After reading To Award Or Not to Award on the blog Seeking Susan~Meeting Marie~Finding Family about giving and receiving blogging awards. I was sorry to learn that people are falling out over this. I had no idea it was such a loaded topic. I have decided that Catherine is right. It is only fair if bloggers, like me, who never fulfill the requirements of passing on the awards to other bloggers, let people know so that when awards are being given out, they go to people who will do all that is required. I googled and found quite a few “Award Free Blog” badges but I decided to design my own and post it in my sidebar. This doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the awards I’ve received or that I am judgmental about who gets or gives awards. I do and I’m not.
I did want you to know that I do award you the Wonderful Readership Award, just to let you know that I appreciate that you read my blog and make comments. Understanding of the Award Free Blog. Thank you!!!
Yvette, I do appreciate it and I will add you to the list on my other comment page. Thank you! You just made it under the wire (smile)
I think this is a good idea Kristin and I know you appreciated receiving the awards irrespective of whether they were passed on or not. Like you I’m going to give awards a big miss from now on, but on the other hand will probably not go with the signage (though I may change my mind).
Thanks for understanding, Pauleen. I figured I would post the badge so that those who do care if it’s passed on would know up front.
Well, it has been a tricky few days with the awards issue. By coincidence I used the awards as a tentative link to something else this morning as I wrote my March blog post for the In-Depth Genealogists. I am not going to share that here, but needless to say the idea I have muted is something I have done before!
I am going to sit in the middle of accepting awards – I am not going to pass them along, but instead make a loan to Kiva. So, I shall say thank you for X award, I am making a donation to Kiva rather than passing it along.
I always receive the awards in the vein in which they were given, but I like others do not wish it to be a point that destroys the friendships many of us have formed.
I would be interested in any comments……
Julie, I don’t know if it’s fair for me to give an opinion since I said I wasn’t going to pass on any awards or give any but I think that anything that results in a Kiva loan is a good thing. Maybe I’ll give you an award just so you will make another loan!
That’s the spirit! – I should perhaps point out that I shall carry on as before making loans, but should an award pass by then I will simply turn it in to a positive. I have just placed a post up on the Anglers Rest blog and will in the morning add the URLS to my Blog links page.
This has been such a generous strategy of yours Julie.
Speaking only for myself I don’t feel that the friendships we’ve formed have been damaged. Friends also need to accept differences on some points and that’s what’s happening I think with a few exceptions like the Genealogy Lady issue.
That’s a great badge Kristin and I love that it’s an “original”. I don’t see that there’s been any “falling out” over this Blog Award issue (as I understand that term) but that Caroline Pointer’s Blog post re: the possible flow on effect to the blogs of people who pass on these awards was causing some concern and confusion which I reckoned needed to be clarified.
I love that bloggers have responded so positively to my post on: http://caiteile.com/2013/01/15/to-award-or-not-to-award/ cos what’s crucial, I believe, is that we all keep talking/ communicating freely so this close knit blogging community is not destroyed by mis-understanding and/ or innuendoes.
Thankyou SO much Kristen for understanding the point I was making and creating this beautiful original “Award free blog” badge that I’d be so proud to display on my sidebar, if this was my view.
Freedom of choice is what I’ve been banging away about for all of my life but can only happen if people have access to all the info. “Knowledge is Power”!!! Thanks for your understanding and working so positively with me on this matter.
Best of the best as always, to you and yours. Catherine.
Catherine, I was thinking about Deborah who mentioned some unpleasantness she encountered when she received an award recently when I said “falling out”. Hope this all sorts out in a way that moves us all forward.
Oh sure, you’re absolutely right Kristin re: Deborah mentioning that, on receiving an award, she got a horrid comment from someone none of us knew nor have we been privvy to the conversation. I love that so many jumped in to give her positive feedback and that she assured us that, after her initial shock, she had a strategy to deal with this in a professional manner.
You’ve contributed so much Kristin to helping everyone “move forward” with your clear understanding of the issue and creating that beautiful badge which bloggers can choose to use or choose to not use. Thankyou SO much from all of us.
I also don’t accept awards–though, like you, I always greatly appreciate the nomination. I was busy over the week-end and am just now catching up on my blog reading. Until tonight I’d been oblivious to the award issue that others have been discussing for a week or more. Whew, there’s a lot to think about.
I don’t think so either, Pauleen.