Laois Bloggers Invited to Nominate Their Blogs for Blog Awards Ireland 2014
Last year Blog Awards Ireland saw 3,000 nominations with over 800 individual blogs making it to the long list. This year organisers are hoping to surpass that figure. The awards are co-organised by local blogger and author Lorna Sixsmith.
Bloggers across Laois are being invited to nominate their blogs in the 2014 Blog Awards Ireland. The third annual Blog Awards Ireland champions the best blogs and bloggers in the country. The county has an active blogger community with the KLCK Bloggers Network which is aimed those interested in blogging and internet marketing in the Carlow, Laois, Kildare, Kilkenny region.
The race is on to nominate your Blog in the Blog Awards Ireland 2014 that open on June 1st. Pictured launching the 2014 awards are Lorna Sixsmith, organiser and author and blogger at irishfarmerette.com. Bunny who will MC the final awards in October and Amanda Webb organiser and owner of Spiderworking.com. Log onto blogawardsireland.com
Nominations opened on June 1st with categories ranging from Personal, Fashion & Beauty, Lifestyle, Diaspora, Irish Language, Humour, Health & Wellbeing, Politics, Best Blog of a Journalist and Best Blog of an SME and a Corporate. Due to popular demand they have also added a ‘Parenting’ category this year.
Bloggers can enter from wherever they are in the world and are invited to attend the awards ceremony in the Westgrove Hotel, Clane, Co. Kildare on October 4th 2014.
Amanda Webb, founder of Spiderworking.com and co-founder of The Blog Awards Ireland, says “In Ireland we are avid bloggers. We punch way above our weight. Razorsocial’s Ian Cleary is a great example. He’s becoming a social media thought leader both here and overseas as a result of his blog.
“Bloggers are writing books and people are reading them. My co-founder Lorna Sixsmith has become a bit of a minor celebrity thanks to the book she wrote as a result of her personal blog ‘Irish Farmerette’.
“Blogging will also shape history. I can imagine historians raking through the stories of our lives as told by us.
“This year we are laying tribute to the 80’s for the awards. It was in the 80’s that Tim Berners-Lee took the first steps towards creating the World Wide Web. Whilst we were walking around in leg warmers and big hair listening to walkmans he was creating the very system that was going to start us blogging.
“Everyone who blogs or who reads a blog should nominate – don’t decide whether your blog is good enough – let us and our panel of judges decide,”says Amanda.
The closing date for entries in the Blog Awards is the 11th July 2014 so bloggers are encouraged to nominate their blog at:http://www.blogawardsireland.
All categories are free to enter and bloggers are welcome to nominate their own blogs. With the exception of one, all categories will be judged by a panel of independent judges. The Best Blog post will be judged by public vote and then the top ten will be judged by independent judges.
Anyone can apply to be a judge via the website
The Blog Awards take place on 4th October in the Westgrove Hotel, Clane, Co. Kildare.
For more details log onto http://www.blogawardsireland.
About the Awards
Blog Awards Ireland will bring together the Irish online community collaborating in a single event on 4th October 2014 to celebrate blogging in Ireland.
The Blog Awards Ireland celebrates the best in Irish blogging by creating 32 categories, which offer plenty of scope for bloggers.
The awards will take place in the in Westgrove Hotel, Clane, Co. Kildare with an awards dinner followed by 80’s-themed entertainment.
The first 100 tickets will be available at the reduced price of €30, then they revert to the full cost of €50.
Categories
There are a total of 32 categories in the 2014 Blog Awards Ireland. With the exception of one, all categories will be judged by independent judges. The Best Blog post will be judged by public vote and then the top 10 will be judged by independent judges.
Nominations will be opening on 1st June and will close on 11th July. All categories are free to enter. Bloggers are welcome to nominate their own blogs.
Categories are as follows:
Arts & Culture Blog
Blogs in this category include: Film, theatre, creative arts, writing, poetry, painting, literature, street art, museums, and cultural travel/tourism blogs. This does not include blogs about celebrities or style, these blogs fit in other categories.
Beauty Blog
Blogs in this category will concentrate on the topics of skin, hair, cosmetics and beauty tips (90% of the content). Blogs with mainly fashion posts must enter the Best Fashion category.
Best Blog Post
Only one post per blog will be admitted. If more than one are nominated, the blogger can choose which one to put forward. The posts can be about any topic. Guest posts are not eligible.
Corporate Blog
These should be blogs of corporate companies that have over 50 employees. Can be B2B or B2C
Craft
Eligible blogs must have the majority of their content devoted to posts about crafts, the skill of making things by hand.
Current Affairs & Politics
90% of the blog posts must focus on the topics of current affairs or politics.
Best Designed Blog
All eligible blogs must be easy to read, navigate and be mobile compatible. They should have a unique or adapted theme (We will need evidence of this).
Diaspora
The blog can be about any topic. It is open to all bloggers of Irish heritage not currently living in Ireland. (Must state county of origin and where they are living now)
Eco / Green
Blog topics can include recycling, up-cycling, organic farming, grow your own, eco building / passive housing, eco tourism and environmentally friendly issues. The blog should have 90% of its content devoted to one or more of these topics.
Education
These blogs should be by an educator or about education of all levels. Eligible blogs can include blogs from schools or classes but cannot be training blogs. They have to be about education, not training.
Fashion
90% of the posts must be about clothing, accessories, jewellry, and shoes – anything that is worn. Blogs about beauty must enter the Best Beauty Blog
Food & Drink
Eligible blogs must be about the creation and cooking of food, recipes, cooking / preparation of food tips or restaurant reviews. However, blogs of vegetable gardening would fit in Great Outdoors.
Great Outdoors
Blogs in this section can be about: Agri, farming, gardening, horticulture, equestrian, Hill-walking, Outdoor sports such as paragliding or cross country running as they show the beauty of the countryside and terrain, bird watching. This category does not include – Eco, travel, pitch or track sports, and outdoor photography. These blog belong in other category.
Group Blog
A blog on any topic that has more than one contributor. All bloggers should contribute on a regular basis. A blog with many guest bloggers would not be eligible in this category.
Health & Wellbeing
Eligible blogs must be about any of the following topics: Disease e.g. cancer, Wellbeing, Healing, self-growth, Belief systems, Spiritual, Medical or Natural remedies.
Humour
These blogs must have 90% of the posts written in a humourous way designed to make people laugh. They can be satirical, jokey or just plain funny.
Irish Language
90% of blog posts must be in the Irish language.
Best Blog Of A Journalist
Eligible blogs must be written by a regular columnist / journalist. We may need evidence of the column /publication they write for.
Lifestyle
Eligible blogs should be a discussion or reflection on lifestyle. These might include the topics of dating, dieting, hobbies, interests, feminism, gender issues, and pets
Mobile Compatible Blog
Eligible blogs must be easy to read and navigate on mobile devices. They should either be responsive or have a mobile version of the site. We will check all blogs on both tablets and phones.
Music
Eligible blogs must have 90% of their posts devoted to any of the following topics: live or recorded music; creation of music; reviews of music gigs, bands or songs.
Newcomer
Eligible blogs are those of any topic that started blogging after 1st June 2013. The blog posts must have a date stamp and it must be possible to find first blog post easily (i.e. in an archives widget), We require the date of first blog post in the application.
Parenting
90% of the posts must be about the topic of parenting children. Infertility blogs are also eligible.
Personal
Eligible blogs must be an online journal/memoir with 90% of the content about personal experiences. They can be about personal opinions, personal experiences, rants, talking about their world as a memoir, reflecting on life etc. They should be in the first person. Personal blogs cannot be about cooking/recipes, fashion etc.
Photography
Eligible blogs must have 90% of posts devoted to photography. Amateur and professional photographers are eligible to enter. Blogs that deal with the more technical aspect of photography, e.g. camera blogs, will be more suited to the Best Technology Blog
Podcast
Eligible blogs must be a podcast blog or contain a regular podcast category. Provide a link to the podcast section if it is part of a regular blog. Video-casts do not belong in this section; they belong in the Video Blog category.
Popculture
Eligible blogs can be magazine style blogs or contain commentary on celebrity news. Popculture blogs are not film, fashion, and music. They must enter the relevant categories.
Science & Technology
Eligible blogs can contain any of the following topics: Gadgets, Science, Internet marketing, Technology reviews, Astronomy, Space, Astrophysics, Mathematics, Machinery, Trains, Explaining how things work! Blogs that show enthusiasm for science or technology are not eligible in this category.
Blog of An SME Business
Eligible blogs are those written by a micro, small or medium business with 50 employees or less.
Sports & Recreation
Eligible blogs include any of the following topics for the majority of posts: Sports, Card games, Sex, Games Activities.
Video
Eligible blogs must have 90% of their blog posts containing a video or must be a YouTube channel. The videos must be the blogger’s own creations (either starring in it or filming it).
Youth
Eligible blogs must be written by those under 21. They can be about any topic. Please provide date of birth when applying.
About The Organisers
Amanda Webb is the founder of Spiderworking.com working with SME’s to help them develop social media strategies, offering them training and support. She learnt her skills whilst promoting her first business, Feelgood Organic Hampers. Prior to this she worked as an Assistant Director in the Irish Film Business working on productions such as Adam & Paul, Angela’s Ashes and various commercials for brands such as Heineken, River Rock & Guinness.
In 2010 she co-founded the KLCK bloggers Network in order to encourage and support both business and personal bloggers as they learnt how to use both blogging and social media tools. In 2011 she took this one step further with Bloggers International co-managing their inaugural event.
In 2012 she founded Blog Awards Ireland along with her KLCK colleagues and heads up the online marketing and project management of the event.
Her blog reached the final of Social Media Examiners International top 10 Social Media Blogs of 2011 and 2012; The Social Media Awards 2012 and her Video Blog reached the finals of the Irish Web Awards 2010.
Lorna Sixsmith achieved finalist status for her own business blog Garrendenny Lane in the Irish Blog Awards and Social Media Awards (2011) in addition to achieving nominations in numerous business and marketing awards. Following the success with her business blog and usage of various social media tools, Lorna set up Write on Track in 2011, offering social media consultancy and training to SMEs who wish to develop and implement a successful social media strategy for their businesses.
Lorna offers training in various social media platforms and can show business owners how they can drive more traffic to their website, increase brand awareness and most importantly, increase sales
Running her own online retail store means that Lorna is very knowledgeable regarding the challenges of achieving high rankings with organic searches within the search engines. She is able to analyse the effectiveness of a website and/or blog and show a business owner what needs to be altered in order to improve its rankings. Lorna works with County Enterprise Boards, Partnerships, SMEs and those at the planning stage of a business.
Her blog at Write on Track (in collaboration with business partner Marie Ennis O’Connor) reached finalist stage in the ‘Best Blog of a Business’ category in the Social Media Awards 2012. Together with Amanda Webb of Spiderworking, they have set up We Teach Social, whereby they teach various social media courses online to participants all over the world.
Lorna also blogs at Irish Farmerette and has published a book entitled ‘Would You Marry A Farmer? Confessions of an Irish Farmerette, which explores the role of women in agriculture with gritty realism and humour.