Personally speaking

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My blog is one place where I can be myself without worrying about my voice being too loud, my laugh too raucous or my ideas too weird.

Twenty- five Seven

Personally speaking

September 9, 2018

#MyFriendAlexa Season 3 Round up after week one – An open Letter

My dear team Blogchatter :

This was supposed to be a roundup of my experience with Blogchatter’s MyFriend Alexa campaign. I decided to write an open letter.

Please take it in the right spirit .

Round Up

‘I am taking my Alexa rank to the next level with Blogchatter’

Taking part in blogging challenges is not always the best reason to blog. While it does increase your bandwidth, exposure, viewership and ultimately improve your Alexa rank, these, reputed and established bloggers have assured me, are not the reason why you blog.

Yet, this will be the third blog challenge I’ll be attempting this year. The first was the Write Tribe Festival of Words hosted by Corinne of WriteTribe. The second was by BAR-A-THON hosted by Shailaja and this will be the third.Week 2 has begun and to be honest I’m quite disappointed. My ranking today is 102, 231 in India and 814,437 Globally.

I can’t remember what it was when the challenge began but I do know that the visits and views on my site have not changed a bit save for the one day (5th Sept) when the views were 118 and the number of visitors 37.

And all this after diligently visiting, commenting and sharing every post on the reading list from day ONE.

But what was even more disturbing was the letter that came in my mail box today which informed me You have been falling behind target,

I was most annoyed and went through all the sites below to see whether or not I had complied and requested my name be removed from the challenge since I don’t have that much time to waste.

I do most of my blogging on the iPhone and the Alexa rank tracker does not download on my browser. So this means that my effort on the iPhone has gone to waste.

My personal comments on the blogs listed

Arjun Gupta – Interesting @_knightofsteel www.knightofsteel.com
arv @arvjpr – A regular follower https://jaipurthrumylens.com
Vartika Gakhar – Read and commented https://mobile.twitter.com/home https://vartikasdiary.wordpress.com
Neha Sharma – Enjoyed the article on tantrums – shared and commented but comment doesn’t show @growingwitnemit http://growingwithnemit.com/
Mahak Wadhwani babyandbeyondin – Shared and commented http://www.babyandbeyond.in/blog
Dr.Amrita Basu – Didn’t read this one because nothing interested me @misra_amrita http://healthwealthbridge.com
Rashmi Jain – Didn’t read this one because nothing interested me @Rashmi_RJ05 https://bewildagain.wordpress.com/
Sejal Khanna Traveluscious Shared and commented www.raisingrehaan.com
Bikramjit Konwa Shared and commented https://twitter.com/holistic_Hlth https://www.holistichealthnlife.com/
Darshana Sarmah @darshanasb Shared andcommented www.lovehealthfamily.com

Shipra Trivedi Shared and commented @trivediship http://www.vibhuandme.com
Deevyanka Pawar Shared acommented @deevyanka_pawar www.ourjourneyathome.com
Snehalata Jain @snehalataj Https://blogsikka.com
Priyanka Roy Banerjee chernozems Shared andcommented http://oneandahalfminutes.com
Shilpa Gupte am a follower @ShilpaGupte1 shilpagupte.com
Pragnya Mishra Lifewtmypenguin Lifewithmypenguin.wordpress.com Shared and commented
Nidhi Garg @Nidsgratefulsoul https://gratitude2wardslife.blog Shared and commented
Tina Basu Www.twitter.com/twinklingtina Www.tinabasu.com Shared and commented
Shruti Shankar Imshrutishankar Overovercoffeewithshruti.com Shared and commented
Meghana Pawar @meghanazexpress https://ideasthroughwords.com/ Shared and commented

Tina Basu Www.twitter.com/twinklingtina Www.twinklingtinacooks.com Shared and commented
Anagha Yatin @anagha_yatin https://canvaswithrainbow.com/Shared and commented
Nayantara Hegde @nayantweett http://mommyingbabyt.comShared and commented
Varsha Bagadia @varshabagadia https://avibrantpalette.comShared and commented
Anupriya @Anupriya_Guptaa http://www.mommytincture.com/Shared and commented
Ruchi Verma @wigglingpen www.wigglingpen.com Shared and commented
Jhilmil Bhansali mommyin_me www.mommyinme.comShared and commented
Chandresh Jain talesofFOTW www.familyonthewheels.com
Shared and commented
Pranoti Muley @pranoti3088 pranotimuley.blogspot.com Shared but couldn’t comment
Jaya Agarwal https://twitter.com/heartinprintby?s=08 heartinprintbyjaya.wordpress.com Couldn’t read

Good heavens! This is getting far too tedious. I’ve just spent the better part of the morning auditing these blogs and I cannot write any more comments as doing this means re-arranging the layout . I am not a computer geek and I don’t have any more time to spend on this job which I have done between bathing and feeding granchild, washing clothes and cooking lunch.

Shamik Writer_Foodie www.mixedflavorsblog.com
Deepa Deepakarthik77 Syncwithdeep.wordpress.com
Sudha @Sukris75 Sukrisblog.wordpress.com
Agnivo Niyogi @Aagan86 https://antorjatikbangali.wordpress.com
Aparna Prabhu https://mobile.twitter.com/aparna_678 https://thethoughtscribblersblog.wordpress.com
Anshu Bhojnagarwala @anshubhoj https://firsttimemommy.net/
Rashi Roy https://twitter.com/RoyrashiRR royrashi.wordpress.com
Ashwini Menon @Ashwini_Menon http://ashwinisperceptions.com/
roopali kadam hellomomy1 http://thehellomomy.com
Jyotirmoy Sarkar https://twitter.com/TheJyotirmoy http://jyotirmoysarkar.com/

Surabhi Bhalothia https://twitter.com/13_surabhi https://blogitwithsurabhi.wordpress.com/
Surbhi Prapanna @rituprapanna http://surbhiprapanna.com/
Nehal Roy NehalRoys https://www.easyhomeremedies.co.in
Huma Masood @Huma_Masood https://www.silkenscribblings.com/
Haimanti Bhattacharjee @haimanti blog.haimanti.net
Varsha Nitin Gode @yoginit49 http://vrag.in/
Lancelot Quadras Lanzomaniac http://lancequadras.com/
Medha Nagur @NagurMedha http://www.medhanagur.com
Ankita lifstyleproblog http://lifestyleproblog.me/my-nails-transformation-with-laque-nail-lash-lounge/
Meenakshi J @polkajunction polkajunction.com

Dipika Singh @gleefulblogger https://www.gleefulblogger.com/
Neha gupta @sharingourexp www.sharingourexperiences.com
Deepika Dee12pi Www.deexterous.com
Anubhuti Seth Criesnlaughter Http://www.criesnlaughter.com
Shweta Suresh ShwetaSuresh7 https://thesoulsearchersite.wordpress.com/
Deepa @DeepaGandhi1 www.kreativemommy.com
Dixita mour dixita011 hillstationreader.com
Ruby Singh sin_ruby singhruby.com
Vidhya Thakkar @vidhya_thakkar Www.Vidhyathakkar.Com
Preety tiwari Preetytiwari2 http://www.delhiblogger.com

Jayanthy Govindarajan @JayanthyG Https://jaysfreespace.blogspot.in
Sona Grover @Writenlive1 https://sonaonline.wordpress.com
Aditi Kapur @aditikaps123 https://aditikaps.wordpress.com/
Priyanka @drpriyankanaik http://lifeofpri.blogspot.com
Suhasini @shravmusings https://shravmusings.blogspot.com
Saba irfan @SabaLadha7 http://saba-relishingrascal-scribbles.com/
Mann @munkaun http://orientalafterglow.com
Maheshwaran Jothi Maheshwarajothi Author.mjothi.com
Abhijit Ray abhiray59 occassionalmusingsblogpost.wordpress.com
Leha Divakar @literaryleha https://theliteraryaffairblog.wordpress.com/

Personally speaking, I cannot understand how BLOGCHATTER expects everyone to be on top of the game all the time.Don’t we also have other lives?

I am sorry for being so frank and blunt but honestly this is the first challenge where I’ve been upbraided.

Come on guys, lighten up.

This is supposed to be a fun challenge NOT AN ASSIGNMENT which you are graded for.

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BLOG HOPS & CHALLENGES, Uncategorized

#MyFriendAlexa

62 responses to “#MyFriendAlexa Season 3 Round up after week one – An open Letter”

Manas Mukul

September 9, 2018 at 12:27 pm

Exactly my point. I too have sent them a list of comments that I have done and still was reprimanded.

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 9, 2018 at 1:36 pm
  
  I have quit this PONZI scheme . Blogchatter only replies to emails when you complain. Else they are too self involved in their own activity to bother about others
  
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Akshata

September 9, 2018 at 1:26 pm

This year it’s been quite a dampner for me too Sunita. First of all reading and commenting on 10 blogs per day seems too much of a task. In terms of views on my blog I haven’t seen a slightest change. I do get it depends on when my name would be on the reading list but so far this year I haven’t been enjoying this challenge

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 9, 2018 at 6:58 pm
  
  This will be my last challenge ever
  
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Pratikshya Mishra

September 9, 2018 at 2:50 pm

It’s tedious for me as well. And I too have got that mail. But I believe it is a problem on their part, which they would resolve soon. This is the first ever Blogging challenge where reading is compulsory, and we don’t ever know whether we shall get anything back in return.
My Alexa Rank has reduced but again, no change in pageviews since the last two days- it is in 70s.

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 9, 2018 at 3:55 pm
  
  I’m glad I’m not the only one facing this problem but frankly I’ve decided to quit . The two of us don’t gel. blogchatter is on its own trip and only responded to me after I complained .
  
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Holly Jahangiri

September 9, 2018 at 5:58 pm

Well, you know how I feel about it! I went RIGHT down the “rabbit hole,” but made my own game out of it. LOL But I get a curious sense of deja vu reading this at all – as well as a sense that I have fallen behind on commenting on YOUR blog, since I think we had this conversation when I first found your blog a year or more ago… :) Weren’t you getting burnt out on all the challenges and perfunctory commenting and busywork of blogging THEN? What did we all say? Don’t stop blogging, writing, sharing your thoughts with the world – but don’t twist yourself into a pretzel chasing stats and doing things that don’t give you joy. This is how you get burnt out. And it has taken me 6 years to get over that sort of burn out – and I’m not over it YET. I’m trying. But just don’t succumb. If the challenge is FUN and serves you and your blog, then by all means, DO it. But if not – then quitting now is the wisest decision ever.

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 9, 2018 at 6:13 pm
  
  Thanks Holly. I consider you my new tech guru. It was only when I read your comments did I realise what this whole thing was all about
  I had the Alexa extension on my browser on my PC abut that was not updated. So this could be the reason why many of my attempts weren’t recorded
  I mostly blog on my iPhond and my browser doesn’t recognise Alexa. So that’s another problem.
  But what really got to me was that no one had the decency to visit my blog in return . And to think I took the trouble of visiting , reading , commenting and sharing some really mediocre blogs that were hard to navigate for some one tech challenged like me .
  By the time I figure out how to do something , I forget how I did it ( rather like doing Maths for me ) so I decided that Blogchatter and I are at 6’s and 7’s . They aren’t really interested in encouraging blogging but more interested in promoting their brand and bragging about how successful they are .
  I’ll now stick to small time challenges and only promote my blog through small groups like WT
  
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  1. Holly Jahangiri
    
    September 10, 2018 at 7:54 pm
    
    No one’s ever going to know if your visits did or did not help the Alexa rank; and as you well know from my little “experiment,” you can jump 4 million places just by making backend tweaks to your own blog. Only the bloggers, themselves, might guess if you were there: either because you left a comment or because their traffic is so low they recognize you (and guess) from their stats. (This is possible, even though most stat counters anonymize the traffic – I mean, I KNOW who reads my blog from Winnipeg. Or Iceland. Generally speaking. :D Not that the stat counters NAME them, but with so few regular readers, I can make a very educated guess, when it comes to friends!)
    
    I’m not even sure how this challenge benefits Blogchatter (though I’m honestly not familiar with Blogchatter at all!) Seems like the only “brand” it’s really promoting is Alexa. That’s what I find so silly about it. I wonder if Amazon even notices/cares? It would’ve been better to do something like #BlogchatterBuddies if they’d wanted to promote THEIR brand and members, eh?
    
    But I’m still caught up on this business of “reprimanding” people who participate, if their participation doesn’t quite rise to this level of madness. Commenting on 10 blogs a DAY seems a bit much. Doable, but for a whole MONTH? Hello, blogging burnout.
    
    Also, as a blogger, I’d rather have someone tell me privately if my blog didn’t interest them, than to reach and scrape the bottom of the comment barrel to leave an insincere comment pretending that it did. I am not in it to cause my readers pain, and I know that what I write about won’t interest everyone all the time. I love the idea of small teams supporting one another, but it helps if they have an affinity (e.g., authors, mom bloggers, book bloggers, no-niche bloggers, whatever) and/or other means of supporting one another (sharing, advising, etc.)
    
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  2. Bellybytes
    
    September 10, 2018 at 9:00 pm
    
    Ah Holly I learnt a lot about Alexa through this challenge – mainly from you . I still don’t know how to tweak anything from the back end ( barely know how to manage the front) but I am an eternal student and love taking on new challenges .
    The one thing I’ve learnt from this entire process is that I relate better with people who are less aggressive …. and if there is no fun in anything I’d rather not do it .
    I’m glad though that this has happened because I now know that this is definitely NOT a for me .
    
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  3. Holly J
    
    September 14, 2018 at 6:41 am
    
    This is actually a good thing to learn about yourself. I’ve learned that I’m “weirdly competitive,” but don’t actually enjoy beating the opponent to a bloody pulp. If it’s too earnest or the stakes are too high, I’d rather be part of a team, and I’d rather everyone get the credit they deserve. I’m either a leader or a follower, though; something I learned early on (but not early enough!) that I don’t SHARE control well. So I’d rather be in charge of my part of the thing, or the whole thing, or nothing. (I cringed every time one of my kids told me they’d been assigned some “team project” in school, and my gut reaction was to tell them to do all the work, because they could never trust anyone else with their grade. I’m still working on this one, but time and experience mostly proved me right on that – every time. And isn’t there always one who doesn’t show up to group meetings, does about 1/50th of the work, then wants to swoop in, do the presentation, look pretty, and get all the credit? Ugh.)
    
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  4. Bellybytes
    
    September 14, 2018 at 9:30 am
    
    Hey Holly! I think you have a similar work ethic to mine . Glad you understood my POV regarding Alexa . You’ve demystified it better than Blogchatter who just bamboozle me with words like Hola ( I know that’s Spanish for Hello but does that make you more cool? )
    
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  5. Bellybytes
    
    September 14, 2018 at 9:32 am
    
    Did you get the reply to this ?
    
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Parul Thakur

September 9, 2018 at 6:16 pm

Maybe good to check what the plan was. Blogchatter will be open to receive a feedback.
I now do not participate in any blogging challenge. It just doesn’t work for me. The A to Z last year was my last and since then I haven’t participated. I feel that the content should speak for itself and while i am all in for community, like you I don’t want to make anything an assignment.

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 9, 2018 at 6:57 pm
  
  I’ve learnt the hard way now. But as they say life’s lessons are only learnt when they are truly learnt . And always better late than never
  
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Damyanti

September 9, 2018 at 7:25 pm

Do what works for you, Sunita. I enjoy your posts and share and interact as much as I can.

I hope you continue to blog and chat with us for a long time to come.

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 10, 2018 at 8:11 am
  
  Of course ! This group has more mature participants and is more fun
  
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Maheshwaran Jothi

September 9, 2018 at 8:36 pm

Quite a frank opinion.
I just read your 2017 post-Alexa article and realize that you had the similar experience. And still, you took the plunge to try this year again. A big appreciation for your effort.
Frankly, I did not have much traffic in the first week. Few people visited, and even lesser commented. I was not even sure if it was due to the reading list, or with my shares and tweets in SM. But personally, I did my work sincerely and read, shared, commented more than what is on the reading list. So, if I am in the same situation as you – getting the email saying so – would have certainly demotivated me too.
It was just yesterday I saw the spike. Maybe due to the reading list or due to my good karma the last week. Whatever, how long would it be? No clue.
Organizing any campaign or challenge is not an easy task. On top of that, if the participants are not going to adhere themselves, its even worst. I think the main idea of sharing or retweeting with a given hashtag was for the organizer to track if the rule was followed. I heard from a few others in the group about some email they got as defaulters. They are also sorting out with the organizers. Hopefully, things will be settled.
There have been many tweets and articles including the registration page on BlogChatter, that talked about the Alexa toolbar, and its availability only on the browses in PCs. So watching on mobiles or other gadgets could help in hits or views on the blog page. But not sure for Alexa.
Anyway, I am not here to say who is right or wrong but just thought of commenting on my observation.

P.S. My blog is relatively new, and this is my first such Alexa challenge. Looking at your rank, I am quite impressed. Congrats.

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 10, 2018 at 6:05 am
  
  Thanks for your perspective . I don’t think I’m cut out for this challenge and now that I’m twice bitten I’ll definitely stay clear. I mistakenly thought I’d mastered the nuances of Blogchatter’s challenge hence tried for the second time .
  
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Dr,Amrita

September 9, 2018 at 10:59 pm

Hi Sunita,I feel you need to do what works for you .Challenges if they make you happy are good .If not blog for happiness.Will be visiting from WT as usual.Keep writing .Glad you are an Endi Blyton fan too .

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 10, 2018 at 6:07 am
  
  Thanks Dr Amrita . I will do as the doctor says :)
  
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  1. Amrita Basu
    
    September 13, 2018 at 8:38 am
    
    Hee hee .Thats a good one?
    
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Esha M Dutta

September 9, 2018 at 11:29 pm

That’s terrible, Sunita. I think you did the sensible thing, Sunita, by opting out. As long as you love what you’re doing, it doesn’t matter whether you do a blogging challenge or not—the idea is to enjoy oneself and not chase stats! Do what your instinct tells you to do and if anything makes you feel exhausted and spent, then quitting is probably the best thing to do because if there’s no fun, what’s the point of doing it in the first place?

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 10, 2018 at 6:09 am
  
  Yes I totally agree. Thanks for putting things in the right perspective. I only enjoy the WT challenges and BAR challenges and the weekly LINKY parties like yours so will stick to those instead
  
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  1. Shilpa Gupte
    
    September 10, 2018 at 11:52 am
    
    Yes, Sunita. DO what gives you peace!
    
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sudha krishnan

September 10, 2018 at 10:01 am

Hi, I just read that you are quitting the challenge. Actually, this has been my first year of participating in any challenge beginning from WT, AtoZ and now Alexa. Since I don’t self-host I never did really get into learning the nuances of the campaign and its ranking etc. I guess I just right because I want to when I want to. It is easier this way for me. I do not want to be bogged down by too many details. Many times people may just read what list they have been provided and not return to read your post until they find your name in a list. Just my opinion. But keep writing often and don’t give up just because of this one experience.

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Shilpa Gupte

September 10, 2018 at 11:50 am

I agree, Sunita, it can get tedious reading all the posts so I visit the 10 blogs that I receive in my mail from blogchatter. Else it would feel like a crazy race and we would all lose our minds!! There are so many things to do in a day, visiting all the blogs will be next to impossible, Just read the 10 from blogchatter and take it easy!
<3

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 10, 2018 at 3:24 pm
  
  I have quit Shilpa because there is no reciprocity . And frankly all this stuff about the Alexa toolbar not showing up on the phone makes my reading on the phone pointless
  Frankly I can only read on the phone . So I’d rather give up than ‘waste’ my time
  
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  1. Holly J
    
    September 14, 2018 at 6:48 am
    
    I used to argue against “reciprocity” in reading and commenting on blogs. And by that, all I meant was, “don’t force yourself to read mine if there’s nothing of interest here, or you’re too busy.” I still feel that way, but it feels bad when you put forth effort to support people in their goals and they don’t return the favor. That’s part of the problem with these sort of random challenges (and one of the reasons I left another large and admittedly active group of bloggers – there was little of mutual interest, little reciprocity, and the whole thing felt very one-sided). I’d rather read blogs I enjoy, comment when I have something to say (or if they ASK me to – you know, if they CARE that I actually do) than to check off a box on a checklist – or to BE that box on someone else’s perfunctory checklist. That’s the sort of thing that makes blogging dreary and dull.
    
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  2. Bellybytes
    
    September 14, 2018 at 9:35 am
    
    I completely agree with you . There are some blogs that are sheer torture ( content that doesn’t interest me or bad grammar) but I feel if you are doing a challenge, there should be some reciprocity. Of course if people don’t bother to respond to my comments I give up ….
    
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arv

September 10, 2018 at 1:55 pm

I guess in the end it is all about whether it works for you or not. If things don’t work for you, let it go. I had signed up for this activity because try what I may, I couldn’t post more than 2-4 posts a month. With Alexa, I knew that I will have to push for 8. It is true that this year number of participants is quite a lot. What I have realized is that many new bloggers signed for it without realizing what it entailed and then they didn’t reciprocate. Also, some are really new blogs with a very little post; some have closed comments. And there are others who don’t have their twitter handle configured. In the end, blogging is about enjoying your journey. If it is not fun it is not for you. Sorry to hear that it has been a mess for you.

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 10, 2018 at 3:25 pm
  
  I’m glad you understand.
  
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2. Holly J
  
  September 14, 2018 at 6:51 am
  
  Really good points, arv.
  
  Newer bloggers don’t know what’s involved – how much time and work it takes – and haven’t even figured out, yet, how to set up a usable, readable blog. It would be great if one of these challenges involved small groups – maybe three newbies and two experience bloggers – and each team compet–er, nope. Nope, nope. nope. Nope on a rope. But maybe each team mentored the other members and helped them all to grow their blogs? That’d be kind of cool.
  
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  1. Bellybytes
    
    September 14, 2018 at 9:37 am
    
    Yes . I have already opted out of AtoZ now Blogchatter’s Alexa. I tend to agree with you about smaller groups like WT and BAR or even weekly memes run by individual bloggers just for fun .
    
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Anshu Bhojnagarwala

September 10, 2018 at 6:01 pm

Sorry to hear about this sunita. I agree there are loopholes in this Alexa thing but please don’t lose heart. You will get lots of comments when your name features in the reading list, believe me I got close to 150-200 comments and spent a better part of my Sunday answering them. It’s an intensive campaign, hence people are not able to reciprocate on each and every blogger. I agreed to Alexa to read some awesome posts and I am really amazed at some good quality content. However, I know I am missing out on reading my regular friends posts because at the end of the day I am spent and in no mental space to read more. I just hope they reduce the no of posts to be read so that I can actually enjoy reading and commenting.

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 10, 2018 at 8:48 pm
  
  Well I have quit because I just can’t handle any more stuff ! You are right about discovering new Blogs . I too enjoyed reading some remarkable stuff . On the other hand there was lots of rubbish too !
  I did this challenge last year too and was disappointed because at the end of the day the number is only temporary. If it is not a sustainable result it is not worth the extra trouble – my problem was that essentially my reading etc was not counted since the iPhone browser does not allow the Alexa toolbar to be downloaded. And I can only read / comment on my mobile . So in a way my effort was meaningless as it wasn’t being ‘recognised’ . And since this is the only way I can function, I really had no choice but to give it up .
  But this was a learning lesson for me so I don’t regret the one week I was part of the challenge
  
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Soumya

September 10, 2018 at 6:19 pm

I’m actually wondering who has the patience to sit through and count people’s comments and send out reprimanding letters and reminders! Challenges are supposed to be fun and it is a good way to get to know people and improve the readership of your blog. If it becomes forced, then it sure is not worth it. Do what is good for you and what works for you. In today’s busy life it is impossible to catch up on so many things, let alone comments one some one’s blog.

Good on you for expressing your thoughts so clearly. I’ve seldom seen people do it. Especially when there are other bloggers involved.

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 10, 2018 at 8:51 pm
  
  Soumya I speak my mind . I am normally not rude but I was most affronted at being hauled up like a school girl. Come on , I’m a 60 year old granny and can do without such stuff .
  Besides this is supposed to be a fun activity and not some school assignment . I have no regrets joining ( I learnt a lot about how the Alexa toolbar works – it doesn’t download on an iPhone , and I can only function on an iPbone – and I did come across some remarkable blogs
  
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kalpana

September 10, 2018 at 7:32 pm

I absolutely understand how you feel Sunita. Had to go through the same thing. It was really distressing and disturbing. In my case things had been going wrong from the very beginning – from not getting emails and reading lists on time. But this being my first blogging challenge, I waited for them to get back to me with a clarification and they did.

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 10, 2018 at 8:55 pm
  
  Lucky you ! I find Blogchatter quite indifferent – it is only when I really lashed out that they bothered to reply. J kept asking them if I was doing things right and they just let it go. I also find that the Alexa ranking is quite temporary and once the challenge is over things go back to the way they were. But of course I don’t want to scare you off and wish you all the best…. in any case I still read your blog so will be visiting your space anyways! :)
  
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  1. Holly Jahangiri
    
    September 14, 2018 at 8:19 am
    
    Your Alexa rank is still better than mine. ;) But it probably has been for a while.
    
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  2. Bellybytes
    
    September 14, 2018 at 9:41 am
    
    Hmmm . Don’t know how that works ! May be all the comments about Alexa have helped ;)
    
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Vinodini

September 10, 2018 at 10:27 pm

You experience sounds quite disappointing. I have actually stopped focusing on my blog stats. I have participated in blog challenges in the past but over a period of time, it gets tiring to make the customary comments and also receive comments on my blog which are more or less on the lines of, “Nice post.” In fact, I have now made it a habit to write or read at the pace I am comfortable with.

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 11, 2018 at 6:29 am
  
  You are right about chasing numbers . I too get peeved with cursory comments and I’m now going to become more judicious about those I follow and those I don’t . Will only participate in fun challenges and not demanding ones .
  
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2. Holly J
  
  September 14, 2018 at 8:23 am
  
  This is the thing that always gets me – who wants perfunctory “nice post” comments? Oh, don’t bother! I love comments and conversations on my blog (I’ve had posts with over 600 comments and replied to every single one of them) but I don’t even approve “nice post” – it goes straight to spam, do not pass go. You actually have to type a certain number of characters, too (something spambots can’t do, or at least find unnecessarily challenging). So unfortunately, that means people who compose comments offline still have to add more than a “nice post” by hand. :) The good news is, I only get about 5 spam comments in a year, even when my blog is busiest!
  
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  1. Bellybytes
    
    September 14, 2018 at 9:42 am
    
    Wow ! Only 5 spam ! That’s really cool. It obviously means that those who comment are truly engaged with you . That’s good for thought …..
    
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Vinitha

September 11, 2018 at 12:48 am

Hugs, Sunita! I’m so sorry to read about your disappointment. Blogging challenges are in general fun and exhausting. But reading 10 blogs per day is a rather tedious task especially for people who has life outside blogging. I have never participated in Alexa challenge because a challenge that leads with numbers is not my thing. I do participate in WT and BAR challenges because there is nothing so strict. When I say I don’t blog for stats I mean it. I don’t have an Alexa extension installed and I don’t know how many views or followers I have. I try to write and read when I can. That’s it. And it works for me. I admire you for speaking your mind and deciding to quit when you felt the need. Keep writing and blogging as you normally do. We are here to read whenever we can.

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 11, 2018 at 6:31 am
  
  Thanks Vinitha! I’ve been burnt twice by chasing numbers and hopefully this will be the last time I do so. WT sand BAR are much more doable and fun so that’s all I’ll participate in from now on .
  
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Tina

September 11, 2018 at 10:06 am

That’s very unfortunate Sunita, But have you been tracking your page views correctly? A big part of blogging is reading – not just for reading sake but it works well for SEO. I somehow don’t find reading 10 blogs too tedious because i generally read more than that. Anyways keep writing. you are doing great.

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 11, 2018 at 2:09 pm
  
  I read more than 10 for sure but I think since I read in my mobile and the Alexa toolbar doesn’t download on an iPhone , my reading goes waste . I’m not really into numbers what got my goat was the reprimanding I got like a recalcitrant schoolgirl! Come on this is supposed to be a fun activity !
  
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Vartika Gakhar

September 11, 2018 at 6:05 pm

Its all about your happiness and sanity. Its ok to leave if not working for you :)

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 11, 2018 at 6:23 pm
  
  Thanks Vartika . May be I belong to another generation that can’t keep up with all you millennials
  
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Sonia Chatterjee

September 11, 2018 at 11:57 pm

I had raised a lot of concern last week with Blogchatter. I’ve actually been reading more than twenty posts per day but most of my visits have been through WT. They have assured me of things getting better. So I’m going to wait and see. But I wholeheartedly agree with you that there’s no point in carrying on with something that you don’t enjoy.

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 12, 2018 at 3:23 pm
  
  Yes, we all seem to be in the same boat and then suddenly are inundated with 100 visits and 100 comment on the day our site is compulsory reading. Is this natural? No it is contrived so I feel the only benefit is to meet new bloggers….. else it is quite stressful and a waste of my time
  
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Rubina Ramesh

September 12, 2018 at 7:18 am

I gave up blogging long time back. But the call keeps me returning from time to time. I was wondering what #MyFriendAlexa was all about. You cleared my doubts :P

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 12, 2018 at 3:22 pm
  
  I too want to give up every now and then but like you said it is quite addictive and keep coming back to this activity. SI understand completely where you are coming from.
  
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Mayuri Nidigallu

September 12, 2018 at 7:23 am

It is really sad, Sunita, that you did not attempt to understand what MyFriendAlexa is about, had little patience to wait out even a week and chose to bad mouth it like this.
This is my 3rd Season of Alexa, and I have only benefited from it. Everyone signs up voluntarily, checking out the rules and conditions, in my case at least.
It is apparent that you are not a person who likes or does group challenges well. I remember a similar complain of yours in the AtoZ last year.
Not being a group person is completely ok.
What is not ok is dissing something without understanding it.

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 12, 2018 at 3:21 pm
  
  Dear Mayuri, I had written Blogchatter several tweets asking them exactly what blogchatter was all about and whether I was doing it right or wrong. I faced the same issue the last time too. I figured that my reading and commenting is not recorded when I do it on my mobile and I can only do it on my mobile. What really got my goat was the fact that I was reprimanded like a recalcitrant school girl.
  This is supposed to be a fun activity not one that you are graded for. I have been sincere in every challenge I undertake and felt really upset that my efforts were going unacknowledged.
  Well, I accept that I am not as tech savvy as the younger ones ( I am 60 years old) and so perhaps it is better for me not to run with the hares….
  
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SHALINI BAISIWALA

September 14, 2018 at 7:53 am

Hey there Sunita – your post is pretty vocal and your angst comes through loud and clear. I say- Get it all out of your system.

I remember the year I did Alexa for the first time and we connected on DM over how you were not able to understand it + no response from the BC team to your queries- you were quite frustrated then and rightly so.

Just chill and blog/write about what makes you happy. I read almost all the comments here (some are very pro BC and those you just ignore please) and concur with Holly a lot – she really had the patience to talk to you here and I admire her for that.

Blogging is not about quid-pro-quid / just get that out of your blogging system. I havent been regular on my blog since May this year. I have been feeling out of the groove since I finished AtoZ this year. But thats ok with me – I am actually not stessed or moaning about it. I am writing as and when I can. Same with reading.

Everytime I post a new blog URL on the WT/BAR thread, there is this one particular blogger who never reads me if hers is below mine – I was genuinely perplexed why she does so? Then I noticed another couple of them doing it to me everytime we are one/two below each other. I thought of doing the same to them – I mean that makes sense – right?

Wrong- Just because they want to play this game, doesnt mean I should too! So I read them everytime they are in the sequence though they still dont read me.

This is how petty we bloggers can be and most times these so called blogging communities take advantage of this and perpetuate this nonsense.

Good on you to slam BC – I had a falling out on them on similar issues and havent looked back since. I am far happier with BAR/WT that really only talk about writing and encouraging all of us to write and promote each other. There is no commercial nonsense or one upmanship; rather the admins are genuinely helpful and encourage all of us to be so too.

Regarding some of the blog issues – lets chat on DM. I have a few ideas that you could try out.

Hang in there gurl; you are my inspiration and for many more of us as even I struggle with tech a lot and I am two decades younger than you ;-) So its definitely not the age but the spirit that gets us going.

A big hug to you!!

P.S:
Hoping to meet soon in the real world!!!!

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 14, 2018 at 9:40 am
  
  Yay! Shalz you are good for my ego which is smarting with Alexa at the moment.
  I completely agree with you that I am being infantile with my expectations and should blog on regardless.
  Would love to catch up on DM and of course waiting for that long overdue Bombay visit
  
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Vasantha Vivek

September 23, 2018 at 2:25 pm

Hai Sunitha, it’s very sad that you had opted out from MFA. Really I get motivation and inspiration from many of your posts. I’m participating in MFA for the second time. I agree with your insights to 50%. The remaining 50% I’m with BC. I want to confirm whether you used your reading hashtags while sharing the blog post you read. That’s the way BC keeps track of your reading. And if you are not keen about your Alexa Rank, then it does matter whether you read from laptop or mobile. But reading hashtags are mandatory to track your reading. Moreover BC is not that much rude in handling these challenges. This is my personal view. Mostly this challenge will have a big hit for new bloggers only, those who had very high or no Alexa rank when the challenge started. But for bloggers who had already a quite descent Alexa rank will not find any major impact.

Pros of this challenge
1. Regular blogging habit – writing and reading
2. New connections
3. New ideas
4. Better SEO so better DA and PA
5. Taking your blog to the next level.

What better that BC must have done
1. Prechecking about Alexa toolbar and twitter handles
2. Reading list on all days except Sunday’s with fewer blog posts
3. Forming smaller groups with a mix of bloggers
4. Having more admins to be contacted easily
5. Better tracking system for reading and writing

Anyhow I will be reading and linking with your posts inspite of challenges or campaigns. You are doing an excellent job. And you are doing it in your unique style too. Really a big hug to you. Keep writing as always. Life is beyond numbers and counts. Love you dear!!!

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1. Bellybytes
  
  September 23, 2018 at 3:56 pm
  
  I love you Vasantha for such a frank and encouraging comment. You are right about the challenge helping newbies but what really got my goat was the fact that no one in BC actually bothers about technicalities.
  I used to regularly read all the posts on the lists and did hashtag it #unishtareads. But for some reason this did not show up on BC’s tracking system hence the mail that if I don’t shape up I will be shipped out. Come on! This was a bit too much for me to stomach.
  Perhaps I am a bit too sensitive but what I kept asking was an evaluation early in the challenge if I was doing it right – no one bothered to answer this question so I decided I may as well give up.
  I do blog almost every day and try and visit most bloggers who visit me….
  Thanks for your understanding Vasantha
  
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