Comments on: Mela musings http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/10/14/mela-musings/ Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:25:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.1 by: Sameer http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/10/14/mela-musings/#comment-2173 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/10/14/mela-musings/#comment-2173 The 'rules' of the Mela always stated that purely personal posts are not to be included. Apart from this, however, I do not feel that there should be any other editing. You're right in saying that the Mela ought to be a celebration and hence the host should inspire some enthusiasm in the blogosphere and make the Blog Mela stand out on his/her blog. I wuld like the hosts to spice up their Blog Mela with some of those excellent Mela graphics created by shanti and ashwini. It'll give the Mela a touch of glamour. Moreover, I wonder why the hosts have stopped including a short description of the nominated posts! All we get nowadays, and I do not blame anyone in particular, is a list of nominated links with perhaps the subject of the post. The attitude of hosting a Mela only to get 'instalanched' should be discouraged. The ‘rules’ of the Mela always stated that purely personal posts are not to be included. Apart from this, however, I do not feel that there should be any other editing.

You’re right in saying that the Mela ought to be a celebration and hence the host should inspire some enthusiasm in the blogosphere and make the Blog Mela stand out on his/her blog. I wuld like the hosts to spice up their Blog Mela with some of those excellent Mela graphics created by shanti and ashwini. It’ll give the Mela a touch of glamour. Moreover, I wonder why the hosts have stopped including a short description of the nominated posts! All we get nowadays, and I do not blame anyone in particular, is a list of nominated links with perhaps the subject of the post. The attitude of hosting a Mela only to get ‘instalanched’ should be discouraged.

]]> by: JK http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/10/14/mela-musings/#comment-2174 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/10/14/mela-musings/#comment-2174 1. The $10 Reward encourages rigging, which is good in one way as I encouraged so many of my friends to visit the blog mela and rig for me so that I could defeat a certain cartel member. Some of them later got into blogging. 2. But one point I agree with you and Sameer is that the host should definitely put some enthusiasm by hunting down posts from various blogs. I remember one blog mela hosted by Mahesh Shantaram which was like a newspaper. But then the burden should not be on the host alone, everyone should blog about it and create more publicity. I am guilty of not doing any of these. 1. The $10 Reward encourages rigging, which is good in one way as I encouraged so many of my friends to visit the blog mela and rig for me so that I could defeat a certain cartel member. Some of them later got into blogging.

2. But one point I agree with you and Sameer is that the host should definitely put some enthusiasm by hunting down posts from various blogs. I remember one blog mela hosted by Mahesh Shantaram which was like a newspaper. But then the burden should not be on the host alone, everyone should blog about it and create more publicity. I am guilty of not doing any of these.

]]> by: Amol Hatwar http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/10/14/mela-musings/#comment-2175 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/10/14/mela-musings/#comment-2175 Very true Yazad. 100% agreement. Very true Yazad. 100% agreement.

]]> by: Patrix http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/10/14/mela-musings/#comment-2176 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/10/14/mela-musings/#comment-2176 I agree that it has become more about the $10 and should be discouraged. When I had hosted the Mela many months back, I had included personal posts..some of which were very good. But I did comment on the self-nomination thing. I initially thought the Mela was about nominating which posts you have enjoyed reading and not to plug your own blog. If one is that desperate to get the word out on their blog, its probably not worth reading. Good blogs eventually attract traffic. I agree that it has become more about the $10 and should be discouraged. When I had hosted the Mela many months back, I had included personal posts..some of which were very good. But I did comment on the self-nomination thing. I initially thought the Mela was about nominating which posts you have enjoyed reading and not to plug your own blog. If one is that desperate to get the word out on their blog, its probably not worth reading. Good blogs eventually attract traffic.

]]> by: Shanti http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/10/14/mela-musings/#comment-2177 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/10/14/mela-musings/#comment-2177 Yaz, I am so sorry I am late in the game with this post. I cannot access hotmail from work, so I saw this just now. I think you make some valid points and do agree that it has become a popularity contest more than the contest of the best writing. I don't mind it as much, though. I do it for visibility's sake so that more people hear about this and in turn the Indian side of the blogosphere gets more notice. As for self-nominating posts, I don't have a problem with that either. There might be blogs that are newly started or good posts that have not attracted much viewership. There is nothing wrong in letting the world know you have written something we might find interesting. Personal posts was something we had a lot of back and forth on, if you recall. We were strictly against stuff that was like "I had donuts for breakfast and would luuuurve some Starbucks coffee now". An example of a good personal post from the recent Mela is that of Dilip D'Souza. As far as editing was concerned, the only reason why we discouraged it was because we didn't want a host's ideology to color the nominations accepted for the Mela. You cannot reject a nomination just because you don't agree with the points it makes - other than that, I guess you have a little wiggleroom. Finally, melas are meant for a time for fun and a little creativity. Have at it - you might even retain some of the instalanche readers once the mela is over. Yaz, I am so sorry I am late in the game with this post. I cannot access hotmail from work, so I saw this just now.

I think you make some valid points and do agree that it has become a popularity contest more than the contest of the best writing. I don’t mind it as much, though. I do it for visibility’s sake so that more people hear about this and in turn the Indian side of the blogosphere gets more notice.

As for self-nominating posts, I don’t have a problem with that either. There might be blogs that are newly started or good posts that have not attracted much viewership. There is nothing wrong in letting the world know you have written something we might find interesting.

Personal posts was something we had a lot of back and forth on, if you recall. We were strictly against stuff that was like “I had donuts for breakfast and would luuuurve some Starbucks coffee now”. An example of a good personal post from the recent Mela is that of Dilip D’Souza.

As far as editing was concerned, the only reason why we discouraged it was because we didn’t want a host’s ideology to color the nominations accepted for the Mela. You cannot reject a nomination just because you don’t agree with the points it makes - other than that, I guess you have a little wiggleroom.

Finally, melas are meant for a time for fun and a little creativity. Have at it - you might even retain some of the instalanche readers once the mela is over.

]]> by: MadMan's Web http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/10/14/mela-musings/#comment-2178 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/10/14/mela-musings/#comment-2178 <strong>Mela update</strong> Apologies for the delay in uploading the latest Mela. My official reason is that I was out today teaching a cookery class at Bangalore Club. But I'm also trying to follow Yazad's suggestion that Mela hosts try to expand the... Mela update

Apologies for the delay in uploading the latest Mela. My official reason is that I was out today teaching a cookery class at Bangalore Club. But I’m also trying to follow Yazad’s suggestion that Mela hosts try to expand the…

]]> by: Another Blog in the Wall http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/10/14/mela-musings/#comment-2179 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/10/14/mela-musings/#comment-2179 <strong>Bharateeya Blog Mela - XXXV</strong> Call for Nominations! Time for Bharateeya Blog Mela - XXXV! The directions for nominating entries: » I will accept entries dated November 18-25 » Send them in an email to anil9911 @ yahoo dot com Or drop it as a... Bharateeya Blog Mela - XXXV

Call for Nominations! Time for Bharateeya Blog Mela - XXXV! The directions for nominating entries: » I will accept entries dated November 18-25 » Send them in an email to anil9911 @ yahoo dot com Or drop it as a…

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