Arte y Pico: Simple Patron of the Arts or Blogging Evil Super Genius?


The Arte y Pico Awards have really gotten around in my blogging circles. In my almost two years of blogging, never have I seen one virtual award sweep the internet the way this one has.

In one way, it's really, really nice-- it's a thoughtful nod of appreciation to one's fellow bloggers for a job well done. For bringing the art of the craft to an audience. It's a way of saying, "Hey, friend-- good job!" I would like to thank my online friend Alice, my pal the Crotchety Old Man and the lovely and very funny ChatBlanc for kindly bestowing these on me recently. Your good-eggishness has not gone unrecognized!

Yet in another way, when you just pop across the virtual street to see your beloved neighbors, and you're suddenly tripping over Arte y Pico awards-- well, it's a bit like a plague of locusts. I think I've stepped on, like, hundreds of these things as I make my journey from blog to blog.

They make a neat tinkly-crunchy noise.

So, in summary, really nice, but better wear thick-soled shoes when you make your way around the blogosphere. It's a plague of locusts with each locust delivering a teeny-tiny Pulitzer.

Now what makes me think the "Arte y Pico" blog owner himself is an Evil Super Genius?

Well, it's because this SEO mastermind wrote right into the rules how anyone who receives the award should link back to the original Arte y Pico page. And we all, for some mysterious reason (or because the rules say so, and made-up rules must always be followed), we go ahead and do it. Oh, and I include myself in this. I did it as well.

Which means that every blogger who distributes this award to their five recipients puts a link to Arte y Pico. And those five bloggers distribute to five bloggers who put a link to Arte y Pico...

And so on...

And so on...

DeadRooster touched on this a couple of weeks back, but I felt it merited further emphasis. The blogger behind Arte y Pico has managed to develop a pyramid scheme of linkbacks all because everyone enjoys sharing the fun of awards. It's brilliant!

Of course, when it comes to what I now like to call the "Arte y Pico Link Enticement Snare" (also known as the "Arte y Pico Paradigm", the "Arte y Pico SEO Strategy", and "Phyllis"), other clever brains have figured this out and have launched similar awards initiatives, also requesting links back to them. Will these have the staying power of the Arte y Pico awards? Time will tell.

The Arte y Pico blogger does have the advantage because he:
  1. Did this first and
  2. Wrote his whole awards page in Spanish so it's harder for us non-Spanish speakers to see the underlying Evil Geniusness of it all
  3. Made a really elaborate, frilly artistic award with winged ladies and other geegaws so we're concentrating on how much we'll have to dust the thing on the virtual mantle... And are paying less attention to the fact he's snuck a link to himself into the darned thing

So Arte y Pico-- created by a simple patron of the arts, or Blogging Evil Supergenius? You decide.

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Vote for this post at Humor-blogs. Or, you know, just hand me some Endust for my Arte y Pico awards. Thanks!

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have just won another pico bringing my total to date to five. I am running out of room here at the Dead Rooster Mansion.

The biggest question is: why did he have to make them eight-feet tall?

Unknown said...

Rooster- Five, eh? That's enough to qualify you for a Lifetime Achievement Art y Pico! Aren't you proud?

And hey, if you think the regular Arte y Picos are large, you should see the Lifetime Achievement version.

How big is Dead Rooster Mansion, anyway? Because, um, you might need an area with a vaulted ceiling...

Just a little heads-up there.

Chat Blanc said...

I'm still something of a naive newbie, so when I first learned of and received the award I had no idea the true nature of this evil super genius plan for blog world domination.

When you get up to five like Dead Rooster I think you should be able to exchange them for something meaningful, like say, chicken nuggets at Mickey D's. OH! was that offensive to the Rooster? eeks! sorry!

Unknown said...

Sandy- The Rooster has a fairly thick skin (possibly extra crispy) so I don't believe he'll take offense.

Yes, I, too was unaware of the nefarious plot for one billion-bazillion links back to Art y Pico, either, at first.

It is really only this last week, where I have witnessed DrowseyMonkey receive yet another such award and CrotchetyOldMan receive at least his third-- and nameless others-- well, I simply felt the insidious plot needed to be brought into the open.

We have all been unwitting pawns!

I will still, of course, keep my Arte y Pico awards in the middle of my mantle. After all, it wasn't cheap to install that spotlight on them!

Alice said...

I had the very same thoughts after seeing them all over the blog world.

But I still think the world of you and your blog! Mwah!

Unknown said...

Alice- Backatcha! You're a gem, and the shine isn't dulled by a surplus of Arte y Picos. :)

Anonymous said...

IF there were any ads on Arte Y Pico's site, I'd go for Blogging Evil Super Genius, but there aren't! And if you scroll aaalllll the way down (it's a long, long scroll) it's all about handicrafts, like knitting and crochet.

So, reluctantly, I have to admit, it's probably Simple Patron of the Arts!

LOL!

Unknown said...

Jay- Hm... interesting... Then perhaps he's looking for world domination through knitwear.

I will have to rethink my theory ever-so-slightly. Thank you, Jay, for this new information!

Greg said...

Is he perhaps trying to knit the blogger world into a unified whole?

Rebecca said...

It's an evil conspiracy, I say! It sounds like they just keep multiplying without any discretion whatsoever...like bunnies! :)

MYM said...

ahahahahhaha!

like Farrah Fawcett and that shampoo....

Jenn Thorson said...

Drowsey- Wow, ya had me really having to think on this one. But I'm with ya now: "And they tell two friends, and THEY tell two friends... and so on, and so on..."

HAAAA!

Anonymous said...

Sometimes both answers are right :-)

Da Old Man said...

Jenn, I just wanted to make sure. This isn't an attempt to get more Awards, is it? Because I have some in storage for emergency use.
The biggest problem with the award is the rule of 5. It winds up coming back to the original recipient within a generation or so because most bloggers only read a few blogs. Eventually, it becomes some kind of mutant inbred type of being.
I may reveal my theory in public someday. It will coincide with the unveiling of the prestigious Big Z Award.

Unknown said...

Brazen Teacher- I think you may very well have hit the nail on the head, there. :)

DaOldMan- Heh, um, no-- but thanks for thinking of me. It's true about the 5. I do realize many of my online friends have become friends, as well-- and their friends have become my friends-- and people who like the same sort of material all flock together. And eventually everyone in the flock has 5 Arte y Pico awards.

I am scared for your Big Z award. Scared.... oh, scared, scared, scared.

Da Old Man said...

You should be. You know you'll get the first one. :)

Jenn Thorson said...

DaOldMan- Well, you know, I wouldn't HAVE to be, would I? I mean, how about if I give you THREE Arte y Pico awards in exchange for NOT getting the Big Z award? :) That seems fair to me!

Da Old Man said...

You do realize I have a backlog of awards, don't you? No more thrifting on weekends for you, young lady. You will be busy dusting all the cyber awards while building new shelving. I will give you so many awards that you will need to have a cyber yard sale and pay bloggers to cart them off.
Sorry to go all Snidely Whiplash on you, but sometimes, ya know, a blogger's gotta do what a blogger's gotta do.

Jenn Thorson said...

DaOldMan- Sigh... faboo...

Hm, well, maybe I can sell some of them off along with the thrifted goody baskets I was hoping to put together and sell on Etsy.