Thank You

For this. This blog is really a blog about everything or nothing, depending on how you look at it. It's flattering that so many people think it's the best of its (non-)type. Thank you all so very much.

But again, the most important aspect to the JIBs (and one of the primary drives of this blog, really) are to point out what's out there. The JIBs may be over, but the nominees and winners are all still listed on the JIB site. Go on over and see what else is out there. The J-blogosphere is a huge, wonderful community with so many different people of all types. See what's out there. I said it better last week:

This is what the J-blogosphere is - a compilation of posts, thoughts, opinions, emotions, rantings, pride, feelings, happiness, and heartbreak from people. Jewish people. People just like us, people nothing like us, people we know, people we'll never know. This is why the J-blogosphere exists, and this is why these "awards" exist - to show off some of our best stuff, to show what there is in this small but ever-growing sphere of ours, and hopefully, to make that many more people aware of what we have and we're doing.

The Best III - Posts (and why it all matters)

I [All-Around] & II [Class, Specialty]

Gold, Silver, Bronze

Before I pick my own favorite posts, I have to say that I just couldn't pick a Best Overall Post. I have maybe 7-8 that I like more than the others, but that's not the point. Many people - including myself - have discussed and debated why the J-blogosphere matters, whether the positives outweigh the drawbacks, and so much else - but really, this is why it matters. The range, styles, emotions, opinions, feelings, and views on these posts are incredible. The topics, almost all having nothing to do with one another. And yet they are all up for "Best Overall Post" of the J-blogsophere, and deservingly so. This is what the J-blogosphere is - a compilation of posts, thoughts, opinions, emotions, rantings, pride, feelings, happiness, and heartbreak from people. Jewish people. People just like us, people nothing like us, people we know, people we'll never know. This is why the J-blogosphere exists, and this is why these "awards" exist - to show off some of our best stuff, to show what there is in this small but ever-growing sphere of ours, and hopefully, to make that many more people aware of what we have and we're doing.

Sof davar [the end of the matter], it is not so much the blogs themselves, but the posts which we write on them that truly matter. A special thank you to the JIB Committee, in particular to the man who did far more work than anyone else, Akiva, for helping to show off that which makes up this little community we share. Finally, to all readers - old and new:

Welcome to the J-blogosphere.

And now for the posts:

• Jewish Religious - Curious Jew's Off the Derech, Scraps' Proud Member of the Tribe, SerandEz's A Hitch & A Prayer
  
• Torah - Bari's 9/11 Scenario in Halacha, DovBear's Minhag Shtus?
  
• News - ADDeRabbi's RCA Conversion Scandal: What's the Real Issue?
  
• Humor - Shifra (@ the Muqata)'s Mars & Venus on Erev Shabbos, Shifra's (own) Chol HaMoed at Six Flags II - Enter Hot Chanie, and Jameel's Elvis the Drug Dealer
  
• Live Event Coverage - IsraellyCool's Liveblogging the War, Canonist's The Orthomom Hearing, Curious Jew's The Rav's Vision...
  
• Music - BeyondBT's The Seeds of Teshuva of a Nascent Rock Star
  
• Picture or Video - Temunot's Amona
  
• Kosher Food/Recipe - Me-Ander's KCC #15, Gluten-Free by the Bay's Gluten-Free Passover Recipe Roundup
  
• Podcast - The J-blogosphere's Muqata Purim Radio
  
• Series - Seraphic Secret's How I Met Karen, SoccerDad's Poisoned Ivies
  

Those were my picks, anyway. Hope everyone enjoyed the JIBs, and normal blogging shall commence tomorrow. Apparently, I spoke too soon yesterday... :)

The Best II

(continued from earlier) [usually only putting in links the first time for each name]

Gold, Silver, Bronze

Specialty Awards:

• Designed - Muqata, BagelBlogger, LazerBeams
• Best of the Rest - SerandEz :) , BagelBlogger
• Best Contribution - R' Horowitz, Orthonomics, Haveil Havalim [carnival hosted by SoccerDad]
  

Class Awards:

• Jewish Religious - Hirhurim, BeyondBT, Emes Ve-emunah
• Torah - Hirhurim, Alleyways to Torah, BeyondBT
  
• Jewish Humor - PsychoToddler, AskShifra, Jack's Shack
• Jewish Culture - Orthomom, DryBones, Jewlicious
  
• News/Current Events - Muqata, DryBones, YeshivaWorld
• Israel Advocacy - Muqata, IsraellyCool, DryBones
• Life in Israel - Treppenwitz, Muqata, Life in Israel
• Right-Wing - Muqata, JoeSettler, IsraellyCool
• Left-Wing - JewishAtheist, DovBear, Jewschool
• Skepticism - JewishAtheist
• Anti-Establishment - Orthomom, Emes Ve-emunah, DovBear
• Personal - AidelMaidel, Treppenwitz, Seraphic Secret
• Student - CuriousJew, IgNoble Experiment, Crime & Treason on the High Seas
  
• Music - Life-of-Rubin, Jewish Blogmeister, PsychoToddler
• Photo/Graphics - Balaboosteh
• Kosher Food/Recipe - Me-Ander, Robbie, and because I have two nieces with Seliac, Gluten-Free by the Bay
  

The Best

The JIB voting closes in about 12 hours or so, so be sure to get your votes in before then. It appears that SerandEz will be placing fourth in the "Best Large Blog" blog category and in the middle of the pack in the "Best Jewish Religious Post" category, but we're running neck-and-neck for what I've said is my favorite category, "Best of the Rest". Be sure to check out all the categories, blogs, and posts here.

Now that the voting is about to end, here are my own personal picks for each category...
Gold, Silver, Bronze

All-Around Awards:

• Overall - Hirhurim, Orthomom, Emes Ve'emunah
  
• Mega - Hirhurim, DovBear, mentalblog.com
  
• Large - SerandEz :) , Treppenwitz, SoccerDad/Emes Ve'emunah/A Simple Jew are all close.
  
• Small - WolfishMusings, Life in Israel, Rabbi Without A Cause
  
• New - DafNotes
  
• Group - BeyondBT, Jewlicious, KesherTalk
  

Specialty Awards: ...to be continued - work calls.

Your Turn, J-Blogosphere!

It's that time... finally! The JIBs have begun, and the nominations are officially OPEN! Pick your favorites in each category (even if it's yourself), whether it's just one or a handful, and post your picks. The nominations round will last for one week; voting begins a few days later, once the list of nominees has been checked and organized and the voting process set up properly.

To make the awards easier to navigate, the nominations pages are in four sections:

• Best All-Around (Mega Blog, Large Blog, Small Blog, etc.)
• Best Posts (Overall Post, Humor Post, Series, Podcast, etc.)
• Best in Class (Slice of Life in Israel, Skeptic, Student Life, Photoblog, etc.)
• Best Specialty (Design, Podcast/Audioblog/Videoblog, Contribution [Blog that made a difference], and Best of the Rest)
  

Feel free to poke around, ask any questions, and of course - nominate, nominate, nominate. This should be loads of fun, and as always, remember: The point of the JIBs is to increase J-blog awareness and exposure in a fun, semi-competitive fashion. Try to relax and enjoy!

The JIBs are coming!

I'm too busy to write myself, so here's the "press release". Check out the site at JibAwards.com, and get ready for the nominations, which begin TOMORROW!! (And last for a week.) Enjoy the fun!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

3rd Annual 2007 Jewish & Israeli Blog Awards Start Thursday, April 11

New York, NY, April 11, 2007 - The Jewish & Israel Blog Awards, aka The JIBs (TLV: JIB) announced today the schedule for the the 2007 awards program. Excitement is bubbling throughout the JBlogosphere, the Jewish and Israel blogging community, as various blogs prepare to strut their stuff and put their best post forward.

For 2007, with the encouragement of the founder of the JIBs, Dave at IsraellyCool.com, a group of JBloggers (Jewish Bloggers) formed the JIB Committee and developed the new JibAwards.Com award site. The committee has created the site, prepared the rules and schedule, and is preparing the actual awards.

The awards schedule is: Nominations - April 12 - April 19. First Round of Voting - April 22 - April 29. Finals Round - May 1 - May 9. May 14, All Winners Officially Announced.

As the Blogosphere has grown tremendously over the past year and blogs have become a major source of news, insight, and political impact, the same has happened within the Jewish community. Blogs have become a major source of Jewish community news, Israeli advocacy, Torah education and religious information sharing, and Jewish religious inreach. At many a Shabbos table, the dvar Torah being read is from a blog. With such an increase in number and impact of Jewish blogs, this years contest promises to be special.

The 2007 JIB's are made possible by the generous sponsorship of IsraStudio.Com, a full service multi-media web developer, and Coyotech.Com, a web site development consultant.

Press Contacts:

Akiva M
akiva@jibawards.com
http://mpaths.com

Chaim Rubin
lifeofrubin@gmail.com
http://life-of-rubin.blogspot.com