ME and Ophelia

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BRITISH BLOG AWARDS 2003
All participants get more visitors

Hello there British bloggers. The moment British bloggers have been waiting for is here. Guardian Unlimited has launched the British Blog Awards 2003. The 2002 awards attracted some outrage from the blogging community, but also drew hundreds of entries. They are hoping this year's awards will provide a showcase for the best of British blogging.

You can now enter your site in the Guardian's competition to find the best British bloggers. Please enter the competition. It gives a fun sense of community in the blogosphere and is a good laugh. I am entering ME AND OPHELIA for those reasons and because it could open the door for a few more visitors who may know of someone who thinks they may be suffering from ME.

Here's hoping that one of my favourite British bloggers Blogjam: like Salam Pax, but reporting from Cricklewood wins this year. He puts so much fun, time, thought and effort into his blog, pictures and video clips and appeals to all age groups. He is such an imaginative, amusing and thoughtful writer, has a unique way with words and uses rude ones only to make a point, not just for the sake of swearing or trying to sound down to earth and 'cool' (which I find off putting in a lot of blogs - not because I'm a prude, I just find it ugly and unnecessary when there are so many better and more beautiful words to choose from).

Scaryduck, my most favourite British blogger, I think at times is Blogjam - at other times I think Blogjam is Scaryduck - depending on who is the funniest. Those two guys are so clever and funny - and big softies at heart really - you can't but help adore them when you get to know their blog personality, character and humour.

If you would like an introduction to the history of British comedy, take a read of Scaryduck's October 11 2003 post entitled "He's fallen in the water". It's a great introduction to the Goon Show: "perhaps the finest example of radio comedy these isles have every produced....You have not experienced comedy until you have heard the Goons"....The Goons (Prince Charles's favourites) are the people who influenced the Monty Python team, who influenced the Alternative Comedians, who influenced today's stars".

Simon Waldman, Chairman of the judges, blogger of Words of Waldman and director of digital publishing at Guardian Newspapers Limited urges all British bloggers to enter.

The 22-strong judging panel includes the Scaryduck (Alistair Coleman), Baghdad blogger Salam Pax, blogging MP Tom Watson, blogger and musician Moby, and Sixapart.com's Mena Trott.

The panel will pick winners for five different categories: design, specialist, photography, under 18, and best written. You can enter your blog in as many categories as you like. The winners will be announced on December 18. The winner of each category will receive a cheque for £500. The deadline for entries is November 21.

Best British Blog 2002

Last year's winner was Alistair Coleman's Scaryduck. Scaryduck had the highest vote for writing, Blogjam had the highest marks for design and LinkMachineGo got the highest marks for its links.

"Alistair Coleman's witty, irreverent blog Scaryduck has beaten 300 rivals to take the title of Best British Blog 2002 and claim the prize of £1,000. His blog features intelligent, confessional and entertaining rambles on everything from September 11, nuclear war and football hooliganism to the latest antics of a local dolphin nicknamed Randy. It impressed the judges with its originality and personality: "Magnificent - well-written, focused and insightful," said one judge. Another said: "The best writer of the bunch, the content is excellent." He was closely followed by two highly commended blogs Green Fairy and iMakeContent, both of which contained excellent writing, design and links along with strong personalities." Here is the shortlist of bloggers.

This year the Guardian introduced some changes for the British Blog Awards 2003, which means that the mightiest British blogger Scaryduck gets to retain - forever - the one and only, first and last, title of "Best British Blog". If you read some of the gems in this link to the archive of Scaryduck stories, you'll understand why that's just fine with everyone.