Saturday, September 10, 2011

‘BAT’ing For …..

It was in September 2009, that I came across Blog a Ton (BAT). I am a member of IndiBlogger and I came across the information of BAT through IndiVine. The first BAT was conducted in August and the second one was announced. I decided to participate in BAT.

For me participating in BAT was indeed a challenge in many ways.

First, I was very new to blog-world. I was blogging about a year. None of my friends or people around me read any other blog; leave writing one. But my friends and colleagues at workplace read whatever I wrote and encouraged me to write more about my experiences. So, my blog was a sort of ‘family affair’.  I was not sure whether my blog would appeal to ‘outsiders’ – meaning those who do not know me personally.

Secondly, those of who read my blog beyond BAT entries (I hope some at least read it) know that my blog is mostly narrations of my experiences. I don’t write scholarly articles; neither do I write movie or book reviews; nor poetry. My writing range is indeed limited. So, whether I would be able to write on different topics and satisfy the unknown readers was a question to me.

Third, I have always believed in freedom of writers. My blog should be a place where I have complete freedom about what to write, when to write, how to write, and whether to write it or not. Accepting BAT terms was little contradictory to these values. I mean I was still free to ‘not to write’ and I could still choose the form of expression. But the topic of BAT though decided in democratic manner – was not always of my choice. It was like writing according to someone else’s command.

Fourth – my travel schedule did not allow me the luxury of 24X7 connectivity. It was not necessary that on every first Saturday (that was the initial regular schedule of BAT) I could post for BAT. But here the Marshal came with support. On many occasions I have scheduled my post and requested Vipul, the Marshal to publish the link on the BAT date – and he always did it.

Fifth:  I am actually not a competitive person. If you are reading my blog regularly, you know that I do not participate in any kind of competitions – that does not mean I doubt intention of those who participate in various blogging competitions. I am not cut for it – that is all.

In spite of all these obstacles, I have till date participated in as many as 18 BATs. My blog has ‘Blog a Ton’ as one of the labels and it shows 19 posts – but the post RETURN, though written for BAT, could not be published due to technical reasons.

Honestly speaking, I have never felt competition in BAT – though it has clear voting (now cheers) guidelines and deadlines and clear winners. I have almost always read all the BAT entries and I am sure most of the ‘BAT’ers do it. For me the most creative aspect of human thinking is brought to the forefront through BAT. It amazes me every time I BAT to see how a single word creates so many different ideas, so many different perspectives, so many different forms, so many different expressions, and so many different feelings. The whole canvas of writing opens to you, you get to know a range of experiences. That is the reason I love BAT.

BAT balances discipline and freedom – you need to post during a timeline on a particular topic but you are free to choose the form, the tone, the presentation etc. As my blog is mostly about sharing experiences, after couple of BATs I started to feel the bondage. Then I came up with an idea. I had always wanted to write short story but had never explored it. BAT gave me an opportunity to work in this direction. Though my short stories are always long enough, I have enjoyed writing those stories. The whole gamut of experiences could be woven together through story. And then for me BAT became a Story Writing Challenge. Except for four posts - Teachers Aaja Kal, The Indian Dream, If I were a Baby Again and Pencil Pull, - I have always written stories. It is because of BAT, that I started writing a story. Good or Bad – does not matter!

Through BAT I came across many new blogs and of course good ones and many virtual friends. I follow some of these blogs regularly. I interact with some of the bloggers whom I have never met. It is another matter that the old batch of ‘BAT’ers is disappearing – they must have valid reasons to make such a conscious choice. But nevertheless, the whole new batch of fellow bloggers comes in. I enjoy the flow, I like the movement, I love reading new styles and new expressions. This flow of ‘BAT’ers does not allow me to take anyone for granted. That is great. It mirrors real life.

Like most of the writers I do enjoy appreciation and feel happy when readers take notice of my post. But somehow, I have never bothered about votes and cheers. Initially I thought of writing “Please do not vote” as a footnote to my BAT posts – but that would have sounded like a very egoist declaration.  And anyways, I realized that very few people were actually voting for my post- so dropped that ridiculous idea.

I do not bother about votes for three reasons. One: I am grown up enough to have crossed these boundaries of success and failure. Two: somewhere within I know that I am not a great writer as yet. I have a long way to go. Three: I trust ‘BAT’ers for their fairness. I am sure if they like my post the best, they will cheer for me, if they don’t they won’t. If I don’t get cheers means I still need to excel my performance. The credit goes to all ‘BAT’ers who have maintained this ‘fair play’ rule intact – voluntarily.

For me, BAT is more of ‘support group’ rather than a competition. We all strive together to excel. We all work hard to express. We all long to reach out, but more than that we all long to search within. The beauty of BAT is: it is more like a long distance running and not sprint. Here we run together, draw energy and inspiration from each other, encourage each other. In the end, only one or two are going to be winners, but there is always a joy that “I tried my best once again.”  

So, even after 18 innings, I am not tired. I would love to keep ‘BAT’ing – for the joy it gives, for the horizons it widens, for the challenge it brings, for the variety it presents and for the fun it assures. 

Aativas

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Fooled by Randomness

Blog-a-ton has played a pivotal role in the chaotic evolution of my blog. I started my blog in 2008 as a social/political/philosophical blog.  But after a couple of posts, I got stuck and realized that was not the way to go. So moved on to humor and that was an instant hit with Desi Pundit showcasing my Bride Hunt series. But then there is a limit to the number of humorous incidents in one’s life. So slowly the number of posts started dwindling and posts totally stopped after I was kicked out of my job.  You can’t sit at home and write funny posts when you are unemployed, eh?  I returned to blogging a few months later but by then all my regular readers had left me. I found myself unable to recreate the magic of the Bride Hunt series. I then tried reviews of books and movies. But my reviews found hardly any takers and I was not motivated to write any more of them.  So my blog was suffering an existential crisis when I came across a post from our Marshal on Indiblogger about Blog-a-ton.
 In hope of reviving my Blogging fortunes, I threw my hat into the ring in Feb 2010.  The topic of my first Blog-a-Ton was ‘What-if’. I got so many ideas but I was tongue tied or should I say finger tied? I had never written for a prompt before. So I ended up not participating and decided that Blog-a-ton would not work for me. Then a month later, one Sunday I was feeling bored. Generally surfing randomly I meandered into the Blog-a-ton page. And it was the Blog-a-ton day. The topic was ‘Time Travel’. Somehow this topic lit some lamp inside my head. Within the next couple of hours; my first Blog-a-ton post was up.
That evening when I logged on to my computer, I was pleasantly surprised to see 6 comments on my Blog post. I was so excited I replied to the comments and then read their posts and then went on to read all the other posts. Overall the post got 38 comments, just 2 short of the Bride Hunt series and also 2 people – Mahesh Kallal and Vivek Nanda had voted mine as the best post. In those days participants were allowed only one vote per head. So getting 2 votes was a real big thing.
By reading the entries, I realized lot of Bloggers write short stories on their blog. I particularly liked 3 bloggers – Karthik, Vibuthi and Harsha. I started visiting their blogs regularly and came across an online story writing contest conducted by a website called IndiMag from their blogs. That’s when I wrote my first two proper stories – ‘The Lonely Bus Stand’ and ‘Mohiniattam’. My stories were well appreciated and I made lot of good friends on IndiMag. I had now entered the fascinating world of short stories.
Soon it was time for the next Blog-a-ton. I started thinking about my post even before the topic was announced going by the topic trends. And interestingly the topic turned out to be my own blog name ‘Fool’.  I came up with one of my best works, a poem called ‘The Fool’ written in Victorian style.  But to my disappointment there were very few comments. Those that were, were lackluster and I got 0 votes. So I decided to keep away from poems and this postponed my entry into the world of poetry by one year. I still wonder why it bombed so badly, though even now looking back I find it to be one of my best works.
 By the time of next Blog-a-Ton, things were going bad in my personal life and I wrote a dark story for the topic ’Escape’ keeping with my mood. This was one of the best Blog-a-tons with lot of participation. I was happy to get 3 votes but I was not sure if many understood my story. It was a bit complex and blog readers generally have too low attention span. During this period, a few of the participants in the Indi Mag story writing contest came up with the idea of jointly publishing a book of short stories and invited me to join. I was very excited by the prospect. But sadly after a few days, the idea died a natural death.
But it was again Blog-a-ton time soon. This time the topic was ‘Hidden’. I managed a para normal thriller that was well appreciated. I wanted to build up the story into a novella. So I followed up with sequels the next two Blog-a-ton for topics ‘Wish’ and 'Return’. During this time I also came across another Forum called Ginger Café. Here I got to participate in an innovative team blogging contest called BPL (‘Bloggers premier league’). Though my team stood first in the first round, we got eliminated in the second round.
At this time I had to change jobs and my mother’s health began to deteriorate seriously. So my blogging began to dwindle again. I just participated in one more Blog-a-ton, where a picture was a prompt instead of a word for the first time. I wrote my first 55 Fiction. Around November 2010, my blogging came to a grinding halt. IndiMag had shut shop. Nothing much was going on in Ginger Café. And that was when Marshal announced that Blog-a-ton was also shutting down. I was so disappointed. I had missed my chance to become a veteran and to win Blog-a-ton. That was it. I decided to throw down the towel and wind up my blog.
By March 2011, the itch to write was catching up with me again. I had been through tumultuous times in personal life and was looking for some means to de-stress. Something told me that Blog-a-ton maybe up again and I decided to check it out. And guess what! Season 2 of Blog-a-ton was indeed starting. I was back to Blog-a-ton and blogging with ‘Change’.  Seeing the quality of other posts that Blog-a-ton, I felt I might win at least a bronze that time. But instead I landed up with 0 votes again. But this time I started writing for other prompts as well and one of my stories ‘Space in her heart’ was selected as a Tangy Tuesday pick by Blog Adda. From there, there was no looking back.
I continued my Blog-a-ton participation as well. Soon I was on the way to become a veteran. Only regret was I was becoming a veteran   without getting even a bronze. But somehow my mail to Vipul mentioning I had finished 10 posts got missed out and I was not declared as a veteran on my 10th post, where yet again I got 0 votes. But now seems like it happened for good. Now in my 12th attempt, I have at last conquered the Blog-a-ton Gold. So I become a veteran with a BATON gold in my kitty.  Thanks to all those who voted for me to make this possible. I also thank aativas and SIS who served as an inspiration to me by winning their gold in their 18th and 11th posts respectively, showing that it is possible to go 10 posts without a win and still come back and win. And of course a big thanks to Vipul for creating this wonderful platform and Sid, Leo and SIS for reviving it. Thanks also to all those who have voted for my past posts and commented on my posts for helping keep my passion for writing alive. Last but not the least; I would like to thank all those people who have posted wonderful posts that have inspired my writing.
I wonder if anyone has got till here. If you have, thanks to you as well for reading patiently. My journey as a Blogger has been so intertwined with Blog-a-ton that I could not resist putting up a lengthy Oliver Twist kind of post, starting with how my blog was born and all that.  

Monday, August 22, 2011

B-A-T 23 ~ Winners at the cost of 'FREE'

Forty Two entered the contest, forty was eligible for voting, twenty voted, and two winners emerged (Gold & Silver). Almost everyone registered a single vote under their name. Keep rocking Blog-a-Tonics.

The results of Blog-a-Ton 23, here is the list of participants and the cheers they garnered;

Click on image to view larger and clearer

As evident, here are the two Blog-a-Tonics of the Month. Just Click on their names to read their respective entries. PS: Since CRD & Vipul have garnered four votes each, I have decided to ignore the bronze medal.

(It's Vipul here - Being the Marshal, I don't mind forgoing the award as CRD really deserves it. So Bronze BATOM goes to him) 


28 participants have garnered at least one cheer under their name. :-) Rock on Blog-a-Tonics :-)



GOLD BATOM

SILVER BATOM

BRONZE BATOM

The Fool

Sunjoo Krishna

CRD



Congratulations to the winners, and also to CRD & Vipul. PS: I was in a dilemma whether to consider The Fool's vote (Voted under Rules and Reminder) but still I consider to decide the winners. 

You all can also read the voting comments now. Just click here to find who all voted for you or liked your entry and what they had to say about it!

Stay tuned for BAT 24 which is set to begin soon. If any of the Veterans are interested to host this edition then please drop a mail to marshal@blogaton.in, cc pendownmythought@gmail.com & leonnyes@gmail.com. Please let us know before 25th of this month.

A Reminder - Have your number of participations reached 10??? Then you are eligible to be included into the List of Veteran Blog-a-Tonics.  Just drop a mail to "marhsal@blogaton.in" with the links to all your posts (or simply label all your BAT entries and send Marshal that single link).


Yours, Blog-a-Ton Co-Marshal, Someone is Special

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Feel 'Free' to vote for your B-A-T 23 favorites !

Voting ends at 23:59 hrs (IST) on August 21, 2011. Remember, that means time stamp of your comment can be at most 23:59 and not 00:00. Voting extended till midnight. Results will be published before 08:00 IST August 22, 2011.
We had forty-one blog-a-tonics enter this time's Blog-a-Ton. Out of which 40 are eligible for voting. So feel free to vote for your B-A-T 23 Favorites. PS: VOTING ENDS ON Sunday, 21.08.2011 at 23:59 IST.

Click here to check the fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton along with the direct links to their posts.

Three-Cheers for all the 41 Blog-a-Tonics. This is the first time we have more than 40 pariticipation entries in Blog-a-Ton Season 2.
Please follow the following rules while voting.

1. ONLY THOSE BLOG-A-TONICS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR VOTING (i.e., Contesting for votes and voting for others) WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THIS EVENT WITHIN THE STIPULATED TIME.

2. You can cast upto 3 votes or cheers as we call them, and of course you can not vote for yourself. In short, you are allowed to vote for one, two or three entries. All your votes will carry the same weightage. 3.  Your Voting Comment should start as follows:


I vote for -  1. XYZ; his/her post = XYZ-TITLE 2. DEF; his/her post = DEF-TITLE 3. PQR; his/her post = PQR-TITLE
Code:

I participated - <a href="YOUR POST LINK">YOUR POST LINK</a>
I vote for - 1. NAME OF THE FIRST BLOGATONIC YOU VOTE FOR; his/her postlink = <a href="HIS/HER POST LINK">HIS/HER POST LINK</a> 2. NAME OF THE SECOND BLOGATONIC YOU VOTE FOR; his/her postlink = <a href="HIS/HER POST LINK">HIS/HER POST LINK</a> 3. NAME OF THE THIRD BLOGATONIC YOU VOTE FOR; his/her postlink = <a href="HIS/HER POST LINK">HIS/HER POST LINK</a>

There is some specific logic behind the above code. So please fill the parameters highlighted in red as mentioned in the code only.

Remove the extra code in case you are voting for less than three entries.

3. While voting for a Blog-a-Tonic, use his/her name as provided by him/her in his/her participation entry and not his/her profile name.

4.  Post your vote in the comments section of this post.

5. All your votes should be posted in a single comment. So, take your time - go through all posts - only then decide your one or two or three winning entries. In case you vote separately, only the first comment will be taken into consideration.

Now coming to the other rules:
  • Voting ends at  08:00PM (IST) on  SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2011.
  • I 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.
  • After the voting code mentioned above, you may 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 just one of them. 


The Votes will be discarded without any prior warning in case they are not sufficiently compatible with the rules. A Reminder - Have your number of participations reached 10??? Then you are eligible to be included into the List of Veteran Blog-a-Tonics.  Just drop a mail to "marhsal@blogaton.in" with the links to all your posts (or simply label all your BAT entries and send Marshal that single link).Remember, the time stamp of your comment can be at most 23:59 on August 21 and not 00:00 on August 22.  
Yours, Blog-a-Ton Co-Marshal, Someone is Special

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Rules and Reminder for Blog-a-Ton 23

Publish the post on 15th August, 2011 anytime between 0000 hrs and 2359 hrs (IST)!

Date for Blog-a-Ton : 15th August, 2011


As you already know, the topic for Blog-a-Ton 23 has been finalised as:

FREE
Please follow these rules while publishing your post and thereafter:
  • As this is a special edition, you are FREE to give any title to your entry but the theme should be FREE.
  • The post should start with this code. Just copy the following HTML code and paste to your post in Edit HTML mode:

    <div style="text-align: justify;">
    <blockquote>
    This post has been published by me as a part of the <b>Blog-a-Ton 23</b>; the twenty-third edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following <a href="http://blogaton.in/"><b>Blog-a-Ton</b></a>. The theme for this month is FREE.
    </blockquote>
    </div>
  • The post should end with the following code.  Just copy the following HTML code and paste to your post in Edit HTML mode:

    <div style="text-align: justify;">
    <blockquote>
    The <b>fellow Blog-a-Tonics</b> who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective <b>posts</b> can be checked <a href="http://blogaton.in/2011/08/rules-and-reminder-for-blog-ton-23.html#comments"><b>here</b></a>. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following <b><a href="http://blogaton.in/">Blog-a-Ton</a>. Happy Independence Day!</b></blockquote>
    </div>

  • Publish the post on 15th August, 2011 anytime between 0000 hrs and 2359 hrs (Indian Standard Time)
  • Use the following code to provide direct link to your post.
<a href="ADDRESS OF YOUR POST">YOUR NAME - YOUR TITLE</a> 

It will look like this: Someone is Special - TITLE and will link to your post.

Please follow this rule to ensure easy navigability to your post.
        •  Use your complete name to prevent any confusion and mix up with other bloggers.
        • Remember, you can not post more than ONE entry.  
        • In case you post your link after the stipulated time, then your submission will not be considered for voting. 
        • Return between 16th August and 21st August to vote for your favourite post. A separate notification for the same will be posted upon the conclusion of the event. So do not vote till then. Till then just enjoy reading the various entries, keeping in mind your favourite ones. 

          DO NOT USE THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THIS POST FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE. If there are any queries, ask them in the comments section of previous post.

          HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY
          Looking forward to some great posts
          Blog-a-Tonically Yours
          Someone is Special

          Saturday, August 6, 2011

          Let us go 'FREE'

          Date for Blog-a-Ton 23 : AUGUST 15, 2011 


          On the basis of the voting over last week, we have narrowed down the topic for BAT 23.

           Topic for Blog-a-Ton 23 : FREE

          Thanks a lot to Vinay of I Rhyme Without Reason for making this inspiring suggestion.

          SOME RULES
          1. You can submit ONLY ONE POST for this event irrespective of the number of blogs you maintain.
          2. As this is a special edition, you are FREE to give any title to your entry but the theme should be FREE.
          3. You must justify this theme with a complementary post. To make things easier, you have the freedom to treat it the way you want. Its upto you; which genre of writing you choose, i.e. simple essay-type, article, dialogue, short story (even 55 Fiction for that matter), poem or whatever you feel like.
          4. Moreover, its upto you; which mood or tone you choose to set it in, i.e. serious, witty, humor, optimistic or whatever that comes to you naturally.
          5. If you are having a cartoon blog, photo blog, painting blog etc, even you can participate with your piece of art complementing this theme.
          6. You have the freedom to choose the language of communication. However, we'll suggest you to write in English to put across your views to the maximum members which will also help you when its the time to vote for the BATOM.
          7. Other rules regarding the posting will be conveyed to you later. So kindly wait for that notification on next Sunday rather than putting up queries right now. If the queries are regarding general pattern of the event, please go through the posts about previous events.
          So, you all have ample time to write it, but you'll have to wait till AUGUST 15th to post it finally on your blog along with everyone else.

          Please write your posts on time ( AUGUST 15th ~ 00:00:00 – 23:59:59 IST ) as the late entries will not be allowed to participate in the voting round (though the links will be added to the participants list).

          Encourage your fellow bloggers to participate in this edition. You can share this post on your various social networking profiles through the ShareThis widget present at the bottom of this post.

          ...HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY...

          Saturday, July 30, 2011

          B-A-T 23 Let us discuss the topic..

          DATE FOR BLOG-A-TON 23 : AUGUST 15, 2011
          TOPIC DECLARATION : AUGUST 7, 2011

          Hi friends… Welcome to the 23rd edition of Blog-a-Ton. Officially, Twenty-four Blog-a-tonics participated in the last Edition, thank you so much :-). Now we are looking forward for a great support from your end to make this edition a memorable one as it is a special edtion (August 15th ~ Independence Day & August 7th ~ Friendship Day). I, Someone is Special (Co-Marshal of BAT) will be hosting this edition. Without much delay I once again welcome you to decide the topic to write!...


          FREE
          LEO, PRIYANKA, HAMZA, SUNJOO, VIKRAM, AASHISH, DEBOSMITA, MENACHERY, VIV_ANDYA, SUNIL DEEPAK, SRIKANTH, RAKSHA RAMAN

          SACRIFICE
          SUNIL,MAHESH, KETAN, AATIVAS

          VIRTUAL FRIEND
          ANIMESH, SUKANYA, SHARIKA, RANI, BRAJMOHAN KUMAR

          THE MORNING THAT WAS
          SHILPA

          TOPIC SUGGESTION CLOSES BY 06-08-2011 22:00 IST

          Please go through the following rules before suggesting or voting
          • Each member can suggest only one topic.
          • The topic should be general in scope, so that more and more Blog-a-Tonics can participate.
          • If you like any suggestion, VOTE for it (by giving the name of the person who has suggested it) rather than giving a new suggestion.
          • In case you have already suggested an topic but find some subsequent suggestion better than yours, you are allowed to vote for it. But this can be done only once.
          • Rather than criticizing the suggestions made by others, kindly give better suggestions.
          • Give your suggestions and votes in the comments section of this post. 
          • PS: I retain the right to discard any suggestion in case if it is found inappropriate.
          • Do not embolden your comment using HTML bold tag.
          • Please keep these points in mind to make my job easier. 

          Encourage your fellow bloggers to participate in this edition. You can share this post on your various social networking profiles through the ShareThis widget present at the bottom of this post.

          Hoping to receive many inspiring suggestions...
          Yours Friendly,
          Someone is Special

          Friday, July 29, 2011

          Blog-a-Ton 22nd Edition - The Winners Revealed...

          Twenty four entered, seventeen voted, and three clear winners emerged. I mean, we have a gold, a silver and a bronze winner this time. It was the closest voting we probably have had till now.

          The results of Blog-a-Ton 22, here is the list of participants and the cheers they garnered;

          Click on image to view larger and clearer


          As evident, here are the three Blog-a-Tonics of the Month. Just Click on their names to read their respective entries.


          GOLD BATOM

          SILVER BATOM

          BRONZE BATOM

          Aativas

          Vikram Pyati

          Sadiya


          Congratulations to the three winners, and also to Shilpa Nair, who was tying for Bronze till Pavil's last vote which made the decision clearer. Pavil also got all three top posts right in his voting.

          You all can also read the voting comments now. Just click here to find who all voted for you or liked your entry and what they had to say about it!

          Stay tuned for BAT 23 which is set to begin real soon.


          Signing off from here,
          Leo

          Sunday, July 24, 2011

          Time to vote for your BAT22 favorites..

          Voting ends at 20:00 hrs (IST) on July 29, 2011. Remember, that means time stamp of your comment can be at most 19:59 and not 20:00.

          We had twenty four blog-a-tonics enter this time's Blog-a-Ton. The number has dwindled this time around. But still glad so many participated. All 24 are eligible for voting. Blog-a-tonics please note that the deadline for voting has been pushed forward this time. VOTING ENDS ON FRIDAY, 29.07.2011 at 08:00PM IST.

          Click here to check the fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton along with the direct links to their posts.

          In this edition,  24 blog-a-tonics participated.

          Please follow the following rules while voting.

          1. ONLY THOSE BLOG-A-TONICS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR VOTING (i.e., Contesting for votes and voting for others) WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THIS EVENT WITHIN THE STIPULATED TIME.

          2. You can cast upto 3 votes or cheers as we call them, and of course you can not vote for yourself.
          In short, you are allowed to vote for one, two or three entries. All your votes will carry the same weightage.

          3.  Your Voting Comment should start as follows:



          I vote for - 
          1. XYZ; his/her post = http://ABC/xyz.html
          2. DEF; his/her post = http://LMN/def.html
          3. PQR; his/her post = http://RST/pqr.html


          Code:
          I participated - <a href="YOUR POST LINK">YOUR POST LINK</a>
          I vote for -
          1. NAME OF THE FIRST BLOGATONIC YOU VOTE FOR; his/her postlink = <a href="HIS/HER POST LINK">HIS/HER POST LINK</a>
          2. NAME OF THE SECOND BLOGATONIC YOU VOTE FOR; his/her postlink = <a href="HIS/HER POST LINK">HIS/HER POST LINK</a>
          3. NAME OF THE THIRD BLOGATONIC YOU VOTE FOR; his/her postlink = <a href="HIS/HER POST LINK">HIS/HER POST LINK</a>



          There is some specific logic behind the above code. So please fill the parameters highlighted in red as mentioned in the code only.

          Remove the extra code in case you are voting for less than three entries.

          3. While voting for a Blog-a-Tonic, use his/her name as provided by him/her in his/her participation entry and not his/her profile name.

          4.  Post your vote in the comments section of this post.
          5. All your votes should be posted in a single comment. So, take your time - go through all posts - only then decide your one or two or three favourites.
          In case you vote separately, only the first comment will be taken into consideration.



          Now coming to the other rules:
          • Voting ends at  08:00PM (IST) on  FRIDAY, July 29, 2011.
          • I 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.
          • After the voting code mentioned above, you may 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 just one of them. 
          The Votes will be discarded without any prior warning in case they are not sufficiently compatible with the rules.


          Remember, the time stamp of your comment can be at most 19:59 and not 20:00 on July 29.

          Yours, the Marshal of July,
          Leo

          Friday, July 22, 2011

          Rules and Reminder for Blog-a-Ton 22

          Publish the post on 23rd July, 2011 anytime between 0000 hrs and 2359 hrs (IST)!

          Date for Blog-a-Ton : 23rd July, 2011


          As you already know, the topic for Blog-a-Ton 22 has been finalised as:

          REVENGE
          Please follow these rules while publishing your post and thereafter:
          • The title of your post should be the topic itself; i.e. Revenge.
            Please do not use any alternative title or your post link will be removed.
          • The post should start with this code. Just copy the following HTML code and paste to your post in Edit HTML mode:

            <div style="text-align: justify;">
            <blockquote>
            This post has been published by me as a part of the <b>Blog-a-Ton 22</b>; the twenty-second edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following <a href="http://blogaton.in/"><b>Blog-a-Ton</b></a>.
            </blockquote>
            </div>
          • The post should end with the following code.  Just copy the following HTML code and paste to your post in Edit HTML mode:

            <div style="text-align: justify;">
            <blockquote>
            The <b>fellow Blog-a-Tonics</b> who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective <b>posts</b> can be checked <a href="http://blogaton.in/2011/07/rules-and-reminder-for-blog-ton-22.html#comments"><b>here</b></a>. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following <b><a href="http://blogaton.in/">Blog-a-Ton</a></b>.</blockquote>
            </div>

          • Publish the post on 23rd July, 2011 anytime between 0000 hrs and 2359 hrs (Indian Standard Time)
          • Use the following code to provide direct link to your post.
          <a href="ADDRESS OF YOUR POST">YOUR NAME - Revenge</a> 

          It will look like this: Vinay - Revenge and will link to your post.

          Please follow this rule to ensure easy navigability to your post.
                •  Use your complete name to prevent any confusion and mix up with other bloggers.
                • Remember, you can not post more than ONE entry.  
                • In case you post your link after the stipulated time, then your submission will not be considered for voting. 
                • From now on, I won't be entertaining any personal requests for the same whatever be the reason.
                • Return between 24th July and 31st July to vote for your favourite post. A separate notification for the same will be posted upon the conclusion of the event. So do not vote till then. Till then just enjoy reading the various entries, keeping in mind your favourite ones. 

                  DO NOT USE THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THIS POST FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE. If there are any queries, ask them in the comments section of previous post.

                  Looking forward to some great posts
                  Blog-a-Tonically Yours
                  Leo
                  http://leonnyes.wordpress.com/

                  Saturday, July 16, 2011

                  Time for some REVENGE?

                  Date for Blog-a-Ton 22 : JULY 23, 2011 


                  To the topic declaration; on the basis of the voting over last week, we have narrowed down to the topic for BAT 22.

                   Topic for Blog-a-Ton 22 : REVENGE

                  Aashish Sood gives us this time's Blog-a-ton theme! Other suggested themes didn't get as much backing as this one.

                  SOME RULES
                  1. You can submit ONLY ONE POST for this event irrespective of the number of blogs you maintain.
                  2. The title of your post should be Revenge.
                  3. You must justify this title with a complementary post. To make things easier, you have the freedom to treat it the way you want. Its upto you; which genre of writing you choose, i.e. simple essay-type, article, dialogue, short story (even 55 Fiction for that matter), poem or whatever you feel like.
                  4. Moreover, its upto you; which mood or tone you choose to set it in, i.e. serious, witty, humor, optimistic or whatever that comes to you naturally.
                  5. If you are having a cartoon blog, photo blog, painting blog etc, even you can participate with your piece of art complementing this title.
                  6. You have the freedom to choose the language of communication. However, we'll suggest you to write in English to put across your views to the maximum members which will also help you when its the time to vote for the BATOM.
                  7. Other rules regarding the posting will be conveyed to you later. So kindly wait for that notification on next Saturday rather than putting up queries right now. If the queries are regarding general pattern of the event, please go through the posts about previous events.
                  So, you all have ample time to write it, but you'll have to wait till July 23rd to post it finally along with everyone else.

                  Please write your posts on time as the late entries will not be allowed to participate in the voting round (though the links will be added to the participants list).

                  Thursday, July 7, 2011

                  1 YEAR ON: MY HITS AND THE MISSES.

                  TO TAKE PART IN THE TOPIC DISCUSSION FOR BAT 22 KINDLY CLICK HERE!!!

                  Continue reading our newly inducted Veteran Blogatonic's BAT XPeriences!!!


                  From “Hidden” to “The Other Day”, it been a journey of 10 participation's. Started with less than 50 followers and average of 3 responses per post, things were different in the Pre-Blog a Ton period.

                  1 Year On: and here are my Hits and Misses at BAT:

                  The Hits:

                  Fiction 55/ Acrostics: These are 2 forms of writing, i was unaware of, until BAT happened. Not only did i get to know about them, i but even managed to attempt them, on a few occasions.

                  Comments/ Followers: It will be too modest on my part, if i say, i write for self actualization only. From the time i started blogging, till date, Comments and Followers have been the greatest motivating factors. And must admit, BAT' allows you feast more generously on them.

                  Consistency: In last 1 year, that my blog has at-least 1 post a month, courtesy BATOMs. Whether i made other posts or not, BATOM ensured the discipline is not lost. Its been 4 years into blogging, and i would say, the last 1 year has been best on the consistency front.

                  The Misses:

                  Batom Medals: Well, its like the “Grapes are Sour” story. Ask me, and i have a dozen reasons for not making it, to Batom medals. Busy Schedule, Adhoc Posting, Time Constraints...and the list goes on. But the fact remains, this platform is laden with Ace Writers. Each time i read the winning posts, i realize, the gap that needs to be filled, to reach up there. Kudos to all seasoned writers, indeed a lot to learn from you all. Blessed to be a part of this forum.

                  The Meet: I was very new to this section, when your meet took place. If i recall it right, parallel meets were held in different cities. I really missed it, wish i could have been a part of the same. Hoping to make it next time :)

                  Signing off on that note. Wishing this concept of Marathon for Bloggers a great success.

                  Viyoma
                  Blog @ Vyo's World
                  Tweet @Archi_palego

                  B-a-T 22 - So, what's the topic? Let's discuss.

                  DATE FOR BLOG-A-TON 22JULY 23 , 2011
                  TOPIC DECLARATION :  JULY 16, 2011


                  Please go through the following rules before suggesting or voting 
                  • Each member can suggest only one topic.
                  • The topic should be general in scope, so that more and more Blog-a-Tonics can participate.
                  • If you like any suggestion, VOTE for it 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.
                  • In case you have already suggested a topic but find some subsequent suggestion better than yours, you are allowed to vote for it. But this can be done only once.
                  • Rather than criticising the suggestions made by others, kindly give better suggestions.
                  • Give your suggestions and votes in the comments section of this post.
                  • Do not embolden your comment using HTML bold tag.
                  • Please keep these points in mind to make my job easier.
                  P.S. I retain the right to discard any suggestion in case I find it similar to some previous Topic of the Month or too narrow in scope.

                  Encourage your fellow bloggers to participate in this edition. You can share this post on your various social networking profiles through the ShareThis widget present at the bottom of this post.

                  Sunday, June 19, 2011

                  So... Who won BAT 21?

                  14 of the Blog-a-Tonics who entered this time came by to vote and help decide who would win the badge. The voting was very close, too close to call, and we've ended up having two winners this time.

                  So now coming straightaway to the results of BAT21, here is the list of participants and the cheers they garnered;




                  As evident, here are the two Blog-a-Tonics of the Month. Just Click on their names to read their respective entries.


                  GOLD BATOM

                  GOLD BATOM

                  Sureindran

                  D2


                  With as many as five Blog-a-Tonics coming on the silver place, it was not possible to select one for the badge, hence the decision not to award a silver badge. Congratulations to the five as well, for giving a fight till the last vote to the winning duo..

                  You all can also read the voting comments now. Just click here to find who all voted for you or liked your entry and what they had to say about it!

                  I Hope You All Had A Great BAT 21 XPerience!!!

                  Sunday, June 12, 2011

                  Blog-a-Ton 21 - Vote for your favorites...

                  Voting has been extended to 22:00 hrs (IST) on June 19, 2011. Remember, that means time stamp of your comment can be at most 21:59 and not 22:00.

                  Thirty three blog-a-tonics participated with us this time. Rachana, who linked at exactly midnight, and Enchanta, who had to correct her broken link and did it half an hour later, both are eligible to be voted for. If you have missed out the blockquotes at the start and end of your posts, or your timestamps are wrong, please correct the same before the week ends.

                  Click here to check the fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton along with the direct links to their posts.

                  In this edition,  33 blog-a-tonics participated.

                  Please follow the following rules while voting.

                  1. ONLY THOSE BLOG-A-TONICS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR VOTING (i.e., Contesting for votes and voting for others) WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THIS EVENT WITHIN THE STIPULATED TIME.

                  2. You can cast upto 3 votes or cheers as we call them, and of course you can not vote for yourself.
                  In short, you are allowed to vote for one, two or three entries. All your votes will carry the same weightage.

                  3.  Your Voting Comment should start as follows:



                  I vote for - 
                  1. XYZ; his/her post = http://ABC/xyz.html
                  2. DEF; his/her post = http://LMN/def.html
                  3. PQR; his/her post = http://RST/pqr.html


                  Code:
                  I participated - <a href="YOUR POST LINK">YOUR POST LINK</a>
                  I vote for -
                  1. NAME OF THE FIRST BLOGATONIC YOU VOTE FOR; his/her postlink = <a href="HIS/HER POST LINK">HIS/HER POST LINK</a>
                  2. NAME OF THE SECOND BLOGATONIC YOU VOTE FOR; his/her postlink = <a href="HIS/HER POST LINK">HIS/HER POST LINK</a>
                  3. NAME OF THE THIRD BLOGATONIC YOU VOTE FOR; his/her postlink = <a href="HIS/HER POST LINK">HIS/HER POST LINK</a>



                  There is some specific logic behind the above code. So please fill the parameters highlighted in red as mentioned in the code only.

                  Remove the extra code in case you are voting for less than three entries.

                  3. While voting for a Blog-a-Tonic, use his/her name as provided by him/her in his/her participation entry and not his/her profile name.

                  4.  Post your vote in the comments section of this post.
                  5. All your votes should be posted in a single comment. So, take your time - go through all posts - only then decide your one or two or three favourites.
                  In case you vote separately, only the first comment will be taken into consideration.



                  Now coming to the other rules:
                  • Voting ends at  09:00PM (IST) on  June 19, 2011.
                  • I 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.
                  • After the voting code mentioned above, you may 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 just one of them. 
                  The Votes will be discarded without any prior warning in case they are not sufficiently compatible with the rules.


                  Remember, the time stamp of your comment can be at most 20:59 and not 21:00 on June 19. Voting has been extended to 22:00 on June 19th.

                  Yours, the Marshal of June,
                  Leo

                  Friday, June 10, 2011

                  Rules and Reminder for Blog-a-Ton 21

                  Publish the post on 11th June, 2011 anytime between 0000 hrs and 2359 hrs (IST)!

                  Date for Blog-a-Ton : 11th June, 2011


                  As you already know, the topic for Blog-a-Ton 21 has been finalised as:

                  THE OTHER DAY
                  Please follow these rules while publishing your post and thereafter:
                  • The title of your post should be the topic itself; i.e. The Other Day.
                    Please do not use any alternative title or your post link will be removed.
                  • The post should start with this code. Just copy the following HTML code and paste to your post in Edit HTML mode:

                    <div style="text-align: justify;">
                    <blockquote>
                    This post has been published by me as a part of the <b>Blog-a-Ton 21</b>; the twenty-first edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following <a href="http://blogaton.in/"><b>Blog-a-Ton</b></a>.
                    </blockquote>
                    </div>
                  • The post should end with the following code.  Just copy the following HTML code and paste to your post in Edit HTML mode:

                    <div style="text-align: justify;">
                    <blockquote>
                    The <b>fellow Blog-a-Tonics</b> who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective <b>posts</b> can be checked <a href="http://blogaton.in/2011/06/rules-and-reminder-for-blog-ton-21.html#comments"><b>here</b></a>. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following <b><a href="http://blogaton.in/">Blog-a-Ton</a></b>.</blockquote>
                    </div>

                  • Publish the post on 11th June, 2011 anytime between 0000 hrs and 2359 hrs (Indian Standard Time)
                  • Use the following code to provide direct link to your post.
                  <a href="ADDRESS OF YOUR POST">YOUR NAME - The Other Day</a> 

                  It will look like this: Vinay - The Other Day and will link to your post.

                  Please follow this rule to ensure easy navigability to your post.
                        •  Use your complete name to prevent any confusion and mix up with other bloggers.
                        • Remember, you can not post more than ONE entry.  
                        • In case you post your link after the stipulated time, then your submission will not be considered for voting. 
                        • From now on, I won't be entertaining any personal requests for the same whatever be the reason.
                        • Return between 12th June and 19th June to vote for your favourite post. A separate notification for the same will be posted upon the conclusion of the event. So do not vote till then. Till then just enjoy reading the various entries, keeping in mind your favourite ones. 

                          DO NOT USE THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THIS POST FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE. If there are any queries, ask them in the comments section of previous post.

                          Looking forward to some great posts
                          Blog-a-Tonically Yours
                          Leo
                          http://leonnyes.wordpress.com/