The Search is On for the Best Blog in 10 Languages
Find exactly the blog you’re looking for with Deutsche Welle’s Blogopedia
Third Annual Best of the Blogs Awards Begins

The Deutsche Welle is calling on the readers, listeners and viewers of Weblogs, podcasts, and videocasts to submit their favorite Internet sites to the third annual Best of the Blogs competition (www.thebobs.com), which begins on Aug. 31, 2006. The BOBs provide a unique and international look at the global blogosphere.

Technology has always been crucial to spreading information in parts of the world with limited freedom of expression, and Weblogs, podcasts and videocasts are the most recent developments that allow people to get their opinions out to a wider public.

“The Deutsche Welle’s Weblog awards are an important initiative to support Weblogs and freedom of expression on the Internet,” said head of Reporters Without Borders’ Internet operations Julien Pain.

But authoritarian regimes have also realized the power of the Web and are cracking down on blogger rights and increasing Internet censorship. The winner of last year’s winner, the Egyptian Weblog Manal und Alaa’s Bit Bucket, was imprisoned for his support of freedom of expression and work to protect human rights in Egypt.

That’s one reason why the journalists’ rights organization is once again cooperating with Deutsche Welle to honor a blog that makes a particular contribution to freedom of speech.

Pain will be joined by 12 other bloggers, journalists and new media experts in judging the blogs, podcasts and videocasts submitted to the BOBs in a total of 10 languages (Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Persian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

Blogopedia: A Searchable Blog Catalog
The BOBs are also adding the new Blogopedia to the contest. An international and multilingual catalog of Weblogs, podcasts and videocasts that allows anyone with an Internet connection to list their favorite blogs in a searchable database by country, language, topic or keyword.

“The Blogopedia is a smart and practical extension of the BOBs,” said Uta Thofern, Editor in Chief of DW-WORLD.DE, the Deutsche Welle’s Internet presence. “Now anyone using the site can search for English blogs from Lebanon or French media blogs or cinema podcasts from Brazil or whatever else they want. The Blogopedia covers every area of interest and provides quick results.”

Here is the 2006 contest schedule:
After a month-long suggestion period, the BOBs’ international jury will choose a list of nominees for each of the 15 categories. Internet users will then have from Oct. 23 to Nov. 11 to vote online for their favorites and award the international bragging rights that accompany the User Prize. On Nov. 10, the jury will meet in Berlin to decide on the winners of the Jury Awards in each category. All of the contest’s winners will be announced on Nov. 11 in Berlin during a public event.

Last year’s Best of the Blogs competition received over 2,500 Weblog submissions and over 130,000 people took part in an online voting process to choose the contest’s audience favorites.

The BOBs’ cooperation partners this year are: Reporters Without Borders, Radio Netherlands, Global Voices Online (USA), Handelsblatt.com (Germany), Zeit Online (Germany) LeMonde.fr (France), Categorynet (France), Clarín.com (Argentina), NRC Handelsblad (Netherlands), Folha Online (Brazil), UOL (Brazil), Lenta.ru (Russia), Rambler.ru (Russia), Maktoob (Arab World), Iran-Emrooz.net (Iran), Gooya (Iran), and Sina (China). The BOBs are also being supported by the Park Inn Hotel in Berlin.

For additional information contact:
Gabriel González Zorrilla
+49 (0)228.429.2684
[email protected]

Sean Sinico
+49 (0)228.429.2641
[email protected]