Third Annual Milbloggies Begins! Place Your Nominations!
Sunday, September 7, 2008, 05:09 AM - Milbloggies
Rules and Instructions
The Milbloggies Award recognizes military bloggers for their contribution to blogging, news and information, and to the military over the past year.
Nomination and Voting Overview
1. A military blog can be nominated ONLY once by the same registered user. However, a user can nominate as many military blogs as they wish.
All nominations must be submitted online through Milblogging.com by 11:59 pm EST on Wednesday, September 10th, 2008.
2. The top five nominees in each branch category will be announced on Thursday, September 11th, 2008 and those nominees will move into the Voting Phase beginning September 11th, 2008.
3. Nominees may be military blogs that belong to the following branch categories in the Milblogging.com database:
U.S. Air Force
U.S. Army
U.S. Marine Corps
U.S. Military (Parent)
U.S. Military (Spouse)
U.S. Military (Veteran)
U.S. Military (Supporter)
U.S. Navy
4. To nominate and/or vote for a military blog, you must be signed in to the website. Registration is quick and free and you will not receive any SPAM. This helps maintain the integrity of voting by reducing possible click fraud. To place your nomination, simply click on the listing in the Milblogging.com database, and click the Nominate button that appears at the top of the military blog profile.
Example
5. To vote for a military blog (once the nomination phase is over), a chart will be published that includes the top nominees in each category, along with the ability to vote.
The Voting will close on Sunday, September 14th at 11:59 PM EST.
6. Winners will be presented awards at the 2008 Milblog Conference in Las Vegas on September 20th at the Blog World Expo. Winners are not required to attend the conference in order to receive their awards.
Sponsors
USAA sponsored the Second Annual Milbloggies. Last year's awards included: a digital camera, plaque, and a $1000 donation to Project Valour-IT. USAA will also be sponsoring the Third Annual Milbloggies.
Questions?
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Feel free to leave your comments below or send an email to milblogging@gmail.com
You can also discuss and chat about this year's Milbloggies with other members in the Discussion Boards.
Stay updated on the Third Annual Milbloggies, by visiting the Milbloggies Home Page.
Current Standings (Third Annual Milbloggies)
View Branch Nomination Standings
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Irish Soldier Diary Series from Afghanistan, Concludes
Friday, September 5, 2008, 09:27 AM
(The Irish Times) "While you are reading this, young Rangers from Belfast and Kerry, side by side, are sweeping dirt tracks with metal detectors in an IED- [ improvised explosive device] infested town, fully aware of the critical game of dice they are playing every day with their lives and limbs. Their bravery is a credit to our island of Ireland.And in the midst of the destruction and danger, I have witnessed great tenderness. Jokes and laughs shared with people from the other side of the world who don't know our tongue. Rangers rushing, unarmed, to treat injured civilians and police, with complete disregard for their own safety; doctors battling to save an infant run over by a tractor, air crews risking everything to get her extracted.
And tenderness towards their comrades also: a 19-year-old from the Shankill comforting an 18-year-old from Derry suffering from uncontrollable battle stress.
Throughout it all they have maintained their distinctly Irish sense of humour, and their ability to have the craic no matter what has brought a smile to many faces in Sangin these last six months."
Read the entire story here.
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Third Annual Milbloggies: Nominations, Voting Coming Soon
Thursday, September 4, 2008, 12:28 AM
The site upgrade to this year's Milbloggies is on its way. Other changes are in the works, too, but the first upgrade will be to the Milbloggies Nomination and Voting model. By next week, I’ll be launching the Third Annual Milbloggies, so be ready.Needless to say, there isn’t much time left before the Milblog Conference (where the awards will be presented), so the nomination phase will last for a few days, then the Voting begins. So make sure you visit Milblogging.com often, and that you participate by nominating the military blogs you feel have made positive contributions.
The keyword is: often.
Even if you’re at work...
And if your boss comes sneaking up behind you while you’re on the computer, just tell him, “JP aka "The Milblogging.com Webmaster" says this has to be done.” (Unless of course you're surfing porn). For effect, use finger quotes when you say "The Milblogging.com Webmaster" and make sure your eyes are wide open and that you stare off in the distance as you say it. Heck, throw in a lisp.
If your boss gets upset, you can even give him my phone number (just make something up, like 1-800-293-7063). Or tell him to call 1-800-AWE-SOME (it’s the same number, only easier to remember). I know, it’s bogus. But hey, I don’t need him bugging me at work and making my boss mad.
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Military OneSource Sponsors Community Panel
Wednesday, September 3, 2008, 01:33 AM
(Milblog Conference Site) We are very excited to announce that Military OneSource will be sponsoring the MilBlogs as a Community panel. It's an appropriate panel for this fine organization to sponsor given the emphasis on military spouses, wounded warriors and military parents. Military OneSource does a fantastic job of offering confidential counseling to military spouses on everything from dealing with stress to careers, education, handling finances and much, much more. We're thrilled to have Military OneSource on board!Keep updated on the Milblog Conference here.
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Military Blogger Holds Online Radio Show
Monday, September 1, 2008, 04:42 PM
Last week, friend and fellow Military Blogger CJ of A Soldier’s Perspective held a radio show on Blog Talk Radio. He opened his first show with SGT Freedom who publishes videos dealing with political and military topics.Listen to CJ’s broadcast live via the Internet each week by visiting blogtalkradio.
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An outsider's view of military blogs
Monday, September 1, 2008, 03:23 PM
(Tycho Under) You know, I didn’t expect a military blog to be so… normal. I expected explosions, firefights, and logistics… not tea with Afghanis and black markets in gas. In fact, most of the articles covered the same sorts of things I would expect from a twentysomething suburbanite. I suppose I shouldn’t be quite so surprised at the blogs’ mundanity, though; soldiers deal with death and destruction every day, there’s no reason they should want to blog about them. That raises the question, though: why do soldiers blog? Maybe it’s a form of catharsis, a way to deal with the pressures of life in a war zone without cracking. Maybe it’s a way to reach out to the people they left at home. Maybe it’s just a way to carve out a niche of normality and permanence when their worlds get turned upside down.
Read the entire story here.
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Counting down the days until the Milblog Conference
Sunday, August 31, 2008, 11:57 AM
Those of you planning to attend this year’s Milblog Conference, need to make sure you register in time. There’s only a week left to register, so make sure you request your Registration code from Andi and follow the instructions on the Conference website. The cutoff is September 10th. You just request your code, register on the BWE site, book a flight, make hotel reservations, then go out a buy a nice outfit. It’s that easy. Now I'm not sure how many attend these blogging events, but if I had to guess I'd say it’s gonna be in the hundreds.
And make sure to stay clear of the War Craft exhibit on the Expo floor. I hear some of those bloggers are level 50 wood elves.
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Military BlogFather Colby Buzzell Not Headed Back to Iraq (Update)
Friday, August 29, 2008, 02:31 AM
Earlier this month, Colby Buzzell who wrote one of the most notable military blogs on the internet with the codename CBFTW (Colby Buzzell Fuck The World), linked to his September Esquire story that talks about not going back to Iraq, after receiving orders several weeks ago. Thanks to my good friend Mary Ellen, I was able to view an electronic copy of the story.
Here’s an excerpt:
“In times of crisis I called Todd Vance. He was in my platoon, and the two of us got out of the Army around the same time and we’ve been BFF ever since. He strongly encouraged me to find a way out and said, “Look at how fucked-up we are now. Imagine how fucked-up you’re going to be when you get back the second time!”
I then called my brother. “I’ve got news,” I said.
“What?”
“I’m gay.”
“You’re gay? [Pause]. That’s not news.”
“No, I’m serious, I’m gay. I got my orders in the mail today saying that I have to report to Fort Benning, Georgia, in five weeks!”
I was now in the market for some high heels, because my goal was to not go back to Iraq by any means necessary, and I was just going to show up and tell them that I’m gay and ask them if I can go home now. If they didn’t buy it, I’d tell them about my scooter and that I live in San Francisco and there’s a very good reason I live there.”
To read the rest of the story, you’ll have to go pick up a copy of Esquire. The article is a great read. Raw and funny. I mean it's filled with lots of bad words which always make me laugh.
I’d write more like Colby, but I'm pretty sure my Mom would speed over to my house, drive up on the curb without even bothering to turn the car off, roundhouse kick down my front door...then pull me by my ear and ground me from blogging.
Thanks again to my pal Mary Ellen for the information.
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You Served Milblogger Interview with Bryan from A Major's Perspective
Friday, August 29, 2008, 12:40 AM
(You Served) You Served: What made you decide to start Blogging?A Major’s Perspective: During my first deployment overseas to Iraq I was extremely fortunate to work with reporters such as Jim McMillen (AFP), Stefan Zaklin (EP), and Michael Yon(Independent Blogger). I saw the hard work they were doing trying to tell the entire story of the American Soldier to the American People. I felt as a professional military officer it was my duty to do this also. As I returned from Iraq, though, one event led to another and before I knew it I was heading back on my second deployment to Afghanistan. When I returned this time, I was going to school at the Army’s Command and General Staff College, and had the time to reflect and write. I took advantage of that time, and launched my blog shortly afterward. As a Military Officer I believe we have a duty to explain to the American People what we are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan and to tell them all the good that is happening. Good that is being done both by the Iraqi’s and Afghans and by our troops. Every day in both of my deployments I witnessed an event that the American People should have known about, but somehow never did. If we don’t tell those stories of compassion, personal fortitude and courage, no one will.
Read the entire interview here.
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Military Blogger Colby Buzzell and author of "My War", Not Headed Back to Iraq
Thursday, August 28, 2008, 08:55 AM
The BlogFather of Military Blogs, Colby Buzzell, who had received orders earlier this year to report to Iraq, won’t be deploying. In an article that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on May 8, 2008, Colby talked about receiving Orders in the mail. In his latest article for the September issue of Esquire Magazine, we learn Colby isn’t going back to Iraq.
More here on Colby’s blog: My War.
Thanks to Mary Ellen for the tip.
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In the News: Bloggers bring us unique war stories
Wednesday, August 27, 2008, 12:28 AM
(The Marion Star) "Doonesbury.com's The Sandbox: Dispatches From Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan" is must reading for anyone who wants to know about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Kellie Coy says.The Mercer Drive resident knew firsthand the experience of having a loved one living amid the dangers of war when her husband, Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Dave Coy was stationed in Camp Taji, Iraq, for nearly all of 2006.
She missed her husband, as did their children, Sydnie, 13, and twins Samantha and Heath, 11. A conversation overheard in a local store stirred her enough that she decided to put fingers to keyboard and share the experience on a military blog launched by "Doonesbury" comic strip creator Garry Trudeau in October 2006. A collection of the blogs was turned into a book, which was published in October 2007.
Read the entire story here.
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Old Blog Buddies Meeting up at Milblog Conference in Vegas!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008, 12:23 AM
(Bouhammer’s Afghan Blog) Well it is now official. Bouhammer (yours truly) and Mrs. Bouhammer (my very better half) will be at this year’s Milblog Conference. We have been registered, confirmed and have all the logistics booked. It will be a quick trip to Las Vegas, but one that I am sure will be well spent. I am looking forward to finally getting Christine out there (as Nevada is like the last state she has never been to), and I am looking forward to finally meeting many milbloggers that I have met over the last 2 years of milblogging. JP, CJ, and many others will be there and it will be a true honor to meet them, talk about not only the military in general but also this crazy little world of milblogging that has turned from a hobby into what seems like a full time job sometimes.Read the entire story here.
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In the News: Experience World War I in 'real time'
Tuesday, August 26, 2008, 11:26 PM
(The Christian Science Monitor) When Bill Lamin was 12 and discovered his grandfather's World War I letters in a desk drawer, he didn't care much about them. It wasn't until 2006, when he uncovered those same letters as he was clearing out the family home after his mother passed away, that he couldn't stop reading. Entranced by his grandfather's writings about the war 90 years earlier, Mr. Lamin, a retired math and Internet technology teacher from Praa Sands, England, wanted to share them with the world. But publishing a book was costly, and he wasn't sure if his grandfather's letters merited a book. So he had another idea: He posted the letters online in hopes of attracting World War I history buffs.
The site (http://wwar1.blogspot.com) attracted few visitors at first, but gradually more people started reading "WWI: Experiences of an English Soldier," reliving the war through the eyes of Mr. Lamin's grandfather, Pvt. "Harry" William Henry Bonser Lamin.
It's constructed as a blog, updated with postings of Harry's letters corresponding to the current date. Since Lamin's first blog post in February 2007, readers have been following Harry's letters about his travels – describing the sights he sees, the people he encounters, and his experiences in the trenches.
Read the entire story here.
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Military Blogger Toby Nunn Discusses the New Iraq
Monday, August 25, 2008, 12:36 AM
(The Pacific Northwest Inlander) "It's a completely different animal now," says Toby Nunn, who recently left the military after garnering some uncomfortable fame as one of the soldiers highlighted in the PBS Frontline documentary "Bad Voodoo's War," which aired last spring. What Nunn knows and
The
Read the entire story here.
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Milbloggers in the News: The view from the front lines
Sunday, August 24, 2008, 07:59 PM
(The Virginian-Pilot) Two years ago, Doonesbury.com added a military blog to its site on Slate. Called The Sandbox, its editors sought, collected and lightly edited dispatches from men and women serving overseas and their friends and family back home.Although Garry Trudeau's "Doonesbury" cartoon strip has a well-known liberal point of view, the stories reprinted in "The Sandbox: Dispatches From Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan" are apolitical. Congress and President Bush are as distant from these experiences as Baghdad is from Washington.
The collection is sharp, painful and sometimes comical. The authors explore friendship, service and longing during war.
Read the entire story here.
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Milblogs in the News: German Military Concerned About Soldier Blogs
Sunday, August 24, 2008, 10:33 AM
(Deutsche Welle) Weblogs have become very popular among soldiers, but military strategists worry that the Internet diaries won't just damage the troops' reputation. They're also concerned that they might threaten soldiers' lives.Psychologists recommend that people use diaries to get through rough spots in their lives. Psychologists at Germany's military, the Bundeswehr, are no different and tell soldiers to write down their experiences. They just shouldn't do it online.
That doesn't seem to prevent soldiers from doing so. The Web site milblogging.com alone currently has some 2,080 military blogs that are written by soldiers from 38 countries. US soldiers are by far the most prolific writers, but 42 German and five French soldiers have also registered their diaries on the site.
Read the entire story here.
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Newspaper leveraging blog to support hometown military
Friday, August 22, 2008, 11:01 AM
You may have heard of newspapers slowly adopting Web 2.0 and you may have even heard of some papers going completely online and getting away from print. But one paper, The Bradenton Herald, has started using Web 2.0 by extending its site to a military blog. The blog is called Manatee’s Military Moms and it’s written by Tiffany Tompkins-Condie (say that name five times fast), the mother of an active duty Marine. Manatee is the county in The Brandenton Herald allows readers to send photos, write comments or share stories about loved ones in the military, by visiting Marine Mom Tiffany Tompkins-Condie's blog.
Seriously though, I can’t believe more newspapers and magazines haven’t gone completely to the web or at least started adopting Web 2.0 more into their business. I mean, it’s pretty simple to start a Facebook or MySpace or even a blog. Old media that hasn’t gone the way of new media is basically missing out on a huge online audience. Although, I’m sure some of you would hate to see newspapers go completely internet based...
After all, what are you geeks gonna do without your free Sudoku? I swear, those puzzles are impossible. Who'd have thought doing mathematics and logic could be fun? Not me. I usually just fill out a few squares completely wrong and then leave it for the next person. Sometimes I even scribble roman numerals. It's a free service I throw in. You know, to see how nerd-eriffic they really are.
Here’s an excerpt from a recent online military update called Neighbors in Uniform:
(Bradenton.com) Army Pvt. Jamie L. Jorgensen has graduated from basic combat training at
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Leonardo Piloto, whose wife, Jennifer, is the daughter of Mary-Luz and German Cardona of
Army Reserve Spec. Jason A. Williams is deployed in Iraq to support the mission of Operation Iraqi Freedom.Williams, a petroleum supply specialist, is normally assigned to the 345th Combat Support Hospital, St. Petersburg. He has served in the military for seven years. He is the son of Francis A. and Alma J. Williams of Palmetto.
Navy Seaman Recruit Courtney M. Post, daughter of Edith S. and Daniel L. Post of Bradenton, recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. Post is a 2006 graduate of
Read the entire story here.
See Tiffany's Milblogging.com Member Profile.
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2008 Milblog Conference Panelist Remembers How She Ended Up a Civilian Among Milbloggers
Thursday, August 21, 2008, 01:38 PM
(Fuzzilicious Thinking) “…That very week I had been toying with the idea of blogging, going so far as to have set up an as-yet-unpublished first post. A number of people I looked up to were gently pushing me to it, but I had dragged my heels. I refused to do a diary-style blog, but on an intellectual level, what could I possibly contribute to the community of amazing people I'd met online? I was a student; they were my teachers. I finally answered the siren call simply because I wanted to have a place of my own, a place to respond to Castle comment parties, to complete the memes I kept receiving, to say nice things about my favorite bloggers, etc. So I decided it would be largely fluff and it would be in my Fuzzybear persona, complete with a cute little Anime Oh, if only I'd known... I might've been more circumspect...”
Read the entire story here.
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In the News: Web technologies are changing the way DoD works
Thursday, August 21, 2008, 11:00 AM
(Federal Times) Blogs are another Web 2.0 innovation. Back when he started his in January, Carey was the only government CIO to have one. Blogs — a portmanteau word of “web log” — are online personal commentaries that often include photos and links to other documents, videos and audio files.
“Blogs and wikis are now becoming mainstream communication tools, but who in the Department of the Navy is actually using them?” Carey asked in his June 18 blog entry.
An increasing number of members of the military are — some to the dismay of commanders, some with their blessing.
Web 2.0 refers to the growing use of the Internet for collaboration and “social networking.”
Read the entire story here.
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Thank You to the Sponsors of the Third Annual Milbloggies: USAA
Wednesday, August 20, 2008, 02:29 PM
A big thank you must go to USAA for sponsoring this year’s Milbloggies. Andi just announced the news yesterday on the Milblog Conference website. "We would like to thank USAA for signing on to sponsor the 2008 MilBloggie Awards. USAA was a sponsor of the 2007 MilBlog Conference, so for two years in a row, USAA has helped support our conference. Without the contributions of companies like USAA, our conference would not be possible. We are grateful for the corporate sponsorships that allow us to host this conference each year..."
Okay, I know I’ve been talking for quite some time about upgrades to the Milblogging.com website, including the annual Milbloggies which involves recognizing military bloggers for their contributions. But we’ve been working behind the scenes on new things for the website, which takes time. I also got to thinking, and instead of waiting for the entire website upgrade to be complete, we’re just gonna update the voting system so people can nominate and vote in the Third Annual Milbloggies. The awards will be presented at the Milblog Conference in September.
Keep in mind, we’re still working on the patch to update the voting system, so it’ll be a couple more weeks before it’s online, but we’ll have it in time to vote before the conference. I’d pick an exact date, but I’m not very good with commitments...
I mean, I told my wife like 2 months ago I’d take out the trash cans that were out back that we had collected after my Homecoming Party...but uh, yeah, they’re still there.
Actually, I tried taking the trash cans out this morning, but a family of raccoons is living in them now. I think I might give the babies names like 'Bitsie' and 'Checkers'. They're soooo cute.
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