That’s true. I mean, first and foremost, you’re getting blog traffic because people need to keep checking your blog if you’re on the participant list in order to find posts. You’re also possibly getting comments if a post on your blog is chosen by the reader to fill in a square on their bingo board. You may even be getting blogging ideas if you have writer’s block by seeing the board ahead of time (quick, quick, write a post that will make people gasp!). All in all, there is a lot a participant gets beyond the prize.

The categories seem pretty broad, how do I know what you’re looking for?

That was on purpose. You can interpret the category however you wish–the more creative the better. For instance “a post that contains a recipe” may literally have a recipe for fudge cake or it may contain a recipe-for-disaster. You get to defend your choices when you call “Bingo!” Though some cards are relatively concrete in their interpretation. The nice thing is that everyone will be finding different posts to mark their board.

What happens if people cheat?

Well, I can’t account for all the various ways people could cheat, BUT there are a few things I’ve done to deter people from cheating. (1) The category is only listed for 24 hours. You can miss a card and still play, but people who see every card have a leg up. (2) Only those on the list can participate–people can’t drop into the game after it has begun. (3) By leaving comments, you prove that you actually read the post. (4) By stating that the timestamps on the comments need to be different, you can’t save up your commenting for when you realize you’re about to win Bingo. (5) By tying the post to a series of dates, it means that people can’t write posts in the days ahead of time or backdate them easily (it will look pretty obvious if you have a post with a single comment on it that you tried to tuck backwards in time and encourage your friend to use). (6) You cannot use posts from your own blog so it would take a lot of coordination between blogs to plant old posts and damn…who has the energy?

I also trust that people understand this is in good fun to get people to read and comment and enjoy blogging and not cheat and ruin the game.

Won’t everyone be shouting Bingo! at the same time?

Well, no. I mean, there are 5 cards so people will fill their spaces in a different order. Plus, some people will find a post that fits quickly and some won’t find it at all. It all depends on how savvy you are, how much time you have to read that day and how lucky you are. But once you have bingo, don’t wait. Email me because the first person with a winning card in my inbox is the winner.

What if I can’t find a post that matc
hes the card?

Then you simply don’t mark anything on your board that day. There’s a good chance that will happen regardless of the fact that I chose pretty broad categories. It all depends on how many people participate and what they’ve been writing about. If you can’t find a post that matches the category, that space is simply dead. Sort of like real bingo if you don’t have that number on your card.

Why did you invent this game? It seems like an enormous waste of your time. Don’t you have anything better to do?

Why are you trying to hurt my feelings?

I invented this game due to the late summer blues, with school starting soon and that general feeling of fun winding down. I wanted to infuse my year with more fun and if I’m doing it for myself, I might as well do it for you. This game actually only took a few days of thinking about and trouble shooting to mentally create, another hour or so of set up, and then the rest pretty much runs itself. It’s not a lot of work on my end.

And it fulfills three things that I think are fun: using blogs to get people to think and feel, ensure that people leave comments, and create community.

Can I participate in Blogger Bingo if I’m also doing IComLeavWe?

The two games are not mutually exclusive. If you have the time, go for it. You can participate in both.

I missed sign-up. When will you be holding another round?

If it goes well and there is continued interest, I will start a new round a few days after the last round. If this idea tanks…well…you probably won’t be reading this post.

Hey, this is such a great idea! Do you mind if I hold a Blogger Bingo session on my blog?

Actually, I do mind. More than any other project I’ve started, this one took a lot of troubleshooting and coordination. Therefore, I will be most cranky if you take my work and commandeer it as your own.

Hey, this is such a great idea! Would you use my product as the prize in order to get attention for my product along with a free prize for your readers?

Yes, if you have something I think would appeal to people, I’d be happy to add it to the prize tank for the winner. Please email me if you think you have something in your Etsy store or business that would fit this need.

You didn’t answer my question. What do I do?

I think it’s pretty obvious. You email me and ask your question. It helps if you write “bingo” in the subject line.