Awards Update

Just a reminder that there is only one month left to get those Blogisattva nominations in! November 1st will be the last day to submit your nominations for those outstanding Buddhist blogs that you read and love. The process for sorting through and posting the finalists and award winners will probably take a few weeks after nominations close.

Also, we have hit the 400 milestone mark for Buddhist related blogs and websites in the directory, and everyday a few more get added. The Buddhist Blogosphere is far larger and more dynamic than I ever imagined! We will be keeping the ability to add to the blog directory database probably through November 1 as well. I am working on sharing the code so sometime in the near future that anyone can publish the blog directory that resides here.
 
Finally, for next years awards, we will be looking for new volunteer administrators to run the awards. I'm not sure if Nate, Anoki or myself will stay on, but there is definitely a good chance for an opening to volunteer! If you are interested in carrying forward the Blogisattva torch in 2011, just drop us a line here.

Thanks again for everyone's time and effort to make this year Blogisattva awards possible!

About the Directory and Nominations

We first wanted to take a second to thank a few of the Buddhist publications for their support and encouragment, and also for getting the word out to the Buddhist community in general. So a big thank you to Elephant Journal, Shambhala Sun and Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. We also want to thank Anoki Casey of BuddhaBadges and DharmaDots for the fantastic graphics he did for the site, and for helping us out as an administrator! I think everyone is enjoying this process tremendously, and it should be a lot of fun as we get closer to November.

Secondly, just a few items of note about the blog directory;

• It doesn't have to be the blog or site owner that adds a site to the directory, anyone can add a site.
• The blog directory and the nominations have nothing to do with each other. The directory is a simple link list to Buddhist sites, and being added there does not mean that the site was nominated for an award.
• There have been a couple of requests to add a non-English language category to the blog directory, so we have. While the awards are for English language Buddhist blogging, the directory is for any type of Buddhist site.
• Edit: Whatever people enter down as information about what type of blog they are is what I enter in the directory. There are only three expections, if its an academic or Buddhist Resource blog, I do make sure that they are somewhat conforming to that. Also, any sites selling products is fine as long as it isn't the primary intention and focus of the site.

There are over 150 sites added already, so feel free to browse through them and check them out, and of course contact us if you see any errors or changes that need to be corrected.

Lastly, just as a reminder, for blogs to be considered for an award they have to be nominated. So don't forget to nominate your favorite bloggers. We encourage all bloggers, who may not be known to a larger audience yet, to nominate themselves if they so choose. We want to get the word out about all the wonderful writers and blogs out there. Also, a nomination is not a vote, so adding a site once is enough to enter them into the nomination database.

And as always, feedback and ideas are encouraged and welcome!

The New Blog Directory

As you might have noticed we have added two new tabs, one to 'Add a Blog to the Directory' and the 'Blog Directory.' We are trying to compile a comprehensive list of Buddhist and Buddhist themed blogs, websites, message boards, journals etc into one place. We have already had over 25 added in just 24 hours, and another 15 to update! Please bear with us as the directory will be spruced up a bit once we figure out how to best export a Google spreadsheet with the formatting we want. A big thanks goes out to Anoki from the Buddhist feed site Dharma Dots for stepping in to help out with the technical aspect!

Please feel to add any Buddhist related site to the directory, we update it daily! Also, let us know if you feel we should add another category to the details. Right now you can choice from;

Personal Practitioner
Academic
Monastic
Ordained/Lay Teacher
Online Magazine/Review
Link/Feed Site
Message Board
Group Practice Blog
News Journal
Other

And don't forget to submit a nomination for your favorite blogger!