Pros and Cons of Receiving Blog Awards

Bloggers receive a variety of awards for reasons related to their websites. These awards are generally received from other bloggers who regularly read your posted content.

The awards differ as to what they acknowledge; the Liebster Blog Award, for example, ties back to the German word Liebster which means dearest or beloved. The blogger who gives the award associates the nominated site with these qualities.

While many bloggers are excited to be nominated, other writers do not accept the awards and openly explain the policy on their sites. There are pros and cons to receiving a blog award.

Strengthens Bonds with Readers

Blogging awards are usually given by the readers of your site. These are people who have formed a relationship with you over the time-span of your blog. These are people who regularly read your work.

A great bond is formed between you and the giver of the award. There is mutual respect. The award is like an electronic hug between you both. Your friendship is strengthened through acceptance of the award.

Positive Feedback

Receiving a blog award is positive affirmation that your blog is moving in a successful way. The award infers that your blog posts have left a lasting impression on the reader who presents the award to you. The award is a way for your reader to say, "Hey, I like the direction that your blog is moving". What a great form of positive feedback.

Receiving such an award likely motivates you to keep blogging. You now know that your posts are actually being read and are enjoyed by your readers. Now that you have one award, how can you get more? What else can your blog achieve in the future? You have the fuel now to keep going on the site and create new blogging goals.

Opportunity to Thank Others

Many times acceptance of blog awards comes with the expectation to give the award to a certain amount of people as well. The "pay it forward" motto is in play.

Now armed with the award, you have a way to acknowledge those bloggers who have a positive impact on you personally. You can acknowledge them by giving them the award, using the forum of your blog post.

The award gives you the means to thank bloggers who have helped you and whose posts have meant a lot to you. You can make their day by giving them the award. Making someone else smile is a great feeling!

The Trophy

The blog award is like a trophy for your blog. Paste the image of the award onto your home page to catch the eye of anyone who clicks on your site. Proudly display your achievement. Doing so, as well as keeping you motivated when you see the award, will also look great to people who are new to your blog.

The award gives your blog an air of professionalism and is like a stamp of credibility. New readers see that your audience applauds you for your writing skills and there is quality content on your blog. All the more reason for a new reader to start following your blog! The number of new followers may increase following the acceptance of a blog award.

While receiving a blog award can be exciting, the awards generally come with a set of rules to follow upon acceptance. Generally, the recipient must dedicate a post to receiving the award; the post includes pasting the image of the award onto your blog, saying thank-you to the nominator, and passing on the award to a certain number of other blogs. Some awards involve giving readers random facts about you or answering questions.

And so come some disadvantages of receiving the awards...

The Rules

Not all bloggers are comfortable with giving their readers personal information about themselves. You may, for example, be known under a fictitious blogging name rather than your real name. Perhaps you are a private person and would rather your audience know your work rather than you personally.

Accepting a blog award which includes stipulations about disclosing personal information may put you into an awkward situation. You then must decide whether to accept the award or not, and risk hurting the feelings of the nominator if you decline the award. The uneasy feelings may get in the way of the initially happy feelings when you first accepted the electronic trophy.

More for the To-Do List

Ah yes, your to-do list. Your post dedicated to accepting the blog award now needs to be created. Here is another thing to do, as though you didn't have enough on your plate already. You need to carve out time to write the post.

You also need to read the guidelines associated with accepting the award. You have to figure out what blogs to nominate, and what facts to disclose about yourself within the post as well. When you do not have a lot of extra time, creating the post can be a challenge.

You Had Other Plans

Receiving a blog award is often unexpected. You cannot plan when you will receive it. Imagine if you already had the outline for your next few blog posts written and the days for publishing them is mapped out. Where will you fit the award post into that schedule?

You had other ideas already for your next blog post. Now you must revise your blogging schedule, creating more work for yourself in the process.

The Selection Process

You also need to select which blogs to nominate for the award.

If you follow 100 blogs, how do you select only seven sites to nominate? You may struggle trying to figure out which blogs exemplify the concept of the particular award.

In addition, how do you single out specific blogs without hurting the feelings of the bloggers not mentioned? You risk alienating some followers who are unhappy that they were not nominated. You also need to electronically link your post back to the blog of each person nominated, which can be a tedious and time-consuming process.

There are pros and cons to receiving blog awards. While some bloggers choose a "thanks but no thanks" mentality about awards, others are excited by the nomination and the opportunity to pass along the award. The decision to accept the electronic trophy or kindly decline is a personal choice. Understanding the implications of the award process helps you make a more informed personal decision. Stay true to your blogging voice and keep sharing valuable information within your posts.