Roaming About

A Life Less Ordinary

Blogging Awards: Thanks or No, Thanks?

Blogging awards are a controversial topic among bloggers. Some are ecstatic to receive them, others rather pass, claiming their blog is award-free. I have mixed feelings about the distribution of these virtual awards. They are an arbitrary thing, yet, they are also a symbol of recognition by a fellow blogger. When you receive any of these awards, like the “Liebster Award”, the “Versatile Blogger Award”, or the “Entertainer Blogger Award” (there are more, I’m sure, but these are the ones I have heard of and received), it doesn’t mean that you have been chosen or voted for by a group of people. Nor have you won a competition or a prize for outstanding work, decided by a jury. Is it a link-up? Is it a token of appreciation? Both? 

All that being said, I have always liked interviews. I enjoy learning more about a person in a Q & A, and I find pleasure in answering questions aimed at me. These awards generally come with rules and questions, and offer insights about the people participating. Here is my contribution; I have decided to combine invitations.

The Rules:

These are similar for every blogging award being accepted:

  • Thank the person who nominated you and add a link to their blog.
  • Add the rules, so others can follow.
  • Nominate a certain amount of people for this award.
  • Answer the questions related to this award.
  • Include the graphic in your post.

The Liebster Award

This award was given to me years ago, by two parties at the same time: my best friend Rosie from SV Wandering Star and the crew of Terrapin, who are sailing the world as a family. Mark and I were cruising the seas on our sailboat Irie, in 2014, when receiving the nomination. You can read my blog about that here. Someone else actually invited me to accept this award since running Roaming About, but I declined.

The Versatile Blogger Award

Thank you to Suzanne from Global Housesitter X2 (yes, that is the same Suz who inspired my “Worth a Word Wednesday” post last week) for giving me this award, back in March of last year. Better late than never, right?

The only task related to this award is to highlight 7 aspects about myself:

  1. I was born and grew up in Belgium. While most of my immediate contacts know this, they seem to forget. They are surprised that I have never heard of certain English words, references to songs or TV programs, anecdotes, or “famous” people or events.
  2. People think I live a perfect, stress-free,  and most wonderful life. I don’t. Yet. No reason to be envious. Yet. 🙂
  3. I love animals. My favorite travel memories are those of wildlife encounters, with dolphins, whales, rays, monkeys, sloths… On a domestic level, I adore dogs, connect easily with them and enjoy their company – from petting to cuddling to walking them.
  4. I don’t have a phone. It is awesome. The more gadgets one has, the more frustration it leads to, and the higher your expectations (and disappointments) become. And, imagine losing or breaking something that you rely on every day and – all of a sudden – can’t live without anymore…
  5. All my family and old-time friends still live in Belgium. Most of my current friends live (or travel) all over the world.
  6. I enjoy a simple life, ideally in conjunction with nature. I have the utmost respect for Mother Earth, her resources, her animals and her responsible and caring humans.
  7. I hate waste. If you want to boil my blood, leave the tap running for no reason (while brushing your teeth or washing dishes, for example), don’t turn off any lights all day, create lots of garbage, don’t recycle, throw away perfectly edible food, litter in nature, and act as if you are entitled to do so, conveniently forgetting about other people who are less fortunate with resources, and ignoring that the world is getting destroyed by your actions.

The Entertainer Blogger Award

I was nominated for this award by Esmé from The Recipe Hunter. Thank you!

1. Why did you start blogging in the first place?

My first blog was called “It’s Irie” and documented our travels and adventures on our 35’ catamaran Irie. I started it in 2007, when we left on the sailing trip, to update friends and family about our comings and goings, including many photos. It beat writing a monthly report, in Dutch and English, and emailing it to my contacts.

Irie blog

After we sold our boat in 2015 in Tahiti and semi-settled on shore as house and pet sitters, I started my current blog Roaming About, to inspire and inform readers about our life less ordinary. I enjoy writing, sharing photos and connecting with my readers and fellow bloggers.

 2. What is your favorite book?

I wish I had more time to read, or, that I could prioritize my time better to include more reading. These years, my favorite books have been the ones about the craft of writing memoir. I enjoy reading non-fiction, mostly travel stories, and historical fiction.

3. What do you dislike the most?

Other than waste? Disrespect, dishonesty, and abuse leading to suffering for animals and people. The feelings I get when witnessing helplessness and injustice are the worst.

4. What is your favorite food at the mall?

We never visit malls in the US. In the past, the reason to hop inside a mall, was to enjoy the air-conditioning on hot and humid days in the tropics. If I were to order food at a food court, it would most likely be Chinese, Vietnamese or Thai.

5. What is your favorite pastime?

Travel. If not doing it, reading, thinking, writing or talking about it. When contained inside on a cold day: watching (and feeling) the flames of a wood fire. On beautiful, sunny days: walking with my husband (and temporary dogs) and exploring new areas.

I am nominating no one and everyone for these awards. Whoever enjoys answering the questions, go ahead, in the comments or on your own blog. My mommy told me not to pick favorites. I like all of you; my readers, and my fellow bloggers!

Our theory about the “Mystery of the Flip Flops”

Poor flip flops

To finish this blog, I revert to my Wordless Wednesday post of last week. Most commenters seem to think that coyotes grabbed our flip flops, which we – mistakenly – left outside our camper during the night, and had a ball. Mark and I searched for a while for my missing pair and one of his flip flops in the brush behind our van. Eventually, he found one purple flip flop, in front of a hole in the sand, and then another one, further along, next to another hole. His black one, we never discovered. The straps were chewed off, destroying my trusty footwear. We think some rodents dragged the shoes to their homes, and bit off the fabric to build their nests. Does that sound like a reasonable theory?

54 Comments

  1. Better late than neverv?? I have now decided not to accept them. Though I am always honoured to be asked. Enjoyed reading more about you Liesbet.

    • Thanks, Suz! Sprry to hear you don’t accept them anymore. I like reading Q&As! Enjoy Fudge and the neighborhood! We are pet sitting two giant labs right now, in the cold.

  2. Count me in as a blogger in the “NO Awards” category. When I have been nominated, I have thanked the person who acknowledged my blog, but then declined to answer the questions or nominate others. Why? I’m not sure… I don’t particularly like answering questions like that (partly because introvert me asks “who cares?”) and I don’t want to put anyone else in that position.

    That being said, having my blog “Pressed” (when WordPress did that), “Discovered” (what they do now) or recognized by a blogging organization (Retirement Blogs, Travel Blogs, etc.) would be delightful. Or, certainly if any awards came with cash prizes or all-expense-paid trips to Europe… I’d gladly answer a few questions. 🙂

    • First, allow me to say that I would care about your answers and learning more about you. And, I’m sure others would as well, based on the success of your blog. With that out of the way, knowing you a little bit better now, you might not like to have more “vulnerable” stuff about you out there. Or, maybe I’m wrong? 🙂

      I agree, if the rewards would be substantial, that’s a different story! Maybe, one day, you and I will become so famous that glamour magazines and respectable TV shows beg to pay us for our valuable answers to the most intriguing questions. Until then, let’s just hope for recognition of a respectable blogging organisation.

      • Haha! I’m sure fame and glory are in our futures! Yeah, I’m not quite sure about my reluctance to answer those questions. They tend to be fairly innocuous so I don’t think that’s it (I just wouldn’t answer the more personal ones) but it’s probably similar to my reasons for not getting too personal on Facebook and not telling too many of my non-blogging friends about my blog. I’m basically shy, I guess 🙂

  3. It seems the blogging awards aren’t as popular as they once were, as they can be time consuming.Although I’m always appreciated them, I’ve never participated mainly because they can be time consuming.
    Congratulations on your awards, Liesbet. I enjoyed reading your responses!
    I started blogging in 2012 to connect with writers and other bloggers to share my trials and tribulations of becoming traditionally published. I never imagined I would enjoy it as much as I do.
    As for the flip flop…your theory sounds good to me!

    • You have achieved so much with your blog and writing, Jill. I”m glad that all worked out well for you, and hope to follow in your path one day. And, you are right, these awards are time consuming. That’s one of the reasons why this post was “delayed” and I decided to combine two of them. 🙂

  4. Good theory, but I still think the cuts on your straps are too perfect. Perhaps rodents with scissors?

    It’s nice to learn more about you. Ironically, since people aside from my closest three friends began reading my blog, I stopped getting those awards. I decided not to do award posts when I rebranded, though, as my average reader wouldn’t understand blogger awards and probably cares more about unsolved mysteries and Nessie sightings than personal details about me. Same reason I stopped doing blog hops.

    They’re still nice, though. And I enjoyed yours. You were smart not to nominate anyone. I haven’t found those nominations greeted with glee.

    • Have you been drinking, JH? 🙂 I’d love to see some rodents with scissors! It would make my day.

      It totally makes sense to me that you would not accept these awards, based on the focus and theme of your blog. Unless the questions would revolve around unsolved mysteries and horror, of course. Or, if you let your characters answer the questions.

      • I used to, and it was always flattering, but I don’t think my readership would care too much. They prefer to read about Ed Kemper over me. Can’t blame them there!

        And to answer your question, I don’t drink nearly enough. 🙂

        • 🙂

          Strange readership you have… I’d rather read about you… But, that’s what an author page is for, of course. 🙂

  5. Even though I stopped doing the award thing years ago, I enjoy reading and discovering new blogs via these awards. Always fun learning something new about a person.

    • I agree with the learning something new about our fellow bloggers. By the sounds of it, though, not many people still join these awards and post the answers. After this blog, I will probably stop as well. Unless the questions are intriguing. 🙂

  6. I didn’t understand how the award thing worked. Thanks for clarifying it, Liesbet, and for helping me to confirm in my own mind that, if asked, I’m not interested. However, I do very much enjoy learning more about you and am happy that you’re happy with the opportunity to share that info via blogging awards. 🙂

    • It was great this time, Karen, but I’ll probably pass next time, if there is a next time. I understand why you wouldn’t be interested, since you have found your own niche and focus, and come up with insightful and interesting posts no matter what.

  7. In my early blogging days, I loved the ‘award’ thing as it felt nice to be recognized and acted as a great writing prompt. But then as I started to hone my blogging voice and develop a community, my blog became ‘award free’. I think everything has its time and place. I did enjoy learning more about you through your responses and am glad that you opted to participate. And who know, maybe I will again someday.

    And on the flip-flop mystery, rodents are definitely a possibility.

    • All you say here makes total sense, Lisa. Like you, the recognition felt nice that first time, when we were still on Irie. Now, it felt more like an obligation, since blogging friends had nominated me. That’s why I kept postponing it. And, because I have so many other ideas and experiences to write about. 🙂

  8. In the early days, I was so flattered to be given a blogging award although even then I knew it was not a big deal. I suppose I’d still be flattered because the giver would be doing it to be kind, and I hate to spurn anyone who has tried to do something nice for me. I’m glad they have stopped, though, because they did take a lot of time! Your flip-flop theory as as good as any – still a pretty good mystery!

    • It is still a nice thing to receive, Lexie. Based on your response, which is similar to my thoughts, I guess it is good that I didn’t nominate you. Just know your blog is enjoyed and recognized. 🙂

  9. We have never been “nominated” for any blogger awards and I never understood the process of who created these awards and why and how they were dolled out. I agree with Retirementallychallenged that we would be more excited about being “discovered” by wordpress. But it is nice to get new readers and have plenty enjoy our efforts so I would probably be game.

    Peta

    • I have a feeling that your blog will get discovered by sustainable living organizations or expat communities, if if hasn’t already. Knowing that you are influencing and inspiring readers with your posts, travels, dedications and lifestyle is probably more rewarding that an arbitrary award. That being said, all of us Word Pressers would love a bit of recognition from the Big Guys! 🙂

  10. I think blogging awards are a great way to be introduced to other bloggers and help a blog gain followers, Liesbet.

    However, from what I found out when I first looked into these awards, WordPress created one as part of a course they ran for new bloggers. It was introduced to help new bloggers gain followers and connect with other bloggers.

    During those first 12 months, I think they go a long way in helping us gain new followers and gain new friends, but I believe that after year one they’ve done the work and many bloggers (including myself) no longer accept them. Why? Firstly, these awards can create a lot of work, especially when you have them coming in almost on a daily basis. Some people find it impossible to keep up with them and this can lead to feeling guilty for not responding to them straight away. Secondly, the number of these awards has increased so much that there are literally now lots of them all over the blog world, and many now treat them as ‘chain-letters.’ I’ve nothing against them, but what does upset me is when people who nominate you, tell you they will stop following your blog if you do not accept their nomination (even when you tell them that your blog is ‘award free).

    Certainly, enjoy the benefits these awards bring in (they worked really well for me and my blog), but don’t be surprised that many bloggers no longer accept them. I think they are a great incentive during our early years of blogging. It’s just a shame that so many bloggers decided to copy what WordPress had done and, in doing so, flooded the blogispehere with these awards. For me, the same goes for ‘tag posts’ when somebody tags you in a post and asks you to write a post on a certain theme and to link back to the person who nominated you. I was once getting ‘tagged’ on a daily basis, so decided to go ‘tag’ free as well.

    • Thank you so much for your extensive and insightful comment, Hugh. You are not only knowledgeable about this topic, but generous with your time and smarts as well! I have never seen the WordPress award, but I’ve never done that course. It makes sense that awards are helpful and useful for first-time bloggers.

      Luckily, I never had to deal with being offered awards daily – phew, just the thought of that is exhausting. I totally understand why that would be too much, especially for a popular blogger like yourself. I hear you about the time consumption and the feeling of guilt. And, I have only had to deal with awards a handful of times! I also understand the reference to chain letters – it does exactly feel like that; the digital equivalent.

      What I have a hard time believing is that people actually “threaten” to not follow your blog anymore if you decline their nomination? Really??? Wow, you obviously deal with a lot of people, the whole spectrum of the human race (which I can relate to from a business owner’s perspective). How awful for someone to say these things! I’d be happy to have them unfollow, if that is their attitude!

      At this stage, I don’t think having participated in these two awards will/would bring new people to my blog, since it took me a while to accept them. And, by reading the comments to this post, you are right, again, about few people still accepting them. Time to join their ranks!? I did enjoy answering the questions, though.

      I’m not familiar with the “tag posts”, but I have always declined useless link exchanges or having people write posts on my blog to advertise themselves or their clients. Even declined money being offered for that privilege. 🙂 The only external links that make it oto this blog, are the ones I have inserted and believe in. 🙂

      • I think many people now look at a bloggers ‘about me’ page to find out more information about them, Liesbet. Of course, that page won’t include all the answers somebody may be looking for, but we can always ask that question in the comments. My ‘about me’ page never fails to make it into my top 5 most viewed posts on my blog. It may be because it’s also my home page, but I’ve had a lot of comments left on there as well as a lot of Pingbacks to the page.

        Blogging awards are great and very useful, but I do believe they become ‘outlived’ after a certain period of time. However, anybody who enjoys participating in them, should continue to do so.

        I do have a post I wrote on the subject a few years ago. I always ask permission before leaving links in comments, so please do let me know if you want me to leave a link to it. Otherwise, you can always search for the post on my blog by adding ‘Awards’ to the search bar. It should come up in the results.

        • Feel free to leave any link back to your blog in the comments, Hugh. You have been extremely helpful and anyone interested in blogging will learn tremendously from your blogging tips! The “about me” is very important on any blogger’s website, and I wouldn’t be surprised it your most favorite page overall. It is great for first-time visitors, but – personally – I prefer an overview of your last blog posts (first paragraph or so and the “read more” tag) on your (and my) home page. 🙂

          • I guess it comes down to personal preference, Liesbet. I changed my home page to my ‘about me’ page after reading that the majority of readers like to know more about a blogger first, before they read anymore posts and decide wether to follow a blog or not. I’ve seen a significant increase in the number of followers my blog has gained since making the change, but I have no prove that it’s as a result of the change I made.

            Here’s the link to the post I mentioned in my other comments.

            https://hughsviewsandnews.com/2016/01/17/blogging-awards-do-they-work/

            • That certainly makes sense about the “About us” page, Hugh. Maybe I’ll try it out one day to see whether my number of followers changes. It would be a fun experiment. Thanks for the link! It’s an informative post about blogging awards and the pros and cons.

  11. Hi Liesbet! I too am in the “No thanks!” category mainly because I have such a strong focus on my own blogging brand. But in the beginning, when bloggers are just getting started and feeling out a routine, I think they can be fun and helpful. I did one, and only one, in my first year of blogging. I’m now on year 7! Yikes! Then again, it was fun hearing your answers so thank you. ~Kathy

    • I would be curious to read your answers to these – and any – questions, Kathy, but I agree that having your own brand and niche on your blog, like some of you do, excludes participating in these awards. Having a certain focus and theme for the blog is helpful and makes writing posts more focused. I still feel my blog is “all over the place”. But, we all have different ideas and ideals for what works. I have too many niches to pick just one; it’s the same struggle I have writing my memoir…

  12. Wow, no phone! I’m one of those people who sleep with their phones :-). I’m feeling anxious at just the thought of being without it for a day.
    It seems like a lot of work to drag off someone’s flip flops and detach the fabric….but any type of home maintenance is a lot of work, regardless of the home or the creature maintaining the home!

    • You must have been the only person who noticed the “no phone” fact, Lucy. 🙂 Isn’t that the truth about home maintenance! But, if animals get away with it, I think it is totally fine for us to enter someone’s yard and grab a piece of plywood to fix a boat or camper issue, right?

  13. Congrats on the awards and I’m happy to get to know you that much better.

    I think rodents very likely took the fabric from your flip flops and used them in some way. And excellent entry for your memoir I think. 😉

    Anna from elements of emaginette

    • I think that would have to go in memoir #3 or 4, Anna! Still working on covering my thirties in this current memoir. Hoping to have it done before I end my forties. 🙂 But, yes, it would make a fun entry. Problem is, I have hundreds of these funky appearances and incidents. One of these years, I should produce a volume with separate stories. I’d enjoy that.

  14. Like Lex in the early days I received and accepted the awards. I ended up having a special page on my blog to give my thanks. Once I moved to a self hosted site I decided to move to a new chapter and decline them. Wonderful to be recognized by peers for sure.

    • I had no idea you used to do this, Sue. I guess I”m a late-comer to your blog. The recognition is nice, the necessity to oblige, not so much. It is interesting to me that so many of my readers are or have become award-free over the years. It seems to be the trend. And, as you so well know, it’s not that we don’t have anything else to talk or write about!

  15. Thanks, Liesbet, for clarifying the awards. I haven’t paid much attention to them. I enjoyed reading your answers more than the awards, even after you explained them to me 🙂

    • I”m glad to read that, Natalie. Feel free to answer (some of) these questions as well. I’d love to learn a bit more about you as well!

  16. But you have to pick a favorite, it’s like a rule or something.

    I enjoyed reading your answers, but I’m most curious about how you will choose a new pair of flip flops. What do you look for in casual footwear? Do you prefer flip flips to say sandals?

    • I hope you do realize why I couldn’t nominate you, Ryan, my all-time favorite blogger, right? Imagine how all these other wonderful people would feel…

      The flip flop question: I prefer calling them “teensletsen” which is Dutch for “toe slippers”, but nobody would understand what I was talking about. Sandals mean something different to me – they are enclosed. Down under, they call them thongs, which causes other confusions. Mmmm. I think I’d stick with flip flops, which are the most important footwear of all times, when you enjoy living in the tropics, in warm climates or on the beach. For years, it was all we would wear, if anything, on our feet. I couldn’t live without. Well, actually, I am living without a pair right now. Luckily, it freezes day and night where we currently are.

      The process to find new ones? First, I checked Colombia, the online store we bought them from before for a sale price of $15 a pair (which we thought was expensive two years ago… Yeah… I know. We used to buy $5 pairs in the tropics.) They still have the black ones for Mark, but no more purple ones with a white sole. And, they cost $30 a pair! So, the search for different ones began, and a solution has been found. It being Mark’s birthday next week helps, and so does the fact that I found our new Nike pairs on sale. Not as good a price as the other ones, but it is a solution I can live with. Let’s see what happens when they show up and we try them out! Let’s hope the pink is not too bright!

      BTW: you now I like answering questions, right? But, did you expect this lengthy of an answer?

  17. I accept them as someone has taken the time to write the questions and nominate fellow bloggers, but I have to admit, they are time-consuming. You do get to find out more about a blogger though. 😉

    Shame you gave up your cruising life – it’s an amazing life but always great to move onto something else. And yes, I really also get annoyed with waste – probably from the 21 years spent living on a boat.
    I always say that everyone should live on a boat for a month or two to really appreciate turning on a light, running water, garbage bin, etc. 🙂

    • The answers to the questions are informative, for sure. And, you are right that other people have put some time and effort in them. As long as they really care about you and the reason they offer these awards and don’t just see it as a link exchange (or “chain letter” as Hugh so rightly pointed out), all is good! I”m glad to read that you still accept them, Nilla. And, how interesting that you used to live in a boat as well. 21 years… Wow. I guess you’d appreciate why, after our eight years of constant travel, working (requiring internet) and boat projects, we needed a (less challenging) change. 🙂

      I agree with you, that people should live on a boat for a bit to appreciate nature’s resources and learn not to waste anything. And, before committing to a romantic relationship, they should travel together for a year, 24/7! 🙂

      Looking forward to checking your blog out. From my first glimpse, it appears we have a lot in common!

  18. I’ve accepted some awards and challenges in the past, but probably wouldn’t now because I can barely find the time to write up what I want to blog about as it is. And I never pass it on – they’re like chain letters otherwise. I’m reluctant to put a blanket No Awards / Challenges sign up though, because very, very occasionally something comes along that let’s me say what I want to say anyway, but from a different angle.

    • And, you hit the jackpot, Anabel! The amount of other topics to cover would be the main reason I won’t accept them anymore, and why it took so long to respond. But, it was an easy way out this time to do a blog, while being overwhelmed with other tasks. All I needed to do was answer questions… not too much thinking and not too many photos. 🙂 I agree with not going totally “award-free” for that particular reason.

  19. Retirement Reflections

    February 23, 2018 at 21:26

    Congratulations on these awards, Liesbet. Although they may not have been decided upon by an official jury, they are very, very well-deserved.
    PS – Your rodent theory makes sense…but coyotes are cuter!

  20. When you’re ‘new’ awards seem really exciting, Liesbet. Gullible, aren’t we, but it does get you started meeting people, and that is what it’s all about. 🙂 🙂 I hope life leads where you want it to, and it won’t be for the want of trying, will it?

    • I guess we all try to be happy, right? Sometimes that is easier said than done. Maybe we need a little getaway to the Algarve? 🙂 Enjoy the rest of your time there, Jo. Seems like you are missing out on some icy/snowy weather in England!

      • I might not recommend it just at the moment, Liesbet. We’ve had torrential rains both here and in southern Spain. The weather in Europe isn’t great overall, but I still loved Jerez with it’s flamenco and horses. 🙂 🙂 (tried to respond on my phone while I was there but couldn’t- sorry! 🙁 )

  21. I loved this post! I enjoy reading about my writerly friends just as you do. And it seems you and I are on the same wavelength with common practice – turning off lights and water, etc. I hate waste. 🙂 I too don’t like to single anyone out to pass on awards (as you know) that’s why I always offer my fellow bloggers and friends to help themselves to the same awards I receive. We are all deserving.
    Now, about those flip flops LOL. Not a bad theory, but hey, I’m sticking to the coyotes! 🙂 <3

    • I’m glad you liked this post, Debby! I have noticed that you always share the love, “nominating” everyone reading your award answers and recognition. Maybe you were the one who influenced me to do the same! We agree to disagree on a flip flop level… we think the clean cuts on the straps are due to the razor sharp teeth of rodents and that coyotes would have caused more “destruction”. But, who knows? It will remain a mystery forever. Picking up new ones today! 🙂

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