Yesterday was the grand final of the blogging competition Th!nk About It. The competition started in February and ended with the elections for the European Parliament last week. The meeting in Rotterdam was all about the awards and about celebrating the end of the competition. It was a lovely day with pleasant conversations and a perfect boatride to breath some fresh air and catch some daylight, which was lacking inside the walls of the Maassilo. Due to my busy schedule this week, I had to skip the dinner and party, but I guess the rest of the crowd had lots of fun.

So the EU-blogging adventure has ended for me. Gladly, I have to say. For me signing up for Th!nk About It back in November was accepting a challenge. I’m not into politics and certainly don’t like writing about it. The competition would be a perfect incentive for me to write more and discover more about the EU along the road. Now it’s about seven months later and I made it to the end of the competition. To be honest with you, I didn’t think I would make it. Even considered that writing once a month is not that much of an effort for participating, there were several moments I seriously doubted to keep contributing.

The competition didn’t grab me. I had a hard time tuning into the writing of other competitors. Many were young journalists and their writing style was accordingly. As a long-time blogger I missed heart in a lot of postings. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t read all the posts (appr. 600) that were written during the four months.

Even though I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to write more, I didn’t write as much. Instead I made an effort of creating visual material. Going back to basics with my movie explaining the power of the European Parliament pleased my family and friends. It made some of the basic decision making structures clear to them. During the party I got a lot of compliments on the other video I created, my visual letter to MEP’s.

I feel flattered so many people complimented me with my contribution. I guess I stood out of the crowd with my movies. People actually liking them is added bonus to the things I learned along the way creating them, skills that will be of use for future projects.

The EJC has plans for an extension of the Th!nk platform, they’re planning something around climate change. Even though it’s way more up my alley than the European Parliament, I don’t think I can be tempted to sign up for another competition. Not even when I know beforehand that I’ll win another gadget (I’ll keep you posted, though, in case you want to join).

(My pictures of the day)