NeoBluePanther

Writing, Among Other Things

Category: Blogging (Page 10 of 16)

4000 Entrecard Credits Giveaway Contest!!!

May 3, 2008 / / 27 Comments

I am sure you know what Entrecard is. If you don’t then, maybe, you should stop reading this post, and do a google search for Entrecard.

But, if you do know about entrecard, and use it, then this post might be of a little interest to you. After using Entrecard for a few days, I have come to the conclusion that I do not have the time, or the patience, to drop  enough Entrecards every day.

So, though I like the idea, I have decided not to use Entrecard as much as I have in the past couple of weeks. And if I am not going to use them, the 4,000 Entrecard credits I have are not of much use to me. Therefore – as seems to be the current fashion – I have decided to hold a contest and give away the 4,000 credits.

Earlier, I was thinking of dividing the credits into smaller portions and distributing them among many people. But, then, I felt that reducing the number of credits, might make the contest less attractive to some. So, the 4,000 credits are going to go to one lucky person ( I hope winninig 4,000 entrecard credits makes you feel lucky enough).

The winner will be chosen by a random draw…and there are three ways to enter the draw:

1) Leaving a comment on this post –  1 entry.

2) Subscribing to the RSS feed via e-mail – 3 entries.

3) Writing a post about the contest on your blog – 7 entries.

The contest is open till the midnight of 13th May, 2008 ( Indian standard time). You can do one, or two, or all three of the above activities, but one activity can be done only once per person.

Since this is the first ever contest of any kind on this blog, I am really looking forward to the response this gets. Best of Luck!

 

Writer's Block – A Myth

April 24, 2008 / / 8 Comments

 Can't Write

Anyone who has ever tried to write is sure to have come across these two words – Writer’s Block!

What is Writer’s Block?

The Free Dictionary defines it as “the inability to write”. But, come to think of it, what exactly does “inability to write” mean?  Does it mean something is wrong with your hands, and you can’t hold a pen or type? Or, you have a brain disorder that prevents you from stringing words together?

I don’t think anyone who has used the words Writer’s Block has used them in the sense implied in questions above. So, if your fingers can type (or write, as the case may be), and your brain can think coherently, what does Writer’s Block mean?

There was a time when I , myself, used to complain about Writer’s Block a lot. Then, I came across this article that said if you want to write, quit complaining and just write. And since then, I have stopped complaining about Writer’s Block and I feel, so should everyone else.

Complaining about Writer’s Block is like walking into your office on a Monday morning, and saying, “I can’t work”. Of course, no one ever says that. What they say, instead, is : ” I don’t feel like working today.”

So, when we – who write – complain about Writer’s Block, we should say , “I don’t want to write,” instead of “I can’t write.” Because if you really want to write, there is no reason you can’t. Don’t you agree?

Do you call yourself a Writer?

April 18, 2008 / / 18 Comments

I have always wanted to be  Writer. Ok! maybe not always. There was a time – long gone by – when I wanted to be a private detective; reading all those Hardy Boys books was bound to have some effect on a young and impressionable mind.

But, off late, the desire to be a writer has burnt strong in my heart. So, I was wondering, what the definition of a  writer is. Here is what the Free dictionary has to say :

“One who writes, especially as an occupation.”

That is a very basic definition, but even in this very basic definition, we have a contradiction.

I blog, therefore, I do write albeit every now and then. But, it is not my occupation, nor is my writing a source of my bread and butter. So am I a writer?

I don’t know.

Does blogging give a person the right to call himself a writer. Or, is there some other condition that a person must fulfill before he earns the tag of a writer. Maybe, having a published work is that condition. But with online publishing becoming so easy (a blog could be called an online publication), we enter into another grey zone.

So, let me ask you : What is your definition of a writer?

What is your Comment Policy?

April 9, 2008 / / 17 Comments

Comments are one of the most important part of any blog. For a growing blog, comments are like water that helps a sapling to grow into a majestic tree. Comments are also a unique feature of the blogs, and the real time interaction, between the blogger and the visitor, that comments facilitate, I think, is one of the major reasons for the popularity of the blogs.

How a blogger manages the comments can either encourage, or discourage, a visitor to leave a comment or not. 

The first question, then, is : Is it a good idea to moderate comments?

I don’t think it is, because when I comment on a blog it satisfies me immensely to see my comment get posted immediately. But, then, as experience has taught me, there are a few people out there who can leave comments that you would rather not have on your blog. So, choosing to moderate comments is like choosing the lesser of the two evils.

The next question: How do you respond to a comment?

The easiest and the best way, they tell me,  is to respond to it in your comment section and to go back to the commenter’s blog and leave a comment there. But, for some reason, I feel that commenting in my own comment section may seem to some as an attempt to artificially inflate the comment count. It is dificult to please all, isn’t it?

But, from now, I have decided to change that, and I am going to be responding to the comments in the comment section itself. And, I am going to try and comment on most blogs that comment here.

That last part raises a question in my mind that I hope some of you can answer for me. When you leave a comment on someone’s blog, do you check back to see if the blogger has responded to it?

Also, do you have a comment policy? If yes, what is it?

Why BlogRush Failed, and Entrecard succeeded?

April 2, 2008 / / 22 Comments

Most Bloggers would be familiar with the two recent services to hit the Blogosphere: BlogRush and Entrecard (those who are not familiar can find the widgets for both these services on the sidebar).

BlogRush started with a bang, but has now died down to a whimper. Entrecard started slow, but is now becoming popular among bloggers, and most bloggers seem to be satisfied with the service (are you?).

Both the services are almost alike in what they offer as service, but one failed and the other succeeded. Why?

I think the reason is : While BlogRush tried to provide exposure to a Blog without leaving any room for the blogger to take steps that would improve his chances of getting traffic, Entrecard left scope for the blogger to work towards getting traffic for his Blog. In principle BlogRush assumed that bloggers are interested in reading other blogs, while Entrecard assumed that bloggers will be active participants on the site, and in the hope of getting traffic to their own Blogs, they will click on the widgets on the other Blogs.

It is obvious now that the latter assumption worked, while the former did not. This also brings into focus another important fact: A Blog will be truly successful (that is have a readership that actually reads, and not just flies by) when some of the readers are non- bloggers, or are, at least, readers first and Bloggers second.

Do you agree, or do you think there are other reasons for the failure of BlogRush… and the success of Entrecard?

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