A “heads up” for anyone following both blogs: this is a double post, so the contents are the same.

Hello, everyone! I do hope this finds you all well on this Monday morning. Well, it’s morning here on the U.S. east coast, anyway 😉

With my last post I ran a little giveaway for 3 bookmarks. (I have plenty to give away so I’ll be doing it again, along with the occasional mousepad and notebook.) Just a few minutes ago Rafflecopter did its “thing” and I’m more than happy to announce the winner is none other than *drum roll, please*:

PAUL a.k.a. alfredsalmanac!!! Ha-ha! And you didn’t expect to win! See? Ya just neva know! Now, I recall you saying you’re not much of a reader, but I’m hoping these bookmarks come to good use, maybe in a cookbook or, I don’t know—an almanac? 😉 Your bookmarks will be winging their way to you today 🙂

I also mentioned that I, too, am a winner. Well, “winner” is probably a misnomer for two reasons: I was nominated for an “award,” aaaaand…I’m not going to fully accept it Let me explain…

During my blog-go-rounds I’ve seen awards of different kinds either being awarded or a blogger mentioning they “won” an award or I’ll see a string of icons on a sidebar with all kinds of awards, but me not being an “award” kind of person, I paid no attention. I will only pay them mind when there is something about the awards that give the site true credibility (like a “diploma” would), and it’s usually to help determine the expertise of the person/s running the blog. I tend to skip over most of the posts that are centered around awards (unless it’s Caldecott or Newbery-related), rarely looking at answers to questions, etc. What all this implies is that I was somewhat clueless as to how blog awards work, having heard of them and nothing more.

The reason I’m telling you this is because, just the other day, I was nominated (by Colleen/Silver Threading) for a “One Lovely Blog Award” for my sister blog Writer Side UP! I was surprised and sincerely flattered by it, but didn’t really know what the award entailed or meant beyond being such a “lovely” compliment. Now, after Colleen explained their purpose, I have a better understanding. She said, “This is a way for newer bloggers to find other bloggers and gain the inspiration from the blogging community.” What I’ve observed is that many times the bloggers, in accepting these awards or other challenges, are required to do things such as answer a list of questions or complete some task, and often “pay it forward” by nominating other blogs.

OK, now we get to why I am not going to fully accept this award (ironically having discussed this very subject on Paul/alfredsalmanac’s blog just yesterday). I have two main reasons, the first being that my blogs are not really the kind of venues for those type posts or activity. I’ve designed them with the intent of them being, for the most part, more like “interactive websites” rather than journaling blogs, so things like awards, memes, “chain letters,” challenges, and anything similar simply don’t fit. The second and equally important reason is I just don’t have time for it

Yes, it’s always nice to discover good blogs (which I often do; it’s perpetual), and I would love to have more followers drawn to mine, but I prefer that to occur organically, just like everything else I do online, including my promotion of anything or anyone. I will mention others’ blogs and posts largely through tweets and will share things within my posts when they come up. I also plan to list certain blogs and sites on my pages under the corresponding headings, and honestly—I’m already stressed about that. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but will, I’m sure, because I’m going to be selective as to which blogs or sites I list. There are countless blogs, so many of which I enjoy and even more I follow yet haven’t had time to enjoy. I think most of us are overwhelmed by the vastness of sites and social media (well, at least I’m overwhelmed), so I plan on these lists being more focused (and void of ads, etc.).

As of yet, I still haven’t had time to go through the plethora of blogs I follow and resources I like in order to list them on my pages. Though Colleen was great about keeping simple the requirements of the award, this type “meme” typically requires time-intensive participation. I do understand that the awards are given with a “one hand washes the other” feel with the intent to expand the blogging community, and many people embrace those positives. Still, in my opinion, they have a “chain letter/forced” aspect that I prefer not to take part in. This is not meant to insult anyone who enjoys and appreciates these awards because I DO see how the practice can be valuable and fun, but it doesn’t work for me

So, with all that said, ultimately what I WILL accept—is the compliment, which is MUCH appreciated, Colleen! 🙂 Thank you for including me on your list of blogs worth noting! It means a lot, which is why I chose to explain this rather than not.

I’d love to hear more about how any of you feel about blog awards and how you do or don’t handle them. Please…express yourself 🙂