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Remember that thread weeks about about HOW if we want to see different things on the blogs, like different weddings, we have to APPLY?
Well, guess what? I applied. And just got the rejection with no reason as to why. It was a typical form letter. (I've seen HUNDREDS, and I'm not joking, form letters from literary agents, I can spot them a mile or twelve away.)
Here's what the letter states:
Dear (My Name),
Thank you so much for your interest in blogging for Weddingbee. We wish we could take on a whole swarm of new bees! We have a committee who reviews and votes on all applications, and while we've really enjoyed your blog, we unfortunately only have a few slots available, and last year we were only able to accept 12% of our applicants. :(
If you're also interested in other ways to get published on Weddingbee, here are a few ideas!
Real Weddings - Feature your weddding day on Weddingbee! Check out our guidelines here.
Real Budgets - How did you get the most bang for your wedding day buck? Share your wedding budget with the hive! Check out our guidelines here.
DIY - Submit your favorite DIY project you've completed, along with a tutorial, to Weddingbee!
Guest - Is there a particular post you've written that would make a unique contribution to the hive?
Check out more information on guest blogs here, and if you'd like to submit yours, send it our way to guest@weddingbee.com!
We appreciate you taking the time to apply, and slots for new bees open all the time! It has been a pleasure to read your blog, and you're more than welcome to reapply in another 4 weeks if you'd like us to reevaluate your application. Until then, we hope to continue to see you buzzing about the site. :)
Best,
Cxxxx
Oh, and unless they're snooping on my blog through one single computer, I can tell you now, they aren't looking at my blog. I've been keeping a close eye on my tracker.
So, there you have it. Someone who does a wedding completely out of the ordinary is NOT going to get accepted as a Bee. Is this surprising? NOT IN THE SLIGHTEST. I call it typical and annoying.
Just thought I'd let all your ladies out there who were pulling for me to become a Bee know that I was rejected. With a form letter, no less.
I also believe this goes to show that they aren't the least bit interested in having anything different on the blogs (unless you conform to their type of wedding).
.... and just FYI: I'm GONNA BE IN A MOVIE!!!!!!
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: HELLBOUND!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!!! ***HAPPY DANCE!!!!!!!!*****
@Zinzerena: Sorry to hear about the Bee. It seems like a tough and complicated issue!
How are you going to be in the movie? Are you an extra or an actress etc? Exciting!
@Zinzerena: I don't think it's fair to make that leap that just because YOU didn't get accepted it must be because the Bee doesn't want to see different kinds of weddings. They may not have connected with your writing style, or feel that you had enough experience blogging. There could have been any number of reasons you weren't accepted. Also, they have a lot of people who apply (obviously since they can only accept 12% of applicants).. I don't think it unreasonable that they would use a form letter.
Also... keep trying. Many of the bees will tell you they were rejected at least once before being accepted.
I think I would have to agree. They don't show any kind of differnt weddings, IMO. It's seems to be the "in" type of weddings they show...like right now how rustic DIY is really popular. I don't even think they post "real weddings" that are different...like how they said that was another option. (I apllied for that back on July 19th and haven't heard so it must be a no). Seems to be all the same kind of stuff...either really expensive weddings or rustic DIY stuff. (I have nothing against either, just saying)
@Moose1209: According to her tracker, they haven't even been reading her blog.
@linguo42: Exactly. Which implies that there is no interest whatsoever in even considering her wedding, @Moose1209:. No consideration=rejection.
Unless, that is, someone can give a better reason for the rejection.
Could they have possibly added it to a Google reader and read it that way? Or subscribed to an RSS feed or something?
Thanks, ladies! I appreciate the support! I'll still be posting on my blog (and putting the link BACK in my profile soon!). I'll reapply (maybe if I get enough support they'll accept me? doubtful, but what the heck, right?).
I'm not sure!!!!! I JUST got the message and haven't had the chance to reply! Check it out on FB -- Night of the Living Dead (2012) --. I'm soooo flipping excited about being a part of it!!!!!!! EEEEEEE!!!!!! (Oh, and the guy in charge, is also video taping the wedding. Can we say "AWESOME"?!?!?!?!?!)
Does it suck? Sure. But, don't you think replying with something like, "Do you have any constructive criticism for me?" would be more helpful for you than making assumptions like that and starting a thread like this calling them liars? Also, if you ask many of the blogger bees, a large majority have said countless times they took their constructive criticism and made their blog better, then reapplied. Some reapplied several times and admit realizing that they probably didn't have the best blogging voice when they started. I'd really suggest talking to Pengy if you really want to try again to become a blogger. Best of luck.
@Zinzerena: I'm sorry that your application wasn't chosen this time around. I would encourage you to keep applying. The first time that I applied, I received the exact same email - I suspect that everyone does. Mrs. Penguin is happy to answer any questions that she can about your application, and most, if not all, of the bloggers are happy to look at your blog and offer suggestions - I know many have taken that road in the past in this 4 week time period. It can be really disappointing to get that email, I know because I got it too. You are a very positive and active contributer to Weddingbee, and I would hope that you will continue to make your voice heard both here and on your blog.
P.S. That's awesome that you're going to be in a movie!
@ohheavenlyday: not likely. I don't have it set up for it. I'm an evil person that way. You want to read it: come to my blog.
Also, you can NOT tell me ANY of the weddings featured on the blogs here are anywhere NEAR like the one I'm doing. So, if they want "different", wouldn't they accept me?
That also points to the fact my "style" isn't what they want.
But.... I'm gonna be in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD!!!!!! (wanna guess which is more awesome at the moment? hehehehehehehe)
@ohheavenlyday: I suppose. I'm not all that techy, I'm just taking Ryna's word for it-she says she can see who views her blog, through her tracker thingy.
ETA: Well, nevermind, as Ryna was replying as I was typing, lol.
Ok. If they never read her blog, then how would they know to reject based on the notion that they only want certain types of weddings? If they never read it, they dont even know what kind of wedding she has, therefore they can't reject her based on what kind of wedding she has anyway. I dont get it.
If they in fact didn't read it, it seems like they just randomly pick ones to read and pick the Bees from that. It doesn't follow for them not to read her blog and still be able to reject her blog because she is not having a certain type of wedding.
lol, does anyone else not get it?
Maybe it's just me, but if you're planning to reapply I don't think this post would help you...
I am sorry you weren't accepted though, I think it would be so much fun to blog for weddingbee!
Personally I dont read the blogs that much lately, I found that a lot of the weddings followed a similar pattern and there wasnt a very wide range of budgets and styles. Thats why I stopped reading them.
@Aubergold: Yeah, I'm thinking that it might just be that they're swamped and not necessarily anything personal about Ryna's wedding. Which kind of sucks from an applicant's perspective to not really be considered, but they do get tons of applications so I can understand that if they've just extended the invitation to spring 2012 brides it could be kind of overwhelming.
@pinkpaperbride: truthfully? I'm debating if it's worth reapplying.
IF my writing style sucked for blogging, I'm pretty certain my PUBLISHED AUTHOR FRIENDS would've said something to me.
Also, I put exactly what my wedding is going to be in the application. Why look at the blog if the style doesn't match what they want?
There were a couple bloggers that interested me and I read those, but I don't read most either and it's not necessarily personal, but there's only so many times you can read about "the name change debate" and the agonizing choice over who to go with for STDs and ruling out venues. I mean, I know girls blog about that stuff because they want to remember the planning process and that's part of it, but there's only so many different ways you can write about the pros and cons of changing your name. Meaning a LOT of the posts on the blog start getting repetitive.
@Zinzerena: Oh, I'm so sorry to hear this! I know how much it sucks to get rejected from something you really want. My first round of grad school applications was the most depressing thing ever.
I wouldn't take the form letter personally. There's so many applications that it would be so much extra work for Pengy to personalize each one. If it makes you feel any better, the acceptance letter is also a form letter. If you read any of the Bees' introductions, you'll see most of us quote the same thing from it.
And yes, I think Pengy uses Google reader, which I know never/rarely shows up in my tracker. So it may not seem like anyone read your blog, but I'm sure they did.
A lot of us Bees would be more than willing to take a look at your blog and offer advice/suggestions if you're interested. I know I wouldn't mind stopping by if you PM me and send me your link. I haven't read your blog, but I know that it's not simply enough to have an unusual approach to wedding planning or to be planning a really non-traditional wedding. That certainly makes for interesting content, but you also need a clear sense of voice and an engaging writing style. I'm not saying your blog doesn't have these things--I haven't read it, so I wouldn't know. But I do know I certainly didn't have that when I started blogging, and it's something I had to develop over time.
Don't be discouraged! Keep at it, and know that many Bees had to apply more than once!
Could someone have just visisted one time and read a couple of posts then? I'm guessing they wouldn't visit it multiple times, since they have a bunch to read through. I'm sorry it didn't work for you.
Hi all! I just want to clarify the application process:
Weddingbee receives over 450 blogger applications a year, and we read every single one!
We have a committee of 12 volunteer blogger bees that review all applications...because there are only 12 of us that go through the preliminary round of applications (we recieve over 450 applications a year), it's not a surprise that you may not notice a bump in traffic---at most, you'd be seeing 8-12 new visitors during an initial round of committee review.
Each committee member represents different backgrounds has a different idea of what they are looking for in new bee bloggers---we're not all looking for the same things. We take over 48 hours per each round of committee review (we usually review 5-6 blog applications at a time) to read, discuss, and re-read. It's not a process we take lightly and all the ladies on the committee bring different perspectives to the table.
I'm dissapointed in myself or anyone on the committee being called a liar---I take deep offense to that. :(
You're claiming you want to be apart of something but then attacking it. This post is rude, immature, and non-productive.
I'll put the link in my profile for those who want to look.
And.... they sure as hell didn't read some of the posts that are completely NOT the norm. (including a nice little "F U" to someone who has been a thorn in our sides for years... then again... maybe that's WHY... I'm too controversial, lol).
Hey, I'm gonna have a kick-ass wedding.
I've got the director/writer of NotLD filming our wedding, a model who's doing my makeup and hair (BeBe Doll, she's also a hostess in MD :P), a local DJ who's making our mix for the wedding march, Monique "The Original Gata" Dupree (aka the First Black Scream Queen), and have invited Bill Oberst Jr, an actor from LA.
If that's not good enough to be a Bee.... oh, well.
@mwitter80: exactly.....
Ryna What kind of wedding are you having?
@Zinzerena:I don't doubt you are going to have an awesome wedding but that's not the only factor for deciding who will be a blogger. It's the writing and frequency. I really think you should ask them for tips before just assuming because you know what they say about that! :)
@mwitter80: I agree
This is extreamly immature, everytime you right somthing new I am shocked. I cant stand people who always claim to be so "orginial" - original people dont feel the need to talk about it all the time. Also, bragging about your friends or wedding party/guests is rediculous. Relax.
@pinkpaperbride: I thought the same thing.
@Ryna: As much as it sucks that you didn't get accepted on the first time, you really need to use the free knowledge that they can give you to make any changes or tweeks to make blogs better. It's not a bad thing, so don't take it as that and don't start this kind of thread unless you have no further intention of ever applying again.
Michael Jordan didn't make his basketball team his sophmore year of high school.
Don't give up so easily, girl. You have to keep trying and stay positive if you really want something.
Well, to that, I'd just say that there's a "norm" for a reason, and I know from the general atmosphere of nicety they like to maintain on the boards, that on the front page blogs, they're PROBABLY not going to accept too many ranty-type posts, like the F-U one you just described. In fact, I've never seen any blogging bee have an F-U post published, as I just don't think that's the general... tone the editors prefer to set for the site?
I've never read your blog, so I don't know anything about your wedding except that I believe it's sort of fairy/mythical creature/magic themed or something along those lines... and as far as your published friends not thinking there was anything wrong with it, all I can say is maybe stylistically there's not, as in, you probably do write well, but they can't possibly know the tone or impression that the editors of THIS site prefer and are looking for. I do think they're open to different weddings, and wouldn't disqualify someone on the fact that maybe their wedding dress was blue or something, but if your voice, however "yours" it is, just doesn't fit with their general ideology of what they want the site to represent... well... I could see how that would be cause for them to decline an application.
@Zinzerena: again, on behalf of myself and all the ladies on the committee, I assure you we'd read your application as well as all your blog posts. It's a lot of time to do so, but definitely worth it, and I definitely don't like to see the committee's efforts belittled.
As mentioned, many of the blogger bees have applied a few times! :) Because we have a limited amount of slots open, sometimes it takes a couple tries...ask any of the blogger bees!
I find it offensive that we're told to apply if we want to see different things, yet when we do, they aren't chosen. I find that to be a lie.
Apply if you want to see something different. We apply. We aren't chosen.
As for the wedding? Complete fantasy-themed wedding where EVERYONE is encouraged to come in costume and/or casual clothing. The budget is set at 3500 tops. Even THE BRIDE AND GROOM are going to be in costume, not a typical white wedding gown.
I've posted about it multiple times and really don't feel the point in repeating myself. As it is, I've already stopped posting as much as I had been and, to be perfectly honest, see little point in continuing to post around here.
@penguin: your apology is very sweet but also UNNECESSARY!! you did nothing wrong. i def think you and the other Blogger Commitee members are owed an apology!
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