My hiking blog received some acknowledgment recently. Here’s what I wrote about it over on my Northern California Hiking Trails blog:
The travel website www.tripbase.com recently handed out awards for the best blogs in a variety of categories. The Northern California Hiking Trails blog was a finalist in the walking/backpacking category. Now, there’s definitely some very good blogs here, and I’m grateful to be in their company. However, there’s some very good blogs that didn’t even make the cut.
I’m, well, I’m not sure what I am, but I’m glad to be in a ten-way tie for eleventh place.
Here’s the entire award list; the three in bold besides mine are great blogs I personally know about that I urge you to visit.
- 1sthttp://goliath.mail2web.com/
- 2ndhttp://www.tommangan.net/twoheeldrive/
- 3rdhttp://www.tripleblaze.com/blog/
- 4thhttp://gambolinman.blogspot.com/
- 5thhttp://www.hikingtaiwan.blogspot.com/
- 6thhttp://www.yearinthelife.org/
- 7thhttp://www.mytravelbackpack.com/
- 8thhttp://hikinginthesmokys.blogspot.com/
- 9thhttp://www.floridahikes.com/blog/
- 10thhttp://ryanrunseurope.blogspot.com/
- Finalisthttp://frankinoz.blogspot.com/
- Finalisthttp://v-g.me.uk/blog/
- Finalisthttp://bazbackpack.blogspot.com/
- Finalisthttp://northerncaliforniahikingtrails.com/blog/
- Finalisthttp://www.trailofants.com/
- Finalisthttp://www.studentsineurope.com/blog-backpacking-experience/
- Finalisthttp://besthike.wordpress.com/
- Finalisthttp://www.ubertramp.com/blog/
- Finalisthttp://www.flashpackerbackpacking.com/
- Finalisthttp://www.startbackpacking.com/travel/
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hiya,
I got this email too – my Year in the Life blog was “6th” – but I’m afraid you’ll disappointed to hear that the “award” means nothing; it’s just an incredibly shallow (albeit very savvy) marketing technique they use to generate buzz and get one-way backlinks and visitors to their website. They couldn’t care less about our blogs in reality. My blog isn’t even anything to do with walking/hiking/backpacking! It’s a budget travel blog (backpacking in the UK English sense).
Sorry to drop that bombshell… I advise you to remove any links you have to tripbase on your blogs and to write them a snotty email for their disingenous marketing technique.
All the best,
Steve.
I also saw it as primarily an attempt for Tripbase to promote itself, as did at least two other recipients. Tripbase is a legit site, it does get a lot of traffic, and the “winning” blogs I personally know about on the list are high-quality hiking blogs.