Yipes! I almost forgot about the Philippine Blog Awards! I wrote about the 2008 Edition, here, and thought the ceremonies would be in July, but they were postponed until September 21, 2008. The only award, I think, that is not selected by a panel of judges, but rather voted on, is the Blogger’s Choice Award. Last year, marketmanila.com was shocked to have won this award. This year, I was included in the nomination list for the Blogger’s Choice Award again. I note that this list seems shorter, and personally, I am surprised by the absence of some really darned good Filipino blogs, many food related ones among them. The voting for the Blogger’s Choice Award started a couple of days ago but there’s a slight hitch…
Here is the link to the website of The Philippine Blog Awards 2008, with instructions on how to vote. Not only is the voting limited to bloggers, the rules have been made “tighter” and it specifies only Filipino-owned blogs, and you have to do a “vote post” on your blog, and you have to include sponsors’ links in order to make your vote count. But you will receive one raffle ticket that entitles you to some unspecified prizes, if you vote. The hitch is this, frankly, I think the conditions to vote are a bit cumbersome, if not onerous. They appear to be designed to limit the number of votes, and to make a more commercialized exercise out of the voting process. I completely understand the need to have sponsors to pull off an event like this, but inserting commercial links into posts and votes, and a prize for the effort??? I personally think that is a bit over the top, but that is just me. So while I wish the awards well, and I am still in awe of the volunteer organizers who are behind these awards, I have to say that I can’t vote for myself or any of the other nominees, because I don’t agree with the conditions specified/required to place a vote. Readers can click on the link and judge for themselves whether they would like to vote or not, but I would completely understand it if you choose not to vote at all… Besides, after the previous post on controversial PAY for POST issues related to blog posts, this award has just lost a lot of its luster for Marketman.
Having said that, there are lots of other categories that will be decided by judges, and I wish all of the nominees well! And thank you to the Philippine Blog Awards for organizing such an event!
LATEST UPDATE: IT SEEMS THE PHILIPPINE BLOG AWARDS COMMITTEE HAS DECIDED TO DROP THE REQUIREMENT OF ADDING THE SPONSOR LINKS TO YOUR POST, IF YOU CHOOSE TO DO THAT, SO I SUPPOSE YOU CAN VOTE IF THAT REQUIREMENT PREVIOUSLY TURNED YOU OFF TO THE PROCESS… BUT I THINK THE OTHER REQUIREMENTS REMAIN THE SAME… Thanks to Jayvee and other organizers who responded so quickly to the issues raised…
28 Responses
So does this make you ineligible as you have no sponsor’s links on your blog, MM? Well, you know that we love your blog and that winning that award is icing on the cake but doesn’t matter to us faithful readers. Nevertheless, congratulations on the nomination!
zena, it means I haven’t lodged a vote in my favor, as I did not follow the prescribed voting process, which includes the sponsors links…
God speed MM!
Um, would they have a category for the most cantankerous when provoked blogger?
Apicio, HAHAHA. I love it. They should have some outrageously named awards… Yuan, thanks!
Hi, MM. I wanted to vote for you but I didn’t want any sponsor’s link on my blog. Whose bright idea was this?!!!!
Socky,
I suspect it was an enticement in order for the blog organizers to get sponsors to help pay for the event.(Note: Philippine Blog Award organizers have informed me that there was no arrangement with sponsors to inlcude them in the voting process, so that previous line is now known to be untrue.) But I thought folks like you and other readers would not be thrilled to vote as mandated, so I myself have not voted. It’s unfortunate, but it seems to be a small group of fish swimming upstream on issues such as integrity, conflicts of interest, ethics, commercial vs. non-commercial issues, etc. these days…I was going to vote for you as well, but I don’t place sponsored links on my blog either.
Apicio, you think Marketman is catankerous? He’s very polite compared with some of his next of kin.
Sorry to hear they’ve changed the rules. If I were qualified to vote, you would be my number 1 choice!
I’ve seen some of the food blogs here but yours is the BEST.
Thanks for sharing your food experiments and tips.
While I really don’t mind posting the advertiser links in my site (provided they pay me, of course), this just makes voting too troublesome! What ever happened to just clicking blogs I like?
This blog awards thing has gotten too commercialized if you ask me.
MM, I’m with you here. I don’t mind having to register in order to vote, but ad links? No way! In any case, panalo ka pa rin sa akin!
You don’t need any of these awards. Your readers and fans are the best judges.
hey MarketMan,
jayvee here, one of the organizers.
you raise a good point. it does bring up issues – actually we NEVER promised sponsors link loving across hundreds of blogs through the blogger’s choice voting. we’re not into SEO or anything like that.
we’re redoing the methodology for the voting for the blogger’s choice to make it more friendly.
thanks!
Hi Jayvee F. – Thanks for the head’s up and glad to hear organizers are considering revising the voting rules… I hope you have enough time left… again, this was not a criticism of the blog awards, it’s just that, as I thought, a lot of my readers who also have blogs, would be uncomfortable with mandatory sponsored links… thanks!
I found many interesting sites in last year’s nominees but share your thoughts that this year’s list seem to be missing some names and that the voting process is very tedious. I think the best way to encourage participation is to make the rules as simple as possible. A poll would have been just acceptable.
I really wondered how a blogger was given an award a year or two ago. He used lewd language in his blog. I don’t understand. I think organizers should think of better ways to put prestige in this award to make it impressive and believable.
I don’t understand. Basta, for local bloggers, you are the winner, MM.
Sponsor linking is now optional :)
https://www.philippineblogawards.com.ph/2008/09/11/more-on-the-bloggers-choice-mechanics/
After writing your BLOGGER CHOICE nomination post, it is completely optional if you wish to post the links of the sponsors using the generated form. You may also wish to use a rel=”nofollow” tag as well. Afterward, please submit the entry to the designated form.
We need you to post the nominations on your blog because it is the easiest way to track and confirm if the vote comes from a bona fide blogger – whether the blog is self-hosted or hosted on services like Blogspot, Multiply, etc.
Sincerely,
The PBA 2008 Team
noemi, thanks so much for that update! And good luck with the voluminous amount of work you and your fellow team members have ahead of you in the next week or so! :)
apicio — you are absolutely the funniest.
MM you don’t need the awards. you know you are tops with thousands of your readers
I checked the voting procedure. It sounds so complicated. Anyway, I think yours is the best blog around. I admire your patience in responding to many of the comments. I am disappointed in other blogs that just post and do not bother to respond to comments and suggestions, like why bother…… Yours is what a real blog is all about. It makes us readers feel that there is a real person behind the discussions. I wish you all the best and may you best other blogs again. Keep up the good work even if you have made many of us to gain weight just reading and testing your delicious recipes.
MM,my sister recommended this website to me last May and since then I frequent your posts. I find it very interesting and I continue to learn a lot from you (the expert) on things which I don’t really know anything about like your posts on Flowers and Produce. I wish you all the best in your nomination. God bless and may He prosper your work even more!
Lex, true. i felt the same way about MM’s blog. He does reply to some of the comments. Kinda make you feel like your comments matter to him.
Way to go, MM. Learned plenty from your recipes here. Tried some, failed some! heehee Will try some more…
May I suggest to more recent visitors with time on their hands to review the Market Manila archives. Lots of delightful posts and guarantees an incomparable vantage point from which to take in the sweep of consistent quality and tone Marketman has maintained from day one (September 2004 was his initial post). Yes on rare occasions he vents vein bursting rants of the how can you soar with eagles when you’re surrounded with turkeys frustration but on the whole it has been four years of bracing curiosity and deep, quiet urbane sophistication, something sadly, our time and country seem to be only rarely capable of producing.
Full disclosure, an avid fan since June 2005. “Blogueur†who shall remain nameless has been pretty consistent too, I noticed.
Market Manila gets my vote.
Voting is too complicated. When is the deadline?
MM you don’t need an award. Your site’s 4 years of happy existence is proof enough that your readers respect and admire you, and are totally educated and entertained by this blog. It has also brought together genuine foodies from all over the globe connected by the universal love for food and enlightening exchange of thoughts. Lex and deirdregurl are right, the way you respond to us makes us feel as if we also are a valued part of your blog. Your site is really something else as it not only entices me to read your new posts but also look forward to reading the comments of the delightful apicio, lee, bettyq, sister, millet and all other readers who give their honest, from-the-heart comments.
Congratulations!
Voted for you. =)
https://witsandnuts.com/2008/09/14/marketmanila-deserves-my-vote/