In recent months I’ve received quite a few nominations for blogging awards. I accepted the first few but came to the realization that, while these awards look lovely on a blog page, there are generally strings attached. One of these is that the award recipient is asked to nominate 10 other bloggers.
I’ve met several wonderful bloggers through Friday Fictioneers. I would hate to leave anyone out.
Also these feel like forwards and chain letters in disguise. While I don’t fault anyone for participating, my full-time job, family and other time constraints just don’t allow for anything other than the most expedient activities.
Although I appreciate the sincere sentiments in these nominations, I hope that you’ll understand my reasons for turning them down.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
I am always grateful when someone nominates me for these awards because that means they think of me when they’re trying to come up with their 10 or so easiest to recall bloggers. This is a noteworthy accomplishment in itself, I think. But I usually leave them a thank you and let them know I may not be able to fulfill my end of the bargain and if they want to nominate someone else I won’t have my feelings hurt. Every once in a while I get nominated at a point when I actually have time to answer the questions, so I do, but that doesn’t happen often anymore. And I usually break the “chain” by leaving the nominations I’m supposed to do as an open invitation to anyone who wants to participate.
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Thanks for commenting, Madison. I echo the sentiments. I am indeed grateful that someone thought enough of me to nominate.
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I like Madison’s plan to take them one at a time and participate in the release. Sometimes one of the connections sings to you and you can carry do it. Connecting with other bloggers is not a bad way to build a network of readers who will be interested in your book and talking about it. Marketing is a heavy, heavy burden; we have to decide if we write for art or we write for business.
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Dear Judyann,
Good points to be taken into consideration.
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
shalom,
Rochelle
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Although I accept awards on my main blog, I use it to promote other blogs. I don’t normally care for the rules, I just select blogs at random and then with the next one I select other blogs.
For my photo fiction blog, I have created a jpg for it which says that I don’t accept awards for that blog. You can pilfer it if you wish. Having it on the side, maybe just above or just below your Friday Fictioneers image, then people will see it and see that you don’t accept them
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I’ll look at it, Alistair. However, I’m not trying to put anyone off.
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Fair enough. Sorry
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No need to apologize. I didn’t mean that as a reprimand. More like thinking out loud in print.
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I totally agree with you, and have also turned them down for the same reasons. I was not able to get into and work on my other writing projects when I had too many of those other little things going on the side. How are things going with you otherwise? How is Jan and Olive and family? Write a note or e-mail and stay in touch. I always enjoy hearing from you.:)
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Exactly, Joyce. There just aren’t enough hours in a day and then there’s the pesky sleep thing. 😉
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Don’t you just hate that pesky sleep thing?? I know I do, LOL.
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I agree wholeheartedly, Rochelle. In fact, last year I too wrote a whole blog post on the subject, and in it I explained that, while I deeply appreciated people honoring me with awards, I would not be accepting any more awards with rules attached. I love to honor other bloggers and call attention to their blogs — and I do that periodically in posts where I give links to those blogs. I may someday even offer bloggers a specially designed award that has absolutely no rules attached.
I realize that most of these rules originated with the idea in mind that each blogger could help others by nominating them. But the simple truth is that if someone’s blogging work is worthy of being honored, then that writer should not be required to do anything else in order to accept that honor.
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What a great concept, Sandra. Thanks commenting. 😉
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I always feel rather uncomfortable with such blogging awards. While I doubt that my WordPress blog will ever get one because that’s where I’m an irredeemable snark bag, one of the team blogs that I’m involved with did get one. We did accept it. I don’t think our blogs are popular enough that we’ll ever receive a lot of awards but sometimes I feel like maybe I should put a “no awards please” thingy in the side bars.
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Wow… Snarkyness is the highest art form… one which I am constantly trying to perfect. I must check The Real Cie.
Congratulations on your award, Rochelle.
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Dear Ted,
I have the strangest feeling you missed the point of my post.
shalom,
Rochelle
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Sorry to disappoint… I didn’t. I do share your sentiment… It is nice to be thought of… My favorite was my first… The Sunshine Award.
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I had/have and issue with awards. I clearly state on the particular site that I seem to get them on that it is linked to another site and my site is reserved for short verse not for pages of questions and answers – I attempt to be some what of a private person in a public medium, not easy, but I manage.
I know of others who have put up the ‘No Awards’ tag. I am always honored, but I do say thanks, but no thanks. In February of this year I did my own take on honors. For February I honored 28 friends with poems and included their links. I think that ought to do me for quite a while.
I did honor the first one or two awards I got. But I’m not computer savvy enough to add all the photo/icon/award thingys. I don’t think it is being snarky to consider your time valuable.
There is a bit of Daisy Chaining going on, at least I think, but that’s to help you get traffic. Which I’m not all that worried about, seeing as I can barely keep up with what I already have. Well that’s my two cents.
So Rochelle – please accept my simple thanks in your honor for hosting Friday Fictioneers.
No strings attached. Well just those attached to my heart…(awe).
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Dear Jules,
I appreciate your feedback more than I can say. I’m not out to hurt anyone’s feelings or come across as arrogant. I know what you mean about keeping up with the traffic you have.
Honestly, I feel that I’ve received many awards in the kind comments and growing following of Friday Fictioneers. Thank you for your thanks. I return the same to you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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While l love being nominated and taking part in the entire shindig, I do truly understand all the issues that have been raised about award nominations. I tend to look at them as someone telling me they like what I have written or how – enough that they wish me to continue by sharing my thoughts on who I like with other sites. It can become difficult to choose who to nominate, I follow almost a hundred and several hundred follow me. I always add a statement that I can’t nominate all and have simply chosen. Sometimes, it’s based solely on the idea of the award and sometimes it’s to identify those who are new to me or who do not have a lot of followers.
I understand completely,
Scott
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Rockstar – Kudos to you! You made the right decision.
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I join the ranks who agree with you, Rochelle. It’s lovely to receive awards, but where it requires you to nominate 10 others, I can’t help feeling the value is lost (to everyone) because it’s like a pyramid – it would end up with everyone getting the award. I think it’s much better to occasionally link a blog or post that is valuable to you and you think others might be interested in – when that happens I consider it a much greater compliment than any award.
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Thanks for weighing in on this, Jen and voicing my opinion.
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