My Intro to the blOscars

I'm relatively new to blogging. When I decided, about a year ago, to try and make good on a lifetime goal of writing a novel, I thought a blog might be a good way to chronicle that journey. It really is nothing more than an online journal of my two favorite exploits - fiction and food. 


Each day I am more amazed at the size and diversity of the blogging community.  It has its own lingo, etiquette, and method of information gathering and distribution.  Today I was introduced to another aspect of blogging I was unaware of - awards.


A friend of mine from high school, Robin Weeks, gave me an award today.  The award is the Leibster Award, which spotlights up and coming bloggers who currently have less than 200 followers. 

 

I don't consider myself "up and coming" but I definitely have less than 200 followers - I have less than 10. 

The rules of the award are (who knew awards came with rules):

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you. (DONE)

2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog. (SEE BELOW)

3. Display the award on your blog. (DONE)

4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers. 

(The Few I have will hopefully do so) 

5. And most of all - have bloggity-blog fun! 

(Hallelujah - something I'm already doing) 

Choosing five bloggers with less than 200 followers was the largest challenge.  Since I'm relatively new to the blogosphere, I don't know a lot of new bloggers beyond myself.  Here are the five I chose, with some caveats (aren't there always caveats). 

1.  Robin Weeks - Not sure if this is against the rules, since she gave me the award, but I'm doing it anyway.  She has been a great friend to chat about writing and my guide through this new blogging world.  I follow her blog regularly. 


2.  Brohammas - This is another friend from high school.  I couldn't tell how many followers he has on his blog so I'm assuming it is below the 200 mark.  He will forgive me if I'm wrong.  His views on life, politics, rugby, and beverages are a joy to read.  He also maintains another blog displaying his artistic talent.  if the other blog has more than 200 followers, this one is probably new enough to not have reached that level yet.  


3. House of Broken Crayons - This is actually the family blog maintained by my wife.  I know this is totally cheating, since I'm listed on this blog, and that is why I'm hiding it in the middle.  


4. Mundane Magic - Full Disclosure, this is my cousin's wife.  However, she maintains a great blog and I love the stories about their family life.  They are great people and some of the funniest storytellers I know. She has over 400 followers on twitter, so she probably has more than 200 followers of her blog. Wordpress doesn't list followers clearly, so I'm hereby deeming her up and coming even if she has more than 200 merely so anyone who reads this will visit her blog.  You'll be happy you did.  


5. Memories for Later -  This is another friend from high school.  She was a lot of fun back then and you will see that her life since then is even more fun.  She is also another great storyteller and it is a joy to read about family life through her comedic lens. 


So there it is, my first time hosting a blog award.  It feels a little like a chain letter email, without the threat of death or destruction if not passed on, rather than a true award ceremony.  However, it was still fun to list five of my favorite blogs to follow.  To avoid guilt about over burdening them, they may participate on a completely voluntary basis.