Q1. Why even have a Black Weblog Awards?

A1. This is a question which we’ve been asked since its inception in 2005. Those asking it think that it causes separation and fosters racism…which is preposterous. It’d be just as easy to turn that question around and ask how come other blog awards have such an obvious dearth of bloggers of color in their nominee or winners lists. It’s not that we’re not a present force — just look at SXSW or the Blogging While Brown Conference. There are Filipino blog awards, South African blog awards, and many others. The Black Weblog Awards is around to recognize and showcase those Black bloggers in the blogosphere who are doing great things and making moves.

To that end, here are our top five reasons that there are a Black Weblog Awards:

1. They help guide people to the best. Some folks may say that the Black Weblog Awards are elitist. Correct us if we’re wrong, but do you know of any awards event that isn’t inherently elitist? You’re basically awarding one thing as being better than many others. It’s the same as with the Oscars, the Emmys and any other awards junket. These awards serve as recognition as those who are doing the best in our shared craft of blogging.
2. It helps black blogging continue. Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, when it comes to technology, Black folks are some of the first to the forefront of the latest. Many of us are early adopters, and blogging is no exception. As the craft becomes more mainstream (and predictably, less democratized), the art of telling our stories or sharing our knowledge becomes greater with increased recognition.
3. It’s a great help to new readers or discoverers of these other realms of the blogosphere. For the record, there is not one, singular “Black blogosphere”. Just as the Black experience spans through many different points throughout the diaspora, so does Black blogging. Granted, the entirety of it is still largely unknown to most people, those who discover Black bloggers and what we’re talking about can take their exploration further to see many different perspectives on the Black experience and how it’s being documented.
4. It’s a boon to Black bloggers. That’s right; you can pop your collar if you’ve got a blog. It’s the new cool, and it’s easy to do. Black bloggers can be strengthened to create more content through
   recognition, not to mention gather an audience who may be hungry for their point of view.
5. It shows that we matter. Because we do matter! Our lives, our stories and our voices matter. Issues that are important to us matter. And more importantly, looking back through history and how its
   documented is important for future generations. I know some folks may think that the Internet is this ethereal, imaginary content, but it’s real. It may not be fully tangible, but it’s real. And Black blogs show that people in the future can search through the ‘Net, find your voice and then say “yep…that’s me”.

Q2. When do the Black Weblog Awards begin?

A2. This year, we have lengthened the nomination and finalist voting periods based on popular demand. Nominations are open now from June 20 – July 25, and finalist voting is available from August 1 – August 31. Historically, the Black Weblog Awards have began on August 1.

Q3. How long have the Black Weblog Awards been around?

A3. The Black Weblog Awards started in August of 2005.

Q4. Are prizes available for the winners?

A4. In past years, prizes were available for the winners of the Awards in their respective categories. Every year, this has changed depending on the amount of sponsorship dollars available.

Q5. Who sponsors the Black Weblog Awards?

A5. The Black Weblog Awards has a number of sponsors, both public and private. If you would like to advertise on the Black Weblog Awards site, please read our privacy policy, read our sponsors page, then contact us for more information.

Q6. Who is behind the Black Weblog Awards?

A6. Maurice Cherry is the creator of the Black Weblog Awards; he is a blogger and podcaster who has been online since 1997. During that time, Maurice has authored several blogs and has written for Backwash, Black Web 2.0, and many other sites. He currently is chief strategy officer for Relate Media Group and owns the design company 3eighteen media.

Our voting system was created by Markus Robinson, general manager of Black Web 2.0.

Q7. How can I contact you about suggestions or press queries?

A7. Please use our contact form for any questions.

Q8. Why wasn’t my site nominated?

A8. The new change in nomination/voting procedures now allows for blog owners to nominate themselves for a Black Weblog Award. An announcement was made on June 20, and there were concurrent updates on our blog, via our e-mail newsletter, and on Twitter and Facebook. The nomination period was also extended to a little over a month’s time (June 20 – July 25) so more people could have time to get the word out. If your site was still not nominated, we would suggest you sign up for the e-mail newsletter, subscribe to our blog, or follow us on Twitter and/or Facebook to get the latest updates about the Awards.

Q9. How is judging determined?

A9. Judging is determined by our panel of blog and Internet experts and judged based on the following weighted ratio categories:

50% – Content
20% – Consistency
20% – Design
10% – Flavor

Content would of course be the actual blog material. This is especially important as it relates to certain topical categories. For example, would a site really be a “best music blog” if 90% of the posts have nothing to do with music?

Consistency measures how often the blog is updated. It doesn’t have to be every day, but it does have to look like they actually post on a regular frequency without huge lapses of time gone.

Design would measure, of course, design vs. content. Does the design complement the written word? If there are ads, how are they placed? Is it user friendly and clean, or is stuff posted all over the place?

Flavor refers to how engaging a blog is to its readers. Is there a catchy personality behind the blog? Does the blog author refer and reference its readers to build community?

Our judges are published authors, accomplished speakers, award-winning web and graphic designers, educators, and at the top of their respective fields of occupation, so they know of what they speak.

Q10. Why do I have to vote for a finalist in every category before my ballot is submitted?

A10. The Black Weblog Awards recognizes bloggers out there that work hard doing something which they love, and they love sharing that with all of us. As evidenced by the increasing number of categories over the years, that knowledge spreads across many different realms of knowledge and experience, and we think it would do those blogs who are finalists a great disservice if they didn’t have an equal shot at everyone’s vote.

Even if you only visit the finalist blogs (or blogs within that genre) this one time for the sake of voting, why not broaden your horizons past just the blogs you’re familiar with and learn about some others? Who knows…you might stumble across one you like, and then you’ve got a new favorite blog to read!

We obviously can’t control user intent; we can just hope that those voting will be proactive and smart enough to realize the importance and intent of the Awards, and use that information to vote accordingly.

Q11. Does my blog have to be in English to be nominated?

A11. For our primarily English-speaking judges and staff, blogs nominated must be in English. However, for categories which do not depend on language (Best Blog Design, Best Photo Blog, etc.), non-English sites are eligible. If the category is Best Video Blog, videos must be either dubbed or subtitled in English.

Q12. How should I determine which category my blog should be nominated for?

A12. Over the years, we have expanded our categories based largely on what blogs were available, popular, and frequent in the blogosphere. With 30 categories currently, there is bound to be some overlap between categories based on your blog’s focus. It’s up to the blog owner to determine which category their blog fits in for nomination.