Week 6 Voting has STARTED!... Or has it? #PayItForward

One of the best ways to get your blog out there is to interact with other blogs. It sounds silly, but it's true. There's a reason why they call it a 'blogging community' and a community doesn't exist if it's just one person. Then you're more like a blogging hermit. Blogging is social, hermits are not.

The best part about having a blog is that you have the ability to get the word out to people about amazing things, whether they are big or small. To me, it's almost an obligation to do that. You have an audience, and there are people and things that need exposure.

This week, the Idol hopefuls took on the challenge that is the embodiment of why we started Blogger Idol: to get exposure to blogs that, otherwise, might not get it.

Here are there posts:

Ice Scream Mama: Click here for a (blogging) good time!
Manderstanding: Favor of the Week
Crazed in the Kitchen: Blogs That Just Might Be Better Than Mine
Dad and Buried: Public Service Announcement
Pile of Babies: The best blogs you've never read
Martinis and Minivans: Blogging it Forward

 If you are a blogger, we'd be honored if you'd write up a post about your favorites, and submit it to our Play at Home Link Up this week. Feel free to use our 'Good Bloggers Pay it Forward' badge, and the hashtag #PayItForward.

This week, we are doing things a little differently. Since it seems a little off to eliminate someone for helping out other bloggers, nobody is going to be eliminated. So instead of voting, this week, we'd like for you to leave a comment telling us who YOUR favorite blogger is.

Farewell, from The MFP, and RMD

I want to thank Blogger Idol, the judges, contestants, and the voters for this great opportunity. It was fun, yet terrifying, putting my writing out there to be judged. I've made some good blogger friends and found that i might even have a knack for romance writing ;)

Glitter & Unicorns for all!

~The MFP

Wow, what a great experience Blogger Idol has been. The pressure to write on a deadline on a specific topic is what I was most looking forward to in this competition. It really was every bit of the challenge that I wanted it to be. For those of you following along at home, there are some great people working behind the scenes to make this thing happen, and they deserve a big high five.

Heather, you are awesome for having conceptualized this contest and built it into a reality. I know that it will only continue to grow as long as it exists. Contestants from last year (who are also some of this year's judges), thank you for being the guinea pigs. This year has been very smooth as far as logistics are concerned. To the judges: thank you for the comments and critiques. I hope to keep getting better as a writer, so it was great to get some honest feedback from people who don't necessarily read my blog.

This competition also gave me the opportunity to make some new blog BFFs. To The Mother Freakin' Princess: It is only fitting that we go out in the same round. It was great writing with you, and I wish you the best of luck with all of your blogging endeavors. Keep rocking on with your princessness. Lastly, to Dad and Buried, you're the only dad blogger left. Bring it home.

-The Real Matt Daddy

Week 6 Play-at-Home Link Up: Idol Gives Back Week

'Good Bloggers Pay It Forward' is something that was started by myself, and From the Bungalow (who is a judge this year, and contestant last year). Daddy Knows Less does a #payitforward post every other Friday. The concept behind it, is basically the reason I started Blogger Idol. To give people a chance to share their 'stage'. This week's assignment is to share your 'stage' with other bloggers. You have to write a post, and talk about 4 of your favorite bloggers. Make sure you link back to their site, and convince people to WANT to follow them. Three of the bloggers can be your choice. The fourth must be someone involved with Blogger Idol in some way, whether it be judge, contestant, former contestant, etc.

Yes, you can pick more than 4. But I don't recommend it, because then the post tends to get lengthy and link filled. I do recommend including at least 2 links for each site you pick. One to the main URL, and the other to a favorite post of yours from them.

In the title of your post, even if it's just at the end, include the hashtag #payitforward.

We encourage you to do this on a regular basis. Not just for bloggers, but anyone that needs help getting the word out about something, especially if it's something life altering.

When you're done, link it up below, and go let the people know that you wrote about them!

Week 5 Elimination: This Just In...

Too close to call. That's where we stand nearly halfway into the race to crown the next Blogger Idol.

Hello, everyone. And thanks for joining us. DKL here, in for Mama Spaghetti. She's on assignment.

If we have learned anything so far during this race it is this: expect the unexpected, no one is safe, and every vote counts. Some very talented writers have been eliminated so far. Some of them you might say shockingly. One by a matter of two votes. This thing is tighter than a nun's habit. (You didn't think I was going to go THERE did you?)

This week, the contestants were faced with writing about a hot topic from the news. As a tv news guy myself, I was excited to see what they came up with. Thankfully, and perhaps smartly, none of them touched the election. By my count, only two of them have approached an election-year issue. I am not exaggerating when I say ALL of them were great.

That means the margin of error for the contestants was very small. Judges were forced to score and rank these posts on the smallest details. And, unfortunately, the tiniest mistakes. I'd like to thank all of them for their hard work, including Klonnie from The Klonopin Chronicles, our latest fabulous guest judge. She was involved, engaged, sincere, and just plain wonderful. As usual.

And don't forget: The winner of our media kit giveaway is being announced in the video along with the TWO bloggers who are going home in this week's DOUBLE elimination.

For now this is DKL saying, "Good night and good luck." (I've always wanted to say that professionally.) 

Now for the moment you've been waiting for:

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Week 5 Voting Starts NOW!

First order of business is our giveaway. It ends Wednesday night (10/24), so hurry up and get your entries in! Also, if you didn't catch it, anyone who has participated in any of the Play at Home Link Ups get 25 extra entries! The winner will be announced in the elimination video on Friday.

Now, for the good stuff... this week's assignments.  The contestants were to pick a hot topic, talk about it, and how they felt about it. Amazingly, nobody picked the same things. The judges had a very hard time scoring them because they are all really awesome.

Here they are:

The Mother Freakin' Princess (The MFP): Shattering Stereotypes; Once Princess at a Time
Ice Scream Mama: Put a lid on it, Mayor Bloomberg!
The Real Matt Daddy: The Safety of Our Children Must Come First
Martinis & Minivans: A Change of Heart
Dad & Buried: Same Difference
Manderstanding: Where There's Smoke, There's Tax Revenue
Pile of Babies: Rape is Rape
Crazed in the Kitchen: Women's Biggest Cancer Enemy--Not What You Might Think

Make sure you vote for your favorite this week, and round up everyone you can to do the same! Help spread the word to get votes for your favorite contestant!

Week 5 Play-at-Home

There's plenty going on in the news right now. This week's assignment is:

You need to pick a news-worthy hot topic, write about it, and give your feelings about it.

Things to consider: Some people aren't up to date with certain news topics. Make sure you don't assume that everyone will know what you are talking about. If needed, provide links to articles. If you use direct quotes, or take pics from other related articles, make sure you cite the source.

Word limit: 300 words min. 600 words max.

Also, if you participate this week, or have participated any week so far, you get 25 extra entries in the giveaway we have going on right now!

When you get your post done, link it up here, and feel free to share it on our Facebook wall, along with any other awesome posts you write!

Farewell, from Crazy Dumbsaint of the Mind

Blogger Idol Farewell, A Haiku Series

Oh, Blogger Idol. 

The assignments you gave me?

My brain exploded .

Learned: Hey,I can write!

Ugh,but the pressure to write

sucks fat donkey balls.

"Will people like this?",

is something I never thought.

I just write for me.

I'm one wordy bitch.

I love me some judges though.

Some of them get me.

"Vagina Person"

on a T-shirt. I want that

as a parting gift.

Two votes from safety?

Should have danced Gangnam Style!

Good luck,everyone!

Week 5: What the Judges Are Thinking

Hmmmm...let me think. What could you POSSIBLY write about this week? On which "hot topic from the news" does virtually everyone in this country who is breathing have an opinion? Let me think...politics, perhaps? The upcoming election, maybe?

While I believe it will be easy for you to choose a topic you are passionate about, the tricky part of this assignment is how to write a post while not pissing off 50% of the electorate. (For example, I have been knocking around a "binders of women" post in my head all week but haven't had the cahones to write it because I'm not sure half of my audience - my wife included - wouldn't hate me afterwards.)

All of what I have written here assumes what subject you are choosing to address. And you know what they say about assuming. Do not feel the need to cover politics. There are plenty of other timely topics that you may be passionate about. Nevertheless, the judges have been instructed to score and rank your posts based on your writing and the effectiveness of your argument, not on your opinion. And here are the judges assigned with that task:

First up is the better half of my blogging bromance, John from Daddy's in Charge:

"I want an opinion; a strong one. I don't necessarily have to agree with it, but let me know how you feel. This is a good week to make us think. My wife doesn't always think I use my brain and this is as good a time as any to get the blood flowing up there. Stick to your guns."

Amy, the Non-Stop Mom, managed to stop long enough to submit her thoughts in complete sentences this time around: (I kid because I love, Amy.)

"Make it informative, make me think, but don't make me click through a bunch of links to get the background story or additional information. Watch the grammar and punctuation, and don't write a full-length novel and expect to keep my attention."

I am also proud to introduce this week's guest judge. It actually gives me butterflies to write her name because I think so highly of her. Klonnie from The Klonopin Chronicles had this to say:

"If it's not abundantly clear by now, my going-in position is 'support mental health or I'll kill you'... Basically I need to laugh. Or at least smile. That shouldn't be too difficult considering all the humor that's been coming down the pike lately. Binders full of material, actually. I'd like it to say that spelling and neatness count. It has to look good to me and it has to flow naturally. I would like to hear the blogger's voice, but I don't want them to scream at me."

Klonnie understands that this week's topic might not be the best way to showcase humor. Do not feel the need to make your posts funny. We all agreed that "entertaining" is a better way to set parameters for this week in that regard. But if you choose a funny topic, by all means have at it.

Karin from Pinwheels and Poppies, the one who asked for "sexy talk" last time around, is not kidding around this week:

"I'm going to be fact-checking the hell out of their posts. That's for sure. I'm also looking for honesty and if they say that they support something, I want to know why. I hate the blind faith some people have in certain issues. I don't want to hear that you're against abortion because "the Bible tells me so." I want you to dig deeper and really express your thoughts and opinions of whichever topic you choose. Misinformation and sheep-like statements will not go over well with me."

Next we have Isis, The Bay Area Mommy:

"I just want them to be able to express their opinion (or the lack of it) well. I don't have to agree with them since everyone's entitled to their own opinion. But they'd have to make it interesting -- which doesn't necessarily mean they'd have to be funny. Just interesting enough to get me through to the the end of their post. Oh, and I hate long paragraphs."

Cat from Honey Badger Press also joins the panel again to "serve you some truth with a side of butt hurt." Remember: she's the one who "is not here to blow sunshine up your ass."

Now for the DKL tip of the week: In my humble opinion, writing about the election is easy. Everyone has an opinion, and most likely it's a strong one. If you choose to do so, finding an issue or an angle that is different is your true challenge. Maybe you even offer a side of an argument we haven't heard yet. (Good luck with that.) Don't be preachy or condescending. Either way, I am once again assuming everyone is going election. (I'm obsessed due to my real job.) If you do, find your own angle. If you don't choose an election issue, make sure you make us care. Make sure we hear your voice and your passion. I'll be judging too, because as a tv news guy, I can't resist this topic.

This is a double elimination. So may the judges and the votes be really in your favor.

Week 4 Elimination: Too bad nobody picked permanent immunity as their super power

It's me again - The Spaghetti Westerner.  Here as your elimination post host.  This week was exciting all around.  The super hero assignment.  The twist as one of our contestants was rescued from elimination.  The voting cliffhanger that even kept the Blogger Idol staff guessing until the last minute, but I'm sure Heather will cover that in the video.

This week's topic ended up as quite the challenge: we even had several reports of our contestants' family members wanting to vote for other contestants' posts.  I've learned that apparently if you're going to be a super hero, you should pick a cool super power to impress your friends and family.  Duly noted...

In cased you missed the news and were wondering why there were nine contestants this week instead of eight after last week's double elimination, the Blogger Idol Board of Directors decided to use our once-per-season "save" to give Crazed in the Kitchen another shot at the competition.  Just when you think you know what to expect from this game, we throw you a curve ball.  What else will we have up our sleeve this season?

A huge thank you to our play-at-home contestants.  You guys are doing a great job.  And, for anyone that's joined us in the play along so far this season, you guys have all received 25 bonus entries into the WOMInfo Media Kit Giveaway!

Speaking of the giveaway, have you entered yet? If not, get entered while you still have a chance.  The winner will not only receive a free media kit, but will also make history as the winner of Blogger Idol's first giveaway ever!

And finally, I want to say thanks to this week's guest judge, You Know It Happens At Your House Too.  We're so lucky to have such cool guest judges, aren't we?  (And, yes...all of our regular judges are really cool, too.)

Alright, go see who's getting eliminated this week: 

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Week 4 - Vote NOW!

This week the assignment was for the contestants to turn their families into superheroes, and write about a day in their super-life. There was also a little catch: They had to use the words horse, frazzled, and ukulele in their post somehow.

Also, in case you missed it the Blogger Idol Staff decided to use their once-a-year save on the previously eliminated Crazed in the Kitchen! So, she's back, and ready to prove that she was worthy of being saved!

Here are this week's assignments from the Top 9:

Dad and Buried: A Truly Nuclear Family

Martinis and Minivans: Puking & Princesses - A Day In Our Powerful Life

Ice Scream Mama: The Morning Adventures of Superrr Helpfullll Mommmm!

The Real Matt Daddy: Justice League Rejects

Crazed in the Kitchen: The Just-Us League

Crazy Dumbsaint of the Mind: They took all the trees and put 'em in a tree museum, and they charged all the people a dollar and a half just to see 'em

Manderstanding: Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Pile of Babies: Super Bland!

The Mother Freakin' Princess: Not all battles are won in public, with cheering crowds, the toughest ones are won privately at homes.

Make sure you vote for your favorite so they don't get eliminated!

WOMInfo Custom Media Kit Giveaway!

WOMInfo

We’ve all got different reasons for blogging; it can be an outlet, a chronicle, a community and more. But blogging can also help your bottom line. It’s no surprise that there are a myriad of ways to make money blogging like sponsorships, giveaways, and reviews, but for lots of bloggers it’s hard to figure out how to get started.

When I went to my first blog conference, I can’t even tell you how many people told me I needed to have an elevator pitch: Basically a twenty second spiel that dazzles everyone from casual readers to brand representatives so much that they become an adoring fan or a blog sponsor. Or something like that.

Turns out it isn’t quite that simple. There’s a lot more to developing brand relationships than just stalking people in an elevator.

One of the tools that can really help is a media kit. A media kit is basically a one- or two-page snapshot that presents your blog – your brand – to potential partners or sponsors. It combines your “elevator pitch” with some quick statistics about your audience and your contact information. You can include awards, memberships, and past brand campaigns. It’s basically a resume for bloggers. You also display your advertising rates or other opportunities for companies to get involved. So, it’s also kind of like a take-out menu – the PR representatives can look over the options and pick what works best for them.

WOMInfo makes media kits simple. With their very reasonably priced Custom Media Kit option, you pick from one of their templates, fill out a survey with your information, and they do the rest. You get to include your photo and your own logo, so your media kit matches your brand identity. The process was quick, easy, and painless. In fact, it was so easy, it’s hard to say much else about it. It just worked.

See the results for yourself:

Before you know it, you’ll have a professional way to introduce yourself and your blog, and that just might help potential sponsors take you more seriously. Then you’ve got to start putting yourself out there: look for brands that fit in with your life and look for brands that work with bloggers. Armed with your media kit, you can send a short email to PR representatives with just a quick, catchy email about yourself with a couple of your strongest selling points and invite them to get “the rest of the story” in your attached media kit.

WOMInfo also has lots of tips on getting started in monetizing your blog and building your business, so make sure you check those out.

And one of you lucky readers will win your very own media kit from WOMInfo in Blogger Idol’s first ever giveaway.

All you have to do is enter on the Rafflecopter widget below. The giveaway is open worldwide, and you will receive the details for your custom media kit, as well as the media kit itself, via email. The giveaway ends October 24, 2012.


a Rafflecopter giveaway
Blogger Idol received a custom media kit as compensation for this post. This did not affect our opinions of the product. All opinions and statements are 100% our own.

What the Judges Are Thinking: Week 4

Hello. Your good buddy DKL here, back to report what the judges have told me they want to see from the contestants this week. But first, I have something to say about your cakewalk assignment this week: Superheroes? Really? How cool is THAT? Consider yourselves lucky, Top 9. We had vampires last year. That's right. A day in the life of our family as if we were VAMPIRES. Real cute, Little Miss Twilight-Lover Heather. We all nearly revolted. (Here is my vampire post from last year.)

Your assignment is so much cooler than ours was. And the judges are super psyched to read what you put together. All of our judges are returning for their second go-around of judging this week, including our guest judge. So let's get right to what they're thinking:

One of them knows a thing or two about superheroes. He's the Sooperdad, and here's what he says:

"Being semi-well versed in superheroedness (It's a word, Mrs. C., Trust me.), I'm looking for originality. Invisibility, flying, super speed are great powers, but somewhat trite. Like the hipsters of the superhero universe. Again, grammar doesn't concern me as much as spelling. KEEP MY ATTENTION. I have a short attention span. So make your post interesting! Funny, heartfelt, intelligent, toilet humor, it doesn't matter. As long as it's interesting. (To ME, because I know everyone's tastes are different. Like Daddy's In Charge prefers double malt scotch, but Wildflowers & Whimsy likes moonshine. I just like cheeseburgers.) Good luck contestants!"

Our guest judge this week is the one and only Tara from You Know It happens at Your House Too. I was sneaky the last time she judged, and didn't share her insights. I won't do that to you this time:

"I still want to be entertained. I am not the grammar police. I know I don't always use proper grammar. So I don't feel it would be fair to judge others on that fact alone. (Damn, are you sure I'm qualified to do this?) It doesn't mean I am not looking at it. We all know it is important, but it is not the most important part of a great blog for me. I want to be entertained. I want to feel as if I am sitting in the room with the writer and they are telling me the story. I would hope that the contestants would take into consideration any constructive criticisms that are offered, mainly because it's part of this competition.

This week I would hope to get to know the contestants and their families. I think this assignment offers so many openings for greatness and hilarity. I truly hope to see some incredible creativity, not just a replay of a Disney Movie."

Tessa Taboo, the potty mouth who is not afraid to be brutally honest, also has high expectations this week:

"Superheroes should be powerful. I want to see something that shows your super power. I don't want to see nine stories about how your super power is raising children, or something like that. This is a chance to take the reader on a kryptonite-infused journey of your day. I also think that pictures could make or break the posts this week. A small piece of advice: It only takes a minute to read your post out loud before you are done, but it could be the thing that saves you."

I totally agree with her last point, because I gave you the same advice last week. (Did you read it?  Are you listening?)

Next, my sweet and snarky friend Roni, The Mommy-In-Law is pulling back-to-back judging duty and it turns out she's more sweet than snark (I could have told you that):

"After judging last week, I realized how much I hate being a judge. I don't like to hurt people's feelings. Especially when it comes to something as personal as their writing. But, I signed up for it. So I've got no choice. I went in expecting to be Simon but quickly learned I was more of a Randy... not too mean, not too nice. 

This week I'm looking for creativity (as always). This is a hard topic (I know because I had to do this myself last year). Make me laugh, people! Or cry! Or think. Catch my attention! Can't wait to read them.

Lisa, The Spaghetti Westerner, is arguably the nicest judge of all of us. She's back to be nice to you again this week. But don't be fooled by her kind critiques. She was right up there leading the revolt against the vampire nonsense that was thrown at us last year. (Roni too.) You've also got Chris, ...from the Bungalow. He's the guy who's going to count the spaces between your sentences but give you arguably the most honest, detailed, and helpful constructive criticism out of the bunch.

Now for the DKL Tip of the Week: It's about getting votes. You know what I did? I personally emailed  all of my close family and friends with the link. Both days. Every week. And I have a gigantic Italian family. I did it at work too. Both days. I work at a major television network, and THIS is what I was emailing almost EVERYONE two days out of the week. I totally admitted I was being annoying. But I promised them my undying love. And in the case of my co-workers, I promised them cookies. Don't be too proud to beg. Just know that your followers might find it annoying. Being entertaining and creative with them (and admitting you're being a little annoying) is key.

I hope you all embrace this assignment and make this very hard on the judges. Until next week, may the judges' scores and the votes be ever in your favor.

Week 4 Play-at-Home Link Up!

I've had several people ask if there are deadlines for when to post your link. There is not a deadline. The Link Ups are set up to be open for a year, so even if you wanted to go back to Week 1 and do that post right now, you still can!

Here is this week's assignment:

In Week 2, you wrote a fictional tale of a day in the life of you, but as the opposing gender. This time, you are writing about a regular day in the life of your whole family, but how it would go down if you were all super heroes. There is no length requirements, but somehow, you must work the words: frazzled, ukulele, and horse into your post. Don't forget the pics!

Week 3: DOUBLE Elimination

Hey there! Your host, The Spaghetti Westerner here again.  Though, before we go any further, I really feel I should clarify something... each week I come here, claiming to be your host, but that isn't really true.  The real host of Blogger Idol is Heather from My Husband Ate All My Ice Cream (in case you didn't already know).

She's the brains behind the contest, the master of all the scheduling for judges and contestants, and the creator of our super suspenseful videos.  And she does a great job.  So really, she deserves all the credit, but she's kind enough to let me stand up here each week and blather on as a lead up to the long-awaited elimination announcement video. So blather I will.

Our awesome play-at-home contestants deserve an extra round of applause this week as they took on the challenging interview topic.  Last year, the interview topic was one of my favorites as a contestant.  And this year is no different; I thoroughly enjoyed reading both our contestants' assignments and those from our play-at-homers.  We look forward to seeing you again (and maybe some new players, too!) next week.

I also really enjoyed reading the critiques from our guest judge, Conversate is not a word and other abuses of the English language.  Whether I agreed with her or not, I was consistently impressed by her thorough comments.  They made me feel a little nostalgic for some of my favorite English teachers from years ago.  As hard as it is to hear constructive criticism sometimes, I sort of wish she'd been a judge last year because I feel like I'd have learned even more about improving my writing.

Last but not least, keep an eye out for Blogger Idol's first giveaway.  It's something every blogger should have.  Don't miss it!

At long last....here's the video.

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Week 3 Voting has BEGUN!

For Week 4, the Top 10 paired up and interviewed each other. I have to say that as a whole, this week's assignments are my favorite. The contestants, although hesitant at first, came out of the experience feeling awesome, and they bonded with another contestant. There's been a lot of 'blogging BFF' thrown around this week. We've also got people looking for partners for this week's Play-at-Home, so if you want to participate, check it out!

This week's guest judge comes to us from Conversate is not a word and other abuses of the English language. If you are a blogger, checking out her page is a MUST!

Since I'm not nearly as awesome as they are, I'll let you get to reading their assignments. Make sure you vote for your favorite, because this week, the team with the lowest score is OUT (yes, that's right, both of them).

The Real Matt Daddy & The Mother Freakin' Princess - TheMFP Meets TheRMD: This Is Mother Freakin' Epic

Ice Scream Mama & Pile of Babies - She Said/She Said, with Alisa and Meredith

Manderstanding & Crazy Dumbsaint of the Mind - If You're Awesomesexual And Your Know It, Clap Your Hands

Dad and Buried & Martinis and Minivans - A Cocktail with a Bit of Parenting on the Side

Random Thoughts 'n Lotsa Coffee & Crazed in the Kitchen - B.I. Insider: Coffee Talk with Molly & Jenn

Week 3 Play-at-Home Link Up!

This week's assignment is going to take a little bit of legwork!

You have to partner up with another blogger, and interview each other! Your goal is to let the audience get to know the other person, and get them interested in their blog.

Some things to note:

• The entire interview should be in one post.
• You are both welcome to put it on your blogs, but only one of you should enter it in the Link Up below.
• If you need a partner, leave a comment (preferably with your email address) below!

Make sure your interview is very natural feeling. The best written interviews make it feel like the reader is sitting on the couch listening to two friends talking. 

What the Judges Are Thinking: Week 3

I had my first judging experience this past week. And I must say, it's not easy. I'm not looking for sympathy. None of the judges are. And I'm not saying the contestants don't have it way harder. I know from experience that they do. But being a judge is no picnic. For example, you actually are forced to rank one of these great posts by one of these amazing writers in last place. That alone is tough.

None of us are walking around pretending to be perfect. We were all offered an opportunity to judge for different reasons, and we agreed to volunteer. We all take our job seriously. Our criticisms are honest, well-thought out, and meant to be helpful. They are also our opinions. Take them or leave them, but we are trying to help you improve your writing, and make your blog more successful. One other thing: we are all human. We all make grammatical errors, have misplaced punctuation, and commit the sin of run-on sentences on our blogs. Sometimes - God forbid - we are so busy that we publish a blog with errors in it. We get over it and so should you.

We are not the ones who offered our writing to be judged. Last year, I was one of you. I made sure my posts were perfect grammatically and judged on their content alone. There were weeks I wanted to jump through my computer screen and slap a judge in the face based on their comments. When I disagreed, I thanked them for their insight, blew it off, and moved on. When I felt it was constructive I took it to heart. I am still improving as a writer and blogger.

Until you have been a judge, don't judge. And don't expect the judges to feel the need to defend themselves. Like I said, we're volunteering. And trying to help. Take it or leave it. We are only here to offer our opinions, and tell you what we like to see. Just like that one guy on American Idol that helps the contestants each week... sometimes they take his advice, and biff it that week, sometimes they don't take it, and knock it out of the park. And sure, it's hard to know what to do when two judges are talking about the same thing, and one says they liked it, and one said they didn't. Again, it's up to you to experiment, and decide what fits YOU better!

And with that, here are this week's judges:

Jodi from Freetail Therapy has quite the reputation as a Grammar Nazi. You should be scared. I'm scared and I'm not even in the contest. "I hate people," she says. "I don't read blogs, and I don't care what you think." Ouch. Mean, I tell ya. This is the woman who tore apart MY blog design during this year's auditions. (Uh, I'm a judge, lady. Not a contestant.) And when I shared a preview of my redesign, she tore that apart too. But enough about me. There might actually be a soft side to Jodi. "Talk about zombies and porn and you get bonus points," she says. "Triple bonus points if you use both in the same sentence." Have at it.

Lisha, The Lucky Mom, says she's not a full-fledged Grammar Nazi, but basic mechanical mistakes make her crazy. "A comma violation, here and there, is okay," she says. " But there, they’re, and there are different words. As are your and you’re. Use the right one, please." Seems fair to me. She also wants you to watch the word count. "If it's too long, it had better be good. Otherwise you’re wasting my time." Tough to argue with that.

Next we have Mary from I Need a Play Date. She might be the toughest judge to read. "I read these drunk," she admits."So it really won't matter to me if someone is gonna do something or going to." Seems laid back, but she also says she doesn't want you referring to yourself in the third person.

Karin from Pinwheels and Poppies is looking for something that stands out. "I want to be wowed with your wordsmithiness, awed by your ability to evoke an emotional response, and dazzled by your natural charm and wit," she says. "Oh, and sexy talk. Mama likes the sexy talk." That is all.

Then we have Roni, The Mommy-In-Law. She, as you might have guessed, is a mom and a lawyer. She reads legal briefs all day. So, you better wow her. "If they bore me," she says. "They're doomed." You have three sentences to grab her attention. Thats it. "After that," she says "My eyes glaze over. Also, if you can't find the time to proofread your own stuff, why should I waste my time reading it?"

Last but not least is this week's guest judge, Laurie from the wildly popular page among writers, Conversate is not a word and other abuses of the English language. She's not a Grammar Nazi. She's a librarian. "Many times I find that bloggers get carried away in writing long pieces; however, they are usually not interesting enough to keep my attention past the one page mark. I feel that many bloggers need to learn the art of being concise." And that's all she had to say.

As for the DKL tip of the week: I was concerned with this assignment last year. I thought our post was too long. We couldn't decide what to cut out. I think it's hard to decide when you're working with someone else and you don't want to hurt each other's feelings. It sounds like a little leeway may be given this week, due to the topic. But if you finish your post and read it and think it's too long, it probably is. Cut one paragraph each.

As for all of the Grammar Nazis, all I can says is: take your time. Read your posts out loud. Have your significant other read it. Then have someone who could care less read it. It works.

Until next week, may the odds, the judges, and the votes, be ever in your favor.

**My thanks to April from Wildflowers and Whimsy, who contributed a lot to the first part of this post.

Farewell from My Rad Dad

I'm Out.

On my blog I explained the blogger idol competition to my readers and at the end wrote “Then Fools Get Nixed.”

Well today I am that fool and I have been nixed.  

I never fancied myself a writer before I started this blog a few months back. (I never fancied myself a 14 year old girl from the Wild West before I just used the word fancied either.)

I decided that there were too many hilarious things about being a parent not to share with those who care to read.  As I started writing more on the blog a few of my friends would tell me they loved the blog and thought I was a good writer… well fancy that.

Then I auditioned for this competition and I did it thinking, ‘I probably won’t make it but what do I have to lose?’ And low and behold I made it.  That was pretty awesome. 

The competition really stretched my writing and made me write outside my comfort zone, which was great.  Finishing 11^th out of how ever many people tried out doesn’t feel too bad.  Thanks to Heather and the crew behind the scenes.  Keep up the good work.

There are many more good times ahead, and if you are reading this and haven’t visited my blog yet then shame on you.  SHAME ON YOU! Go there now. I promise at least you’ll smile, or smirk, or stare.  http://www.myraddad.com/

Lastly I’d like to express my disdain for Mavis Beacon, stupid double space after a period.  Here’s something for FTB.   That’s a triple space.

I'm Out,

Ben from MyRadDad.com

Week 2 Elimination: Who will be leaving us?

Hi all.  The Spaghetti Westerner, here.  You know, when I first found out I'd be hosting these elimination "ceremonies," I was super excited.  Then I found out that the host doesn't even get their own trailer.  Or hair and makeup people.  Or free bagel and donut buffet. Ah, well, we can't all live the rich life, right?

And yet, I keep coming back because there's nowhere else I'd rather be.  Except maybe on a Caribbean cruise.  Or winning the Miss America pageant.  Or being pampered from head to toe at a lavish day spa.  But we won't count any of those options.

So, first off today, I want to give a shout out to Michelle, who blogs over at Thoughts in a Dry Season, for responding to my distress about the single-space-instead-of-double-space-after-sentences debate.  When I read your comment on last week's elimination post, I was overjoyed to discover that someone - anyone - had even read the text that comes before the long-awaited elimination video.  And thanks to your vote of confidence, I've embraced my antiquated but consistent double-spacing ways.  I owe you.

Next, I need to thank our play-at-home contestants.  You guys are doing a great job, and it's really interesting to see the way you approach these topics.  Next week, I will be commenting on and critiquing play-at-home entries number 5, 12, and 18.  I know you'll all be aiming for those spots since I'm sure my comments are highly coveted and sought-after. 

And finally, I'm happy to announce that we've seen the resolution of the technical issues that we experienced last week.  Comments are up and running on the assignment posts, and I really enjoy the dialogue from the voters. 

Oh, one more thing (and really finally this time), I want to say a heartfelt thank you and farewell to Edward Hotspur and Forever 51.  I hate when anyone gets eliminated (though I know that's the fate of roughly 92% of our contestants), but I'm hoping you won't go far.  The blogosphere isn't that big after all.  I look forward to seeing you around.

Here it is: The Week 2 Elimination!

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Week 2 Voting Starts NOW!

This week we had a little role reversal. The contestants had to write about a day in their life... but as if they were the opposite sex. The contestants probably would have thrown hard things at my head if they were near me when I gave them the assignment.

The first contestant to turn in their assignment each week, gets immunity. Usually, within hours, I have the first post. Not this week. This week they were so stumped, that it took almost a full day for the first assignment to be turned in. I found it rather amusing that this week, almost all of the ladies had their assignments in before the guys.

What really matters, though, is who wrote their assignment the best. So check out the links below, and then come back here and vote!

Crazed in the Kitchen: How To Make Sure Your Mommy Is The Best She Can Be
My Rad Dad: Bird-Women, Unicorn Horns and Are These Boobs?
Manderstanding: Luck Be A Lady
Pile of Babies: I love it when you call me Big Poppa
Ice Scream Mama: I'll Worry About It Later
Crazy Dumbsaint of the Mind: I am the son and the heir of a shyness that is criminally vulgar
Martinis and Minivans: Penis Power
The Real Matt Daddy: "A Woman's Work is #^%&*ING Peanuts!"
The Mother Freakin' Princess (The MFP): Hey, I'm the MFD - The Mother Freakin' Dude
Dad and Buried: Who's That Girl?
Random Thoughts 'n Lotsa Coffee: Gypsy Wisdom: From Each Other's Eyes

Goodbye... from Forever 51 and Edward Hotspur

Following in the tradition started by the contestants last year, here are the farewell speeches from those that have been eliminated:

I LOVED this experience!

Thank you to Paula – for crying at my foibles and hugging me during elimination. Also, Paula, thank you for the Lithium. I really appreciate that.

Thank you to Randy – I am going to put ‘Yo Dawg’ on my license plate. I knew I was a bit pitchy in the first round and you went easy on my and I appreciate that. Now, if I can get the name of the internist that did your lap band surgery….

And, Simon – You are snarky as ever – I knew you thought I was too old for this competition but hey-you have a crappy haircut and how come I can always see your nips thru those tshirts all the time. Ewwwww!

This was so much fun and I was so happy to be able to meet all of these wonderful bloggers. They all have an insane sense of humor which is right up my alley. These things force you to go outside of your comfort zone – and you learn a lot about yourself as well. Even though I was only in for a few short weeks-these folks are my friends and mentors! And Heather-thank you-what an incredible job and I love your twisted sense of humor best of all!

Mary Anne
Forever 51

Kudos to Heather for her contest. It is a lot of work, and I can appreciate that. A lot of people, judges and sponsors had to be coordinated, and a few glitches happened but otherwise it was a good idea and a good contest. Thank you.

I was happy to have been included in the 13, and all my friends congratulated me, and I was happy, and geared up the campaign and everything. But then I read the names of most of the blogs, and read all the blogs, and I thought 'I must be the wildcard. I'm not anything like the other people.'

And I'm not! My blog looks different from all of the others. I post on a wide variety of topics, and I know everyone thinks they do, but they don't. I also post quite frequently - twice as many posts as all the judges combined over the past year. While I am a parent, with 4 kids, I've mentioned my family in maybe 1% of the posts on my blog.

Where does all that fit into this contest? It doesn't. So I thank all the judges who thought it would be a good idea to toss me in the mix. But to be honest, I feel bad because I took the spot of someone who may have been more suited to this contest. I have a lot of friends who entered and would have gotten further than the first round, surely.

I write exactly the way I want to. And it's a good thing, too, because the judges' comments on my post would literally be impossible to follow. They said originality was good - and bad. They said headings were good - and bad. They said a conversational tone was good - and bad.

Commenting was disabled at the time of voting. I and several of my friends, and probably readers in general, had a few lulz over this comment:
Daddy's In Charge?: "I had to read this three times before I could actually figure out who the players were..."
Literally appearing in Hotspur's post: "The Hotspur Players in this story are: fraternal twins Lawyer and James Dean (both 9), Wife (forget it), me (82), and our niece Chrissie (12)."

I just don't see how I had a chance. Good luck, everyone else! You all have lovely blogs, and I'll see you on the Twitters and the Facebooks and the interwebs.

Finally, as I've said a few times on Twitter, I was never as concerned with beating you all in this contest as I was with John Taylor beating cancer. Get well, John! I'm pulling for you.

Edward Hotspur

NOTE: If you'd like to help John Taylor with his fund for medical expenses, please check out the right sidebar!

Week 2 Play-at-Home Link Up!

As the contest progresses, we are going to give all of you a chance to play along at home, and strengthen your writing skills before auditions next year.

Each Monday, we will give you the same assignment that the contestants are doing, and then you can come back here and link your post so that others can read it. There is no fee for participating in this link-up. The only thing you are required to do, is check out at least TWO other links and go give them some constructive critique on their post. The Blogger Idol staff and judges will occasionally be checking out the links as well, and stopping by to offer some words of advice.

This week the Top 11 has been working hard on their assignments. Here are the instructions they got:

Write about a day in the life of you. But it wouldn't be Blogger Idol without a twist. You have to write about your day, as if you were the opposite sex! There is no word limit, but make sure to include at least one image. 

When you are done, use the widget below to post your link here, and feel free to post it on our Facebook page as well!