Sitting in the hotel room on Saturday, finalising the video sheet for Rick, getting ready for the evening, my phone flashes. Congratulations, knew you'd do it! I read the message. A couple of emails followed followed by a Twitter DM or two. What the hell? Then I'm being PM'd on Boards as well. Everyone saying 'Congrats for winning best Blog Post' - a good eight hours before the results were due out.
Somebody on Twitter, under the identity of @IBA09 claimed to have leaked the results of the Blog Awards a good few hours before the awards. Damien swooped in quickly to quell the rumours with a tweet to the community which was quickly spread from person to person.
Please RT: Winners of the Blog Awards will be announced by people you already know and on awards.ie at 10pm ignore @iba09 #iba09Ha ha, a good joke, right? Well, yes, except for people like my folks who phoned me in high hopes that what they'd got a call about from a well-meaning relative online was true. As if I didn't have enough to do, I had to explain to them that no, it wasn't true and in all likelihood wouldn't be. I had no expectations.
Just how wrong was @iba09? This wrong:
Best Popculture Blog
They predicted: Rick O' Shea
Actually won: The lovely Raptureponies
Best Blog from a Journalist
They predicted: Adam Maguire
Actually won: Markham Nolan - expad.ie
Best Food/Drink Blog
They predicted: Cheap Eats
Actually won: The Daily Spud
Best Fashion Blog
They predicted: The Sexy Pedestrian
Actually won: Beaut.ie
Best Arts and Culture Blog
They predicted: The Asylum
Actually won: Pursued by a Bear
Best Political Blog
They predicted: PublicEnquiry.eu
Actually won: Cedar Lounge
Best Group Blog
They predicted: Blather.net
Actually won: Dublinblog.ie
Best Use of the Irish Language in a Blog
They predicted: Gaelgannaire
Actually won: iGaeilge
Best Technology Blog/Blogger
They predicted: Pat Phelan
Actually won: Justin Mason - taint.org
Best Sport and Recreation Blog
They predicted: Worldwide Cycles
Actually won: The Kop Blog
Best News/Current Affairs Blog
They predicted: Limerick Blogger
Actually won: Suzy Byrne - Maman Poulet
Best Newcomer
They predicted: Trust Tommy
Actually won: Trust Tommy
First one they got correct all evening.
Best Blog of a Business
They predicted: Blacknight
Actually won: The Blacknight blog
Best Music Blog
They predicted: State
Actually won: NIaller9
Best Personal Blog
They predicted: Grannymar
Actually won: Annie Rhiannon
Best Humour Blog
They predicted: Twenty Major
Actually won: The Swearing Lady at Arse End of Ireland
Best Photo Blog
They predicted: Gingerpixel
Actually won: Ryan Whalley - glassvalley.com
Best Blog Post
They predicted: Me
Actually won: K8 the Gr8 - the secret fire - who, as people know, I'd predicted from the start.
Two out of 18. EPIC FAIL. Wouldn't have liked to have put a bet down with them!
Okay so it's a bit of fun, a laugh and sure no one takes it seriously, right? Actually it's also damn inconvenient to have to try to explain to friends and family that no, it's just someone who should have thought more and given a damn about the people there, both nominees and supporters, there or not, about the level of organisation that goes into something like the awards and how it's the stupid things like that that can spread so quickly around that to some, they become truth. Not all people are in on the joke. Not all people are laughing.
As Damien said:
Petty and pretty stupid. Fuckwits.
Also a bit funny no? ;)
ReplyDeleteDarragh, did you just use a nasty word like 'fuckwits'? You've been hanging around that Damien boy too long.
ReplyDeleteThat was pretty stupid of someone alright, but if you get all worked up about it then they've probably succeeded in what they were trying to do. Better to ignore this kind of bored idiot than to dedicate a post to them, I would've thought.
Voodoolady: Ah a bit, you know, it's not life or death but it's the way it was done that was just too sneaky for my liking.
ReplyDeleteAndrew: Hey dude, I did! I know, I know about the language. It's probably reading as much as I am at the mo rather than Mulley to be honest.
I did debate putting up the post at all but sure if I can't throw up what I like up here, there's probably no point to having the place!
I know what you mean, I think my dislike of twitter in general makes me look at the lighter side.
ReplyDeleteand I had me shaggin speech ready an all :-)
ReplyDeleteGood to see you Darragh
I couldn't be any more mortified to read that even the fuckwit didn't pick me to win!
ReplyDeleteI'm off to boil my head.
I ended up 'watching' the Blog Awards through the iba09 Twitter feed that night. (And very entertaining it was too! But sorry to have missed it in person. Next year...) I remember thinking I'd go back and see if this IBA09 twitterer was around and what they'd say when they saw the real results coming through. The Twitter account was wiped by that point.
ReplyDeleteIf it was a joke, it was a pretty bad, sad one.
I'm suddenly feeling a great kinship with voodoolady...
ReplyDeleteDarragh, of course you can (and should) put up whatever the hell you like on your blog), I was simply suggesting that you've given some no doubt very welcome attention to someone who was acting the bollix and annoying people. They probably read your blog, given that they tipped you for the best post award. They'll be thrilled with you putting this up, more than likely.
I'm just wondering, did they close up shop themselves, or did Twitter delete the account?
ReplyDeleteHow can they do that?
ReplyDeletei am shocked.....
i wonder.......