As (almost) all of you, my dear followers, are in my blogging class it should come as no surprise that I'm making this post. Since, you know, we're all in the same class room, with the same ballots, writing about the same thing. But for anyone who has stumbled in from the rain -- which is doing a glorious imitation of the cheap, waterfall soundtracks found at Target -- this is my bloggie awards post. Allons-y!
Best Personal Blog -- This was, by far, the hardest category to vote for, but I went for Ursus Interruptus. As befits a personal blog, it covers a wide range of topics with a tenor that changes from post to post, but never loses it's voice.
Best Design/Visuals -- I had to go for Six and a Writer, which makes incredible use of a standard Wordpress template. The three column design is probably one of the abused and poorly used in all of the blogosphere, which is sad, because when it's applied to a blog that it works with? Well, you can see the lovely and eye catching results over on Charity's blog. The layout gives room for her beautiful photographs to grab the eye, without ever feeling cluttered. All of the white space helps with that. And it's worth noting, though seems a bit redundant, that she has some of the best and most professional appearing photographs on the class blogroll. To say that I'm not utterly envious would be a terrible, terrible lie.
Best hobby/specific interest -- Room to Think makes terrific use of its editorial calender. I came for the Florence Fridays,' but I stayed for the great content that occurs in every post. Although I do have to plug this Florence post for the plethora of gorgeous masks and my own inability to stay away from beautiful things.
Most improved -- Jack's blogs, I really wish that I had links to all of them, but here are the three that still survive: makin' it, Some trans lady, and The Bad Brew Review. There was also a Skyrim blog, which I loved following, but has since been deleted. Moving briskly along, I feel a bit odd about calling these "most improved." I've enjoyed following each blog despite the changes and reinventions because they've always felt organic. It helps that Jack has a really enjoyable voice, no matter the subject. Which is the only explanation I can come up with for enjoying blogs about Skyrim and beer. Seriously, Jack is amazing.
Most interactive -- Why Write? When I first glanced at the ballot, I initially thought this category was for the 'most inactive' blog and had a moment of bliss because, hey, total shoe-in right here. This only goes to show that in addition to needing to update more, I also really need to go in for an eye screening so I can finally get glass. In either class, I'm really glad I double checked before voting. Let this be a lesson: always read carefully (when you have terrible eyesight).
As for why Tommy's blog, his posts about his process and his concerns and his writing, really, have always struck me as being not only personal but... invitational, which is something I normally associate with, say, Neil Gaiman's posts on process (so well done, there). In talking about writing, the concerns and anxieties of being a creative writing and raising questions, I think Tommy provoked the strongest reaction in me of any of the blogs I've followed. I wasn't just learning or listing (reading, in this case) I immediately and always related and I brought some of it to my own writing.
Most likely to succeed -- My Cat Thinks I'm Funny for the record, this blog already succeeds and there is very little 'most likely' about it. I've talked mainly about voice and that being why I selected the blogs I did -- I love the voice of Ursus Interruptus and all of Jack's blogs and Room to Think and, well, you get the idea; all the blogs I voted for -- but My Cat Thinks I'm Funny has a wonderful voice. She's witty and sharp in her tone; she carves out these endlessly relatable (screw you firefox, that is a word) topics with a sense of humor that is immediately recognizable.
I've tried to get down something about each blog I voted for, though not as much as I'd like about each and some explanations were deeply short changed. So, as it turns out, I can vote for things. I just can't articulate my reasons for voting for things. This bodes very badly for any future in campaigning, but since I've long ago resigned myself to a lifetime of introversion and discussing the symbolism of obscure Greek myths, I think I'm okay.
No comments:
Post a Comment