Matt over at Pooflingers Anonymous informs me that Respectful Insolence⢠been nominated as a finalist in the Best Medical/Health Issues Blog category of the Weblog Awards. I have no idea who nominated me (I certainly didn't and was unaware until the other night that I was even a finalist), but my thanks go out to you, whoever you are. As you can see from my little logo, on the sidebar, I was a finalist last year as well but didn't win. Last year, I was in the Best New Blog Category, though, and lost big time to the political blogs. (Note how the nominees for Best Blog are, with the exception of TMZ, Post Secret (note, contains material not safe for work), and possibly Boing-Boing, all primarily political blogs.)
I can't help but notice how many of my fellow ScienceBloggers have also been nominated. For example, The Cheerful Oncologist and one of my new regular reads Flea (not a ScienceBlogger) are both finalists in the same category I am (a category that Surgeonsblog should also have been nominated for, IMHO). Also, in the Best Science Blog category we several ScienceBlogs, including Pharyngula, Deltoid, Good Math, Bad Math, Mixing Memory. I offer my best wishes to them all.
I doubt I'll win this year, for the simple reason that this blog has evolved into something that may not be purely "medicine-y" enough for most voters. It wanders off into too many other directions, I suspect, to win. Another reason is the strange voting system for this particular award, in which voters can vote once a day during the voting period. Even with the strange voting system, I suspect the real reason that I probably won't win is that too many voters may have seen my EneMan and Hitler Zombie posts, which are--shall we say?--a bit "out there" compared to anything I've seen in any of the other finalist blogs. I also suspect that my skepticism towards alternative medicine expressed in sometimes colorful terms doesn't play well with a lot of people. Certainly, there are those out there who really, really don't like me.
Even so, I'm just as human as the next guy (well, most of the time, anyway); so, even though I probably won't win, I still like being nominated. If nothing else, it shows that there are a lot of people out there who like what I'm laying down here and serves as additional helium to inflate my already overinflated ego still more. (And you should have seen it after I was listed as #6 in Nature's Top 50 Science Blogs.) So why not? I think I'll even add the logo to my sidebar the next time I update it, to sit right over the logo from last year reminding me that, once again, it was close, but no cigar. I'll also put the link you can use to vote for me or the other finalists in this category RIGHT HERE.
And who knows? Maybe I'll get to replace it with a winners logo when the voting is done.
I'm not going to hold my breath, though.
Blake Stacey and I nominated you. You already got my first-day vote.
Well, for what it's worth, you're the only health/medicine blog that I read. I voted for ya!
As of this moment you're in the lead (with a total of 33 votes, including mine).
You have my vote as well, congratulations for you nomination and best of luck for the awards.
Voted. That took the total to 50, nearly twice as much as Flea (26)
I voted for you! Because, darn it, I like you.
Good luck!!
Well, Orac, I had to vote for you, because you were my first one I read, my blogfather, and because, I like you, I really like you. You're still beating Flea (but unfortunately, as of right now, PZ is losing to Phil...)
I love your blog so much. It's got my vote! Keep up the great work.
As a Detroit area native myself, you get my vote!
As of my vote, you're currently beating Flea 88 to 42. I think you've got this won, Orac. Congrats!
Thanks for the mention. I suppose if I'd even known about the awards/nominations I'd have called my mother and asked her to nominate me. Your blog, however, so far surpasses mine in every imaginable way that I'm more than satisfied that you even noticed mine. (Yeah, right. I'm just a humble surgeon...) I'm voting for you.
You are currently 2-1 over Flea -- and got my vote. I find it fascinating how few of the entries in the general and 'ranked' categories I've even heard of (and most of the ones I have are right wing idiots). The only one on the list I read at all is Orcinus, who would have been in a tie with Glenn Greenwald for best Political and possible best blog over all.
And let me toss in a suggestion for voting Jon Swift for humor. Anyone whose satire is so good he keeps on being taken seriously deserves the nod.
BTW, will we have to refer to you as Your Royal Highness, oh King of the Medical blogs?
Prup
It would be helpful to note links that are not safe for work, such as the one to Post Secret.
Sorry, I didn't really scroll down on that particular blog; I see what you mean now.
I'd just like to point out that all those reasons you've listed there are precisely what made me choose to vote for you. Seeing your lead in the vote count, I suspect the same is true for others. Your skeptical bent helps you appeal to a larger audience than a purely medical blog would get.
Second what Infophile said!
I also have provide you with a vote, my liege.
If only I had known sooner. My vote took you to 206 over 174 for Diet Girl.
I hope neither Eneman nor the H.. zombie gives your acceptance speech. I'm quite sure one is being worked on. :{}
I confess. I just followed the link to PostSecret.
Scroll down the the card that says:
'I take comfort in the darkness of the movie theatre, waiting for someone else to come alone, too. I know you're out there. Maybe some day we'll meet.'
Read the comments, then follow the link to http://thewhitehatpeople.blogspot.com/
These two are definitely not safe for work sites. I could have been caught snuffling and dabbing at my eyes. This would have exposed an aspect of myself I try to keep secret.
Now I have to go and vote for PostSecret.