After all the hoopla generated around here by the 2005 Weblogs Awards, I feel the need to bring the story to a fitting conclusion. As many of you know, BitterSweetLife was a definite dark horse contestant at first. That was before readers began pulling their weight. Once you all started voting (you did vote, right?), this blog rapidly emerged as a force to be reckoned with. Other finalists struggled to suppress their feelings of concern and panic as they sensed BitterSweetLife jetting up from behind.
In the end, several early leaders were eclipsed by this blog. Others were given serious scares. Throughout the campaign (which I conducted with mixed feelings), I held out a top five finish as the ending par excellence. And you almost did it.
In the final hours of voting, the gap between BitterSweetLife and the eventual fifth-place winner was whittled from an imposing 50 votes to a mere 26. There wasn't quite enough fuel in the tank to close the gap - but I'm content. Number 6 out of 15 is a respectable finish, and fairly fitting for an Indie style spirituality blog that will never go mainstream.
Besides, BitterSweetLife picked up assets other than e-votes. This blog made some new friends and got closer to some old ones. A few new readers jumped on the bandwagon (it's more like a Radio Flyer) and some previously unknown readers stepped forward to be counted. All told, the Weblogs Awards gave me a chance to meet some cool new people and be amazed, once more, that you all really read this stuff. Not to mention that campaigning, despite the dubious joys of shameless self-promotion, was a welcome diversion from my final term papers.
A big Thank You goes out to everyone involved! And for anyone who is struggling to find a sense of closure, remember, there's always next year.
:: Campaign Contributors ::
Semicolon (originally nominated this blog!)
Diary of an Indolent
Jay Adkins Blog
Ninja Poodles
Relevant Magazine
Chasing the Wind
The Vocabulary Reclamation Project
Saturday, December 17, 2005
End of the Campaign
Filed in: Bittersweetness Updates
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4 comments:
2006! 2006!! 2006!!!
I must admit that around 5:00PM on that last day, I ran around to every computer in my office casting votes (they each have a different IP address). Every time I did, that Elephant blog gained a point, too!
Now, I was conflicted about this, because, technically, I was cheating (although I work in an all-Christian office, so it would have been simple enough to get everyone to do it themselves, just more time-consuming). On the other hand, I'm wracked with guilt about not THINKING OF IT SOONER. I could have brought in 10 votes a day instead of 1. Arrgh.
oh why didn't I think of that! I live on campus and am frequently in computer labs. Oh well, next year I suppose.
You did well bro! Next year will be better. Maybe next year, I'll go to the library and vote for ya...hee hee!
Jay Adkins
Great showing, Ariel! Just wanted to let you know that Brett and I voted for you several time over the past week. God bless!
- Alex Harris
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