The nominations deadline for the Campaign for Gender Blog Awards is 1 February, so you still have time to nominate your facvourites.
We’re particularly keen to hear your suggestions for the best blog post. Of the three categories, this is the one we have had the fewest nominations for, and while it is a less eclectic list than the best non-Lib Dem blog category it is still a very open contest. Nominations received so far are listed below.
Once again, the three most popular blog posts in terms of received nominations are guaranteed on the shortlist, with each member of the judges panel (myself, Ros Taylor, Ros Harper, Baroness Jane Bonham-Carter, Olly Grender and James Graham), allowed to add another entry of their own choice if they wish. So even if your favourite blog has already been nominated, nominating it yourself will still improve its chances of getting onto the shortlist.
We have received nominations for the following:
The People’s Veto and ID Cards from Caron’s Musings: contrasting the different views on ID cards between Nick Clegg and Chris Huhne, and criticising Chris Huhne’s idea for a People’s Veto.
We’ve had three nominations from the People’s Republic of Mortimer: I learnt a new word today; Terribly Boring I: The Keirsey Temperament Sorter and the theory of democracy; Fighting for crystal clear communication since 1979.
What should MPs look like? by Jo Christie-Smith summarises the recent debate in the Lib Dem blogosphere about gender equality.
Jo Hayes’ A book we should all read is her review of The Islamist by Ed Hussain.
Jo’s Jottings has two nominations so far: Campaign for Gender Balance, Jo Swinson and female bloggers and Campaign for Flexible Internships.
Three nominated posts from Lindyloo’s Muse: Clegg on Diversity – I will consider appointments process; If you can’t make your mind up – 10 reasons to vote for Nick Clegg; Simon Rules … OK?
Meral’s Musings has two nominated posts: I’m looking for the X-Factor?; and Labour plans to ‘force’ single mums back to work.
Clever Cleggs summarises Mary Reid’s interview with Nick Clegg during the leadership election.
Finally, Suzanne Fletcher’s moving post on 29 April 2007 about the Asylum Monologues was also nominated.
Once again, it’s still worth nominating your favourite post even if it is listed here as it will improve its chances of being shortlisted. And if your fave isn’t here, it’s doubly important that you nominate it!
Next up: the hotly contested best Lib Dem blog!
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9 Comments
I think the reason you’ve had less nominations for this category is that it’s difficult to pick out a single post on a consistently great blog like Alix Mortimer’s, or Charlotte Gore’s… Still, I notice Charlotte hasn’t had a post nominated here, so I shall try to pick one of hers out.
I’m not sure how to take this as I really don’t think these are two of my best blog postings!!!
Think someone’s having a laugh as they want to make sure I don’t win!!!!
:@O LOL!
I have recently nominated Alix Mortimer’s “The Long Dark Questionnaire of the Soul” (October 6, 2007), which is well worth a look.
I suppose this is the least nominated category because blog posts are inherently disposable – here today, gone tomorrow really.
It’s such a subjective thing. Do you nominate on the quality or the impact? What make a blog post ‘good’ or weirder still ‘the best’?
Charlotte – I think it has much more to do with laziness over christmas and not clicking around blogs enough. It’s a time consuming thing to do – and bloggers won’t want to do this – if they have time they’ll want to blog not research best posting for an award which has some highly capable judges who will do the job much better I’m sure!
Also – I wanted to make a point about being popular on here – I don’t think it necessarily means people like your writing or what you have to say – it depends on a huge amount of different factors – such as whether you’ve managed to click into the ‘blogging loop’ and have something orginal to say on a current topic or what time of day/night you can blog through other commitments..it’s not always because you’re the best writer…
I think what I’m trying to say here, Charlotte, is that all the normal rules of what makes writing good or brilliant or just plain rubbish don’t really apply on here as blogging is a completely different sphere?
You’re right that your blogging habits can make a huge difference to your popularity, Jo. I would suggest that the main reason Laurence Boyce’s posts on here get comment threads an order of magnitude bigger than everyone else’s is because he engages with his commenters, and discusses things with them. If you blog at an unusual time of day, comment notification can still allow this to happen; I’ve had discussions on some blog threads that have gone on for many days after the original post. But interacting with your readers really does make a big difference.
(not being a regular on your blog, I don’t know if you do this or not, so apologies if I’m preaching to the perverted, er, converted)
“all the normal rules of what makes writing good or brilliant or just plain rubbish don’t really apply on here as blogging is a completely different sphere”
I would completely and categorically disagree with that, though. Most people /are/ more lenient as to what they will accept in a blog as opposed to, say, a newspaper column, at least to begin with. Most people start by just reading the blogs of just their friends, and some people never get past that stage.
However, once you get to the point where you have two or three hundred blogs on your to-read list, you start getting annoyed with people whose sentence structure, spelling and grammar are poor; principally because it takes longer to decipher meaning in sentences with poor syntax. Also, if you are not /very/ precise in your meaning, in a written medium, it is easy for people to misunderstand what you are saying, and maybe even take offence. I’ve lost count of the number of times when I have seen people in a forum or comments thread agreeing with each other aggressively and vehemently in capital letters with daggers drawn… And this is only one of the ways that a blogger can get on another blogger’s wick.
Once one starts to get annoyed with a blogger, one starts to read their blog less, and accord less weight to their points. Therefore, although “the normal rules” may not matter /to some readers/, it’s better to cater for those readers who /are/ bothered about that sort of thing, because you don’t want to artificially reduce your audience in an easily avoidable way. The whole point of blogging, after all, is to get your point across to as many people as possible, right?
(I would like to point out that Charlotte’s syntax is impeccable, btw)
Yes I do debate with people – but sometimes they don’t come back which is annoying when you’ve reached a very tense moment in the argument! :@)
Wish I had a ‘subscribe to comment thread’ button that people could click!
Your point about journalism is an interesting one. Sometimes I think that if a newspaper article and a paragraph from a blogger were laid side by side people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
But then quite a lot of the best bloggers do have an (albeit hazy!) background or experience in/of journalism?!
Sorry – am trying to hold three conversations at once – I know there is a button that enables you to subscribe to thread on google!
Silly me!
“a lot of the best bloggers do have an (albeit hazy!) background or experience in/of journalism?!”
… or are frustrated journalists.
The reason I like LJ over other blogging platforms, even given it’s distinct disadvantages in searchability and such, is the conversational nature of the comment system.
Well, that and that I don’t need to maintain an RSS reader, because I can syndicate everything to my LJ friends page.