Introducing the VAYD Blogger of the Year Awards!
Submitted by Politicl_Animal on Fri, 2007-01-12 23:03.
As Blogger-in-Chief for the Virginia Young Democrats, I am pleased to announce the first-ever Blogger of the Year awards, to be presented at the VAYD Annual Convention March 30-31 in Harrisonburg. 2006 was a great year for Virginia's blogosphere, and the VAYD would like to recognize the young Democrats who made such success possible.
There will be three divisions of awards to correspond with the three types of clubs involved in the VAYD:
- VAYD Teen Blogger of the Year (ages 13-18)
- VAYD College Blogger of the Year (in college)
- VAYD Young Adult Blogger of the Year (younger than 36 and not in college)
More details and how to nominate a blogger after the jump ...
Criteria for selecting the Blogger of the Year in each category is as follows:
- Quantity and quality of posts
- You probably won't win if you only posted once or twice in 2006. You're also not likely to win if you focused on regurgitation instead of original content. We're looking for a good mix. - Influence inside and outside the blogosphere
- Sure, everyone links to your posts, but does anyone recognize you at the local Democratic committee meetings? We're looking for bloggers who have made a name for themselves with their writing and their actions. - Blogger IQ
- That's Innovation Quotient, not the traditional kind. We're looking for bloggers who utilized new technologies in their blogs (podcasting, video blogging, etc.), as well as found new ways for blogs to impact the tired old physical world. If it's new and cool and found on your blog, you could be a winner. - Member of a Young Democrat club
It's not a deal-breaker if you're not a member of a YD club in Virginia, but extra weight will be given to YD members.
Nominations and Judging
You may nominate a blogger in this thread by leaving a comment (or by e-mailing me with "Blogger of the Year" in the subject line) with the blogger's name, their blog's address, and why you think s/he deserves to win the award. We will accept nominations until Febuary 11.
Judges for the competition include:
- Dominic Gabello, VAYD President
- Shayna Englin, VAYD Executive Vice-President
- Omar Yacoubi, VAYD Vice President of Communication
- Jordan Higgins, VAYD Webmaster
- Adam Sharp, VAYD Blogmaster
Judges are ineligible as contestants.
After nominations have been collected, the judges will narrow the field to three contestants in each category. These will be announced on this site AS SOON AS POSSIBLE March 1. From March 1 Until March 25 18 you will be able to vote for the blogger you think should win in each category. The on-line voting will be one of the factors judges consider in making their final decision.
The nine finalists will be invited to the VAYD Annual Convention's Dinner to be held March 31 on the James Madison University campus in Harrisonburg. The winners will be announced at that time and will be presented with the key to DPVa headquarters and an invitation to blog in their pajamas at a sleepover with Governor Tim Kaine in the Executive Mansion a plaque. (Other prizes cannot be confirmed at this time.)
I ask, and this is just a decorum issue, that nominations be made by someone other than the blogger being nominated. I think self-nominations lack humility and grace, and would rather not see any.
Now's your chance ... nominate the blogger you believe should win the VAYD Blogger of the Year award! Leave a comment on this thread, or e-mail me (blogmaster AT vayd DOT org) with "Blogger of the Year" in the subject line. Remember to include:
- The blogger's name
- The blog's address
- Why you think the blogger should win
Let the nominations begin!
I nominate Kenton Ngo and
Submitted by James E Martin on Sat, 2007-01-13 12:20.
I nominate Kenton Ngo and Waldo Jaquith.
Nominations Received via E-mail - 1/13/07
Submitted by Politicl_Animal on Sat, 2007-01-13 14:40.
VAYD Teen Blogger of the Year (ages 13-18): Kenton Ngo.
Why: Intelligent, mature, active in the party. Lots of original, high quality posts (Best, Worst and Most Shocking of GA Bills, eg)
Influence inside and outside blogosphere: He's in LOTS of democratic groups. I met him at the Webb party on January 3rd, and everyone seemed to know him.
IQ: He did video blogging, podcasts, live-blogging.
VAYD College Blogger of the Year (in college)
Bryan Scrafford (bryanscrafford.wordpress.com)
Why: Original, smart, well thought out and researched posts.
Influence Outside Blogosphere: Very active with Andy Hurst's campaign- co-ordinated with GMU Democrats to have Andy speak at GMU, I * think * he's in the GMU YDs, and he's Morris Myer's netroots co-ordinater.
IQ: Named one of Wordpress' fastest growing blogs, net-roots coordinator (Myer)
VAYD Young Adult Blogger of the Year (younger than 36 and not in college)
Waldo Jaquith
Why: Do I really have to say? Waldo is a Renaissance Man, he writes about everything under the sun, he's a photographer, he's fantastic with computers, art, science, etc. He consistently writes in a strong, well thought out, intelligent, witty tone. No BS here. He handles crises well, is gracious, and doesn't engage in the shriekfests and finger pointing that many other bloggers do. He's open and willing to try anything once, and is even more excited about trying it if it's something that doesn't really fit his personality/lifestyle (painting classes, eg)
IQ: Again, do I really have to say? Richmond Sunlight and VAPoliticalblogs.com are two of his biggest projects.
Nominations Received Via Email - 1/17/07
Submitted by Politicl_Animal on Wed, 2007-01-17 19:39.
College Blogger of the Year: Nate de la Piedra
Nate is a student at GMU and was Online Outreach Director for Andy Hurst for Congress and Blogger for Fairfax County Young Democrats. He has written extensively on Raising Kaine and DailyKos about Virginia and national politics. Nate has written some controversial posts, but is recognized and influential in both the Blogosphere and the Fairfax County Democratic Party. He recently took his online momentum and created a PAC, Next Generation Democrats, with the purpose of helping young progressive candidates and young progressive staffers.
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"Man is a political animal." - Aristotle
Nate de le Piedra
Submitted by AndreaC on Mon, 2007-01-22 15:58.
First nomination:
- Quantity and quality of posts
- Nate Posted a good mix of quality posts on Hurst for Congress Blog, RaisingKaine, and DailyKos - Influence inside and outside the blogosphere
- Nate's made a name in writing and in actions. He has volunteered for several campaigns and is Executive Director, of Next Generation Democrats. - Blogger IQ (Innovation Quotient)
- Nate used YouTube and embedded video; he has followed updates on news events to keep attention on the events from fading; he has been reliable about replying to talking points on other blogs to prevent them from obscuring the truth; and he's used other tips and tricks. However, his most significant innovation is using his contacts to start Next Generation Democrats, the effort to rally nationwide support for key races with upcoming new faces in the Democratic party. - Member of a Young Democrat club
Nate is a member of several YDs.
I also agree with the comments above that James Martin and Brian Scrafford deserve recognition for their work.
Other nominations: Teen
It's gotta be Kenton Ngo, dontcha think? AndreaC
http://www.kentonngo.com/750volts/
Nominations Received Via E-mail - 1/31/07
Submitted by Politicl_Animal on Thu, 2007-02-01 21:51.
Adam,
Here are my nominations for blogger of the year.
VAYD College Blogger of the Year: Neal Osborne
SouthwestProgress.blogspot.com, Neal2028.blogspot.com, Neal2028.wordpress.com
Why: Intelligent, mature, active in the party. Lots of original, high quality posts though college has diminished the quantity of posting slightly.
Influence inside and outside blogosphere: Extremely active in the Bristol Virginia Democratic Committee. Tabled at Virginia Intermont Community College in the hopes of starting up a YD chapter there. Fights for our cause in one of the most conservative parts of the state.
IQ: One of the initial users to switch over to a Wordpress blog, makes use of the categorization of posts more extensively than most other bloggers.
YD Membership: Charter member of the Southwest Virginia Young Democrats
VAYD Young Adult Blogger of the Year: Brian Patton
Why: Intelligent and extremely dedicated to the party. One of the foremost bloggers in SWVA.
Influence inside and outside blogosphere: Vice-Chair of the Dickenson County Democratic Committee. Treasurer of Raising Kaine PAC. Has made websites for the Bland County Democratic Committee, Buchanan County Democratic Committee, Dickenson County Democratic Committee, Grayson County Democratic Committee, Pulaski County Democratic Committee, and Russell County Democratic Committee. Fights for our cause in one of the most conservative parts of the state. Featured on the Roanoke Times list of influential bloggers in SWVA.
IQ: Blogged back before it was popular, and has kept up with changes in Wordpress.
YD Membership: Charter member of the Southwest Virginia Young Democrats
VAYD Young Adult Blogger of the Year: Shawn Becker
Why: Intelligent and extremely dedicated to the party. One of the newest and most prominent progressive bloggers in SWVA. Quantity of posts far exceeds Brian and Neal, and is more on par with Kenton Ngo or Waldo.
Influence inside and outside blogosphere: Chairman of the Grayson County Democratic Committee, environmental activist, taken part in numerous protests against the new prison site in Grayson County due to its environmental impact.
IQ: Nothing that isn't common to every other Blogger-based blog.
YD Membership: Charter member of the Southwest Virginia Young Democrats
Hope you enjoy checking out some of these blogs if you don't already.
Regards,
Isaac
If I'm reading this correctly...
Submitted by Liberal Pi on Tue, 2007-03-06 03:07.
Nominations are open to the public, but judging (voting) will be done by the following individuals.
Check out the lines under nomination and judging in the original post. Is this right Adam?
Actually...
Submitted by Liberal Pi on Tue, 2007-03-06 03:10.
I looked more thoroughly at the lines below that and I'm a little confused as well. It does say voting runs from March 1st to 18th. :( Hmm, I'm sure that we'll hear something soon from them.
We're going to let the
Submitted by Politicl_Animal on Wed, 2007-03-07 00:11.
We're going to let the public (well, registered website visitors) to vote on who they think is BotY in each category.
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"Man is a political animal." - Aristotle
THIS IS ENTIRELY MY FAULT
Submitted by Politicl_Animal on Tue, 2007-03-06 22:43.
I'm transitioning from one job to another and the Blogger Awards got dropped. I am working to get us back on track. I apologize for the delay.
- Adam Sharp
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"Man is a political animal." - Aristotle
Nominations Received via E-mail - 1/12/07
Nominated for the Teen category:
Kenton Ngo
http://www.kentonngo.com/750volts/
Nominated for the College category:
James Martin
http://vaprogressive.com/
Nominated for the Young Adult category:
Ben Tribbett
http://notlarrysabato.typepad.com/
Waldo Jaquith
http://waldo.jaquith.org/
Keep 'em coming!
********
"Man is a political animal." - Aristotle