Last week’s ProBlogger poll took a tongue in cheek look at Blog Awards and asked readers to identify their favorite one.
The results were overwhelming on two front.
Firstly by the number of voters. While polls in previous weeks have had over 1000 respondents (sometimes in much shorter time periods) this week only 163 readers responded which gives an indication of how much interest there is by many bloggers in awards.
Secondly the actual results revealed that just over 50% of those who could be bothered to vote did so in the ‘I detest blog awards’ category with a further 14% voting for these very awards. I think that shows just how much the average voter likes awards.
Of the serious awards nominated by ProBlogger readers the one that polled best was Best of Blogs (23 votes), followed by the Weblog Awards (12 votes) and the Bloggies (8 Votes) – although the numbers were so low that I’m not sure much can be drawn from the stats and interestingly these were the first three blogs listed in the poll (in the same order that they finished).
Anyway – here’s this week’s poll’s graph for what it’s worth.
wHy No – bLog hOt oR nOt?
Personally I like awards that don’t self-appoint themselves to be awarding the prize on behalf of everyone in their naming. I like “ProBlogger’s Best Blog Awards Award” because ProBlogger (as an entity) is awarding it,rather than declaring that everyone has decided the “Best Blog Awards Award” despite the huge majority of the world’s population having no idea what the award is (or what it is for). Hope that makes sense…
If “Best of Blogs” was called “Bob’s Grocery Store’s Best of Blogs” then I would have voted for that award, despite it being endorsed by a grocery store.
Every year Weblog Awards and Bloggies have almost the same finalists, but what about the other 20 million blogs?
I like the Best of Blogs Awards, because it awards popular little bloggers blogs that are not so famous, or political. Just wish they had a Bigfoot category since I’m a big foot fan, with big feet, just like my Moms, so it would be perfect. Maybe next year!
[…] Darren of ProBlogger posted the results of a recent poll. It asked people what their favorite blog awards are. […]
I did not vote because I have never heard of any of those awards. I am realatively new to blogging, but I also have to agree with Damien D.
Perhaps the reason so many people voted “I detest blog awards” is due to sour-grapes than actual contempt for a prize.
Like most serious bloggers, I work very hard on my site. It would feel good to earn an award from respected peers. People don’t disparage the Pulitzers… what’s wrong with a blog award?
I agree that the today’s marketplace is a bit saturated with blog awards. My hope is that soon one will rise above the rest and honor people who have contributed to the blogging.
Case in point: I am one of the founders of the “Carnival of the Liberals.” (CotL) Unlike other blog carnivals, hosts must select their 10 favorite entries. Getting listed in CotL is an honor, not a formality.
While I don’t get a say in what the host selects, I have noticed an increase in the level of quality of the submissions after a few short months.
CotL is not an award by any stretch of the imagination… but it does show that with a little deserved recognition, you can bring out the best in writers.
In case you don’t know, a “Blog Carnival” is when bloggers who share similar interests on a topic submit their best posts, or nominate other peoples posts, to a central host-blogger who then collates and promotes them as a carnival. The carnival happens on a regular schedule, and the host of the carnival alternates with each issue.
The CotL website is: http://carnivaloftheliberals.com/