A website called ibibo.com has been running a contest called 'Great Indian Blogger Hunt'. The no 1 blog on this site will receive Rs 1.5 lakhs on February 15.
Well, Raj sent me a link to his blog pointing out that the leading blog was actually a 'junk blog'. It just has dozens of entries, some with a single word or just a random photo.
Someone at ibibo seems to have taken note and pulled out the junk blog... only to replace it with another junk blog. 'Jeetna meri zidd nahi, meri aadat hai' is the title and it features one-line posts. 6218 of them to be precise.
This - and other similar efforts on the leaderboard - are blogs in name alone. Ibibo believes that "You don't need to be a great writer, or journalist" to be a blogger. Fair enough. But exhorting folks to "write or show anything - absolutely anything!" is an incomplete instruction.
Given the monetary lure people are posting just about anything... or nothing of any value or interest. And several times over, in the hope of increasing their "ibQ" score. What good is that?
This brings me back to two of my favourite points:
- User-generated content rule # 1 is that quality attracts quality and crap attracts crap. Ibibo should have seeded the site with a few good quality blogs. Perhaps ghost written by themselves. That would have set a benchmark for others to follow.
- Money is important but not everything. You can't stimulate blogging by paying out huge sums to people who don't care about blogging in the first place.
Ibibo has grandly announced a payout of Rs 1.5 CRORES. Which VC was naive enough to fund this 'idea'? And now that it is obviously not working... will they keep their foolish promise?
And to top this, yesterday (Wednesday, Feb 07 2007), Ibibo issued a quarter page ad in TOI Ascent (Jobs) calling for Head M&A, product managers, marketing heads and some other senior positions as well.
ReplyDeleteheh..
ReplyDeleteThe first time I heard about it I knew it had "bad idea" written all about it.
I guess it's the rise of the web 2.0 bubble in India.
Build a, er, can't call it community...well, build any collection of people and maybe we'll get bought out, that kind of thinking.
The same is true for inane contests like bunkd.com is running
damnit! I should have thought of that first... the junk blog. maybe the money would have been mine! heh! but seriously, the blogs are bad and what's even worse is the platform/tool... why would anyone stick around even after they have won? Ibibo may get their initial users/traction but i doubt there will be any long-term users.
ReplyDeleteRashmi, thanks for blogging about this fiasco!
ReplyDeleteGlad it is reaching a larger audience.
- Rajiv
rajspace.net
"Which VC was naive enough to fund this 'idea'?"
ReplyDeleteThis VC either inherited lots of money, or he made lots of money somehow.
In case he did make money in life, I'm not sure who is more naive - the VC, or the person commenting on the naivety of the VC
"Which VC was naive enough to fund this 'idea'?"
ReplyDeleteRashmi,
Ibibo actually doesn't need a VC to fund this. Its owned by the multi billion dollar media group - MIH (http://www.naspers.com/English/mih.asp). They have enough money to burn :)
Tarun
http://tarunjain.wordpress.com
Yesterday when i noticed ibibo i posted something on my blog too about agogo. Seems like their advertisement on Yahoo has been successful.
ReplyDeleteI like the rating option for the readers to grade the post they read.
And i still belive for somebody to win cash on ibibo is about having all the free time in this world and 24*7 internet.
Quality is bound to be alien when adding one line in every new post is the only motto.
Moneywsie let us see they pay or not.
This is a product of a South African Firm MIH.
ReplyDeleteCheck this link:
http://way2top.org/?p=63
I registered myself at ibibo and blogged there for a while but the quality of the blogs there was pathetic, to say the very least. So I have stopped blogging there. Most of the blogs there are just nonsense.
ReplyDeleteHi Rashmi,
ReplyDeleteI jad initially thought this is a good idea.. but later realized what a crap it is. There are some really good talented bloggers who entered the competition but soon got demoralized and fed up of the cheap quality.
I read this interesting post on ibibo; where a guy wrote an email to ibibo organizers demanding some answers. Dont know whether he got those answers!
I participated in the ibibo and i have some detailed description of the things out thr...check them out
ReplyDeleteauthor : http://fivepointsome1.blogspot.com
hi rashmi,
ReplyDeleteyou have an interesting list of blogs that you read...how come you never come across mine heh... editor i love your magazine....
regards!!!!
hi,
ReplyDeleteI open an ac with that site. After seeing all those leading runners( those with high points)I decided not to post anything. Its all idiot. Its worser than your spam message.
Blogs need to be real and personal. Reading your blog needs to be like hanging out with you.
ReplyDeleteLets call it "The Great Indian Spammer Hunt"!
And lets listen to Cool Hand Luke;
"What we've got here is failure to communicate..."
:-)
Hi
ReplyDeleteThe right to decide what's good and what's crap no longer rests with the individual. Let the crowds decide. If they accept and use ibibo, it'll mean they like what's being created and served up there. if they're chasing money, you have a problem with that?
This post reflects the ivory tower views that you and your groupies revel in. Remember, it wasn't individuals who decided what a blog is - a large bunch of people used the platform to to do what they pleased - and out of that grew a whole new form. Now, what if ibibo ends up creating something quite different? What right do you have to call it crap? I notice from Alexa that they have achieved in a month what you haven;t in all the years you've had your magazine online - so maybe, just maybe, they know a little more about how to be successful?
It's a CCP rat race. Copy, Cut, Paste.
ReplyDeleteBut it has given me an idea to start a CCP feature on my blog. But it's abt Courage, Conviction and Persistence.
I want to write abt ppl who have the CCP characteristics. (one reason is I lack in them and maybe get inspired from writing abt it)
I'll love to get started with your story!
I have recently noticed that announcing a big prize money offers you a much more worth advertisements. Getting a post on your blog will cost around $100 (pay per post standard)
ReplyDelete1.5 crore = close to $3,50,000 = 3500 blog posts x $100.
Look at the stats (17,000 links which does not include their own links, this site is also linking to it).
It is a profitable business and we are doing as per their expectations. Reviewme.com did the same thing.
Btw I am from Inferno Blog Hunt crowd, I saw that you have featured us on email of the week :).
I covered ibibo long time back..and wrote off their blogging platform...
ReplyDeleteThey need to focus on quality. And by the way, there is another pimping service called ByIndia's $5mn sweepstake. Reality check here
yes, very important
ReplyDeleteIbibo and it's investors have simply lost it, buying bloggers who din't blog anything worth in there life is stupid....I believe they have created some buzz and traffic and tons of junk.....but God only knows how will they survive.....
ReplyDeleteMake Your Cell Phone Sexy @ http://Mozomo.mobi
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