BotB- Been There, Done That

I wrote this post a month back, at the time my record on the BotB was 7 wins and 11 loses.

The laws of the jungle are cruel and unforgiving. So are the unwritten laws of Battle of the Blogs over at Blog Explosion. You start out the virgin, prancing down to the watering hole with your "out of the box template" and your lavish post about breakfast. Look here, this is a picture of my ham and eggs! You wager your 10 credits, taking on all challengers, and await your fan approval. After all, its ham AND eggs, how can you lose.

15 votes later you get your ass handed to you on a platter from one of the kings of the jungle. Well maybe those voters just don't appreciate a morning meal, you decide. So undaunted, you blog a hilarious post on how the grass is growing, add two photos, and head back to the watering hole unafraid. Before you can stop yourself, your record is 4 wins and 11 loses and your crawling back into the bush with your tail between your legs, licking your wounds.
Once your wounds heal, you poke your head out of the bush and take a closer look at the BotB. You see the regulars circling the water; Knapp, oneladymedic, fofusa, OldGuy, babick. Like jungle cats they wait for prey, occasionally battling each other for the title of pack leader. Their stats are impressive (70% wins). A pack of jackals follow these leaders picking up credits by voting for the favored. So YOU become a hyena. You follow the leaders, posting comments and picking up scraps. You abandon the "out of the box" template for a custom site from "webDivas", including the obligatory sexy female image in the corner (always worth a few votes).
You tweak your writing, no more breakfast posts. You blog how the world collapsed around you while you were eating breakfast.

Your courage returns. You wait for the innocent newbie with the "out of the box template" and the over-sized text and you pounce before a fellow jackal or the leaders notice them, but you don't set up your own challenges. Oh no, not yet, to risky! Slowly your stats improve. Soon your wins and loses are fifty/fifty. You're on your way. Sink your teeth into a few more tech blogs just looking for traffic and your ready to post your own challenge. Sure the pack leaders will put you in your place once in a while, but you have your scares. You have paid your dues, earned your rank.... and the jackals begin to follow you.

At the time it made sense and its good advice if you want to get a positive score and easy credits. I know how the successful Battlers feel now (for you not familiar with Blog Explosion or the Battle of the Blogs my record is now at 180 wins and 58 losses). I post more challenges then I except now. My numbers do not reflect the quality of my blog. I should probably be closers to fifty/fifty. You need to win at least 71% of your battles to make the top fifty. A month ago it was 69%. I don't feel much like an lion now that I have made the list, more like an old horse.

I hear they are going to update the BotB's again. They are going to make the top ten list and win/lose records a monthly thing and place time counters on the viewing of each blog. I think thats a good thing.