Sadly, siberianlight.net didn’t get nominated for an award in the 2005 Deutsche Welle BOB awards. Probably because siberianlight.net isn’t in the same class as those that are up for the award.
There are sections for weblogs from all around the world - most interesting though, has to be the Best Russian language blog. Eight of Russia’s finest weblogs, from Bolshoi Gorod to Fairy Tales from the Underground. Go check them out, then vote, vote vote!
October 25th, 2005 at 1:09 am
When I scooted on over and saw that HRW’s Afghan election blog made the cut, I died a little inside. It’s good and all, but there’s something just wrong about treating institutional blogs the same as all the rest.
October 29th, 2005 at 10:06 pm
I have to second Nathan’s emotion regarding another one of the nominees - Bol’shoi Gorod is an outstanding publication, but that’s what it is: a professionally published (by Afisha, no less, if I’m not mistaken) glossy weekly which happens to have a very thorough blog affilitated with it. No disrespect to Nikolai Danilov, who last I checked was BG’s blogger-in-chief, but I don’t think it’s fair to put “his” blog, which benefits from content prepared by professional journalists, up against solo efforts. Wow, that turned into almost a rant there.
On a more positive note, as a Moscow Metro fan, I have to thank you for leading me to the “Baiki iz podzemel’ia” blog - looks like something worth reading regularly. Especially now that I am far away from Moscow and missing the stuffy funk of the underground, it’s fun to ride the rails vicariously.
October 30th, 2005 at 6:40 pm
The metro blog is cool, isn’t it?
I can never decide whether these ‘institutional’ blog should be considered blogs or not. Blogs that are launched by an organisation, with the full support of that organisation, and which tend to make use of people already working at that organisation, I think shouldn’t be classed as blogs at all, as the writers must pretty much toe the company line - they have no real individuality.
But blogs like Bolshoi Gorod, or Kevin Drum’s Political Animal, which have been ‘acquired’ by an organisation or company, I have very mixed feelings about. I don’t really read either that closely these days, but from what I have read, they still seem to be mostly written by the same people who wrote them before they buyout and, therefore, seem to retain their ‘voice’. The bloggers, because they have built up an identity and track record seem to feel freer to voice their opinions, and not worry too much about what their paymaster thinks. These kinds of blogs I’m reasonably happy to see included in ‘Best of’ awards.