Tuesday, August 25, 2009

And the topic for Blog-a-Ton 2 is...

Date for Blog-a-Ton 2 : September 5, 2009

Lets welcome the new Blog-a-Tonics:

Well friends, there seems no logic in waiting till Saturday to announce the Topic for Blog-a-Ton 2. Blog-a-Tonics have overwhelmingly voted for Teachers : Aaj Kal. It got around 20 votes as compared to distant second which garnered just around 6. So that is the topic, we all will blog on Sep 5, The Teachers Day.

If anyone finds it to be linguistically discriminating, feel free to go for Teachers : Now and Then or Teachers : translation of 'Aaj Kal' in your mother tongue.

So, you all have ample time to write it but you'll have to wait till Sep 5 to post it finally along with everyone else.

Other rules regarding posting will be conveyed to you later.

Before, I sign off, I must inform you that some of the Blog-a-Tonics have been nominated for Indiblogger of the Month award for the month of August, 2009. The list includes me, Pawan, Shilpa and Daisy Blue. (If there is anyone else too, kindly drop a comment.)

This month, the category is Original Literature - Short Stories.

So, if you find any of us worth while, do vote for us here. You'll need to scroll down a bit to find us.

My personal blog that got nominated is Reflections of an Empathic Libertarian and ideally, you won't miss my bald smiling profile picture while searching for it.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Time to do - 3.. 2.. 1..

Date for Blog-a-Ton 2 : September 5, 2009
Topic declaration : August 29, 2009

We are finally down to just THREE topics and one of these will become the final topic for the second edition of Blog-a-Ton. Topic selection, it seems is taking a lot of time. It is due to the fact that this month has five Saturdays. Next month, automatically, the time for the whole process will get truncated by a week.

First of all, lets welcome the new Blog-a-Tonics;

An important notice before I continue with the task at hand..
Please check our blogroll. If you want your name changed or the link which it follows to be modified to some other blog of yours, please let us know in the comments section.

So here, we are at the final stage of Topic Selection. There were some great suggestions but only these three had it in them to survive till here.

The three topics along with the number of votes and the names of all those Blog-a-Tonics who suggested or voted for them are:
  1. Teachers : Aaj Kal (1o - Vipul, Kaddu, Pawan, Dhiman, Shruti, Richa, Mou, Navita, Raji, Anirban)
  2. Is the Purpose of Education Lost? (4.5- Azad, Pramathesh, Bharathi, Indian Pundit, Avdi)
  3. Thunders and Blunders of 62 years!! (4.5- Azad, Sid, Shruti, Evascentthoughts, Mr.R)

P.S.

  • From amongst the various suggestions for the title of the Teachers : Aaj Kal topic, the given one has been finalised. If anyone finds it to be linguistically discriminating, feel free to go for Teachers : Now and Then or Teachers : translation of 'Aaj Kal' in your mother tongue.
  • Azad's two votes have been reduced to half each, that's why 4.5 votes for the last two topics. (You can opt for either, to give full weightage.)

So now what next?

  • If you find your topic among the top 3, just sit and wait.
  • Other's whose names do not feature here (because their topic failed to garner enough support or bacause they did not participate till now) please vote for the topic of your choice from the given three.
  • Just leave a comment with the title of the topic to vote.
Topic declaration : August 29, 2009
Date for Blog-a-Ton 2 : September 5, 2009

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Hurry up, make sure YOU too Decide with US!

Hey friends, I am publishing this post on behalf of Shilpa who mailed it to me.

Date for Blog-a-Ton 2 : September 5, 2009
Topic declaration : August 29, 2009

We move into the next phase of Blog-a-Ton 2!!

And the going seems to be great, as more of us are joining the blogging marathon at Blog-a-Ton.

Please join hands in welcoming the following new Blog-a-Tonics….
Thank you everybody for your overwhelming response for topic suggestion for Blog-a-Ton 2.

We have received the following suggestions: Number of votes these have received till now have been mentioned in the brackets

Topics Related to Education and Teaching: (The reason behind this theme: 5th September is Teacher’s Day!!)
  1. 'Gurus' of Yesterday, 'Teachers' Today! / Yester Year Teachers Vs Present Day Teachers/ Teachers : Aaj Kal / Gurus vs Teachers (7 - Vipul, Kaddu, Pawan, Dhiman, Shruti, Richa, Mou)
  2. Is the Purpose of Education Lost? (4- Azad, Pramathesh, Bharathi, Indian Pundit)
  3. Computers (coupled with internet, e-learning modules et all) Replace Teachers?? (3- Shilpa, Sojo, Musings)
  4. Education et al (1 - Pramathesh)
  5. Teachers - Thought Shapers or Money Gobblers (1 - Pawan)
  6. Teaching a Service or a Profession?? (1 - Shankar)

Other Suggestions:
  1. Thunders and Blunders of 62 years!! (4- Azad, Sid, Shruti, Evascentthoughts)
  2. Internet-aholics Anonymous / Internet-Use and Misuse In Daily Life (2- Aneet, ARJuna)
  3. Monday Morning Blues (1 - Aneet)
  4. Innovation And Ideas: The Indian Scenario (1 - ARJuna)
  5. Internet and Self Publicity (1 - Pramathesh)
  6. Are Comics Good For You? (1 - Aneet)
Here, even if any Blog-a-Tonic has suggested or voted for more than 1 topic, each suggestion and vote has been given full weightage, that is regarded as complete vote. In future, a single suggestion will be entertained as with increasing numbers of participants keeping a track becomes difficult for us.

  • So, now please vote for ANY of the above mentioned topics only if you have not yet voted!!
  • No new topics will be entertained at this point.
  • Top 3 topics from this the previous week and this week’s voting will be filtered for the next phase of voting starting on August 22, 2009 for the Final Topic which will be declared on August 29, 2009.

Hurry, rush in your VOTES NOW!!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Time for Blog-a-Ton 2...


Date for Blog-a-Ton 2 :
September 5, 2009
Topic declaration : August 29, 2009

We successfully concluded Blog-a-Ton 1 on Tuesday. The credit goes to all the Blog-a-Tonics who participated and supported the event.

Our community has been growing at a satisfactory pace. We'll like to welcome the new Blog-a-Tonics

Here I am presenting the general pattern that will be followed in all the forthcoming Blog-a-Tons. (In the brackets, you can see the dates pertaining to Blog-a-Ton 2.)
  • Initiating a new Blog-a-Ton by inviting suggestions for the topics : Second Saturday (Aug 8)
  • Shortlisting the top 3 topics for further voting : Tentative (When the Blog-a-Ton Marshals feel the need to close the entries)
  • Declaring the topic for Blog-a-Ton: A week before Blog-a-Ton; Last Saturday (Aug 29)
  • Reminder: A day before Blog-a-Ton (Sep 4)
  • Blog-a-Ton: First Saturday of every month. (Sep 5, 2009)
  • Opening the Voting: Next day (Sep 6, 2009)
  • Declaration of Blog-a-Tonic of the Month: Before Second Saturday (The time given for voting will be decided keeping in mind the number of participants)

I welcome the first Blog-a-Tonic of the Month,
Shilpa Garg who has volunteered to help us in marshalling the Blog-a-Ton 2. I am sure she will play this role proficiently and help in conducting another smooth Blog-a-Ton.

So with this, I invite your suggestions for the topic for Blog-a-Ton 2. Please keep the following things in mind while suggesting.
  • The topic should be general in scope, so that more and more Blog-a-Tonics can participate.
  • Before suggesting, go through the previous ones for sure.
  • If you like any of those, VOTE for them rather than giving a new suggestion.
  • If you like a suggested topic but don't like the wordings, still VOTE for it and alongside suggest a new title for it.
  • Give your suggestions and votes in the comments section of this post.
  • Please keep these points in mind to make our job easier.
As Blog-a-Ton 2 happens to be on the Teacher's Day, I suggest it will be nice if the topic is related to education and teaching. You are welcome to come forward with better suggestions.

Also help in popularising Blog-a-Ton and bringing in more participants by putting up the Blog-a-Ton badge (available in the widgets) on your blog and if possible, reviewing this initiative by writing posts about it.

So, with this, it is GET SET GO from our side!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

And the Blog-a-Tonic of the Month for August 2009 is...

Just back from a movie (Love Aaj Kal) and a dinner. Feel like lying down but have to do this job first. So here comes the final post of Blog-a-Ton 1. Before, we declare the Blog-a-Tonic of the Month (BATOM) for August, 2009, I request you, not to scroll down. Read this post in the given sequence and let the suspense build. You will like it for sure.

First of all, following the set convention, we'll like to welcome four new Blog-a-Tonics

We received a late entry from Ajinkya for Blog-a-Ton 1. In this short and crispy post, he basically elaborates on a particular scum of blogging. You might like to read it too. Do add his name and link to your Cream and Scum post.

Before continuing, I must also thank Sojo Varughese for his brilliant blog-post where he has reviewed our Blog-a-Ton initiative and wished for its success.

12 bloggers from around the country coming together to blog on the same topic on the same day was a great experience indeed. Seeing everything turning out as planned added to my elation. I hope and rather I know, you all enjoyed it as much as I did.

I spent the whole Saturday reading one entry after the other but never felt tired of reading the same topic as everybody had something refreshing to offer. Moreover, on revisiting these posts and going through the comments, it was great to see all the Blog-a-Tonics leaving individual comments on the posts of fellow Blog-a-Tonics. Some of them were there for the first time but one thing is for sure, they will return for more.

Dhiman is complaining about the dark circles, he has formed under his eyes and he fears this might drive away girls. But Siddhesh is there to reassure him with this creamy fact - You can impress that sweet girl sitting in the next cubicle that you are a writer.

According to Pawan, blogging has made him more versatile and communicative but Ranee warns that this communication tends to be happening more often on Internet while the real people we know are becoming dream-like, blurry, faded and insubstantial.

While Avdi and I vouch for honesty and unbiased approach in bloggers, Shankar admits that though most of his posts are biased, the readers always help him in forming more wholesome and unbiased opinions at the end of the day.

Saimanohar has called the blogs as the great information resources while ARJuna warns that some bloggers might be dishing out plagiarised information on their blogs.

While Daisy Blue takes the help of the cute Blog Devil and Blog Angel to put across her points, Shilpa has supported her points with researches, media reports and even judicial proceedings.

Bharathi elaborates an interesting scum that how he while conversing with anyone, has started linking his blog in such a way- Exactly pal, I indeed mentioned this in my blog while writing…. Blah blah. I believe most of us can relate to it.

On whole, while Shilpa and Saimanohar came out with the most well-researched and informative posts, Daisyblue and Ranee impressed everyone with their unique presentation.

But in the end only one takes home the award. What the fellow Blog-a-Tonics had to say while casting their votes can be checked here. Do check it as it is again very interesting.

In all 12 out of the 12 eligible voters casted their precious votes.

And the winner is..



















Shilpa (with 3 votes)
She has been mailed her Blog-a-Tonic of the Month badge award. Here is a miniature preview. Do visit her blog to congratulate her and see the original one.

Votes obtained by other Blog-a-Tonics are:
  • Daisy Blue (2)
  • Saimanohar (2)
  • Vipul (1)
  • Ranee (1)
  • Shankar (1)
  • Bharathi (1)
  • Avdi (1)

Soon, we will be starting with the process for Blog-a-Ton 2.. So stay updated!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Update your Post and get ready to Vote!

Voting has closed. The Blog-a-Tonic of the Month for August, 2009 is Shilpa!

Is Blog-a-Ton 1 over?
No, not yet! I’ll come back to this point later.

First of all, we'll like to welcome four new Blog-a-Tonics
Secondly, three cheers for completing the most important stage of Blog-a-Ton 1, i.e. publishing our posts.
I believe, I wasn’t wrong in asserting in the previous post that most of you are resisting clicking the Publish Post button till 0000 hrs. Till the time, I came online around 0015 hrs, there were already three Blog-a-Tonics who had published their posts. Great going.
Take a look at our blogroll. It’s a delight to see, so many bloggers writing on the same topic on the same day. Arjuna has put it really well in the previous post.
In all 12 Blog-a-Tonics took part in this first edition with one of them coming forward with multiple entries(2) from her different blogs. Kudos!
We hope many more will join in the next time.

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton are Arjuna, Saimanohar, Dhiman, Vipul Grover, Avdi, Daisy Blue, Sid 'Ravan' Kabe, Shankar, Shilpa Garg, Bharathi, Ranee, Ranee again and Pawan.
Click on their respective names to read their posts on The Cream and Scum of Blogging.
To be part of the next edition of this online marathon, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

Here is the HTML code which you should put in the place of the previous concluding lines on your ‘The Cream and Scum of Blogging’ post. Remove your name from the code before posting.


If Scribd Window gives any problems in opening, you may simply copy the text given above and link the names yourself by copying them from the comments section of the previous post.





Now, coming to the next stage, i.e. VOTING for the best post to choose the Blog-a-Tonic of the Month. Yes, that is something new, we have thought of.
  • Only those Blog-a-Tonics who have participated this time are eligible to vote.
  • You have 60 hours to go through the posts of fellow Blog-a-Tonics and vote for the best one.
  • Voting ends at 2200 hrs on Aug 4, 2009.
  • You cannot vote for your own, of course.
  • Post your vote in the comments section of this post.
  • We have started moderating the comments and won’t display the voting comments till the end of this process to keep the result secret till its conclusion.
  • You might also add the reason, why you voted for a particular post to help others know what you expect as a reader. Moreover, you may also mention the other posts that you liked though you can vote for only the most liked one.