Published Nov 2nd, 2013, 11/2/13 2:27 pm
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Do you know if Planet Minecraft is hosting another blog contest any time soon? No, me neither. But whether ito s happening or not, we need it. We need it now.
Unfortunately some people have complained about previous blogging contests, such aso ¦
because they got in the way of o proper contestso such aso ¦
And you might say, o more people enjoy building; building/skin contests are more popular than blogging ones, and PMC want their contests to be as big as possible!o
Wrong. The last blog contest received 1475 entries, while the latest project competition only earned around 500. So clearly, people like blogging as much as building, and will happily enter another battle of the bloggers.
Also, PMC cares about quality just as much as quantity, if not more. Blogging contests bring out an incredibly high number of high-quality articles, causing many people to write more frequently.
Basically: Blog contests = More writers = More high-level blogs = More people subscribing and returning to PMC to read them = More visitors = What PMC wants.
Plus, some blogs, unlike builds, can shoot straight to the top of Google Search Results. For instance, my o 100 things to build in Minecrafto is the second result when people search o things to build in Minecraft.o The popularity of this search term means that nearly 30,000 people have read my blog. Therefore Io ve probably attracted at least 20,000 non-PMC-users to the site.
People like to search for information on video games and the internet, and doing so may take them to blogs on Planet minecraft, because they can be good sources of information. These users may stick around and start using PMC full-time - which is, again, what PMC wants. As a result, PMC likes as many people as possible to write these informative blogs and bring more users to the site. What better way to get people writing these articles and attracting these users, than to host a blog contest?
Anyway, weo ve touched on PMCo s desire to maintain a high-quality site. And yes, regardless of visitors or the amount of money the site makes, quality is very important.
People complain about the falling standard of content in the blog section (due to younger people signing up and posting things without reading the rules/understanding the nature of PMC.) A blog contest is the perfect way to reverse this trend. It would ensure that only the best of the best reach the popular reel, because thereo d be so many of them.
A wave of good submissions would teach the less-skilled users about how to write well and write creatively. People would pick up these techniques and hopefully utilise them in future. Just as I pick up building techniques when looking at all the great projects posted in a project contest.
Yes, this all sounds a bit idealistic and hopeful. But is there any other way of improving the blog section? No. Not really. (Tightening up the submission rules would have little effect, if you think about it.)
Now, you might say, o surely lots of rubbish blogs will also be posted by people who just want to get in on the contest?o In response, Io d say:
A) Project contests are no different. Just as much bad content as good content is inevitable.
B) Only the good content would reach the pop reel and, in a contest, ito s more likely to get the credit it deserves.
Additionally, shouldno t we be promoting reading and writing on PMC? We have a great opportunity to do it. Everyone who cano t be bothered to read a full-length novel can turn to the fun, interesting reading material on this very site. In terms of writing, a contest would help people to realise that they can blog well, and encourage them to take up the craft. Education is good, etco ¦
There you have it. Blog contests are beneficial for the site and all of its users; Io d like to see one very soon. Of course, there may be impracticalities involved with them, such as the fact that it takes longer to judge blogs than builds. Also, it's difficult to come up with ideas for blog contests. But the benefits far outweigh these difficulties.
Mini contests hosted in the forums dono t compare - theyo re often poorly organised, badly judged, and the quality and quantity of entries is never impressive. Although Io m glad to have been able to judge/participate in these, Io m frustrated that PMC hasno t hosted a proper blog contest in all the months Io ve been here.
How much would you like to see another blog contest? Tell me in the comments!
Unfortunately some people have complained about previous blogging contests, such aso ¦
because they got in the way of o proper contestso such aso ¦
And you might say, o more people enjoy building; building/skin contests are more popular than blogging ones, and PMC want their contests to be as big as possible!o
Wrong. The last blog contest received 1475 entries, while the latest project competition only earned around 500. So clearly, people like blogging as much as building, and will happily enter another battle of the bloggers.
Also, PMC cares about quality just as much as quantity, if not more. Blogging contests bring out an incredibly high number of high-quality articles, causing many people to write more frequently.
Basically: Blog contests = More writers = More high-level blogs = More people subscribing and returning to PMC to read them = More visitors = What PMC wants.
Plus, some blogs, unlike builds, can shoot straight to the top of Google Search Results. For instance, my o 100 things to build in Minecrafto is the second result when people search o things to build in Minecraft.o The popularity of this search term means that nearly 30,000 people have read my blog. Therefore Io ve probably attracted at least 20,000 non-PMC-users to the site.
People like to search for information on video games and the internet, and doing so may take them to blogs on Planet minecraft, because they can be good sources of information. These users may stick around and start using PMC full-time - which is, again, what PMC wants. As a result, PMC likes as many people as possible to write these informative blogs and bring more users to the site. What better way to get people writing these articles and attracting these users, than to host a blog contest?
Anyway, weo ve touched on PMCo s desire to maintain a high-quality site. And yes, regardless of visitors or the amount of money the site makes, quality is very important.
People complain about the falling standard of content in the blog section (due to younger people signing up and posting things without reading the rules/understanding the nature of PMC.) A blog contest is the perfect way to reverse this trend. It would ensure that only the best of the best reach the popular reel, because thereo d be so many of them.
A wave of good submissions would teach the less-skilled users about how to write well and write creatively. People would pick up these techniques and hopefully utilise them in future. Just as I pick up building techniques when looking at all the great projects posted in a project contest.
Yes, this all sounds a bit idealistic and hopeful. But is there any other way of improving the blog section? No. Not really. (Tightening up the submission rules would have little effect, if you think about it.)
Now, you might say, o surely lots of rubbish blogs will also be posted by people who just want to get in on the contest?o In response, Io d say:
A) Project contests are no different. Just as much bad content as good content is inevitable.
B) Only the good content would reach the pop reel and, in a contest, ito s more likely to get the credit it deserves.
Additionally, shouldno t we be promoting reading and writing on PMC? We have a great opportunity to do it. Everyone who cano t be bothered to read a full-length novel can turn to the fun, interesting reading material on this very site. In terms of writing, a contest would help people to realise that they can blog well, and encourage them to take up the craft. Education is good, etco ¦
There you have it. Blog contests are beneficial for the site and all of its users; Io d like to see one very soon. Of course, there may be impracticalities involved with them, such as the fact that it takes longer to judge blogs than builds. Also, it's difficult to come up with ideas for blog contests. But the benefits far outweigh these difficulties.
Mini contests hosted in the forums dono t compare - theyo re often poorly organised, badly judged, and the quality and quantity of entries is never impressive. Although Io m glad to have been able to judge/participate in these, Io m frustrated that PMC hasno t hosted a proper blog contest in all the months Io ve been here.
How much would you like to see another blog contest? Tell me in the comments!
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