The Indian Blogger Awards 2017

Hi Renie,

Are there any plans of issuing a certificate of recognition to all the winners of IBA2017 so that they can share it with their readers?

Yeah, or atleast a badge that could be put up on our blogs? That would be cool!

Hey folks - yes, the winners will all get badges for sure, and we're looking into the logistics of sending out certificates!

Yayyyyy! Thanks sir. Can't wait to receive it! 

That would be incredible! Thank you

Thank you Renie sir.

Thanks Renie

Is there any consolation prize for top 5 bloggers in each category?

I don't think they published the list of top 5 bloggers in each category, although it'll be good to know :)

Only being a winner matters.

I have written to Indiblogger about publishing the final shorlists in each category as well via Twitter and mail. Yet to receive a response. I think it´s an integral part of the process. If they can´t do it this time, it should be the norm for the next awards :) 

I don't have words to express tons of thanks to IndiBlogger.It's a great pleasure to get a badge of winner.

More than this, it is really touching heart to know that IndiBlogger will prepare a feature for all the winners.

Once again, heartiest thanks to IndiBlogger team and Jury.

Hey Renie!Where can I find those IBA 2013 badges? 

Hello fellow bloggers, 

Thank you so much for all the good wishes. Thanks Inditeam for the lovel poster and the badge. Congratulations to all the winners.  Cheers! 

Preparing for feature.

Respected Renie sir,

Hope you are fine.

Waiting anxiously for IBA certificate.

Thanks.

It takes times to get those award trophies prepped. 

Can someone please tell me what a blogger needs to take care of to win one of these awards. I've tried twice and failed to impress the judges both times... well, not even in the region and 60+ category. Gives me a feeling that there is something vital that I am missing out at some step.

I'd also like to know, Arvind. But I doubt Renie will answer. Sometimes the answer is pretty loud and clear though!

I don't think you are missing anything and I don't think it matters as long as you enjoy what you are doing.  If you like what you put on your blog then your personal satisfaction comes before a jury that has only read a tiny sample of what you do. 

I think there used to be a forum where you could put up your blog for review and people would critique it but not sure if that is in use.  It is also personal choice, you may like a particular writer but I may not.  There is also an element of luck in it.  It would have been nice to have had a final shortlist of 10 in each category (or even a final 3) so you could have a better idea of presumably what other people were doing. 

Personally in my case, I submitted posts from what I wrote in the last year whereas you could have submitted posts from any time frame and thus perhaps I did not submit my best posts.  Plus in my case these days I only write Flash Fiction and there was no category in that area as such.  But these are all conjectures and I am not losing any sleep over it    So unless there is a detailed post explaining why a blog was awarded only then can you determine what is missing (hint - nothing).  

Coming to Subroto´s point, I genuinely think any awards must publish the final shortlists. Especially on the large scale at which Indiblogger Awards conducted the competition else the whole selection process becomes suspect ..with all due credit to them. The participants and audience should be able to see the quality of all the blogs that made it through the final cut. Any awards are subjective at the end of the day. But to streamline the process, shortlist annoucement in every category is crucial. Runners up also should have been there in my opinion. 

To Arvind Passey - Awards don´t matter in the long run. Your passion does. Look at Aamir Khan and Salman Khan...with no awards behind them (and I dont think they are hankering for awards either), they are the most bankable stars today. Awards are good for a while but one must prove their worth as time goes by which is the greater challenge :) 

Agree with you Tina. Finally the passion matters. I sometimes get obsessed with Alexa but I doesnt let my mind stop writing. I write because there are people who like to read my blog. Though losing some award or appreciation may create a doubt  about ourselves or writing but we are not meant to be stopped.I have found your blog awesome. Keep writing and winning the heart of your readers. Getting into the algorithm of google and awards only create confusion @Arvind

I felt sad for a day or 2 , then I started with a new plan. Lets wait for the next nomination 😊

Alexa ranking is never accurate. Far from it. Alexa ranking takes data from those browsers that have Alexa toolbar installed. Except for a handful of people, nobody would do that. That's a terrible way for self-evaluation. The best way for self-evaluation is to see the bounce rate and average time on time. That's far more important. I can have highest pageviews but means nothing if people on average don't spend a lot of time on the time or turn pages after pages. 

Awards do matter in the long run. I can't say the same for a lot of people. But it works for me. I am sure it works for bloggers where they interact with PRs. The best example is the tech genre. You look at gadgets/mobile tech there are a lot of people. Most are trashy websites that copy/paste re-write specs table and take off photos. But some really work hard. They do a good job but lack of ROI from the start puts them in a situation where PRs wouldn't want to interact aside from getting press releases published- and that usually is a sign that a site may not grow unless you break that mindset. Also, who judges and gives these awards matter equally. I sent a press release about my website to other PRs and marketing managers. Out of the people who rarely interact or stopped interacting with me came back. Heck, one of them even asked if I know someone good who can work as a community manager for a brand. I suggested someone who did a good job with B2C tech brands in the past but due to changes in agencies and clients, she was stuck with B2B. It is not a direct effect but it works wonders.  Also, some people working in those companies are really bad characters who try to brand you as a person not to work with. In a way, awards keep them quiet especially when you let everyone know. One thing leads to another. It is a milestone. It is an acknowledgment. I am running my website for eight years. I get a lot of crap from people because I don't work the way they want me to work- as a PR shill. Awards are one of the tools to shoo such people away. Besides, if some annoying potato relative comes now I can say I am running a two-time award-winning PC hardware tech website! :D *humble brag*

We don't have anything like the webby awards or the Streamy awards. You only get awards if and when you cross Youtube's subscriber milestones. There are so many content creators who are appreciated but would like to have some milestone. We don't even have something like Vidcon and even if we do they're just gonna make a massive stage and some people who use autotune in singing and dab. So this is nice. I really appreciate that. Which award system or ceremony lists runner-ups in any fields? NONE! It is because it is an award- not a contest. We have Indirank for top 5 or top 10. Awards are for one per category. Rest are nominees. I agree listing nominees like IBA 2013 would be better, but I think they're prepping up a page since they asked the winners of each category to have a speech sent over. But having runner-ups? I would be interested to know the testing method in categories which had a lot of submissions. Most might be crappy blogs, but if you screen them out and work with a final set, you will still get a lot of good blogs that make the whole choosing process difficult. But regardless, having a runner-up list dilutes that 'one award'. We already have a ranking system if people want to know top 5 or top 10. 

Spoke like a winner.

Hi Ms.Arora! I hear you...but my point is that awards should never be the main criterion for one´s writing. It will come along the way if you keep writing consistently. If not today, it will come.  So, keep at it and get better. Alexa matters if you are into the whole brand endorsement thing...Everyone has a different motivation to blog. My motivation is not seeking brands..but I know a lot of fellow bloggers who are also my close pals who are keen to make money and get many brand endorsements...so yes Alexa matters. I don´t think the IB Awards took Alexa into considerations as there were many winners with high Alexa ratings and less readership too. 

My advice is not to take rejection personally. It´s all part of the game...be focussed on your goal and if you are consistent at what you do, awards will also fall into your lap..someday or the other for sure. :) And thank you so much for the kind words about my blog. Love and Cheers, Tina 

Hi The Sorcerer! Thats an interesting point that you brought out about the Tech blogs. Im into a totally different genre of blogging and my goals are entirely different I guess. Well, having won awards, here´s my two cents - Yes, awards are great for *humble bragging* as you put it or a proof of quality or external validation. But, again, I know so many great bloggers/writers who dont have the stamp of awards who are as good or even better than the winners. About IB Awards, I think it´s an ambitious project ...the national level scale at which the competition was conducted is massive..and considering it´s only their second time, there´s bound to be glitches. Honestly, I think there could have been better communication around the deadlines, clear long and shortlists of awards and even the award categories could have been better streamlined. Like some won merely because they were the only contenders in that category. But, you learn along the way...the second time is bound to be better than the first time of awards..and that´s how its meant to be..you improve with every glitch :). Considering that there were more than 3000 plus nominations, it´s only fair to expect the finalists and oh there are runners up in other awards too.:) 

Yes. I agree categories need to be streamlined. We just have way too many subcategories. Technology can be reduced to coding & software, Gadgets & Mobiles, Gaming, Computer hardware. SEO isn't tech. Its own big genre as it doesn't apply only to Wordpress, but other CMS systems, too. Same for Digital Design as it is a form of art. Tech section can be streamlined into four subcategories. We don't need anything more. Those under 'Tech News' can easily choose one of the four subcategories. In fact, most people who were writing about computers didn't. If they streamline the main sections, they can streamline awards categories. More competition in particular subsection. It increases the competition and value of that 1 person getting an award or any recognition like Indiranking. 

Hi Mr.Sorcerer! Those are some interesting point that you brought up. Having won a few awards, I have to agree to some of them. Yes, Awards are great for *humble bragging* as you put it, stamp of quality and external validation but in the long run, it honestly doesn´t matter. I know a lot of bloggers or writers who don´t have that award tag who are just as good and in some cases way better than the award winners. So, I agree with you to a certain point...it´s for external validation and yes, it feels good too. I think IB Awards is an ambitious project sheerly because of the large scale of it...and its just their second time..so the system cannot be flawless. It is certainly not easy screening and judging 3000 plus nominations..so Kudos to them for attempting the Herculean task. Having said that, I think the system can be better streamlined..clear announcement about deadline, long and shortlist, winners and runners up (yes there is this category in other awards) and some categories were honestly redundant. I´m sure the second time of awards were better than the first and the next one will be better than this one...you grow with every glitch :) Cheers :)  

When I heard about these awards, I was pretty excited. As many know, I run a blog that has unique, relevant content that's very rare to come by. I thought that I'd at least be in the top 10 or something. I was listed in the entertainment category. When I saw the winner, I was aghast. The content, concept and layout are run-of-the-mill and it definitely doesn't encourage new bloggers to invest their time in IB. Now, I don't bother with IB. 

Renie sir,

Hope you are good.

Thanks for badge.Hope winners will get certificate soon.