Awards Season and Why You Should Blog For You

This is one of those posts which will either be taken in the way it is meant to, with tongue firmly in cheek and Mr Blue Sky on the stereo annoying the neighbours in a jolly fashion, or with hell and fury. Either or is cool.

Its just a little post to counteract all the "Eek! Who will nominate me? Am I good enough? " in the "Awards Season Crazy Month" which has just all started once again. Its like a bad smell or the lead up to a smear test. Inevitable and unavoidable. 



When I think of awards (except those which are done for pure fun and don't try to make out they actually mean anything other than a free ad for a company on your blog for a year), I always think of this song. However, I replace the lyrics with "Awards" rather than "War" (Sorry Mr Starr). 

The fact is, if you happen to have cultivated a little slice of the web, whether you are brilliant at HTML, stats, fancy pants bits and bobs, or not, then you deserve a massive pat on the back. Go on, do it now, say "yay me". 

That you manage to keep up with writing whatever you like to write about, and still do the dishes, feed your kids and pick them up on time (with the help of Pippa on Twitter I have to admit on occasion), then well done you.

Whether you have one reader or a one hundred, then so what? The only, single and solitary question you, as a blogger, need to ask yourself or even care about is this: 

Do I like what I do? 

If it becomes a chore to open up your blog or your other social media platforms, then perhaps its time to take up knitting. Or jogging? Or baking? 

The very idea that there could be a blogger, just one, who is now sitting chewing their finger nails off, worrying that they wont be picked for a list, and considering giving it all up. That sucks.

I know from experience that the praise of your peers can be an enticing prospect, it can become something which makes you into a monster, only concerned with votes and numbers on a meaningless list. It does nothing but make you feel like you are not as good as Joe Bloggs at that other blog. It creates divisions and every year, without fail, (and trust me, I've been around since all this nonsense began) there is a massive falling out.

Over what? Nothing.

So, with that in mind, I want to share the "blogging love" my friends. If you have a blog, then you are a winner. You have a space which regardless of understanding Klout or Wordpress themes has your thoughts, your writing on, then here, this is for you:

Go forth and spread the award amongst your blogging chums (no seriously, I'd have sent to every one of you but there are thousands and my Yahoo will explode). Don't sweat the silly season. Go out and write, take bad ass photos, have a giggle and enjoy your little slice of artistic heaven. 

And forget the things that just don't matter.