The 2008 Black Blogger Award Winners

2008-09-10
By Eric Easter

Last year when we listed the winners of the 2007 Black Blogger Awards, we mentioned that during the 2004 Democratic National  Convention, 20 bloggers were given credentials as press.  This year in Denver at the DNC, Google and Digg.com’s “Big Tent” for credentialed bloggers hosted 500 political bloggers alone. Microsoft hosted a “Specialty Media Lounge” that gave free food and workspace to another 300 journalists of color, many of whom were covering the convention gavel to gavel online.

Blogging has found its place and its voice in the media spectrum, and Black people are jumping into the fray more than ever.

The Black Blogger Awards was founded three years ago by Maurice Cherry, a web designer and strategist at AT&T. In 2007, more than 7,000 blogs were nominated in the online only competition. This year more than 9,500 were entered.

There have been other signs of growth in that short time.

While the broader blogosphere is still mostly reliant on OPP (other people’s press) as the foundation of most blog posts, there is a growing pattern of Black bloggers in particular finding and making their own news. That’s likely because many of the most popular Black blogs are not just post-print publishing ventures. Scratch a Black blogger and you’ll most likely find not a frustrated novelist, but someone who, twenty years ago, would have been launching his or her own magazine, or radio show.

Another trend is the quality of advertising. While no blog sites seem to be making a mint by anyone’s standards, banner ads on the more popular Black blogs have noticeably matured from cut-rate t-shirts to actual known brands.

Of course, there’s still a long way to go. 

Quality and consistency are still issues all around the - Black or otherwise. Despite the Joe Scarborough jokes about people in their pajamas eating Cheetos, writing with currency, intelligence and humor on a daily or semi-frequent basis is no easy feat.

And while they’ve joined forces to attack issues periodically, Black bloggers have a ways to go before they become a united force in publishing that has consistent influence and enough clout to force advertisers their way. And they have to get their timing right. This summer’s historic first annual  Blogging While Brown Conference in Atlanta was scheduled the same weekend as the much larger UNITY conference of the journalists most likely to write about them. Likewise this year’s Awards competition and voting was announced during the run-up to the Democratic National Convention and its afterglow – knocking it off the radar.

But that’s a minor quibble, and will work itself out with growth and planning. For now, Black bloggers just need to keep writing and you need to keep reading. As the conservative crowd works to damp down critical conversation in this election season, it’s even more important that everyone have not just a voice but his or her own forum for that voice.

Best Blog Community
Popular Vote: The Urban Blogger <http://www.theurbanblogger.com/>
Judges' Vote: Blackfolk <http://community.livejournal.com/blackfolk>

Best Blog Design
Popular Vote: Young, Black and Fabulous <http://www.theybf.com/>
Judges' Vote: SoulBounce <http://www.soulbounce.com/>

Best Blog Post or Blog Post Series
Popular Vote: The Black Snob - "The Associated Press Totally Steals My Black Conservatives On Obama Story" <http://bit.ly/2GYuZ3>
Judges' Vote: We Are Respectable Negroes - "What if? White in America – The Never to be Made Television Documentary" <http://bit.ly/2Iyo2w>

Best Business Blog
Popular Vote: Young Black Professional Guide <http://www.ybpguide.com/>
Judges' Vote: Buzzology Surveys <http://www.buzzologysurveys.blogspot.com/>

Best Celebrity Blog
Popular Vote: Kanyé West <http://www.kanyeuniversecity.com/blog/>
Judges' Vote: Shaun Robinson <http://www.shaunrobinson.com/whatsnew.aspx>

Best Culture Blog
Popular Vote: Afrobella <http://www.afrobella.com>
Judges' Vote: The Liberator Magazine <http://weblog.liberatormagazine.com/>

Best Faith-Based Blog
Popular Vote: Gospel Fab <http://www.gospelfab.com/>
Judges' Vote: The Infidel Guy Show <http://www.infidelguy.com>

Best Fictional Blog
Popular Vote: The Li'l Creole Pimp Chronicles <http://creolepimp.blogspot.com/>
Judges' Vote: Welcome to Buena Beach <http://www.buenabeach.com>

Best Food Blog
Popular Vote: Everyday Cooking <http://everydaycookin.blogspot.com/>
Judges' Vote: NYAM <http://nyamfood.blogspot.com/>

Best Gossip Blog
Popular Vote: Young, Black and Fabulous <http://www.theybf.com/>
Judges' Vote: Bossip.com <http://www.bossip.com>

Best Group Blog
Popular Vote: Concrete Loop <http://www.concreteloop.com>
Judges' Vote: Jack & Jill Politics <http://www.jackandjillpolitics.com/>

Best Hip-Hop Blog
Popular Vote: SOHH.com <http://www.sohh.com/>
Judges' Vote: Nah Right <http://www.nahright.com/>

Best Humor Blog
Popular Vote: Crunk + Disorderly <http://www.crunktastical.net>
Judges' Vote: Yeah...I Said It! <http://www.listentoleon.net/>

Best International Blog
Popular Vote: That Grape Juice <http://www.thatgrapejuice.net/>
Judges' Vote: Scribbles from the Den <http://www.dibussi.com/>

Best LGBT Blog
Popular Vote: Pam's House Blend <http://www.pamshouseblend.com/>
Judges' Vote: Living Out Loud With Darian <http://loldarian.blogspot.com/>

Best Music Blog
Popular Vote: SoulBounce <http://www.soulbounce.com/>
Judges' Vote: SoulBounce <http://www.soulbounce.com/>

Best New Blog
Popular Vote: Keeping Up With The Huxtables <http://www.imkeepingup.com/>
Judges' Vote: Gureala <http://gureala.com/blog/>

Best Personal Blog
Popular Vote: The Beautiful Struggler: Me, Myself An Eye <http://thebeautifulstruggler.blogspot.com/>
Judges' Vote: JNez@thirtydaes.com <http://www.thirtydaes.com>

Best Photo Blog
Popular Vote: Sandra Rose <http://www.sandrarose.com/>
Judges' Vote: Afro Sugar <http://www.afrosugar.com/>

Best Podcast
Popular Vote: The Insanity Report <http://www.theinsanityreport.com/>
Judges' Vote: Mixed Chicks Chat <http://www.mixedchickschat.com>

Best Political/News Blog
Popular Vote: The Field Negro <http://field-negro.blogspot.com/>
Judges' Vote: The Field Negro< <http://field-negro.blogspot.com/>

Best Science/Technology Blog
Popular Vote: Nerd With Swag <http://www.nerdwithswag.com/>
Judges' Vote: SheGeeks.net <http://www.shegeeks.net/>

Best Sports/Recreation Blog
Popular Vote: Sportaphile <http://www.sportaphile.com/>
Judges' Vote: Ed the Sports Fan <http://edthesportsfan.com>

Best Style and Fashion Blog
Popular Vote: Afrobella <http://www.afrobella.com>
Judges' Vote: Scandalous Beauty <http://scandalousbeauty.blogspot.com/>

Best Teen Blog
Popular Vote: My Teenage Years <http://mty05-09.blogspot.com/>
Judges' Vote: Life, Society and Style <http://societyandstyle.blogspot.com>

Best Video Blog
Popular Vote: Love B. Scott <http://lovebscott.sharenow.com/>
Judges' Vote: Ill Doctrine <http://www.illdoctrine.com>

Best Writing in a Blog
Popular Vote: Afrobella <http://www.afrobella.com>
Judges' Vote: The Black Snob <http://blacksnob.blogspot.com/>

Blog of the Year
Popular Vote: Young, Black and Fabulous <http://www.theybf.com/>
Judges' Vote: Jack & Jill Politics <http://www.jackandjillpolitics.com/>

Blog to Watch
Popular Vote: DC to BC <http://www.dctobc.com>
Judges' Vote: The Peoples News <http://thepeoplesnews.wordpress.com/>

Eric Easter is Chief of Digital Strategy for Johnson Publishing, Co., Inc. He writes about politics, culture and technology for EbonyJet.com