The Black Weblog Awards » finalists

New Finalists for “Best Blog Design” and “Best Culture Blog”

Maurice — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:54:27 +0000

Clutch Magazine, a finalist for “Best Blog Design” and “Best Culture Blog” has asked to be removed from both categories. According to Clutch Magazine, they are an online magazine and not a blog, and wish to give honor and recognition to real bloggers and blogs.

We respect their position on this and have complied with their wishes. In the event of a finalist wanting to remove their blog from the voting procedure, their spot is filled by the next ranked blog in that category. The following two blogs are now finalists in their respective categories:

Best Blog Design: Madame Noire
Best Culture Blog: Black Girl with Long Hair

All current votes for Clutch Magazine in both categories are now invalid and have been removed from our database. The 2010 Black Weblog Awards finalist list has been updated to reflect the change, as well as the online voting ballot.

Your Questions About Vote Auditing

BWA Staff — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:00:12 +0000

Several of you have emailed us questions about our vote audit. Why do we do it? What does it entail? Is it necessary? Let’s take a look behind the scenes and see what goes on in that period of downtime between the end of nominations and the announcing of our finalists.

Why do you have a ‘vote audit’? I thought this was about the public’s vote. — Miss G

The reason we have a vote audit is because people cheat and try to game our voting system. During the nomination phase, ballots are restricted by IP address to combat that, but even that can be circumvented. If we had the money and resources to build an advanced voting system that prevented that, we would — but we don’t. (Yet another reason to support what we do.)

People also game the system and skew the nominations by submitting ballots with one URL for each category, whether it’s applicable or not. Those ballots are thrown out. We know people have their favorite blogs, and we know people may not even be aware of different blogs to nominate for some of our categories, but when you put in the URL for a site in a category you know it doesn’t fit in, who is that helping? Not you, not us, and certainly not the blog you nominated.

We export all the ballots to a spreadsheet, do a fair bit of advanced Excel wizadry, and most of all visit every URL nominated in every category. It takes a long time, but rest assured, every ballot is looked at with human eyes at the end of the nomination period.

I wanted to nominate my favorite blogs, but I don’t like the fact that my name and email address are REQUIRED for submission. What are you doing with all these email addresses, might I ask?? — Jerome

Good question. Per our privacy policy, we do not use any of this information to track you personally. We ask for names and email addresses for two reasons:

If there is an error with your fully completed ballot, we need to be able to contact you for clarification.
If you would like to opt into receiving our newsletter (which is a double opt-in procedure), we need your email address to do so. We ask for your name also, but it’s not required.

And that’s it! We’re not selling your information to the highest bidder (or any bidder, for that matter), and we don’t use your information to spam you. When you provide fake email addresses or no email addresses at all, we can’t contact you if we have questions. It’s as simple as that.

Can you tell me if [insert blog name here] is a finalist? How many nominations did they get? – Mikaela G.

Finalists are released to everyone at the same time — August 1. We never reveal blogs before that point, nor do we tell people how many nominations a particular blog received. Not even if you’re the blog owner.

Aside from choosing the finalists, what other information do you get from the vote audit? — Sarah L.

Oh, one reason we love the vote audit is because the chairman is a huge math dork and loves to crunch numbers. The statistics gathered help us with category selection for next year (see: What is the Category Popularity Matrix?), overall patterns of voting for planned downtime and upgrades, and ways to forecast next year’s growth and popularity.

Here’s a few things we learned this year.

Most Nominated Category: Blog to Watch (8.99%)
Least Nominated Category: Best Science or Technology Blog (0.60%)

Biggest Jump in Popularity: Best Sex or Relationships Blog (+17 slots)
Biggest Drop in Popularity: Best Science or Technology Blog (-30 slots)

Most Popular Nomination Day: Tuesday
Least Popular Nomination Day: Sunday

Most Popular Nomination Date: June 2, 2010
Least Popular Nomination Date: July 4, 2010

Most Nominated Blogging Platform: Blogspot (36.6%)
Least Nominated Blogging Platform: Tumblr (2.89%)

Average daily number of submitted ballots: 175
Average daily number of valid ballots: 84
Average ballot completion percentage rate: 46.12%
Percentage of completed ballots out of all submitted ballots: 46.8%

Those last stats were interesting, as this is the first year we’ve had a multi-page nomination form, mainly because we got so much negative feedback about our old nomination form (which was basically one long page with all the categories). Breaking it up into separate pages let us see what pages were most and least visited.

Out of all the ballots we received, over half were not even completed (53.2%). Out of the uncompleted ballots, most people didn’t get past page one (79.5%). That tells us that people visited the ballot, but never actually cast a nomination — all those got thrown out in our vote audit because they weren’t actually fully completed. That’s valuable information that we can use for next year.

So as you can see, our vote audit not only produces the finalists, but also helps us run a tighter ship by observing voting patterns and adapting accordingly.

If you made it all the way to the end here, congratulations! Get yourself a cookie. You’ve earned it.

The 2010 Black Weblog Awards Finalists

Maurice — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 16:00:36 +0000

With over 10,000 ballots and over 32,000 nominations, This year has been our most popular year to date. We say that every year, but it’s true! Every year, we just keep on growing.

In several categories, only one ballot separated the finalists. Talk about a close race! When we tell you that every nomination counts and you need to campaign if you want to win, we mean it.

We’ll talk a little bit about our vote audit process and give you a couple of helpful hints in a later post, but for now, we present to you our 2010 Black Weblog Awards finalists.

Best Blog Design

Best Blog Network

Best Blog Post Series

“Black Republicans” (via The Urban Politico)
“How I Finally Found Faith” (via Three Ways to Take It)
“I Love Black Men” Series (via Black ‘n’ Bougie)
“Michael Jackson and the Five Stages of Grief” (via What Would Thembi Do?)
“Wet Wednesdays Erotica”(via Naked With Socks On)

Best Business Blog

Best Cooking or Food Blog

Best Culture Blog

Best Faith-Based Blog

Best Fashion or Beauty Blog

Best Film Blog

Best Gaming or Comics Blog

Best Gossip Blog

Best Group Blog

Best Health or Wellness Blog

Best Hip-Hop Blog

Best Humor Blog

Best International Blog

Best LGBT Blog

Best Microblog

Best Music Blog

Best New Blog

Best Parenting or Family Blog

Best Personal Blog

Best Photography Blog

Best Podcast Series

Best Political or News Blog

Best Science or Technology Blog

Best Sex or Relationships Blog

Best Sports Blog

Best Teen Blog

Best Travel Blog

Best Video Blog Series

Best Writing in a Blog

Blog of the Year

Blog to Watch

If you’re one of the finalists, then congratulations! Email us at staff@blackweblogawards.com to receive your finalist badge. Display it proudly!

We also have exactly one month left in our Kickstarter campaign for the 2011 Black Weblog Awards. If you haven’t pledged yet, visit us at http://bit.ly/bwa2011 to give. The minimum donation is now just $1. One dollar! And I know some of y’all got paid on Friday. Take a few minutes out of your day and help us put on a live awards ceremony in 2011!

VOTING IS NOW OPEN!.

Voting will end on August 31; winners will be announced on September 1.

Why Are the Same Blogs Nominated Every Year?

Maurice — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:00:52 +0000

The short answer to this question could be because people vote for them every year. And believe me, this is something we have been aware of for a while now.

Popular blogs are popular. We introduced the judging panel and the Black Weblog Awards Hall of Fame to counteract this. The Hall of Fame particularly does this by taking blogs which have won over the years to be “retired” for a particular category.

Nominees are a different story. They are chosen by the public and voted on by the public. So if the question is “why are the same blogs nominated every year”, then the bigger question is “why are you only nominating the same blogs”? The finalists are selected from the top 3-5 most nominated blogs, and the rest of the blogs just didn’t receive enough nominations to make it to the finalist round. It’s the classic long tail phenomenon. See the graph below.

So while there may have been blogs of better quality (which is totally subjective) that are not finalists, it still boils down to popularity for the popular vote. And that popularity is based on those voters who have nominated blogs. (The way we choose categories is also tangentially related to this; the more people vote in a particular category, the better chances are of it coming back next year. Check this post for more info.)

If your blog (or a blog you liked) wasn’t a finalist, ask these questions:

Did the blog owner know they were nominated? Even though we’ve been doing this for six years, there’s still a lot of bloggers who have never heard of the BWAs. If you nominated a blog, do the blog owner a solid and e-mail them to let them know.
Did the blog owner campaign hard enough for votes? Good content speaks for itself, but it can be hard to find and even harder to market depending on your methods.
Did the blog owner want to win? We have had people boycott their nominations in the past.

I hope this helps clear up any ambiguity. Comments?

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SIXTH ANNUAL BLACK WEBLOG AWARDS BEGINS, THREE NEW CATEGORIES ADDED

Maurice — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:00:25 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For information contact:
Maurice Cherry, 404-425-9890
press@blackweblogawards.com

Atlanta, GA. June 1, 2010 — Today, the Black Weblog Awards begins their call for entries for the 2010 awards season. The awards were created by Atlanta new media company 3eighteen media, and recognize Black bloggers in 35 different categories. This year, based on popular demand, three new categories have been added: Best Blog Network, Best Film Blog, and Best Travel Blog.

“This year is going to be the largest Black Weblog Awards ever. With these new categories, we are branching out into more areas of content to showcase the diverse and rich areas of expertise of African-Americans in the blogosphere,” said Maurice Cherry, founder and chairman of the Black Weblog Awards. “We have grown leaps and bounds since starting in 2005, and this year is no exception; paying tribute to the level of knowledge out there in the community is our mission.”

Submissions will be accepted at www.blackweblogawards.com beginning today through July 25. Finalists will be announced on August 1, and voting for the finalists will take place until August 31. Winners will be announced on September 3.

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About The Black Weblog Awards

The Black Weblog Awards was founded in 2005 to give recognition to Black bloggers (and those of the African diaspora) which were largely overlooked by other Internet award events. The Black Weblog Awards is an international showcase with participants from over 90 countries and stands out as the most widespread Internet award event for Black bloggers. To date, the Black Weblog Awards has recognized nearly 180 blogs in over 30 categories, and has also been featured in several mainstream and online media outlets, including NPR. Winners of the Black Weblog Awards have also went on to appear in other media outlets, like MSNBC, the Huffington Post, BET, the Washington Post, and many others. For more information, visit blackweblogawards.com

About 3eighteen media

3eighteen media is a new media firm which provides web design, e-mail marketing and consulting services for small businesses, non-profit organizations, public relations firms, and start-up companies. 3eighteen media is also behind the Black Blogging Rockstars media portal at SXSW, and the Black Weblog Awards. For more information, visit 3eighteenmedia.com.

Best Microblog Finalists Added

Maurice — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 23:17:30 +0000

We’ve sorted out the database issues and the “Best Microblog” finalists are now showing properly on the ballot. We also added them to the finalist list.

The 2009 Black Weblog Awards Finalist List

Maurice — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 04:50:24 +0000

Mucho apologies for the lateness of the finalist list (we still have a few kinks to work out). Here are the top five finalists in the 2009 Black Weblog Awards categories (with the exception of “Best Business Blog” which has the top two finalists).

NOTE: We’ve worked out the database errors; the “Best Microblog” category is now showing.

NOTE: We’re still getting the “Best Microblog” category straightened out as well due to some technical glitches, so please, bear with us. Here we go!

Finalists can use this graphic badge on their blogs to publicize their finalist status:

Voting ends September 1; winners are announced on September 4.

Black Weblog Awards Voting Ends Tonight!

Maurice — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 14:19:31 +0000

The finalist voting for the 2008 Black Weblog Awards ends at midnight EDT. Hurry and get those votes in!

THE BLACK WEBLOG AWARDS ANNOUNCE THE 2008 FINALISTS

Maurice — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:01:13 +0000

First Round for the Highly-Coveted Blog Competition Draws Over 9,000 Votes with The People’s News, Afrobella and Young, Black and Fabulous Leading with 3 Nods Each

Atlanta, GA, August 19, 2008 – Today, The Black Weblog Awards (BWAs) released their list of finalists for the 2008 Awards. By close of the preliminary nomination round on August 16th, campaigning for 2008 consideration received an unprecedented 9,423 votes from devoted blog readers and supporters.

On August 1st, the Black Weblog Awards opened the first round of nominations for this year’s awards, allowing blogs to launch individual campaigns for their avid readers to nominate their favorite blogs. The Black Weblog Awards founded in 2005, has grown to become the Super Bowl for black blogs with previous winners showcasing their 2005, 2006 and 2007 finalist and winner banners on their blogs. Savvy bloggers, in their pursuit for top prize, employed all mediums to launch their personal “Get Out to Vote” nomination and voting strategy. From email blasts, banners with links to Black Weblog Awards’ voting page, Blogtalk radio commercials to routine messages on Twitter, bloggers employed online guerilla tactics to solicit their readers’ votes. “This year’s installment of the Black Weblog Awards has shown immense growth, support, and participation from the blogosphere, particularly through the use of current social media tools”, states Founder, Maurice Cherry.

Categories range from Best Business, Best Sports, Best Faith-based, Best Community, Best New Blog, Best LGBT, Best Fashion, Best Teen, Best Video to Best Celebrity Blogs and more. Front-runner, The People’s News (http://thepeoplesnews.wordpress.com) snags 3 nominations for Best Humor, Best New Blog and 2008 Blog to Watch. Afrobella (www.afrobella.com), the 2007 Popular vote winner for Best Niche and 2007 Judges’ pick for Best Culture Blog, receives nods for Best Style and Fashion, Best Writing and returns again this year as a Best Culture Blog finalist. Young, Black and Fabulous, also called YBF, (www.theybf.com), the 2006 Best Pop Culture winner, dominated in 2007 taking home 7 awards including Best Blog Community, Best Culture Blog, and Best Writing in a Blog. The popular entertainment and gossip blog, also a 2008 BET Awards nominee, attempts to repeat for a third time Blog of the Year and hopes to continue their 2-year reign as the Best Gossip Blog and Best Blog Design.

Initially created to celebrate black blogs and bloggers, the awards platform has evolved from 11 categories (in 2005) to 30 for this year, with each genre awarding both a popular vote, chosen by the general public, and a judges’ pick. Thus, the anticipation for this highly sought-after accolade has reached an all-time high within the black blogosphere and now beyond, garnering the attention of major corporations all vying for cross-promotion and collaborations with the Black Weblog Awards.

The final round of voting ends on August 31st and the 2008 Black Weblog Award winners will be announced on Thursday, September 4, 2008. To read the full list of 2008 finalists visit the Black Weblog Awards’ official site, www.blackweblogawards.com.

About the Black Weblog Awards
In 2005, the Black Weblog Awards were created to recognize the best black bloggers in the industry and to serve as a platform for supporting and uplifting those shaping the minds of the black community through the use of online technology and communication.

The Black Weblog Awards’ mission is to empower and encourage black bloggers to continue creating more original content, open dialogue, unique story telling and diverse views. “Our lives, our stories and our voices matter.”