We have received a large number of nominations for the Koufax Awards. I plan to close the nominations on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. Try to send any additional nominations by then. If you send them late, and we have not yet posted the nomination lists, I will try to include them (these are the awards for liberals, after all), but no promises.
Once the awards are closed, we will sort them into categories and post a list of nominated blogs in each category. From that list, voting will determine the 8-10 finalists.
A number of people have suggested that we add a category for Best Professional Blog. The proposal is to make professional bloggers ineligible for Best Blog and to provide them with their own category. In the past, I have resisted that idea because I was not sure of the definition of a Professional Blog.
The people urging the change clearly do not intend to include as professionals every blog that runs ads or has a tip jar. They seem to include only those blogs that are sponsored by a larger organization. So, Political Animal from the Washington Monthly, TAPPED, and Altercation would be professionals while Kos and Atrios would not.
The addition of a Best Professional Blog would not require a new nomination period as any blogs nominated in that category would already be nominated in current categories. It would just be a matter of us sorting the current nominations.
So, what do you think? Please leave a comment telling us whether or not you think it is a good idea and providing a method of separating out the pros from the amateurs. Examples that are close to the dividing line would be appreciated. Thanks.
Posted by Dwight Meredith at December 21, 2004 11:08 AM | TrackBackI totally agree with a separate award for professional writers who just happen to have blogs as well as those connected with a publication.
I'd include Wonkette, David Neiwert, and Joshua Micah Marshall in that category, too.
I have never considered them true bloggers, yet they take up so much ink and get so many nominations.
It's one thing when you blog as a hobby, and it's another thing when you're paid to blog by an organization or have the access and the means of a professional writer to come up with "original material," whatever that means.
I'd also say sites like the Daily Kos are not truly blogs anymore but more resemble discussion boards with comments.
It might also be time to have a "Hall of Fame" of bloggers who are then not eligible for further awards.
It's just that the same names get nominated over and over and over again, and it's not because these blogs are necessarily the best. It's that these blogs caught on at the beginning of the blogging craze, and many of their loyal readers just have not gone around and looked at other blogs that are worth a look and perhaps a nomination.
Posted by: Susan Nunes at December 21, 2004 04:24 PMI concur with both the idea of a "pro blogger" category and Susan's HOF suggestion.
Posted by: Richard Cranium at December 21, 2004 05:19 PMI agree completely with every word by Susan Nunes!
Posted by: Betty Stoufer at December 21, 2004 05:27 PMI agree with it all, too. Maybe the Kos solution is to add a category (next year) for blog community since it's an odd combo of blog and discussion board.
Posted by: Kathy at December 21, 2004 06:30 PMI too think that CMS sites (scoop, slash, etc.) are simply not blogs. They're interesting, The remarks I made mid-cycle still apply, though less caustically to the CMS sites styled as "blogs" then to the campaign sites I observed when I wrote them. They're interesting, but they are a different genre.
http://wampum.wabanaki.net/archives/000715.html
In the spirit of full disclosure Marcos banned me twice.
Posted by: Eric at December 21, 2004 07:45 PMI believe KOS even said his was not a group blog.
For The Hall of Fame award - and others - go Here
Posted by: Kevin Hayden at December 21, 2004 08:19 PMI really dislike the idea of having a separate category for "professional" blogs. That's just an invitation for trouble (not to mention endless hair-splitting).
Besides, "Best Blog" should be "Best Blog," period. "Best 'Amateur' Blog" (even if "amateur" isn't technically in the name) diminishes the achievement, and even smacks of condescension.
Posted by: Thad at December 22, 2004 03:33 AMthnk tht t s dsgrcfl tht y hv "wsh lsts" fr yr chldrn. Thr r ppl wh RLL nd th hlp, s lt's lv chrt fr ths wh nd t nt cn rtsts lk yrslvs.
Note: I applied the sanction of Disenvowelment to this troll. DM
Posted by: Disgraced Blogger at December 22, 2004 10:33 AMHey Denise, off your meds again? (24.25.190.105, I'd ban you if I could, but since we live practically on the same street, I'd be banning my own block.)
I realise that you have lots of time on your hands now that you're not trashing the parents of special needs kids, running over kittens, booby-trapping signs with protruding 4 inch jagged screws, sure to snag children on their way to school, or stalking your father's opponents, but please take your bile somewhere else.
Posted by: MB at December 22, 2004 11:29 AMHeh heh. Best comeback by an awards-sponsoring blogger.
Posted by: poputonian at December 22, 2004 11:58 AMMB-
hv n d wht y r tlkng bt bcs m rdr n Wstbrk. Bt, f t mks y fl gd t bn m, pls d!
Note: I disenvoweled this one one, too. DM
Posted by: disgraced blogger at December 22, 2004 12:05 PMSorry, Denise, that's not what your IP addy says. And it matches email sent from your computer's IP in May.
In case you want to check it out, you can use this IP locator (http://www.geobytes.com/IpLocator.htm) (we have have our own, but this works as well.) Just put in the above listed IP address, and, voila, it pinpoints you in Portland!
Posted by: MB at December 22, 2004 12:14 PMBest humour blog: Chase me ladies, I'm in the
cavalry http://chasemeladies.blogspot.com. It is very funny.
Best New Blog: I hope other people have picked up on this before me--sorry to be so late.
It depends what you're looking for but TIA is consistently excellent in providing thoughtful, informed, connect-the-dots posts that get deeper into any given issue--its history, the various arguments about it, how it wil impact other areas--than any blog I've ever seen. TIA proves that blogs can be crucial tools not just in disseminating info but understanding what you're spreading around and how it fits into an overall political/social context. I consider it must-reading, at the top of a list that includes only a half-dozen or so of the hundreds I read.
Can you nominate your own blog? Ours is a grooup blog, I suppose. We've only been going for a few months. Politics, humor, community etc.
http://www.lefterer.com
Posted by: Benjamin Harrison at December 22, 2004 01:33 PMBenjamin:
Yes you can nominate your own blog. Consider Lefterer nominated for Best Group and and Best New Blog. Becuase this is not one of the normal places to nominate, please send me an email so that I do not forget.
Posted by: Dwight Meredith at December 22, 2004 01:39 PM
Best Series - Rise of Pseudo Fascism by David Neiwert http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/
Best Single Issue Blog - The Panda's Thumb http://www.pandasthumb.org/
Best Group Blog - Corrente http://corrente.blogspot.com/
Most Humorous Blog - World O' Crap http://blogs.salon.com/0002874/
Most Humorous Post(s) - The Republican Convention by Michael Berube http://www.michaelberube.com/EE/index.php
Most Deserving of Wider Recognition - Screw humility, I'm nominating myself. archy johnmckay.blogspot.com
Best Expert Blog - Pharyngula http://pharyngula.org/
And, though it's not an official category, I'm jumping on the bandwagon to demand a special Most Missed Blog award for Billmon.
Before I give my nominations, I'd like to echo Kevin Hayden's thoughts on an earlier thread in regards to the enormous range of talents displayed on left-leaning blogs and the way that talent seems to cry out for more categories. And let me immediately add, as I believe Kevin did, to make that point should in no way be read as lack of gratitude to Dwight, for coming up with this delicious awards event, which from the beginning he has made as much about fun and community as anything else, and to MaryBeth for making it an annual event. At one point, we at Corrente were thinking of offering a home to the awards when Dwight closed down his own blog, so I'm aware that 100 thank-yous from everyone who leaves nominations still wouldn't equal the amount of work that goes into putting on this event. I thought a lot of Kevin's suggestions were in the same spirit as Dwight’s original conception of the awards, though probably impossible for one blog and two bloggers to handle. Rather than make my own suggestions, let me leave it at the possibility that after this year's event is complete, in the coming year perhaps, if Dwight and MaryBeth are willing, we could have a inter-blog discussion about how to expand both the categories and the workload, while perserving the essential Dwight-ness and MaryBeth-ness of Sandys, or would it be Sandies, probably not.
Given what I've just said, it will come as no surprise that I think that professional bloggers having their own category is a good idea, and I think Dwight's definition above is a good one. To me, professional bloggers are those who are known as professional journalists or critics, thus I would put the increasingly great cultural critic, James Wolcott in that category.
Now, for my nominations.
I'm going to begin with the nomination closest to my heart.
FOR BEST SERIES: The Farmer posting at Corrente. Yes, he's my blog-mate, but I see no reason for that to stop me from pointing out excellence. Dwight and MW, please count this as a vote for any other series that anyone else has mentioned for The Farmer, but the one I would like to spotlight is the series of front pages Farmer has given us of "THE WASHINGTON CHESTNUT." For the benefit of any who missed any of these I'm going to try and leave easy links to enough of the posts to count as a series:
the CNN Embed Fakes Orgasm!the one with Paula Zahn in the sack with W and Laura
Goat remembers seeing Bush in Alabama
Entire cast of Friends die in hail of bullets
Hire a Liar in 2004 - Bush announces jobs initiative
Super Bowl issue: Liberal sissy blue state marxists defeat southern gentlemen
George Soros: scary rich liberal immigrant threat
=====
BEST BLOG: STEVE GILLIARD'S BLOG is my number one pick: Steve as refined his blogging this last year and made his mark on the world. His blog has so many excellencies - the writing, the ranting, the passion, the use of series of posts to push against the overwhelming verticality of blogs; what emerges is a unique sensibility that is committed to political ideas, to political action, both of which are part of a committment to community and the wider aspects of culture.
Truly I don't know what to do about Mr. Duncan Black, the Atrios, as we now know of ESCHATON; how can one not name it/him as a nominee for Best Blog; I can't; it is still a best blog, even the best blog; perhaps we should have a special award for consistency of excellence; he's just too young to give him a Lifetime Achievement Award, but isn't that what it feels like he deserves?
Can I leave out Digby and HULLABALOO? No, I can't. And what about PANDAGON? They all, and more besides belong in BEST BLOG. But if I'm held to one nomination, then make it Steve Gilliard.
BEST BLOG BY A PROFESSIONAL JOURNALIST
ALTERCATION and Eric Alterman; TALKING POINTS MEMO and Josh Marshall; ORCINUS and David Neiwert; James Wolcott, TAPPED. I put Eric in first position because he's just been extraordinary pre and post election, and his committment to making ALTERCATION a community has borne such wonderful fruit this year, and then there is the great Charles Pierce. Each of the other blogs mentioned is wonderful in its own way; who is wittier than James Wolcott? Who does better analysis and commentary than TAPPED? Who delves as deeply as David Neiwert into subjects no one is tackling? And who has had a bigger impact on the mainstream press than Josh Marshall? But,if it makes life easier, just go with my first nomination in each category, which would be Eric for ALTERCATION.
BEST WRITING: Digby at Hullaballo: this is the most difficult category; as a sort of professional writer, (I'm never sure if screenwriting really counts) I'm overwhelmed by the excellence of the writing on the left side of blogtopia, (thank-you skippy); over here, Johnny can not only read, he's a hellava good writer. I could have as easily picked out any of the writers mentioned in the preceeding threads. But I'll leave it at Digby, for the clarity and power and snark with which he takes on difficult subjects. If he were still blogging, I might have chosen TRISTERO, who did some amazing writing this year, but has lit out for the territories, as of now.
BEST NEW BLOG: Michael Berube; my first choice, in part, because of Michael's previously excellent work, his books, his articles; I feel like I discovered him before he blogged, plus, he saved my sanity in the early nineties during that phase of the culture wars that was devoted to convincing America the English majors were revolutionaries about to take over the world. Also noteworthy here, JAMES WOLCOTT, FIRST DRAFT and many more.
I'm going to skip BEST GROUP BLOG because I'm part of a group blog, but I'd like to pay tribute to FIRST DRAFT and OBSIDIAN WINGS, NEEDLENOSE and since I'm now one of a gang of seven at CORRENTE, maybe I should pay tribute, and even nominate six/sevenths of CORRENTE. (I know we can nominate ourselves, but I find it difficult - but really some great work being done by my blogmates.)
HUMOR BLOG: DARK WINDOW; doesn't get enough recognition; Pete is doing wonderful stuff. Need also to mention the inevitable FAFBLOG, so funny, so original, but also Sebastian at SADLY NO, and TBOGG and WORLD O'CRAP.
BEST COMMENTATOR: I suppose one would have to go with Charles Pierce at ALTERCATION. But in my heart I'd like nominate PEANUT, who was practically a regular at several blogs, especially "SADLY NO," who is bright, crisp and wise and funny, and now has her own blog, THE DAILY BEAST, where I fear that her unique voice sometimes get a bit lost in all that's happening on the page.
I think that's it for me. I know there are more categories, but the strain of having to winnow choices from so much excellence forces me to draw this to a conclusion.
Thank-you again Dwight and MaryBeth. I am going now to make a contribution via PAYPAL.
Posted by: Leah A at December 22, 2004 03:31 PMI agree that there should be a separate category for professional blogs. But -- to complicate things a little -- I'd disagree with Susan Nunes about where to draw the line... I'd include "funded" professional blogs (like Political Animal and Altercation and Tapped), but would not include the unfunded blogs of people who happen to be paid writers in the professional parts of their lives (like Orcinus or TPM or Matt Yglesias or Atrios). While it's true that these folks have special (writing) talents that they bring to bear on their private blogs, that's also true of lawyers who write about law, economists who write about economcs, etc.
Posted by: NYSusan at December 22, 2004 03:49 PMI am for separation but I see how difficult it is to come up with clear-cut definitions. I tried to break my blogroll into "Big Fish" and "Real Blogs" and am not 100% sure about the way I did it. I would say, if a blog satisfies two out of three criteria, than it is a Pro blog. The First criterion would be that the Blogger is paid to blog (e.g.,Wonkette). Second, that the blogger is a well-known personality (e.g.,Chomsky, Etzioni) or journalist (e.g., Nagourney, Easterbrook). Third, that the blog has a HUGE following, perhaps calculated by number of registered members, or daily visits, or status in the TTLB Ecosystem.
It is like everything else in business: whoever gets there first wins. You can make a cola that's way better than Coke or Pepsi, but you are never going to displace them from the market, you are most likely going to go bankrupt. The same is with blogs. Some of the newer ones are MUCH better than the old favourites, but still, Atrios, Kos, Drum and Co. will keep getting these awards over and over again. That's life.
Posted by: coturnix at December 22, 2004 07:22 PMMost Deserving of Wider Recognition: Portland Communique.
Posted by: Anonymous at December 22, 2004 08:45 PM