Announcement! TOA Comment Contest

Happy Sunday, friends!

You can tell by the fact that I’m posting on Sunday that I have a special announcement today.

I love blogging. I do a lot of writing (did you see my published article on Thought Catalog???), but blogging allows me a constant, structured, uncensored outlet for my writing. Seeing my “fanbase” (quotes added because I feel unworthy to call it that) grow steadily throughout my blog’s three and a half years has been such a blessing.

I apologize for the excessive amount of parenthetical comments in that paragraph. Bad writing.

However, I’ve noticed something. You guys don’t comment much. As I peruse other blogs, even ones with fewer followers than mine, I see a slew of comments on each post. Why are my posts not receiving comments? Hmm. . . Being trained in data-driven education, I can infer that people are less likely to comment if they so nobody else is commenting, and they are more likely to comment if they see it’s what everyone else is doing. Perhaps I have not done my part as the blog host to create a culture of commenting.

Why does it matter? Because comments are fun. They give me motivation and push my creativity. The also give me valuable feedback about how my recipes turn out in YOUR kitchens. They also show which recipes you guys are more interested in, and which you couldn’t care less about. This is all valuable data for me.

So here’s the contest.

For every FIVE comments that you post on ANY recipe/post (including the Oatmeal Enthusiast series, Saturday round ups, and Weekend Musings) between TODAY and November 14th at 11:59 PM EST, you will receive one point.

The commenter with the most points will get to be the final Oatmeal Enthusiast of 2015 (the coveted December slot!) . . . even if you’ve already been one!

Rules: 

1. Your comments may not be spam in nature. This includes copy-and-pasting identical or near-identical comments on multiple posts. Give me authentic comments, please.
2. “Throwaway comments” will not be counted. A throwaway comment is something with minimal meaning, like “Cool!” or “Interesting!” I am looking for engagement. The definition of engage is to “occupy, attract, or involve someone’s interest or attention.” “Cool” is not attracting anyone’s interest. Here are some exemplary comments:
   As you can see from the last example, they need not be lengthy, but Cassie was explicitly responding to the conversation within the post.
3. All eligible comments (see rules 1 and 2) posted between NOW and Nov. 14th at 11:59 PM EST will be counted. Five eligible comments = 1 point!
4. Make sure you post under the same name/account each time, as that is how I will track who is commenting. (Yes, I’m doing this manually–yippee!) Anonymous posts will not be counted. Consider using your last initial if you think it will help with identification.
5. Responding to other readers’ comments also counts.

 Here are some tips for getting started:

• Obviously, comment on new posts as they come out. Let me know what you think of the recipe idea. However, my favorite comments are your thoughts on the oatmeal after you’ve actually made it. Here’s an example of my favorite kind of comment (although I don’t expect every comment to be of this caliber!): 
• Look back at your favorite recipes on the site and leave a note telling me why/how much you like it.
• Leave a comment on a recipe telling how you adapted it to suite your taste/dietary preferences.
• Leave a comment on an Oatmeal Enthusiast post sharing how you can relate to their story.
• Leave a comment on a “Weekend Musings” post sharing additional tips that I may have missed, or anecdotes that relate to mine.
• Leave a comment on a post requesting more of that kind of recipe. For example, I don’t have a lot of recipes with plums. If you love plums, tell me on a plum recipe that you’d like to see more plum recipes in the future!

Ready . . . set . . . COMMENT!

You have until Nov. 14th at 11:59 PM. 🙂