Blog Idol – Vote for somebody else

It’s Blog Awards time. We have a month to go until the cyber-swarm descends on Cork, so prepare yourself for a barrage of masturbatory online self-promotion  the nominees get whittled down to a shortlist, then further by the public vote.  Vote for me! Vote for me! Vote for me and get your friends to vote for me! Vote for me and I’ll give you a sweetie! Vomit.

Despite the end result, in which the deserving cream has inevitably risen to the top thus far, the clamouring for votes and faux-modesty with which people surreptitiously clamour for votes belittles the awards process and the blog community as a whole. It turns it into Pop Idol. I hate Pop Idol/X Factor/You’re A Star/I’m a talentless miscreant, dig me out of my deserved obscurity.

So I’m pleading with you, here, judges. Spurn the beggars. It’s unlikely to happen anyway, but don’t let me through to the shortlist stage, either. Vote for one of the other candidates in my category that are more worthy.  It’s a great category, and I’m honoured to be in the company of some of the writers below. But fuck it, I shouldn’t be here. I nominated Crime,Ink for the category, a stunning newcomer to the blog world and a fantastic window into the toughest area of journalism in Ireland. If I could have nominated two for the category, I would have nominated the Irish Times Politics Blog. Seasoned blogger Harry McGee fits in here like hand in glove, and gives a regular peek behind the scenes, sharing personal opinions on the politics of the day and how he covers it. But the star, for me, is Deaglán de Breadúin. Deaglán is an Ivory Tower stalwart, a long-serving member of the establishment, but has taken to blogging like a duck to water. It’s great to see traditional Irish media waking up to the blog world, and I’d love to see Deaglán and Harry on the podium earning the recognition they deserve, even if it does mean the award going to madam’s minions for two years straight.

They’re my top picks, but they’re not the only worthy reads, so the category is divvied up below. Get stuck in, but don’t fucking vote for me. Don’t vote for my friends. There are no sweets in it for you. Do us all a favour, and vote for the good guys.

In My Reader:

Adam Maguire: http://adammaguire.com/blog
Gavin’s Blog: http://gavinsblog.com
On The Record: http://irishtimes.com/blogs/ontherecord
I Have Grave News: http://johnniecraig.wordpress.com
Crime, Ink: http://irishcrimereporter.blogspot.com
Ireland, From A Safe Distance — Expad: http://expad.ie
David Mcwilliams: http://davidmcwilliams.ie
Politics: http://irishtimes.com/blogs/politics
Techno-culture: http://techno-culture.com

Not In My Reader (yet):

Pursued By A Bear: http://irishtimes.com/blogs/pursuedbyabear
Unarocks: http://unarocks.blogspot.com
What Will You See Next: http://mediangler.com
Pricewatch: http://irishtimes.com/blogs/pricewatch

Utterly New To Me:

Community Voice Musings: http://communityvoicemusings.blogspot.com
Freelance Writer Ireland, Copywriter Ireland, Calvin Jones: http://blog.cjwriting.com
Techwire: http://yourtechstuff.com
Stony River Farm: http://stonyriverfarm.blogspot.com
Blog Of Revelations: http://wordpress.hotpress.com/petermurphy
BBC Will And Testament | William Crawley’s Broadcasting Diary: http://bbc.co.uk/blogs/ni
Malachi O’doherty: http://modoherty.wordpress.com
Limerick Leader – On The Beat: http://limerickleader-onthebeat.blogspot.com
Bbc News | The Reporters | Mark Devenport: http://bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markdevenport