Before I start, I’d like to mention that this isn’t another blog post moaning about how the awards were a complete fail, this has been said over and over, and when someone like Richard Mulholland complains (Rich inspired John Cherry into starting the awards back in 2005), you know something’s wrong.
Instead, I want to ask you to please take 5 minutes of your time to listen to what happened to me:
In 2008 I won Best SA Blog about Technology and Web Development and in 2009 I won Best SA Blog about Technology and Science. Most people know me for my blogging, I’ve been in the game since the start and it’s been my passion since I was inspired by Damien du Toit, way way way back. I’d like to think that when it comes to blogging, I have earned respect from a lot of people in the industry. Hell, I’m ranked number 1 on AfriGator, Africa’s largest blog aggregator.
Now, this year was interesting: I was told that I was going to be a judge (I’ve decided not to name the person, nor am I going to paste a link to the proof), so I didn’t enter in for a 3rd year running (Can’t judge and enter). I was really excited about this as I wanted to assist in ensuring that South Africa could be represented by great bloggers. When the judges were announced, my name was not included, so not only was I not a judge, but I wasn’t able to enter!
To top things off, I didn’t even receive an invitation to the event. It was embarrassing receiving text messages and tweets throughout the evening from peers asking where I was.
I feel that I deserve an explanation from one of the people who ran the event, JP Naude, Chris Rawlinson or Dave Duarte – Chris and Dave, you both know my personally, what happened gents? You are involved in this I assume because of your passion for blogging, imagine how I feel?
From the SA Blog Awards website:
“We are proud to announce that the SA Blog Awards is still in very capable hands, but ownership has however changed.
The SA Blog awards management structure has been somewhat modified, and we are happy to say that you are in very capable hands. Ownership now resides in the hands of new CEO JP Naude.”
Really?
Life isn’t fair and the event’s over, so not much can be done apart from wait until next year to see what happens, but for the time being I’m quite upset.
On another note: Congratulations to all the bloggers who took home awards, well done! Respect to you for showing the world that South Africa is great at blogging too!
Thats lank crappy Chris, I was saying to Craig not so long ago that this years blog awards seemed some what of a mess up from the word go.
But so we learn.. You should have definitely been up on the panel!
Hey Chris,
That’s ridiculous… just goes to show there are still a lot of kinks still to be ironed out.
Think the awards are a great idea to help promote and institutionalize blogging in South Africa, but have heard this year was plagued with issues from judging to the voting system.
Without the endorsement of top bloggers, the awards are not fully representative.
Here’s to a more proficient 2011 SA Blog Awards…
S
Typical Cape Town, from silicon cape to this, its all just media whoring of people trying to promote their own agendas, none ever really of any benefit, its all just hype hype and more hype.
Everyone just tends to be a victim of other peoples publicity stunts, the new media industry thrives on it.
Chris, you don’t have to prove anything to anybody. You have a great blog. Your stats and comments should tell you that. Forget about these award things – they are always slanted towards some or other bias.
You are already walking ahead of the pack- don’t look back!
Hey Chris,
I agree with your sentiments 100%. I think this year the awards were honestly a huge farce. Having been blogging for close on 8 years now, I thought I would have at least known some of the winners on the list, but no such luck ?
Maybe it’s time we start forgetting about these awards, and focus on the bigger picture ;)
Who needs a award anyway..hehe
M
This just comes down to planning and preparation again. Things like judges and rules should be defined before you start the process. One would have thought with the Blog Awards being held later this year they would have come prepared.
Dude, that is unacceptable.
I wondered why you didn’t appear on the nominations list.
I agree, you are owed a public apology.
Cheers
Gallo
Hey Chris,
You have a great blog & we will all continue to support you. I do agree with you and am sorry to hear about what happened. I hope that the organisers realise that there were key people overlooked in making it a great event.
I hope that things change in the future, as we all know that you are important in the South African Blogging scene.
All the best for the future.
Thats annoying.
Hey Chris, that’s awful. But I have to ask: why did you wait until after the event to say something? If an oversight like this is made one should surely try and rectify the situation, instead of crying over the proverbial spilt milk don’t you think?
thought that this was a great opportunity for me to be involved locally since my blog is starting to do quite well, but alas I have hard time convincing people I am actually in South Africa, Cape Town, lol.
Anyway, I could not take it seriously when I was not even considered. It should not matter, but it does because local passion, talent and hard work needs to be recognized.
Chris dude… feel you. Unfortuantely the BlogAwards are going from bad to worse. I have never met the new ‘owners’ (love the arrogance) but their work speaks for themselves.
I’m just so ashamed, the rest of the world looks at these peanuts and thinks “well that’s the best South Africa is capable of”. I resent that, and thus I resent lord peanut (CEO of Blog Awards – I mean CEO – really?!).
In any case Chris, I think your work speaks for itself, as does theirs. Let’s get together soon, we have a much smarter system for awarding excellence in this domain.
PS. at least Nash stuck to the peanuts and 2 oceans vibe which is always win. wonder what tiered trick mellor will pull out now that Nash raped his thunder.
@Liesl – I did contact one of the organisers on the day that the judges were announced. I decided to wait until afterwards so as to avoid being thrown into the mix of people complaining about the awards – I have too much respect to play cry baby publically before an important event.
yeah, that’s pretty damn weak from them Chris. you have a great blog and a great following.
some of them deserved to win, but others just won to boost/stroke thier egos and just show you that marketing your blog can get you anywhere.
and just to rant further, a certain someone’s blog is just a mere news portal and their content i see on other people’s blogs even before it hits his blog. so it’s not original or anything. you at least have stuff that i have yet to see on other peoples blogs which makes it kind of unique. if you know what i mean.
You spelt “duped” wrong bro
@Dave, neh….he is right :)
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dup
*duck*
Dude, the blog awards are just a forum by which advertisers and marketing people (“bloggers,” apparantly) compete to get freebies.
Don’t stress.
@GR – Not entirely, for a lot of people it’s about ego and freebies, but for some of us there’s a lot more to it. Why does nobody ever think that it has to do with accommplishment or self fulfillment? Winning an award was about me, it was proving to myself that I could do it, it wasn’t something I wanted so that everyone could think I was the coolest blogger around nor was it something I wanted so I could talk about it every day. I don’t disagree with you, but some of us don’t fit that bracket entirely :)
I am with you on this Chris. Getting recognized for work that you have done for the industry really does make feel one like “wow, this is why I do what I do and why I will continue to do so”. It really demotivates one when you are told one thing and another and then something completely different happens. But, as you said, no need to cry about spilled milk, but it would show true character if they sent you a letter of apology for the misunderstanding or just some form of apology would do. Lets hope for a better 2011 Blog Awards, and they better include you this time ;)
Here are some comments pulled from Facebook:
Jovana – Sucks that it was so disappointing. Sorry to hear it hun =(
Lara – Oh no, this is horrible. Sorry to hear this Christopher. Not fair!!!!!!
Francois – Not cool..!!! Next year ;)
Aslam – Whoa that sucks BIG time. Here I thought we got screwed by losing our category.. this is worse.
Its the SOUTH AFRICAN BLOG AWARDS. This is what foreign people look at when they look into the SA blog market.
As it stands now its not really making anyone smile except the organizers who are making the money. (Id be bleak if I paid to sponsor eg like exclusive books, and got such a shitty banner advert :-/ )
The free shit and rep is all good, but people need to realize that its an international platform we are raising here… and it should be done right.
- my 2c
As someone who had over 100 000 unique hits by only the middle of this month, I think it goes without saying that you know what you’re doing.
Hey Chris. I agree bro, we ended up basically after 8 months of being around ended up in the Best Music and Best Entertainment section yet not in the Best New Blog (which is the category where we were eagerly anticipating to be in)Surely to get enough nominations to make it into those categories we’d have made it into Best New Blog.
Look I am not complaining and feel honoured we were sitting up there with the best, but still would have liked a run against new, up and coming blogs, like ourselves. Some of the names of blogs in some category’s should not have been there, really blew my mind to see how some sites made it through to the top ten.
Bro, your site rocks. Keep doing what you doing and the awards will come your way!
I hope that next year a system is put in place where the blog awards are chosen on not how cool you are, or how many fans you have. It shouldnt be an ego boost or a way to get free stuff.
Anyways, hope you are well my man…
Chat soon
Interesting Craig, @BeingBrazen had an odd encounter as well, she was placed in the wrong category and after following up, they changed and moved her to another, it still wasn’t the right category as far as I know..
Thanks for the kind words, and well done on being up top there, I, of all people, know what your journey has been like :)
Being 6th on Afrigator myself I was surprised when I didn’t receive a nomination for this year’s awards.
I think being in Pretoria might also count against me (thought that might only be my imagination).
My blog is doing very well, especially this month, so I’m not complaining. So, maybe next year :)
I just feel that they should look at the processes involved for the awards, I feel that there are loopholes.
Oh yes, what I wanted to say is that it’s not right of them to treat you the way they did. You are definately one of the most passionate bloggers out there. You deserve better treatment.
All above are reasons to break away and start a proper blog awards for SA. The current one is overcooked.
Take it outa the oven and call Butlers.
@All Blog Award Haters:
I was concerned when I heard about the actual competition so I went to go and see who the winners were…
Indie Berries & Simply Delicious won. If you’ve actually READ their blogs they are absolutely amazing.
They DESERVED to win in my personal opinion. The blog often and well.
Not all of the people who won were useless/using it for their own agenda.
Sure, there are a lot of bad apples but don’t forget about the good ones.
Simply Delicious is great! And you’re right, there are some good ones in the mix.
Dude.
That just plain sucks.
Seriously.
Shoddy, unprofessional and sadly the level of manners you can expect from people with an overinflated sense of self-worth.
Consider the source of this affront and you won’t feel that bad anymore.
Blue skies…
It’s sad to see which blog took the Best Science & Tech Blog as your successor. The category had much better blogs in it with better content with a much bigger following and traffic!
I don’t like the guy, but you can’t deny the fact that DChetty.co.za should have taken it this year.
It’s all just sad to see this whole thing lose the little credibility it had.
not cool at all. you’d think with so many mess-ups each year the organisers would sit down and have a think about how to make it work. AND get opinions from respected bloggers such as yourself
While I’m still relatively new to blogging, this is not the first time I’m hearing negative feedback on the SA Blog Awards. Chris, that’s really disappointing to hear that they snubbed you. I remember seeing your post about being on the list of judges, which I thought was great as you’d provide real value and first-hand input in the judging process.
While there were some good sites in the top 10 of each category, I did notice a few dodgy ones. Was each top 10 based entirely on the number of ‘nominations’ each blog could get? I would’ve much rather have seen a nomination process which looked at other factors as well.
Craig is spot on – it shouldn’t be about how many fans you have. That should just be part of the mix. I think a lot of good sites got duped out of the top 10 nominations phase, for just that reason.
With that said, congrats to the bloggers who deserved some recognition for their work and managed to get somewhere in the awards.
And Chris, keep up the good work on your site. Maybe you can get behind a blogger’s choice awards or something similar one day – something of real value!
Cheers,
Adrian
Go on, post the name and proof of the offer to judge. Why not?
And You spelled “duped” wrong unless I’m sadly mistaken :)
Chris bud, someone of your credibility and passion does not need the accolades that stroke the ego. However, I do think what happened is not professional at all. At the end of the day you do what you do because you love it. If the blog awards were not around you would still be blogging. Keep up the good work and bring on the great content.
@Ewan – I have no need to do that. I’ve said my thing and am moving on now :)
Wow..highly disappointing. I’ve been following your input since they announced this years awards and i woulda thought that your blogging pedigree would make you the ideal judge.
I watched the twitter updates at the awards (including yours) and i was wondering when you were gonna say something. Glad you did.
Poor showing from the organisers to string you along then drop you and not inviting you to the event is just plain rude.
Chris, Im sure I speak for A LOT of SA bloggers out there. We look up to you for advice and I for one can definitely appreciate the advice you have offered me in the past!
Seeing all these comments people have left here for you speaks for its self! :P
Keep the good times rolling bruv
Whoa thats really not cool Chris, but Rawlinson is such an awesome guy I’m sure he didn’t do it on purpose.
The running of the whole thing makes me feel like they were trying something new and not everything was 100% set out from day 1. Kind of like our awesome hybrid democracy:):)
Def Nominate/Vote/WhatEverElseTheyThinkof for you next year!
@Roxzy – Ye, I have absolutely nothing against Chris or Dave, I know them both personally and they’re great guys, guys who are always willing to chat and assist, so I definitely am not blaming them personally. I was well aware of the chaos of these awards and I know all the organisers will have been incredibly busy and doing there busy, I’m just dissappointed you know :)
@BlairH – Big up mate, those words mean a lot!
Same goes to everyone else, thank you for your kind words, it’s all of you that make blogging worthwhile!
@Shocked – Thanks for the support dude. If I’ve offended you in anyway, my apologies, it’s never been my intention & I’m definitely not the guy online sticking fingers in eyes all over the place. I appreciate your comment about me winning the category this year.
@Chris – I was expecting to win the category this year and take over as your successor, but its fairly obvious that something went wrong somewhere and I did not even make the top 2. I find it unbelievable that my blog scored less public votes, let alone judges votes, but was, was, and another blog has been crowned and theres nothing we can do about it now.
I hope that the current set of winners enjoy their rein this year.
@JPNaude – Your comments about previous blog awards were unnecessary and your general maturity to handling the criticism thrown at you and “YOUR” awards was disappointing. I would have expected more from you, but you continue to disappoint the greater blogging community. I hope that lessons learnt this year carry you in better stead next year and the maturity of a full year in power as “CEO” (#rollsEyes) offers you the ability to make better “business” decisions that support the general good of the blog society in South Africa.
More so with respect to disregarding judges votes to speed up the process to manage RSVP’s for a function that was clearly well sponsored but under prized.
Let me know if you need help next year. I’m officially offering my services and assistance to you and the rest of the SA Blog Awards team.
@Dee: well said. (and you had plenty of my votes so HTF did you not come first)
@All: Don’t you think it would be better to start a new set of awards, one that is run correctly, that is not some giant pr scam for its creators. One that simply measures blogs on say 5 metrics, and then decides the best. With out all the pr whoring and back door dealing and friend pandering and dirty dealing in general.
Just a thought, but between most of people here that I know, I think you have enough clout to pull it off and to execute it not only with style, but in a way that would bring lift to the community.
Moving some more comments from Facebook:
Jacqueline – Read your blog post and there’s a definite unpleasant waft of unknown origin coming my way! Shame on them! I feel for you dude – you remain SA’ No 1 blogger, regardless!
Najwa – You got nothing to prove by winning an award Chris! One of the best, most committed & consistent bloggers around. Always refreshing to read your posts.
Imod.co.za is way cooler to be defined by just a blog award anyway.
Keep em blog posts com…ing!
Craig – These comments are more valuable than an award hey Chris? True fans…
I sorry you were treated so shittily. These awards are just an embarrassment . There were a couple of worthy winners, but anyone who thinks that the remainder represent the best of blogging in South Africa is just not reading enough blogs. Have a look at some of our outstanding food and wine blogs. Congrats to the winner in this category, sure, but hers is not even close to being the best. Same applies to many other categories.
@Craig – Absolutely, I’m blown away.
At the end of the day, it wasn’t really about trying to win again, it was just the mere fact that I got unfairly positioned, you know what I mean? But regardless, these comments are far more satisfying!
Hi Chris
If you would like to email me your contact details I’d be happy to deal with any queries you might have directly.
Best Regards
JP Naude
SA Blog Awards
Hi JP – Thank you for popping in, I have sent you a short and sweet email – Truth be told, the event’s over, I’ve said my bit and I would now like to put this matter to rest.
I definitely think thats a good idea Craig Mc and have Chris head of the judging panel so he can choose the right candidates to help him choose the best blogs out there. Not the Bobby Skinstads & Jeannie D’s etc…
Hi Chris
I’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have if you’d like to contact me directly.
JP Naude
SA Blog Awards
@Craig Mc & Craig – I disagree. I think that the industry does not need division, it needs support. JP and co have good intentions, but just had issues on execution. These are teething problems that mature with time and experience and I think that with teh right support from guys like ChrisM, etc, this SA Blog Awards is exactly what the industry needs.
@JP – Please would you comment here or on the SA Blog Awards site so that we too have access to your opinion on this. There are many negative posts and as “CEO”, I think that its time that you comment publicly on these issues, as the longer you leave this sentiment to rot, the greater the negative stigma of the SABA’s become.
@DChetty – What you said to Craig and Craig is spot on, good intentions are definitely there, and the vision is there, more support is required and less people making fun of the awards – Did you see the tweets people were making on the night? The event was taken as a joke, these people need to be excluded (which shouldn’t phase them anyway), and those of us who care should be included.
@JP – I have emailed you already. It would be nice to discuss this in an open forum, like DChetty said, I see no reason why we would need to talk privately, but I’ll wait to see what you have to say :)
Ag shame.
Shucks, can’t expect everyone to understand. Next time I’ll throw in a picture of a cup cake ;)
Update: Wait, no, a macaroon, apparently cupcakes aren’t cool enough.
Hahaha!
Ever think that maybe you just not good enough. I know it might sound like I’m pulling the world from under your feet here, but hear me out.
Maybe there are people out there that are better than you, and more important than you?
Maybe, just maybe?
Just putting it out there?
@Aiden, you have a point there, Yes there are probably better bloggers in the world. But it all comes down to politics, and that unfortunately F’d up this years blog awards. As Craig mentioned, how the hell would bobby know what makes a great blog. But I tell you Chris would no doubt be able to offer valid advice.
@Aiden – *sigh* Do I not have a right to be upset that I was ‘conned’ out of being involved? Man, this had nothing to do with how great or ungreat I am.
Posted by Anonny above.
“I sorry you were treated so shittily. These awards are just an embarrassment . There were a couple of worthy winners, but anyone who thinks that the remainder represent the best of blogging in South Africa is just not reading enough blogs. Have a look at some of our outstanding food and wine blogs. Congrats to the winner in this category, sure, but hers is not even close to being the best. Same applies to many other categories.”
It is comments by people like this that kill the awards. This comment is clearly posted by someone that was either in the top 10 or wanted someone else to win which just makes you jealous. If you want to post something like that post your reasons why you don’t think she should have won and why another blog should have. Posting as Anonny also tell me that you’re just a jealous loser.
As everyone has already mentioned you don’t need awards your blog is awesome and will remain awesome with or without the award.
The SA blog awards this year did have many problems and I think what they did with you was seriously not cool. What happened with you is something that I understand being upset about but I can’t stand the people that bitch and moan just because they didn’t win. I bet if those people won they would have nothing to say
People also need to understand that yes maybe the awards could have been better organised and the voting process need to be looked at but at the end of the day you will still have hundreds of people that think the system is not fair.
People mentioned that voting every 24 hours was stupid but letting people vote only once would have people saying it’s just about popularity. Either way it is about popularity voting every 24hours just puts the blogs with more loyal voters at the top I guess. I also think the more people spammed readers to vote the fewer votes they got, I know I got annoyed with all the begging on every social network available.
One thing I didn’t understand was the prizes, last year’s winners got much cooler prizes. I think I saw somewhere that you won a computer screen, I also read that afrigator gave best blog R20 000 in advertising and R10 000 for best new blog. Not really sure what all the sponsors gave this year. I know One&Only provided the venue, Sunglass hut gave everyone R500 vouchers, Obox gave a template and Rocketseed I believe gave 1 year subscriptions. What on earth did the rest of them give, News24 was meant to be the biggest sponsor but they didn’t seem to sponsor anything. I understand they tried to make it fair to all winners by giving them all the same prizes but I would still love to hear what all the sponsors actually did.
Anyway that’s my 2 cents on the topic.