IndiBlogger.in | Frequently Asked Questions

Your listings and the IndiBlogger directory

How do I sign up?
You may sign up here.
How many blogs are in the IndiBlogger directory?
At the time of writing this FAQ, IndiBlogger has over 7000 15,000 21,000 blogs in the directory, making us the biggest community of bloggers in India.
I submitted my blog, but I haven't received the activation email. What do I do now?
You should receive your activation email within a few minutes after you register. If you haven't, please ensure that you entered the correct email id while registering, and check your spam/bulk email folder. If you still have no luck- well, we probably messed up. Send us a message and we'll help you out.
My blog listing is not active even after I activated my account. Was this a waste of my time?
Heavens, no. Every blog that is submitted for the directory listing is checked manually by a moderator to see if it complies with our submission guidelines, and also to check if the blogger is of Indian origin. Your listing will show up in the IndiBlogger directory only after your blog has been approved. Don't worry, you'll get an email confirming the same.
How long does the moderation process take?
We typically take up to a week to check every listing. It may be moderated sooner depending on the number of pending registrations and the effectiveness of our moderator's morning coffee. If your blog is taking a long time to be approved, send us a message or rant on our blog and we'll look into it.
Is it mandatory to display an IndiBlogger badge on our blogs to be a part of the IndiBlogger network?
Displaying our badge on your blog is your choice - we don’t let that affect our moderation process. Forcing bloggers to put anything on their blogs is NOT something we believe any blogger network should do.
One blog just doesn't do it for me. How do I add more blogs under my account?
[Not available on mobile site] - To add more blogs to your account, simply sign in and go to the settings link on your dashboard. You'll find a link under your existing blogs that says "Add another blog". If you're feeling lazy, simply click here.
My blog was listed, but now it's gone. Has it been kidnapped? Or worse?
Fear not - unless our web server has been struck by lightning, your blog listing is still safe with us. Your listing can only disappear if you have updated the URL recently. Any blog listing that is updated immediately puts it back into moderation, and will appear on the listings once it has been approved.
I entered a bunch of tags when I registered. Now some of them are missing. Does your site have a virus that devours tags?
Our moderators may decide to remove certain tags, simply because they are redundant. For example, "life" is a redundant tag because that is what every blog is about. Or "India" is redundant, because every blog on our network has something to with India.

IndiRank - Ranking of Indian blogs

What is IndiRank? Is it like a report card?
No, we have no intention of reminding you of the nightmares you had in school. IndiRank is a system we built to rank the blogs in the IndiBlogger network. Although we manually verify every blog before it's allowed into the network, the IndiRank system is completely automated.
What does the IndiRank mean?
It's like runs in a game of cricket - the higher the score, the higher ranking you have. Blogs are ranked on a scale of 1-100, although the highest ranks are in the range of 80-90. We realize that "IndiScore" would have been a more logical name for it, but "IndiRank" just sounded so much cooler at the time.
How is IndiRank calculated?
A blog's IndiRank is calculated based on various factors. Most blog ranking systems rate how popular a blog is. We've taken it a step further based on how deserving a blog is of becoming popular. This is to ensure that the lesser known, but well deserving blogs are pushed up the ladder as well. IndiRank will be completely refreshed every 1-2 months, so a blog's previous rank will have no bearing on it's present rank.
Why is my blog ranking unavailable?
Your ranking may be unavailable for the following reasons: a) Our system was unable to get the relevant information about your blog. In most cases, there was a problem accessing your feed, or your feed threw up data which didn't make sense (such as all your posts being published at the same time).
b) Your blog was only recently approved, and we have not ranked your blog as yet. You'll have to wait till the next update. The approximate date of the next update will be found in the sidebar of your dashboard.
Why is my rank so low? I deserve a better rank!
We believe that any ranking system should not be taken too seriously - and that is because no sytem can be accurate. IndiRank is built to rank the majority of Indian blogs as accurately as possible using the tools, methods and technology available to us. Please do take note: a) Not every blog applies to our algorithm, and a blog may get a rank it does not deserve.
b) IndiRank is presently in beta, and we'll continually tweak it based on it's performance.
c) No piece of computer code can ever judge your blog as well as your readers can - so get your blog reviewed on our forum if you haven't done so already!

IndiVine

What is IndiVine?
IndiVine originally started as a knee jerk reaction to the Mumbai terror attacks, as a collection of blog posts on the crisis and it's aftermath. In fact, the original IndiVine was built in a day and had more than 100 posts before the Taj stopped burning. Since then, we added more topics to IndiVine such as the "Pink chaddi campaign", the elections and the Tata Nano. IndiVine in it's present avatar is a direct result of the collaboration among bloggers on the forum, where Vipul Grover and all the usual suspects decided how it should be in order to help the Indian blogging community. Now bloggers can submit their blog posts to virtually any category, and vote for the most deserving blog posts.
What's the difference between a category and a trending topic?
A category is a generic heading, such as "Terrorism". A trending topic is a subject that is presently being discussed in the blogosphere, such as "Mumbai Terror Attacks". All trending topics are classified under a sub-category of a main category.
How many posts can I submit?
You may submit 2 posts every 24 hours.
Can I submit a post into a main category?
Sorry, you need to find a specific sub-category which suits your blog post. If you think we need to add a new category, let us know on the forum.
How does the voting work?
Only bloggers with an active blog in their IndiBlogger profile can vote on IndiVine. You can only vote once for any blog post. Blog posts with the most votes are pushed to the top.
I voted once, but the count increased by 2 points. Is that a bug?
No, that's a feature of IndiVine. The IndiVine voting system is integrated with IndiRank, where a vote for a higher ranking blog gets more weightage. Let's take for example the blog gujiligalaba.blogspot.com having an IndiRank of 55. Every vote for posts from this blog will have a value of (1 + .55 = 1.55). Votes are rounded off for display. All fresh entries on IndiVine start at 0 votes, regardless of the IndiRank.
Can I make changes to my submission?
Sorry, you cannot make changes to your submission since it's not fair to the bloggers who may have already voted for your post. However, if you want to remove your submission, you may do so by sending us a request.

Finding other bloggers

How do I find other Indian bloggers?
There's always more than one way to skin a cat on IndiBlogger. Our default search gives you results grouped by the blogger's name, city or tag. Additionally, it also searches through every blog on the network using Google's Custom Search. If you use Firefox or IE7, we highly recommend you use our search extension.

The IndiBlogger network

What is the IndiBlogger network? Is it like a social network?
No, it is not a typical social network. There is no scrapbook to receive spam on, no place to upload pictures of your dog, and no applications that want to put a box in your profile. The IndiBlogger network lets you discover new blogs, and helps your blog get discovered in return. It allows you to send private messages to bloggers who have added you to their network using IndiMail. IndiMail is a far easier way to get in touch with a blogger compared to finding a contact form on their blog.
Can I send messages to other bloggers on my network?
Yes, you can do so using IndiMail.
How do I add a blog to my network?
To the right of the blog's title, you'll see this icon - . Click on the icon to add the blog to your network.
How do I remove a blog from my network?
To the right of the blog's title, you'll see this icon - which indicates that the blog is a part of your network. Click on the icon to remove the blog.
If I add a blog to my network, will the owner of the blog be notified?
Yes - we believe in spreading the love!
If I remove a blog from my network, will the owner of the blog be notified?
No, the blogger will not be notified of your heinous crime.
What is a mutual connection?
When two bloggers are on each other's networks, they have a mutual connection. A mutual connection is denoted by this icon - . Having a mutual connection allows you to use IndiMail, send private messages and generally feel good.

Blogger Meetings

What is the criteria for being able to organize blogger meetings?
Anyone who is a member of the IndiBlogger network can organize a blog meet. Go ahead and create the meeting - we'll give you a call and give you any help you need. Who knows - we may even pay for the coffee/beer! If you need help creating the meeting, post a comment on our blog.
Why should I organise blogger meets through IndiBlogger?
At the time of writing this FAQ, IndiBlogger has over 7000 15,000 blogs in the directory. You can use IndiBlogger as a platform to invite bloggers for the meeting via email. You'll also have your own meeting page where participants can show interest and post their feedback.
How can I promote my blogger meet?
We'll give you the code necessary to display a shiny badge on your blog to promote your meeting. We'll do our part as well to promote every blogger meeting. Go ahead, create the meeting and we'll give you a call!

The IndiBlogger Forum

(This section was put together by Adarsh Rao)

I need my blog to be reviewed. Where can I post the request?
[Not available on mobile site] Under the blog review section, click on "Request a Review". You will be presented with a list of blogs you have registered with IndiBlogger. Select the blog you would like to be reviewed, tell bloggers why you want your blog to be reviewed (be nice) and wait for the reponse! Do note that you can only request for a review once. You can always refresh the same request when you need more feedback on your blog at a later date.
Can I promote my blog?
Sure, you can promote your blog - but ensure that your promotion is relevant. Posting a topic about your blog or your latest blog post (no matter how brilliant it is) is frowned upon by the community. However, if you have blogged about something relevant that can add value to an existing topic, then by all means - post a link to your blog post! You may only post a fresh topic about your blog in the "Review my Blog" category.
I need tips about improving my blog traffic. Where can I find the information.
You will find tips on virtually anything in the forum. Enter the keyword "traffic" in the search bar at the top of the page to find what you need!
Should I review another blog before I submit my blog for review?
We certainly encourage this. Showing that you are willing to help other bloggers before asking for reviews proves that you have the blogging spirit.
I found the language used in the particular post offensive. What do I do?
Under every topic, you have a link to report abuse to our team. We will remove the offending post and the blogger who posted it may be banned from the forum, after we give him/her a warning.
Can I post an entire blog entry in this forum to discuss about it?
No. Discussions about your blog posts belong on your blog, that's what comments are for!
How do I get a profile picture (avatar)?
To get a profile picture, create an account at gravatar.com using the same email address associated with your IndiBlogger profile. Once you get yourself a gravatar, your profile picture will soon start showing up on IndiBlogger as well. Please ensure that your gravatar is rated "G".
I have a suggestion for IndiBlogger. Is there a category I can post my suggestion?
Yep! Please post all questions concerning IndiBlogger.in to the "IndiBlogger.in Questions" category.
I cannot think of any topics to blog. Can I get some ideas?
Post a question in the "Content and Inspiration" category, and let the community help you out.
I need some help regarding some widgets I use for my blog. Is there a category where I can post my question?
Sure, you can post questions about widgets, plugins, templates and themes in the "Platforms & Addons" category.
My blog is in a regional language. Is there a specific category for various regions?
Yes, you may post your topic in the "Regions & Languages" category.
I am involved in promoting a social cause. Can I do it on Indiblogger? How do I do it?
Yes, you may post your topic in the "Social Causes & Activities" category.
What are the new features implemented on Indiblogger?
You may keep track of the new stuff on IndiBlogger by subscribing to our development blog. Comments, feedback, criticism and suggestions are most welcome!

The IndiBlogger Team

I want to promote indiblogger. How can I do that? (From BinaryDay)
One of the IndiBlogger team members manfully tried running through the streets of Bangalore scantily clothed while flying an IndiBlogger kite. That didn't work. As a result of our various failed publicity stunts, we've learned that there is only one thing that helps - people blogging about us. If you have an idea which doesn't result in public beatings, write to us!
Who are you guys?
Strangely enough, we're incredibly shy (or too lazy to write up our own profiles) so you'll have to make do this with this information till we have more.

Have a question that isn't listed above?

Send us a message or post a topic under IndiBlogger.in Questions and we'll be more than happy to help you out!