond flattered that he shows up here regularly...
Anyhow, I decided that the combination of these two awards stacked up to about the nicest compliment I could ever hope to achieve and I wanted to say 'Thank you.'
Anyhow, I decided that the combination of these two awards stacked up to about the nicest compliment I could ever hope to achieve and I wanted to say 'Thank you.'
Also, they call to mind two things said to me by people who have passed on. Though they relate to appearance, I think my own form of sunshine is more about attitude, and that I learned from my Mom:
"You look like your Mom, but you think and talk like your Dad."
Grandmother
"It's important to be useful as well as decorative."Daddy
So, soon as I figure out how to pin them on my blog, it will wear these awards with both pleasure! Thanks again, Tish & Jg!!!
3 comments:
Congrats on meeting the challenges!
That's quite nice, now, isn't it?
To me, it's pretty much just the equivalent of someone saying particularly nice things about you wrapped up with a pretty picture. Not bad. :)
And I think they fit, in their own ways.
You so totally deserve the recognition. I would say you put as much effort into your writing (and blog) as any columnist out there! Thanks for the thoughtful comments you make when you stop by, Shelley.
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