Right, let me explain something about how the Bloscars work. This is for those of you who don’t know, who didn’t take part last year and for those of you who have been lied to by some small-minded blogging wankers.

I do not choose who wins.

I do not look at my friends list and pick people off it.

Last year there were a few winners who weren’t on my friends list.

This is how it works.

Stage One

- Bloggers nominate up to THREE people per category, who THEY (not I!) think deserve to win that award.
- This happens for ALL awards apart from the award dedicated to Moria where you only get to choose ONE person rather than three.
- As they come in I collate them. I do this by writing down the name of the person nominated under each award. If they get another vote they get another line next to their name. Every five votes they get a line through them, thus making it easier for me to count when the nominations close. This, I believe, is called “Gate Counting” but if any knows the real name for it please feel free to correct me.
- Nominations close at 23:59:59 on January 31st 2007. Any nominations received AFTER that will be ignored.

Stage Two

- I go through all the nominations for each award and count up which FIVE people has the highest number of votes.
- Those FIVE people get blogged about and VOTING starts.
- Bloggers, NOT ME, now get to VOTE for ONE person from the each five in each award. They don’t have to but the option is there.
- As with the nominations each person who gets vote gets a mark next to their name,
- Once the VOTING closes I look at each award and see which person from the FIVE has got the most votes. THAT PERSON IS THE WINNER!

Stage Three

- I do ONE blog entry for EACH award.
- I offer the winners the chance to receive a prize. I did this last year but due to circumstances totally within my control it was not done. This year I promise it will be and already have in mind what the winners will be getting. If the winner wants to receive his or her gift then they must PM their address, or at least an address to send it to.

So bloggers, you’ll see (I hope), that I actually have VERY little to do with who wins other than counting! And yes, if someone as simple as me can count!

So, if you’ve been lied to by some sanctimonious asshole who thinks the top twenty is their playground to abuse with forty posts (of crap or cut & pasted news) and then build your stats up by getting your friend(s) to have a conversation in comments rather than either using email, PM’s, IM’s or picking up the fucking phone, then I hope this now shows you exactly how the Bloscars do work.

I apologise for maybe seeming angry, or using language you might not like, but I’m sure you’ll understand that by thinking it’s just me that makes up the winners it’s not just me who gets offended. Let alone LJ and AJ who have put so much work into unbiased reports of other bloggers and graphics for your blogs, but it’s you lot who actually took the time to vote, who took the time to download the form and email it back to me, it’s you lot that deserve the credit for all this not me. All I did was have the idea and a million people a day have a million ideas but its you lot that make it work!

Today I am going to bring you someone that I do read, on a regular basis, although I don’t always comment.

I have up to now deliberately not reviewed blogs that are on my friends list, and this blog is also not on my friends list although her brother is. I have said from the beginning that I will not be promoting or decrying any blog, and this is no different.

Stephi

One of the reasons that I read this blog, even though it is a news/current affairs blog, is I like the approach of the author towards the news stories that she chooses to write about. She is feisty, she is up front, and she pulls no punches.

When she has her say she says it with style, even when she debates a point with you, she will listen to an alternative point of view, it may not change hers, but she will not condemn you for daring to disagree (Though watch out for the boys )

But this is not all that Stephi is about, she speaks out because she cares, she cares about the things that will affect her family, a family she cares very much about. Which is evident in the bantering between her and her brother Anywhichway. She is passionate about the things she believes in, freedom to choose, freedom to think, freedom of speech, it is all evident in the way she writes, she will supply links so you can read the actual story and make up your own mind, draw your own conclusions.

You may not agree with all she says, but at least she says it with style.

http://stephi.blog.co.uk