The Topic for Blog-a-Ton 56 is

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Welcome to Blog-a-Ton!.

BLOG-A-TON 56 WEEKEND:
OCTOBER 10-11, 2015

TOPIC for BLOG-a-TON 56:
SECRET.

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Our dream is to get 100 participants in one edition, and our motto is to help writers to write better.

Can we make it possible in this edition? Can we read 100 entrants this time? Can we find 100 passionate writers? I hope we can. If you think the same, join us.

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The rules for BLOG-a-TON 56 are:

• You can give your post any title that you wish to.
• You must justify the theme with your post. You (i.e. Poetry (*Haiku or set of Haiku is not accepted), Fiction or any form fiction other than 160 characters, dialogue, Essay… etc.). You can also choose to make it serious, humorous, tragic, romantic... whatever setting you'd love to give.
• You can write in any language as well, but since most Blog-a-tonics would prefer English as their language of communication, we'd suggest that too, so your post reaches a wider audience, and help you when it comes to BLOG-a-TON 56 voting time.
• The other rules (viz. header & footer to put in your post, the way to submit it on October 10-11, 2015 etc.) will be conveyed to you on October 09, 2015 02:00 PM IST. So kindly wait for that notification then 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.

The winners of BLOG-a-TON 56 will be featured on the Blog-a-ton Facebook Page cover photograph.

You have ten days to write your post but please publish the post only on October 10 or 11, 2015 and not before.

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.

Looking forward to a good Blog-a-Ton again.
Poetically Yours,
Marshal,

Someone is Special

Blog-a-Ton 56 - Topic Discussion

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BLOG-A-TON 56 WEEKEND:
OCTOBER 10-11, 2015

TOPIC DECLARATION:
SUNDAY, SEPTERMBER 27, 2015 23:59 IST.

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Welcome to a new edition of Blog-a-Ton!

New Format, New Rules, and New Badges. Visit here for more info.

I’m Sarav a.k.a Someone is Special - The Marshal of Blog-a-Ton. Well, the time is ticking along, and we move to our 56th Blog-a-ton edition, which will be on October 10-11, 2015.

Our dream is to get 100 participants in one edition, and our motto is to help writers to write better.

Can we make it possible in this edition? Can we read 100 entrants this time? Can we find 100 passionate writers? I hope we can. If you think the same, join us.

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General Pattern:

1. Initiating a new Blog-a-Ton edition by inviting suggestions for the topic: Last Friday of the month at 18:00 HRS IST We're starting early this time.
2. Declaring the Topic of the month: First Saturday of the month at 22:00 HRS IST We're declaring the topic on the last week of the month this time.
3. Sending Newsletter to our subscribers, featuring the last edition winners, topic of the month, prizes, and introducing our sponsors of the month: First Sunday of the month at 22:00 HRS IST
4. RULES AND REMINDER: Second Friday of the month at 14:00 HRS IST
5. Blog-a-Ton: we reserve the Second Saturday and Sunday of the month for Blog-a-Ton (from 00:0o HRS IST on Saturday to 23:59 HRS IST on Sunday). No further extension will be provided.
6. Opening the Voting: Next day of Blog-a-Ton
7. Declaration of the winners: Third Sunday of the month between 22:00 HRS and 23:59 HRS IST

* We take a break either in the month of February or in the month of August. We will have a maximum of ten editions per year.

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We will be having the secret ballot in this edition.

What you have to do is suggest the TOPIC. Moderation is enabled, and I'll select the first six topics that come. And we begin voting on that. If I find any topic to be inappropriate, or similar to that of a previous edition, that'll not come into the voting list.

Suggestion a topic now or Vote for a topic of your choice.

Topic

FAITH

CATCH

SECRET

FEAR

DROWN

EXUBERANCE

• You can vote for any one topic. (Sample: I vote for Celebrations, if it is one of the choices.)
• If you wish to change your vote later and support another topic, you can do so during the voting time-frame. But you are allowed only one change-of-vote. I’ll consider only the second vote in that instance.
• The voting period is from September 11, 2015, TUESDAY to September 27, 2015 23:00 HRS IST.
• The topic that gets the majority votes will be announced on September 27, 2015, 23:59 HRS IST as the BLOG-A-TON 56 Topic. In case two or more topics are tied at the end of voting, my vote as Marshal vote will decide. This time, we are giving you 14 days to write your post.
• BLOG-A-TON 56 WEEKEND starts at 00:00 HRS IST on October 10, 2015 and ends at 23:59 HRS IST on October 11, 2015. No further extension will be provided.

Looking forward to a wonderful Blog-a-ton once again…

Poetically Yours,
Marshal,
Someone is Special

Blog-a-Ton 3.0

What is Blog-a-Ton?
As our Founder Marshal, Vipul Grover says, “Blog-a-Ton is a misnomer for the word Blogathon. An online marathon of bloggers; where we decide and write on a topic.” In short, it is a monthly writing festival.

The Journey:
On 5th July 2009, Blog-a-Ton was born, a misnomer of the word Blogathon and on 1st August 2009, our first edition was hosted by our Founder Marshal Vipul Grover and after 17 editions, he willingly took a break. Our Marshal Vinay Leo hosted initially, later I took the responsibility on my shoulders to march forward towards the dream.

Dream & Motto:
Our dream is to get 100 participants in one edition, and our motto is to help writers to write better.

General Pattern:

1. Initiating a new Blog-a-Ton edition by inviting suggestions for the topic: First Friday of the month at 22:00 HRS IST
2. Declaring the Topic of the month: Second Friday of the month at 22:00 HRS IST
3. Sending Newsletter to our subscribers, featuring the last edition winners, topic of the month, prizes, and introducing our sponsors of the month (if any): Second Sunday of the month at 17:00 HRS IST
4. RULES AND REMINDER: Third Friday of the month at 16:00 HRS IST
5. Blog-a-Ton Weekend: we reserve the Third Saturday and Sunday of the month for Blog-a-Ton (from 00:00 HRS IST on Saturday to 23:59 HRS IST on Sunday). No further extension will be provided.
6. Opening the Voting: Next day of Blog-a-Ton Weekend
7. Declaration of the winners: Fourth Sunday of the month between 22:00 HRS and 23:59 HRS IST

* We will host Blog-A-Ton only in January, March, May, July, September and November. That's a total of six editions per year.

Rule book:
General:
Anybody who is passionate about writing and owns a blog or a team blog can participate in Blog-a-Ton.

Topic Suggestion:

1. The post will be published on the First Friday of a month at 22:00 HRS IST.
2. Choosing the type of topic (one of the below kind or a theme) is decided by the hosting Marshal.
3. Participants are allowed to suggest only one topic. Usually, it will be a one-word topic, an image, or a phrase of three to eight words.
4. Participants can either suggest or vote for a topic.
5. Participants are allowed to change the vote later and support another topic, you can do so during the voting period. But you are allowed only one change-of-vote. I’ll consider only the second vote in that instance.
6. The voting period will be a minimum of seven days. The maximum limit will be decided by the hosting Marshal.
7. Due to the increase in number of spams, marshals will be moderating the comments and will disclose the comments only at the end of the voting period. We call this as ‘Secret Ballot’.
8. The topic that gets the majority votes will be announced as the topic of the month. In case two or more topics are tied at the end of voting, Marshal Vote will decide.
9. Marshal decision is final and is not allowed to be questioned by any.

Topic Declaration:

1. The topic will be declared on the Second Friday of the Month at 22:00 HRS IST.
2. Participants will get a minimum of seven days to write on the topic.
3. Participants can SUBMIT ONLY ONE POST irrespective of the number of blogs they own.
4. Participants can give the post any title that they wish to. (This rule can be changed by the hosting Marshal.)
5. Participants must justify the theme with their post or must follow the rules as conveyed in the post.
6. Participants can do it with any type of post (i.e. Poetry (*Haiku or set of Haiku is not accepted), Fiction or any form fiction other than 160 characters, dialogue, Essay… etc.). They can also choose to make it serious, humorous, tragic, romantic… whatever setting they’d love to give.
7. Participants can write in any language as well, but since most Blog-a-tonics would prefer English as their language of communication, we’d suggest that too, so the post reaches a wider audience, and help you when it comes to voting time.
8. Marshal decision is final and is not allowed to be questioned by any.

Blog-a-Ton Weekend:

1. We reserve the Third Saturday and Sunday of the month for Blog-a-Ton (from 00:00 HRS IST on Saturday to 23:59 HRS IST on Sunday). No further extension will be provided.
2. 2. The RULES AND REMINDER post will be published on Third Friday of the month at 16:00 HRS IST or at least 6 hours before the start of Blog-a-Ton Weekend.
3. The post should start with the code given in the post. Just copy the HTML code and paste to your post in Edit HTML mode in case of Blogger blogs, and in TEXT mode in case of Wordpress blogs.
4. The post should end with the code given in the post. Just copy the HTML code and paste to your post in Edit HTML mode in case of Blogger blogs, and in TEXT mode in case of Wordpress blogs. Make sure you replace XX with your Blog-a-Ton participation count.
5. Participants must publish the post on Blog-a-Ton Weekend anytime 00:00 HRS IST on Saturday to 23:59 HRS IST on Sunday (Indian Standard Time)
6. Participants must leave the link in the comments section of RULES AND REMINDER post using the following code: <a href="DIRECT LINK TO YOUR POST">YOUR NAME - YOUR TITLE</a>
7. Participants must use their complete name to prevent any confusion and mix up with other bloggers.
8. In case participants post link after the stipulated time, then the submission will not be considered for voting. (This rule can be changed by the hosting Marshal.)
9. The hosting Marshal is allowed to participate in Blog-a-Ton.
10. Marshal decision is final and is not allowed to be questioned by any.

Votes:

1. The post will be published on the next day of Blog-a-Ton Weekend at 22:00 HRS IST.
2. Only those Blog-a-Tonics who are eligible for voting (all accepted participants by the Marshal) can vote.
3. The number of votes or cheers as we call them may change with respect to the number of participants.

Participant Count

Eligible Vote Count

<= 25

Maximum of three votes will be allowed

26 – 30

Maximum of four votes will be allowed

31 – 50

Maximum of five votes will be allowed

51 - *

Maximum of seven votes will be allowed

4. Of course, participants cannot vote for their own post. In short, participants are allowed to vote for one, two, and three or as mentioned in the post.
5. All the votes will carry the same weightage.
6. The Voting Comment should be as follows:
   I, BLOGGERNAME, participated. My entry is here: BLOGATON POST LINK
   1. BLOGATONIC 1 NAME: BLOGATONIC 1 ENTRY LINK
   2. BLOGATONIC 2 NAME: BLOGATONIC 2 ENTRY LINK
   3. BLOGATONIC 3 NAME: BLOGATONIC 3 ENTRY LINK
7. 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.
8. Post vote in the comments section of the voting post within the voting period.
9. All the votes should be posted in a single comment. So, take your time - go through all posts - only then decide the winning entries. If a participant votes more than once, only the first comment will be taken into consideration.
10. Marshal will moderate the comments and will not display the voting comments until the end of this process to keep the result secret.
11. After the voting code mentioned above, one 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 for three of them or as mentioned in the post.
12. The Votes will be discarded without any warning in case they are not sufficiently compatible with the rules.
13. Marshal decision is final and is not allowed to be questioned by any.

Winners:

1. The winners will be declared on the Fourth Sunday of a month between 22:00 and 23:59 HRS IST.
2. The winners will be chosen based on the number of votes they received for their entry.
3. A minimum of three winners will be chosen (GOLD, SILVER AND BRONZE) and a maximum of four winners will be chosen in case of a tie.
4. In case of a tie, the following rules will be applied.
   
   1. Irrespective of the badge, if there is only one extra person vying for a marshal vote, then that extra person is also a winner, provided if he/she has voted in that edition.
   2. The possible combinations that can be chosen as winners are GSB, GSS, GGS, GGG, and in case of tie, the possible combinations that can be chosen as winners are GGSS, GSSS and GSBB
5. Winners can drop an email to sarav@iamsaravofficial.com to claim their badges.
6. If you fail to get a response in a week then feel free to post on our Facebook Page or WhatsApp at 9742288872 for faster actions.
7. Winners will also be featured on Blog-a-Ton Cover Photo. The photographs will be taken from their respective Blogger or Google+ profiles.
8. If a participant wins three times GOLD BATOM in a row, then he/she is eligible to host Blog-a-Ton once.
9. Marshal decision is final and is not allowed to be questioned by any.

Specials:

1. If a participant has entered in ten or more editions, then he/she is eligible to be included in the list of Veteran Blog-a-Tonics. Drop an email to any or all of the marshal email ids to get listed.
2. Veterans are eligible to share their Blog-a-Ton experience on our blog.
3. If a participant has entered in twenty-five or more editions, then he/she is eligible to be included in the list of Super Veteran Blog-a-Tonics. Drop an email to any or all of the marshal email ids to get listed.
4. Super Veterans are eligible to list their published books on Blog-a-Ton Blog, provided if he/she is the sole author of the book.
5. If a participant has entered in Fifty or more editions, then he/she is eligible to be included in the list of King/Queen of Blog-a-Ton. Drop an email to any or all of the marshal email ids to get listed. If the participant agrees, then all the fifty entries will be compiled into an eBook by Blog-a-Ton Marshal and the book will be available for free download.
6. The above feature (King/Queen of Blog-a-Ton) allows the respective participant to pick a special winner and award King/Queen Pick Badge. The Badge will be awarded only if he/she has voted in that edition.
7. If a participant has entered in Seventy-Five or more editions, then he/she is eligible to be included in the list of The Jewel of Blog-a-Ton. Drop an email to any or all of the marshal email ids to get listed.
8. The above feature (The Jewel of Blog-a-Ton) allows the respective participant to pick a special winner and award The Jewel Pick Badge. The Badge will be awarded only if he/she has voted in that edition.
9. If a participant has entered in Hundred or more editions, then he/she is eligible to be included in the list of The God of Blog-a-Ton. Drop an email to any or all of the marshal email ids to get listed. If the participant agrees, then all the hundred entries will be compiled into an eBook titled “THE HOLY BOOK OF BLOG-A-TON” and will be published on Amazon eBook Store.
10. Marshal can pick any deserving posts and award them Marshal Pick Badge.