These are the successors to the Blog of the Year Awards that were first made by the party in general and Liberal Democrats Online in particular in 2006.
At some point over the intervening years, Liberal Democrat Voice took the awards over.
I didn't get the memo when this was decided, but it's hard to be too critical of this coup because self-promotion is an important part of blogging if you want to enjoy a reasonable number of readers. I have indulged in it myself when I had the energy.
But if Lib Demo Voice is going to make itself the arbiter of the Lib Dem blogosphere then it needs to do the job properly. And there is a definite gap in the list of awards this year.
Because there always used to be an award for the best new blog - that is, the best blog started over the previous 12 months.
And if we want to encourage blogging in the party then we need that award again as it gives new entrants an something they can realistically aim for.
Blogging is not the edgy activity it once was, and if you think the very idea of such an award is hopelessly old fashioned, then give one for the best new user of Twitter, Facebook, Meow Chat or whatever it is the young people are using these days.
Incidentally, there was no award for the best new blogger last year either, and I had intended to write a post like this in time to influence Lib Dem Voice's choice of categories for this year. But that are guilty of the dirty trick of announcing them in good time.
3 comments:
"At some point over the intervening years, Liberal Democrat Voice took the awards over."
More accurately, the party (which organised and paid for the first couple) pulled out and LDV stepped in to ensure they continue. It wasn't about self-promotion of the site but about ensuring promotion of other blogs, which remains its role today.
I've nothing against the category of 'Best new blogger', though I think the pool is pretty small.
By my calculation, two of your 16 awards this year are for blogs.
Still, at least we are now clear they were not renamed the "Liberal Democrat Voice Awards" in order to promote Liberal Democrat Voice. :)
The event does cost us around £500 to run, for which we get no support apart from our routine advertising and donation revenue.
Effectively, the advertising bonus we get from conference (because third parties want to tell representatives about their fringes) gets ploughed back into supporting the party in some small way.
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