My Ballot - 2006

I figured that maybe I'd best get this in before the deadline.  I just want everyone to know that, especially since I've become something of an authority on Montana websites, this was every bit as hard for me as it was for you.  This was one terrific bunch of candidates, and choosing from among them is almost ... painful.  But, here 'goes ...

Under the Heading of Political Blogs:

Best Left Leaning Blog:
 
   Left In The West
    

Best Right Leaning Blog:

    MT Politics
   
(Though I'm quickly becoming a huge fan of The Montana Misanthrope.)
 

Best Independent or Libertarian Blog:

  AHHHG!  This choice burns!   But if I have to choose,

     Pragmatic Revolt
   
Moorcat is just so engaged in the blogging community and Montana life, and writes so personally that he gets the nod this year.

Best Political Blog:

    Left In The West
   
 

Blog That Had The Most Impact on the Elections of 2006:
 
    Electric City Weblog

 

Under the Heading of Culture:

Montana Blog that best represents popular culture:

    Better Living Through Blogging

Best Montana History Blog:
 
    Prairie Mary

Blog That Best Represents a Montana Lifestyle:
 
    What I Think (as if you give a damn)

By a mere whisker over Thoughts From the Middle Of Nowhere.

Under the Heading of Creativity:

Most Creative Montana Blog:
 
    Raven's Nest

Best Photography:
 
    Bitterroot and Bergamot

Best Written Montana Blog:
 
    Dave Budge
 

Most Humorous Montana Blog:
 
    A Secular Franciscan Life

 

Best Post:

    Playground Politics, Rebels Are We
   
Best Series of Posts:

    No Mandatory Animal ID, Thoughts From The Middle Of Nowhere

   

Comments

[Barns]

Incestuous nonsense.

[david]

What's your point, Barns?

[Eric Coobs]

It's not nonsense, I think the concept of a weblogs award program has some merit.

When the votes are tallied, we'll see if this format works.

[Wulfgar]

Of course it works, Eric, better than most online voting does. The only problem with it is that it doesn't scale. Fortunately, that's not much of a problem in Montana ... yet.

I am curious though, Eric. Concidering your obviously bogus claim to having the most popular political website in Montana, how exactly would you define an awards program that "works"?

[Eric Coobs]

Looking at last year, you got less than 30 votes. If you do no better than that this year, I'd say you need to get more exposure (links) from around the Montana Blogsphere.

I'd say that 500 votes would be respectable.

All I have to do is count comments to claim #1 political website in Montana. Simple numbers. My critics claim that 1/2 my comments should be deleted, but even if I did that I'd still be #1.

[colby natale]

Comments is merely one way to evaluate popularity. Views, visits, links, respect...

all count as other ways as well. Plus, there should be a quantity versus quality argument here; you do get a mad load of comments, but very few of the comments are from thoughtful individuals. Plus, half the comments come from libs who don't like your site or its content, but feel compelled to argue there. that doesn't mean they like the site or find it popular, just that it is a catalyst. The number of people 'visiting' Iraq in the past three years has been pretty high compared to previously, does that make it a popular destination?

[Wulfgar]

I think from now on, I will comment as at least 12 other people to my own posts. That will give me popularity cred well exceeding Eric's, right? AmIright?

Eric, there is little or no reason to believe that on any post of yours that garners more than 30 comments, that there are any more than 5 people doing the commenting. As Colby points out, your logic here is dreadful.

Something else I've been meaning to point out to you is the incredable irony of you setting an arbitrary (and woefully unrealistic) level of response for anything blog related when you are the one who claims that people don't read blogs.

Eric, you continue to be confused by a simple fact: the Montana weblog awards are for the people who *do* the blogs and the people who read them. It's like sports awards; nobody expects a person who isn't a baseball fan to give a salient crap about the Cy Young award. So, I'm certain you'll forgive me if I continue to ignore your expectations of the blogging communities appeal ... because you still don't get it.

[cece]

Eric just has sour grapes that no three people could muster enough energy to nominate him for Best Right Leaning blog.