Labels: 2009, glen verran, sa blog awards, video
www.cooksister.com : Last year's winner (in two categories) is back. Seamlessly interspersing personal and food related posts, the easy going writing style in posts just the right length make this another strong contender this year. Written by a South African residing in London there is an eclectic mix recipes. In fact, I am extremely tempted to try out the latest recipe for my visitors this weekend. The design and layout of this blog hasn't changed much if at all since last year (Not that I'm one to talk) so as good as the content may and the food may taste be it does have a slighly dated feel to it.
thecru.co.za : Written by Brendon Shaw, a guy who's passion for wine shines through his writing. Beautiful pictures of food and the wine country are included but it's the wine and wine estate reviews that set this blog apart from the crowd. Reading through the last couple of months worth of posts, I have already learnt alot about the local (Cape) cultivars and even discovered some estates. Next time I need to stock up on some wine I will be making a stop here so I can make some educated purchases. The design is classic 2009 blog styling. It's clean, easily navigated and the posts neatly categorised and there's some quality links in the side panel.
4cousins.blat.co.za : A quirky outlet for the marketers of a quirky wine, Four Cousins. Although all the posts essentially center around wine, they are not necessarily only about the wine being marketed. There are tips and ideas for serving wines, recipes, pairing advise and general information that a newbie can use to feel like they know just enough not to be belittled by the wine elite.
my-easy-cooking.com : Nina Timm is a stay-at-home mom, wife, want-to-be chef and caterer. Her recipes are inherently South African and decidedly pratical. Well within the reach of the 'amateur' cook her recipes are presented in a way that feels exciting but attainable. A blogger.com blog I can't help but think template could do with a little upgrade, a little chic understated template redesign would up the ante both nationally and internationally.
whatsforsupper-juno.blogspot.com : AKA Scrumptious Blog, another blog using the blogger platform that has made into the finals. Written under the pseudonym 'Juno' by a 'shy' freelance writer and food obsessor, this blog is all about food and recipes. The recipes presented range from things you expect to see at an international class restaurant to Granadilla cake made with Coca-Cola. What is most evident in the posts is the amount of effort that goes into each entry. There are back stories, tips and/or a bowl full of information on the ingredients preceding each recipe. This one is most definitely for the enthusiasts.
blog.winecountry.co.za : Henré, aka 'the Plank', has created an awesome portal for all things wine in and around Paarl and Cape Winelands. The classy design effortlessly aggregates the information available to the reader. I was immediately drawn into clicking myself far into the depths of this site. I was relieved to learn that there are multiple contributors as this blog has wine, food, tasting and event reviews, recipes and even videos ... and there are Afrikaans articles nogal! An awesome resource and worldclass window into the Cape Winelands
foodblogs.24.com/tonguetickle : Great, simple, resourceful and practical recipes abound at Tongue Tickle. If it weren't for the lack of freedom of expression granted in terms of design by 24.com blogs this could well have been my favourite foodie blog. The tiny 'banner' that get's lost under the food24blogs header minimises if not completely obliterates any chance of the author creating any sort of branding opportunities. I would also like to read a little more background to tge recipes presented. Despite this Tickle has managed to pull in a pretty neat community, I would be intrigued to see how this could be translated in to the greater web-o-sphere.
blogs.thetimes.co.za/pendock : Neil Pendock is South Africa’s leading independent drinks commentator and a columnist for the Sunday Times, Financial Mail, winenews.co.za and Good Taste magazine. I first read Neil's online column a few months ago when he threw the spotlight on one of my old school buddies, now a winemaker. Reading his column (difficult to call this blogging), it is immediately evident that writing is his bread and butter. None of this amateur vague sentence-thought connections put onto the web for those who have nothing else do to to read. Here you have stories that once you finish reading you realise that you have just experienced a wine tasting event as if you were actually there or somehow know exactly what the wine tasted, smelt and even felt like. Apparently being 'now redeployed as an intermittent intermezzo,' I fear that this new found joy may become rare or even extinct
relax-with-dax.co.za : ... and on the other end of the scale we have Dax Villanueva. An IT professional that enjoys experiencing all Cape Town's gastronomic pleasures, it would seem. He doesn't pretend to be a professional food critic and I found is reviews refreshingly honest. It's always nice to get the feel of an establishment from the perspective of the ordinary man on the street. This you get, and should you chose to, you will not alone because he to seems to have managed to gain quite a following. While I did find his template design in itself practical and appropriate, the loud font used for the text in the posts gave you the feeling that Dax was shouting the text at you.
spitorswallow.co.za : 'Its an experience' is the byline for this 'blog' for wine lovers. On the positive, the masthead is probably the best of this year's entire crop of finalists, across all categories. Classy, quirky, off the wall, yet somehow belletristic (I know this is more of a literary reference, but just fits perfectly here). It fits into a site that is designed in way that you almost expect to get that slight breeze you feel when turning the slightly higher caliper paper of a glossy magazine. So now that the gushing is over, I am not convinced that Spit or Swallow should be sitting in the running for a blog award. Although it calls itself a blog, it is essentially a review site. Wine estates are listed and a short description/review offered, thereafter the reviews are left to visitors to the site. There is then a rating (swallow) that is given by each reviewer. Weblog? Me thinks not, but a cool site nonetheless.Labels: awards 2009, food, sa blog awards, wine
dchetty.co.za : Relaunched in November 2008 and needing 'to start at the very bottom of the pile,' D Chetty is producing masses of content primarily technology focused but not even close to being able to be truly pigeon-holed as a technology blog. I have full respect for a guy who is able to churn out content on such diverse topics, not afraid to express an opinion or two along the way. The site design is impressive and you can see that he is a blog reader himself and has borrowed design hits from various sources. If I had to find something to criticise it would be the lack of a masthead. Some type of branding would be a good way to create an identity in a space he is clearly beginning to make his mark
startupafrica.com : It's all in the name. 'StartUpAfrica is a blog dedicated to entrepreneurship in Africa with a particular focus on technology entrepreneurship.' Ismail Dhorat uses this blog as a vehicle to disseminate information, thoughts, useful information and tools a startup can use to get from the birth of an idea, to market and ultimately to success. He also uses it as a way to highlight African startups in the ICT industry. I particularly liked the 'Submit Startup' button on the top menu, where startups can submit their details for review. The layout is simple and business-like, not a great fan of maroon personally but the quality of the content more than compensates for this. 
matthewbuckland.com : Last year's best business blog, written by someone who was a SA Blog Awards judge in 2007, one would expect this blog to be a strong contender in this category this year. The thing is, when Matthew Buckland speaks, people listen. When the the GM of Publishing & Social Media at 24.com, the former GM of Mail & Guardian Online, the co-founder amatomu.com and Thought Leader (pause for breath here) writes it's always something worth reading. I enjoy reading the tech. stories and innovations written and reviewd in a comprehensive, but not overly wordy manner. The design is unexciting yet functional and the Presentation links are worth the visit on their own if you have any interest in web and technology trends.
bandwidthblog.com : Not much has changed since last years review of Charl Norman's tech blog. Now is the a good or bad thing? I guess if you are the reviewer it's not so good. If you are wanting to get the low down on what is important in the Web 2.0 scene both international and local then this is a great thing, this is still the place to go. The simple design keeps your focus on what is really important, the content.
imod.co.za : Also in the running for SA Blog of the Year and last year's winner in this category Chris Mill's 'Cape Town blog' has become one of SA's premier blogs. Unlike the previous blog reviewed the design and content has continually morphed over the past year and once again I would find it difficult to have to categorise this as a tech. blog, in fact the Blog of the Year award seems way more of a fit as Chris shares his internet and technology finds and prowess just as readily as he does pieces of his personal life's experiences. I've always enjoyed Chris's various design templates for iMod, they are always simple and functional.
pauljacobson.org : Probably best described as a personal blog about tech, Web and Digital Media lawyer Paul Jacobson uses this blog as an outlet for his interest in gadgets and other 'cool stuff.' This web offering probably epitomises what a blog should be. Information shared by enthusiasts with just enough knowledge and passion to make for great reading. This blog has a great design, great content and sufficient local focus to be added to my regular read list.
systemshock.co.za : I have to admit systemshock.co.za is a new site to me. For someone who regularly trawls the SA blogosphere and has a particular interest in technology this surprises me. That said anyone interested in hardware and particularly gaming will eat this blog up for breakfast .. and then come back for more for lunch. The site design is something I can only aspire to. It presents it's mass of information in a way that is easy to take in, and I must give special menu for the neat sliding menu at the top. Shiny and smooth! I have to,however give a 'grrr' to the lack of any 'About' page. A pet hate of mine, as I always like to find out more about the source of the information I am reading, and give kudos in these reviews.
handytechtips.blogspot.com : This blog appears to be a bit of a wildcard. Again, like the previous blog, written by a seemingly anonymous blogger (no biography or about page) this site template when compared to the other finalists has a distinctive web 1.0 feel to it. But let's push that to the side for a moment and look at the content. Of all the finalists this one offers the most content that the average Joe ... er ... Barber can use. Tips on how to use internet services to save money, get free games etc from a South African perspective is going to have huge appeal to the non-internet elite.
skepticdetective.wordpress.com : I write this review with a certain amount of trepidation. After doing my usual scan through a finalist's latest page or three worth of posts, and reading a short (they are always short) biography, I am usually able to get a feel for what the author(s) are trying to achieve, the tools and knowledge they bring to the blog and the overall objective for them publishing what they do. After going through this sequence this time I felt like I missed something. Firstly, the reason for their nomination is clearly based on science, not technology ... I think. The lack of background information of the author (another grr) or blog means I have to assume the sceptism them applies to everything ... I think. The simple design makes for easy navigation and neat albeit uninspiring presentation, which is a pity as although the I struggled with the overall data package, the individual postings made for extremely interesting reading.
samsungblog.co.za : This is the place to go for all things Samsung ... from a South African perspective. Trawling through site for the first time its was not immediately obvious to me if this was an official Samsung property. Obviously scrolling to the bottom of the page confirmed this to be the case, but then I found myself asking a) if this ambiguity was done so on purpose and b) if so (or not) is this a good thing. Perhaps a more obvious branding would give it more 'officialness?' I also noticed that this was created by Cerebra, a bunch I have immense respect for, and this unfortunately meant I suddenly expected more. More of what? I have no idea, just more! The design is functional, if not stimulating and has all the necessary components in all the right places, although I would like to see the 'downloads and manuals' placed in a more visible spot, I found it's positioning and conservative typeface easy to overlook.Labels: 2009, awards, sa blog awards, science, technology
The SA Blog Awards has progressed to become a significant event in the online calendar year. The packed out venue last night attests to this, as does the fact that finalists and interested parties flew in from around the country to be there.Labels: review, sa blog awards, sablog awards
Just one day to go. Reading through the various finalists in the categories I have managed to cover has been an arduous, but extremely enjoyable task. (Next year the judges are going to have to cut down on the number of finalists or give me a head start!) I have discovered a whole load of real gems, and am actually brimming with proud over what our fledging online community is offering to the world ... and this is just the tip of the iceberg.
elledeco.blogspot.com : I found it interesting that a publication like Elle Decoration SA decided to go blogging, using Blogger. I would have though they would have the resources to buy an domain name, get a hosting plan and spend a little on an appropriate template design. [Accept that this come from Eish!! ~ eishcoza.blogspot.com!] Getting down to the content, they have kept everything bite/byte size. This actually works for me and the illustration rich content is diverse and interesting. I would imagine that their print readership would expect a little more.
ivo.co.za : Ivo Vegter is a writer by profession. This blog is an extension of his writings for publications. This was a discovery for me, not having seen any of his writings before. I found the posts engaging and diverse. It must be said that us bloggers can sometimes become used to mediocrity as we forego standards in the quest to get our news(and views) as quickly possible. This is one of the blogs up for the SA Blog Award that bucks this trend, and there aren't enough of them. The page is simple, has all the necessary elements and does not detract from the writing, which is after all the main attraction. I great find.
capetowndailyphoto.com : I am not sure why I am not a subscriber of Cape Town Daily Photo. I have mentioned my pangs of jealousy over Paul and Kerryanne's eye for a great photo before in a previous post. They somehow manage to find a different view of the mother city every day, with a short write up on the subject and/or how and/or why they took the picture. They have garnered an loyal readership as a result of the quality the offer everyday and have become a bit of an institution in the SA blogosphere.
gfsouthafrica.blogspot.com : One of four foodie blogs to make as a finalist in this category. It must be said that the 'Gluten Free South Africa" does not pull me in as a reader. However I can imagine that there is a growing niche that would appreciate this blog. And what's more the recipes and advise offered are presented extraordinarily well. Those needing or wanting to eat gluten free do not need to miss out on much, if this blog is anything to go by. The added 'service' offered is the reporting on establishments that either cater for or accommodate those needing to stick to a gluten-free diet. A simple Blogger template is used, but the content is king here.
greedygourmet.com : Another quality foodie blog. Again I am really impressed with this offering. I particularly enjoy the way the author (there's a pic on the about page but no name) has a readable preamble to each post on the front page, with a link to read the rest of the post which then includes the recipe, a really nice touch as this means the front page doesn't get clogged up with recipes . The photos of the food discussed are of high quality ... mouth watering actually. The design of the page is not particularly special, but this is unnoticeable as the colourful posts keep your attention. This is another blog that proves the value of the SA Blog Awards, I would not have found it otherwise.I am looking forward to trying the hash brown recipe this weekend!
jaxbischof.wordpress.com : Jackie Bischof is a young journalist living in Johannesburg. She is using her blog to hone her journalistic and writing skills while bringing her views and experiences of Johannesburg to the world. The content is varied and Jackie is not afraid to voice an opinion, which makes for enthralling reading. It will be interesting to follow if this becomes a path to a career in mainstream media or if she follows this 'new media' route. One thing is for certain, Johannesburg should keep her supplied with many topics to write about.
blog.ecr.co.za/newswatch : Much like the name suggests, this is a news site, disguised as a blog. I have been trying to get my head around why they would chose this type of interface for the news reporting. Actually is makes a whole load of sense, as you can subscribe and get the latest news in the RSS reader of your choice. The site design is East Coast radio, and keeps with the overall look and feel of all the other sections of the site. The posts are updated very frequently, and I like the news watch audio feature. All in all a functional, albeit regional news blog.
vanielje.com/blog : Yet another foodie blog. It must be said somehow this genre appears to be producing high quality blogs. (Could it be in the water they drink ... or is it the food they eat?) I seem to be repeating myself, but once again the illustrative photography is top draw. Combine an easy to read writing style and add am extremely effective layout and you have a quality package. I can't wait to give the steak and mushroom pie a go.
baglett.blogspot.com : It's a pity so little attention has been given to the design of this blog. the writing is enjoyable and just sufficiently irreverent to catch my interest. Baglett finds herself with a group of finalists that have a stronger all-round package. Good, entertaining reading is all good and well but, perhaps unfortunately, gone are the days that this is all a blog is about. Pity.
blog.bridgetmcnulty.com : Bridget McNulty is another South African author, sharing her writing via her blog. Covering all sorts of topics, giving you the odd glimpse into her life, this is a fun read. The masthead captures your attention and aptly displays graphically what you get when you read the posts. The is a clever accompaniment to her print offering and should help her connect to her readers.Labels: finalists, new blogs, review, sa blog awards, sablog awards
africansurfer.com : This a new discovery for me. And what a gem the awards have unearthed. Reading Africansurfer we follow three guys Tim, Lurks & Stone riding their 1981 Landcruiser up the west coast of Africa from Cape Town to London. I truly love the design and layout of the page. The writing is effervescent and appealing, with good mix of stories, quick updates and photographs of their adventures. You can't help but feel inspired to embark on an adventure after reading what this trio has gotten up to. Now if I can just get over this incredible bought of jealousy!
sportblogs.24.com/ghana2008 : From one end of the inspiration scale we quickly descend to the other. This blog, maintained by Citypress as best I can see, is merely a list of weak commentaries/summaries of the Ghana 2008 African Cup of Nations football games, and this excludes the semi-finals and even the final. I am not sure how this made it onto this list, being a 24.com vanilla blog, there is no design merit, something that I think is important in this space as it mirrors the personality of the blogger and compliments the writing creating an overall experience that transcends simple prose. Enough said.
sportblogs.24.com/frg : 'FRG' stands for 'Front Row Grunt.' Yes, you guessed it this is one of the six rugby-themed blogs in this category. As per the previous review there is no design kudos to hand out here, so let's concentrate on the content. Clearly there is much passion for the game here. While the is a wealth of results and game summaries here, you will also find some hard-hitting comment and opinions sneaking through. Thanks FRG for helping us raise this bar.
compleatgolfer.co.za : One of two nominations that skirt the boundaries of the definition of a blog. The homepage is the online version of the print magazine of the same name. I am going to assume the nomination was for the latch-on blog 'The Mole's Blog.' The topics are varied, but golf related. There are the obligatory results, golfer profiles, equipment reviews and even some humour. The design is again held to ransom by the publication's overall image which does detract from the good content each post I viewed contained.
keo.co.za : A serial nominee for blog of the year (2006 & 2007) and winner of this category in 2005. It must be stated that this category was discontinued after 2005 and has only resurrected again this year. Keo.co.za, Mark Keohane's genius creation when the SA blogosphere was still in it's infancy. The timing, combined with the pedigree of the writing team has lead to this blog becoming a blog with a massive readership. The page is functional, updated constantly and very often the source for breaking news. It's particular focus is rugby but it has branched into reporting on cricket as well. Keo.co.za has a vibrant community that often means you can get as much enjoyment and information from the comments as from the original post.
sarugbyblog.com : Sticking with the rugby blogs. SARugbyblog probably tops the bunch, which is evident but it's rapid rise in popularity after is was first published. It has a balance of results, commentary, news and video relating to the game of rugby. This creation is a professional looking and well laid out page.
pakiscorner.com : Like SARugbyBlog Paki & Hazard supply their readers with a mix of results, game summaries and video, predominantly around the game of rugby. The big difference I find here is a personality. Despite the presence of the all important 'About' page, the contributors allow their sense of humour to permeate their short posts. I have said it before, but this is what should differentiate a blog from a mainstream publication.
blog.ecr.co.za/justplain : This is an interesting entry in this category. Although Darren Scott has been synonymous with sport programming on various Multichoice sporting channels, this blog is affiliated to his East Coast Radio show. Although there will be the odd sporting entry, it's more of a general interest blog. It's wide range of topics covered usually have a humourous twist.
rugbydump.blogspot.com : Another blog that has experienced meteoric rise. Unfortunately, like too many finalists, there is no 'About' page, so I can't tell much about the contributors, other than there is a South African, a Canadian, and a Welshman. The blog features rugby videos of the best tries, tackles, funny incidents 'and more' and is updated at least daily. Interestingly the videos featured are not necessarily only from current or recent games, but from classic games in the past as well. They have a massive repository already built up, and rugby fanatics can spend hours wading through the short videos. The page design fits right into the subject matter, sufficiently masculine with an impressive index list down the right column. Rugbydump is a well thought out concept that will continue to be a success well into the future.
iamastormer.com : Like compleatgolfer.co.za, I assume that the nomination was not for the landing page but for the associated team blog found once you enter. With just three entries in the section, it seems strange that this 'blog' managed to garner enough support and make it past the censors to get into the finals of this category. iamastormer.com is the official Super 14 franchise, Stormers fansite. It has a functional design, perhaps a little defensive when compared to the style of play expected from the team it supports.Labels: finalists, review, sa blog awards, sablog awards, sport
Firstly, let me apologise for taken a bit longer than expected to publish the next review of a group of SA Blog Awards finalists. There have been many reasons for the delay, some out of my control.
noboxmedia.com : Although the name rang no bells I have the feeling I may have popped over to Nobox Media from time to time. I found the masthead particularly impressive. It captures yourattention and draws you into the page. NoboxMedia is a blog produced by a group of developers showcasing their Ajax, DHTML and Javascript scripts. They present the ideas and designs in an easy to read fashion. Not only to they present their own scripts but also little (and not little) gems they have found on the web. Those of you involved on any level with the design and/or implementation of anything web or browser based will find this is a great read.
imod.co.za : Again, imod finds itself in a category that perhaps it doesn't strictly belong. Sure Chris covers tech related stories relatively frequently, but while this is one step closer to a good home for imod when compared the Best Entertainment Blog category, I wouldn't necessarily class this as a blog about technology, computers or web development. Obviously it's supporters think otherwise. Having said that, you could do worse than to use imod.co.za as a source to ensure that you know what going on on the web, all written in an easy going, relaxed style. A regular reading of this blog will keep you in the know.
bandwidthblog.com : Bandwidthblog is part of blogger extraordinaire Charl Norman's impressive blog and website stable. Bandwidth blog has a feel of authenticity which emanates as a result of it being written by someone who has been able to make Web 2.0 his bread and butter. Charl has a deep knowledge and interest in social networking and if you want to keep up with what's hot and happening in this space, bandwidthblog should be added to your subscription list.
stii.za.net : Stii Pretorius is another one of SA's Web2.0 rockstars. Stii.za.net is his conduit to share his interests, news views with those willing to read them. Like imod.co.za, stii.za.net is more or a personal blog, with a heavy leaning towards his passion tech and web design. Having said that, reading this blog gives you an appreciation for and a greater understanding of the recent developments in the SA webspace. In my opinion this page comes out tops in design. It's simple yet interesting and appealing.
nudjit.com : "cause gadgets are kiff" By their own admission, Nudjit should not really be on this year's list, been a too recent an addition to the SA blogosphere. Nevertheless, here they are. Nudjit, is probably best described as an SA version of the monstrous Engagdet.com. It's perhaps overdue for SA to have a central repository of news and reviews of gadget from a local perspective, written by people who's opinion matter. Gregor Rohrig, Justin Hartman and Nicholas Haralambous have created what is sure to become SA's premier tech related site.
vincentmaher.com/mit : This is the online outlet for another of South Africa's online heavyweights. While, I don't think you will necessarily find any 'breaking news' here, reading Vincent's views and perspectives of tech developments local and international is invaluable. The page design is simple and quirky, and I enjoy the personal photos under the masthead, reminding us exactly what a blog is supposed to be.
tectonic.co.za : I started reading Tectonic before I even knew it was a blog, probably before I knew what a blog was. Tectonic is a world class source for news of anything open source. The content here is always up to date, if not news breaking and written by writers seriously in the know. In the seven or so years it has been in existence it has grown to be probably a must read for anyone delving into the world of open source software.
adii.co.za : Another of my regular reads. Adii is a self proclaimed, "Wordpress rockstar." Adii is a successful designer of Wordpress templates. As such his writings on the developments in the Wordpress world are respected. He is not shy of speaking his mind it's been insightful reading about the 'going's on' in the community from his perspective. As an added bonus he has some of his designs available for download. It must be said that the current header at adii.co.za does not resonate with me, the overall look though is extremely useable and easy on the eye.
andyhadfield.com : Andy Hadfield's Cowboys and Engines is a new blog to me. Andy calls himself a Web 2.0ist and, like all the other finalists is someone who would be classed as an industry insider. The unassuming layout masks the informative nature of this blog, on a diverse set of tech related topics.
mikestopforth.com : Yet another SA web rock star. Mike is one of the pioneers of the SA's web 2.0 movement. His blog looks at the big tech developments and invariably pulls them back home, giving us an understanding of they mean for us, here, locally. Another blog that should at least be on your list of favourites if not in your reader, if you are remotely interested in anything to do with the web.Labels: finalists, review, sa blog awards, sablog awards, technology
eishman
Cape Town, Western Cape, ZA
