The Search is On for the Best Blog in Ten Languages

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 in 10 languages (Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Persian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish).

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.

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 Uta Thofern, Editor in Chief of DW-WORLD.DE.
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 Award, 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.

"The great thing about blogs is that they give a voice to people who used to be kept quiet and in countries where freely expressing your opinions can be dangerous," said Julien Pain of Reporters Without Borders (RSF). "I really believe that Weblogs, around the world, are changing the media landscape."

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.

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 makes it possible for anyone to search for English blogs from Lebanon or French media blogs or cinema podcasts from Brazil or any other number of combinations.

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.

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 (Belgium), Clarín.com (Argentina), NRC Handelsblad (Netherlands), Folha Online (Brazil), UOL (Brazil), Lenta.ru (Russia), Rambler.ru (Russia), Maktoob (Jordan), Iran-Emrooz.net (Iran), Gooya (Iran), and Sina (China). The BOBs are also being supported by the Park Inn Hotel in Berlin.

31. August 2006
230/06

For additional information contact:
Gabriel González Zorrilla
+49 (0)228.429.2684
gabriel.gonzalez@dw-world.de

Sean Sinico
+49 (0)228.429.2641
sean.sinico@dw-world.de