So funny thing, I seem to have won the Nunie for Best Blog again. I confess, it's a bit of a surprise. I'm not sure last year was my best ever year blogging and after the first day of voting, I'd been trailing most of the way, sometimes by quite a lot.
But then at lunch time, on a lark, I put up a quick note note on Facebook saying that voting was closing in a little more than four hours and if you wanted, I'd appreciate your vote. I was down by about a dozen votes at that point, so I wasn't particularly confident of a rally.
Shortly after I put that up, the damnest thing happened. My high school English Jim Moore teacher decided to rally to my cause, put the link on his own news feed and asked his considerable network of friends, family and former students to vote for me. So began a late rally and surge. If Jim had done that once, it would have been a cool thing, but he posted several times during the afternoon asking people to go to vote.
I have, in the past, said an unkind word or three about my high school alma mater, Booth Memorial. I should, in all fairness, mention there were good things about the place. Someone I spent virtually every day with in Grade 12 reappeared a few weeks ago and today sent a note wishing me luck. And Jim was one of a handful of teachers I had at Booth that I would consider to be among the very best kind - the ones who make you better when they're finished with you than you were before they got ahold of you. And not just from imparting whatever they had to teach from a text book, but all the stuff that happens in-between. Mr. Vincent and Mr. Green were two more who could pull off that particular trick.
I'm not saying I became a writer because of Jim, because I didn't. But I think it's fair to say I would be a worse writer if not for him.
So thanks to Jim for rallying last minute support. Also a thanks to an old blogging friend, Jen Eichenberg, who noted that at 4:40 pm that the blogging contest was tied with 20 minutes left (it was also causing Clare some stress. Two years ago I finished tied with Kate Nova and lost in a run-off. I think he was hoping for that to not happen again). She also managed to rally a few votes my way.
So there you have it, defending blog champion. I think after winning it twice in a row, I might have to retire from competition and go into the Hall of Fame or something. We'll see.
And now a bunch more thank you's. Thanks to everyone who voted in the category, all 286 of you which is a excellent total. Thanks to the other four excellent blogs who ran and who all got, I am thrilled to see, quite a few votes. And in particular thanks to The Arctic Post, an excellent blog out of Chesterfield Inlet who ran neck and neck for most of it. Congrats to M&T in Nunavut for winning Best New Blog and Babes and Bulldogs for winning Best Blog Post.
And finally, to Clare, who runs this thing each year and disqualifies himself when everyone knows he would win it in a cakewalk if he ever allowed his name to be entered. Cheers, my friend.
Last Five
1. Haiti - Arcade Fire
2. How can a poor man stand such times and live (Live) - Bruce Springsteen
3. Let's work - Mich Jagger
4. Sweet child o' mine - Guns 'n' Roses
5. Dance dance dance (Live) - Neil Young*
But then at lunch time, on a lark, I put up a quick note note on Facebook saying that voting was closing in a little more than four hours and if you wanted, I'd appreciate your vote. I was down by about a dozen votes at that point, so I wasn't particularly confident of a rally.
Shortly after I put that up, the damnest thing happened. My high school English Jim Moore teacher decided to rally to my cause, put the link on his own news feed and asked his considerable network of friends, family and former students to vote for me. So began a late rally and surge. If Jim had done that once, it would have been a cool thing, but he posted several times during the afternoon asking people to go to vote.
I have, in the past, said an unkind word or three about my high school alma mater, Booth Memorial. I should, in all fairness, mention there were good things about the place. Someone I spent virtually every day with in Grade 12 reappeared a few weeks ago and today sent a note wishing me luck. And Jim was one of a handful of teachers I had at Booth that I would consider to be among the very best kind - the ones who make you better when they're finished with you than you were before they got ahold of you. And not just from imparting whatever they had to teach from a text book, but all the stuff that happens in-between. Mr. Vincent and Mr. Green were two more who could pull off that particular trick.
I'm not saying I became a writer because of Jim, because I didn't. But I think it's fair to say I would be a worse writer if not for him.
So thanks to Jim for rallying last minute support. Also a thanks to an old blogging friend, Jen Eichenberg, who noted that at 4:40 pm that the blogging contest was tied with 20 minutes left (it was also causing Clare some stress. Two years ago I finished tied with Kate Nova and lost in a run-off. I think he was hoping for that to not happen again). She also managed to rally a few votes my way.
So there you have it, defending blog champion. I think after winning it twice in a row, I might have to retire from competition and go into the Hall of Fame or something. We'll see.
And now a bunch more thank you's. Thanks to everyone who voted in the category, all 286 of you which is a excellent total. Thanks to the other four excellent blogs who ran and who all got, I am thrilled to see, quite a few votes. And in particular thanks to The Arctic Post, an excellent blog out of Chesterfield Inlet who ran neck and neck for most of it. Congrats to M&T in Nunavut for winning Best New Blog and Babes and Bulldogs for winning Best Blog Post.
And finally, to Clare, who runs this thing each year and disqualifies himself when everyone knows he would win it in a cakewalk if he ever allowed his name to be entered. Cheers, my friend.
Last Five
1. Haiti - Arcade Fire
2. How can a poor man stand such times and live (Live) - Bruce Springsteen
3. Let's work - Mich Jagger
4. Sweet child o' mine - Guns 'n' Roses
5. Dance dance dance (Live) - Neil Young*
8 comments:
So basically ou are saying that your win was based on some last minute help from a friend who rallied several of his friends whom have probably never read your blog. Hmmm do you honestly think the last minute votes were based on the "quality" of your blog? Don't get me wrong , I like to read your blog from time to time to see your take on things that we have in common but I am a bit surprised that you would accept a win in this manner.
Peter
I read your blog ALL and I was one of those who voted at the last minute.
I did a little rally as well but only sent it to those people who also read and like your blog.
Even though a win is fine if some people voted for you who hadn't read your blog (the main purpose of the Nunies is to let others know of Nunavut blogs), I think you got almost every single one of those votes from people who read and like your blog.
So a big congratulations to you!
I dunno how the votes were tallied or cast but they got the right answer.
Congrats!
@Peter,
While I can't speak to Craig's "acceptance" surely you realize that this is an event that is more about exposing Nunavut bloggers to a wider audience, and giving the entire community some exposure.
In any vote driven competition of this sort there is campaigning and to a certain degree it is indicative of popularity and networks. I encourage everyone who votes to check out all the blog and make their choices. It is not a juried competition. Having said that, this blog has made the voting round in every version of this contest for all four years. I can't recall how the voting transpired the first year, but it finished tied for first for 2008, losing in a tie breaker round, first last year, and first this year. That alone speaks to the quality of the blog.
At any rate whether or not this blog or any blog wins a contest like this, places second, third or last, the real determination of what makes a blog the "best blog" lies with the individual reader. You alone determine that for yourself, no need to try and rain on anyone's parade.
Dammit, I got so caught up in Peter's comment I forgot the reason I stopped by in the first place.
Congratulations Craig. Well done.
Congrats Craig!
In response to the above comment....A win is a win. I too did some campainging.
Once again congrats.
Matthew
The M of Cape Dorset.
I think all the followup comments were great. Clare really hit the nail on the head when he said the award is really about "exposing Nunavut bloggers to a wider audience, and giving the entire community some exposure". This has been achieved in spades. I just wanted to point out that the effort that has been made made by so many bloggers including Craig (congradulations by the way!) should not be tainted by having every Joe with a pulse voting for a certain individual just because they are friends with an "associate". That was my only concern. ......I also have to be honest in saying that there may have been just a little of "a cast" in my first post in the hopes that the "Townie Bastard" would bite hard with some retaliatory comment!!! I mean come on ....let the Bastard out!!.....just kidding Craig!!! PS As a fellow Newfie I think Doyle sucks!!
Peter
Well done!
People tend to miss the point of blog contests. It's not to pick the best blog: that's far too personal to do with any certainty. These contests are all about getting people to talk about blogs, to find new blogs to read, and to think about what makes a blog really great.
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