The Best of Blogs

More Best Of Blog Finalists Announced

May 9, 2008 – 5:31 am

Here we are in day 2 of our 3 day Best Of Blog finalist announcements and already the votes of piling in. Yesterday we covered Sports, Music, Environmental, and Sex. Today we are covering a few more and the rest of this years finalists will be announced Monday morning. So remember to vote for your favorites and don’t forget to check out our sponsor Lijit along with our Exclusive Contest filled with some spectacular prizes!

Books/Literature

1. Theasylum
2. Cutewriting
3. Chickenspaghetti
4. Writingya
5. Bookloverreviews
6. Draumrpublishing
7. Katerothwell
8. Weeklyrader
9. Bookishbent
10. Super-perception

Education/Homeschooling

1. Pissedoffteeacher
2. Threestandarddeviationstotheleft
3. Ukiahcoachbrown
4. Californiateacherguy
5. Polski3
6. Historyiselementary
7. Learnmegood2
8. Detentionslip
9. Shrewdnessofapes
10. Awaitingtenure

Travel/Leisure

1. Livealifeworthy
2. Pretavoyager
3. Primitiveculture
4. Susiesbigadventure
5. Tecoteca
6. Shoresabbatical
7. Moratinoslife
8. 2gringos
9. Placesihaveneverbeen
10. Misadventuresofliz

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This Year’s Best Of Blog Finalists Are….

May 7, 2008 – 11:23 pm

As promised, the time has come to announce this year’s finalists in each category. Over the next two days and continuing on into Monday, we will be listing those sites we that we feel have separated themselves from the rest of the pack. Per the rules of the event each site receives less than 250 hits a week and can only make it as a finalist in one category. Unfortunately do several sites having to be disqualified and others simply standing out above the others, some of this year’s categories were narrowed down to a Top 5. In order to vote for your favorite site all you have to do is leave us a comment containing your picks URL. Before we take the plunge and begin the voting process, we want to send a special thank you to all of this year’s volunteers and the folks at Lijit for all their support. If you haven’t done so already, follow this link to enter our Exclusive Lijit Contest and have a chance at winning some great prizes. Now on with the show…..

Best Sports Blog

1. Whitewater-rafting-colorado
2. Marathonleap
3. Illrunfordonuts
4. Sarahjoaustin
5. Blitzblog08

Best Environmental Blog

1. Juliezickefoose
2. Agmetalminer
3. Askwoollym
4. Freaknoid
5. Gogreentravelgreen

Best Sex Blog

1. Redsneakerdiaries
2. BareBits
3. Kellyguyer
4. Smdesires
5. Dailybedpost

Best Music Blog

1. Theithacan
2. Djeviltwin
3. Musicraod
4. Stellasplice
5. Canapesun

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What Inspires You To Blog?

May 7, 2008 – 5:45 am

As we continue our trek to next weeks announcement of this year’s Top 10 finalists, I thought it be cool to look at just what inspires us to blog. Behind all the widgets, comments, and crazy designs, what is it about blogging that makes us willing to tell the world what we may not even tell our own families? From stories of tragedy, to tales of overcoming life-threatening illnesses, to tips on living healthier lives the blog-o-sphere is filled with stories that touch our souls. Once you’ve caught the blogging bug it seems that nothing is off limits no matter how painful or embarrassing.  Below are some great examples of nominees that have touched our hearts this year:

Shobha448

Postpartumprogress

Designformankind

Imgratefulforww

Besides-money

Apilgrimssong

Lovedreamliveathome

Oneyearofbeauty

Happyhealthywealthywise

Bigbluebarnwest

Myturnip

Momentsfromsuburbia

Oh and before I go, one quick announcement! As of this morning we are more than halfway through picking the finalists for this year’s awards. As a result instead of waiting to Monday to announce them all at one time, check back Thursday and Friday mornings when we will begin announcing the finalists. And don’t forget to comeback Monday morning for the complete list of this year’s Top 10 finalists in each category!

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Voting Delayed One Week

May 5, 2008 – 5:41 am

Unfortunately for those of you showing up today ready for the big announcement regarding just who made it to the Top 10 in each of this year’s categories….we’ve had to extend the awards by one week due to circumstances beyond our control. As you have no doubt heard me mention a few times, the Best Of Blog awards is put together by a collection of volunteers along with the support of this year’s major sponsor Lijit. Due to an overwhelming response in addition to other issues involving scheduling, we just weren’t able to get everything together during the two week period we had initially set aside. Therefore we are moving the announcement of the Top 10’s and consequently the kick off of the voting portion of the event by one week. In order to make this as simple as possible here’s the new schedule:

• The Top 10 finalists in each category now begin on May 12
• Voting for the best in each category will begin immediately following the Top 10 announcement on May 12
• All that is required to place your vote for the best in each category is a comment that includes the site you would like to vote for.
• Winners will be announced on June 2

We at the Best Of Blogs would like to apologize for any inconvenience this change of scheduling may have caused. Trust us when we say it was something we have agonized over as the week came to a close and even put off making the final decision until late Sunday. The bottom line is that regrettably in order for us to maintain the quality of the awards we needed another week. In the meantime don’t forget to enter our Exclusive Lijit contest featuring some awesome 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes and check back everyday for more updates on this year’s nominees. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

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Mommy Bloggers Giving Dads A Run For Their Money

May 1, 2008 – 9:27 pm

We are just days away from voting announcing the finalist for this year’s Best Of Blog Awards. Monday morning we will posting the Top 10’s in each category and voting will officially begin. All of which is leading up to this year’s winners being proclaimed on May 26. Plus we are still taking entry’s into our Exclusive Lijit contest so hurry up and follow this link for details on how to enter.

While the judges are narrowing down their final choices, I wanted to take a brief moment to brag on our Mommy bloggers. I gave the Dad’s some love this week, but truth be told if there weren’t Mommies there’d be no Daddies. Nobody is more proud of their children than momma and with one quick glance at some of this year’s nominees you can understand what I mean:

Mamaneena

Ramblingmomtomany

Emilypage

Emzeegee

Dianaabalos

Pikespickles

Keepingthingswhole

Apilgrimssong

Diaryofanunhingedhousewife

Cookiestamp

From struggling to get pregnant to dealing with child illnesses to stories on how what to do with junior when he refuse to where pants, our moms have seen it all and are blogging about it everyday. Remember to pay special attention to your favorite mommy blogs and let them know how much you enjoy their sites by voting for them as Best Mommy Blogger come Monday morning.

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Travel Blogs Offer Up A Window To The World

May 1, 2008 – 5:43 am

We never travel. Maybe once a year the family and I will pile up in the SUV and take the 10 hour trek down south to the sunny shores of Orange Beach, Al., but we’ve been doing that since I was a kid so in my mind that doesn’t really count. When I think of traveling I think of European vacations and sailing around the Bahamas. I dream of black sand beaches and the Great Wall of China, not an hour drive to a mall and a cup of Starbucks. Thankfully those that do navigate the globe on a regular basis are blogging about their adventures everyday.

I know it’s not the same, but it’s as close as most will get as they make their way from home-to the 8-5-and back home again. Very few of us get to live out our dreams and reading travel blogs is often all we need to keep those dreams alive. This year’s batch of Best Travel nominees come from all corners of the world and feature some amazing people tossing it all away for the freedom of the open road. Just look at some of these amazing sites:

Wildaboutwriting

Whitewater-rafting-colorado

Pinkbirdcreations

Rounding60

Nikkiaway

Livealifeworthy

Nicoleandcain

Irenefelder

Cooltravelguide

Pretavoyager

Primitiveculture

Marmdeladesquest

Susiesbigadventure

How cool are these blogs! The sounds, smells, and scenery come alive with every click of the mouse. From Rome to Afghanistan to the jungles of South America, bloggers are sharing their lives one post at a time. So the next time you get tired of the same ole same ole day to day, jump on over to a Travel blog and let your mind run wild with possibilities.

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New Writers Remind Us Why We Blog

April 30, 2008 – 5:33 am

I just got through taking a first glance at some of this year’s Best New Blog nominees and if ever there was a category that is going to require some major input from all our judges this is it. As judges we each have our favorite types of blogs, but overall this is the one we get most psyched about. One reason behind the buzz for this category is the excitement that just pours off the page. By now most of us have been doing the blog thing for several years and the newness has long ago worn off. These new bloggers though bring so much passion and fun to their blogs you can just see them typing three hundred words a minute as they try their best to keep up with the ideas running down their spines and out their fingertips. Not only is it contagious, as judges it makes us remember why we love to blog so much ourselves. Before this year’s BoB’s kicked off back in March I was only blogging a couple times a week. Now I’m back to posting everyday. Here are just a few examples of some of this year’s newest members to the blogging community:

Thisisyourlifelk

Mid-centurymodernmoms

Teachermeetsworld

Nikkiaway

5ksandcabernets

Greenroomthoughts

Keepingthingswhole

Ashleyisanasshole

Mamaneena

Freaknoid

Absolutelykathy

Theharlands

Jennrstclair

Kim-in-sanford

Emilypage

Irenefelder

Outsiderontheinside

Marniewagner

See what I mean? You can practically hear the keys typing as you read their latest posts. Well that’s all I’ve got today, check back tomorrow as I take a trip overseas and don’t forget about out Lijit Contest. You won’t believe the great prizes we will be giving away

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Daddy Bloggers A Big Hit With The BoB’s

April 29, 2008 – 5:31 am

With voting kicking off next Monday and the Lijit Contest now in full swing as well, things are tough all over for this year’s judges as we do our best to narrow down all the nominated blogs into their respective Top 10’s. To keep the flow going and just let you know what kind of competition is out there, we thought we’d share a few of the sites nominated for one of our favorite categories "Best Daddy Blog". Being a blog father myself, I can say that there’s something really unique in finding a dad who is willing to open up and write down what it’s like to be a dad in 2008. I mean sure Moms have always kept a diary, but 10 years ago the thought of a dad writing about the trials of fatherhood was laughable. Now Mom, Dad, Billy, and Suzie each have a blog of their own and are competing for page views. Just take a look at some of these Dad’s in action:

 

Diyfather

Bluesloth

Postulatesandpasttimes

Tnbwalsh

Father-of-five

King-of-clubs

Etherealgarage

Lbsimba

Athomedaddy

Samokdaddy

3daysnopay

Babydaddy

Donva

5ksandcabernets

Fatherdad

Joejon

Literaldan

Daddyslittletaxcredits

Busydadblog

Dadonabike

Dadshouseblog

Stayathomedad

The-junk-monkey

Literaldan

See why being a judge isn’t something people are jumping up to do each year? Imagine having to narrow this list down to 10! That’s what the Best Of Blogs are all about though. Taking the best and showing them to the rest. With the help of Lijit and a ton of volunteers, we are working around the clock to make sure that only those sites that receive less than 250 hits a week get the recognition they deserve. So visit some these Dad’s and let them know how awesome you think they are.

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New Contest Is 2 Lijit 2 Pass Up

April 24, 2008 – 9:35 pm

By now you have all heard me talk about how cool this year’s sponsor Lijit is. Not only do I use it to keep track of my Myspace, Facebook, Digg, Twitter, Wordpress, and Blogger sites, but their Ask An Expert research tool is the first place I turn to when I need to know something fast. More than just a place to check your stats, the second you sign up with Lijit you realize you’ve just created a Central HQ where you can monitor all your online activities.

If anything the Best Of Blog awards teach us that blogging has become America’s new favorite pass time. No longer are we spectators watching the world go by, we have all become front line reporters scrambling to be the first on the scene with the latest news and coolest opinions. As our love for blogging has skyrocketed so have the numbers of blogs we maintain. The result is we have become so busy blogging rarely do we find time to keep track of just who is reading our stuff. This is where Lijit steps in to take the load off our word weary minds by allowing us complete access to all our sites all at one URL.

To prove just what Lijit can do for you, today we bring you an Exclusive Best of Blogs Contest guaranteed to give away tons of FREE SWAG! All you have to do is click on this Lijit hyperlink and register for their completely free service. After four years of conducting these annual awards, I can honestly say we wouldn’t be the success we are today if not for the wonderful volunteers and the sponsorship from companies like Lijit. For them to throw their support behind us and then in addition to that add in some great prizes, well thank you just doesn’t seem to cover it. Most of you nominees and soon to be Best Of Blog winners have already seen a jump in the number of people checking out your sites, all we are asking in return is that you head on over to Lijit and give them a chance to change the way you blog. The same goes for anyone who has nominated a site this year. Click on this Lijit hyperlink, register your site, and be entered in our Exclusive Lijit Contest. And we’re not just talk’n T-shirts either! We are talking Muy Gigante Premio! Anyone can enter, 3 winners will be drawn, one Grand Prize will be given away, and the results will be announced the same day as this year’s Best Of Blog Winners scheduled to be held on May 26^th.

 

Oh and remember, Voting Begins May 5th!

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Final Day For Nominations!!!

April 21, 2008 – 5:41 am

Well we’ve finally made it to the second phase of the 2007 Best Of Blog Awards. That’s right all ye blog-hims and hers today is April 21st and for all of you keeping score that means that at Midnight tonight nominations will close. For the next two weeks a team of fellow bloggers will be sorting through this year’s massive stack of URLs and verifying that they all meet our number one rule for qualification….250 HITS OR LESS PER WEEK. Trust us this isn’t the easiest thing to accomplish, but after spending the past month & half collecting all your favs it’ll be nice to dig in and take a look at all the fantastic sites sent our way this year.

Though we are far from the finish line, we’d like to take a second to say thanks to this year’s sponsor Lijit. More than just a search engine or a simple site meter, Lijit allows you to keep up with all your social networks with one click of a mouse. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Wordpress, Blogger. If you’ve got a blog or are part of a network, than save yourself some time and get Lijit.

Finally just so we don’t leave anybody guessing as to what’s next, here’s how the next few weeks are going to go:

• Nominations end April 21st
• Two weeks later on May 5th the Top 10 in each category will be announced and voting will begin. To vote all you will have to do is leave a comment with the URL you would like to see win.
• May 26th marks the date that a winning blog in each of the 23 categories will be announced

Check back often for updates and remember to start getting your readers ready for the start of voting on May 5th.

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