Hey everybody. I’m back from my trip to China, and it was awesome. More about that at Roboseyo.
For now, I want to look back for one last moment, after all the other retrospectives and top ten lists, and think about the year that was 2008, here on the K-blogs.
As such, I am now taking reader nominations for the Golden Klog Awards (you may notice that Klog is both a clever combination of the words Korea and Blog, as well as a homonym for a kind of Northern European footwear. It is also not connected or associated in any way with the restaurant critics Tony Bourdain and Michael Ruhlmann‘s satirical “golden clogs” awards, which I didn’t know existed until I googled “Golden Clog” to find images for this post, though I did steal this picture from their press release. Thanks guys. If there were a physical object associated with the Golden Klogs, it would either look like this, or like a big pile of kimchi, spray-painted gold.)
Golden Clog Award from Ruhlman.com
I am taking nominations now, after which I will cull those nominations into shortlists, and set up a giant, monster survey to see who gets the vote.
You may submit your nominations here, or on the discussion boards at The Hub Of Sparkle’s Facebook page.
As this is the initial brainstorming session, rather than the final cut, there is no need to disparage another commenter’s nominations too enthusiastically, and certainly no reason to disparage anybody’s blog, as bloggers have feelings to, and might read what you write when you disagree too harshly with somebody’s nomination of their blog; simply second the ones you agree with, or offer your own suggestions for the ones you don’t.
URLs and links help, so that I can check out any new ones I haven’t heard of yet.
Here are the categories. I have my own ideas and shortlists of which blogs should go where, but before I put in my own two bits, I’m opening it up to you, the readers. Please remember, this is for 2008, so kindly disregard early 2009 blips and outages — we don’t want Brian’s vacation, or ROK Drop’s server problems to damage their chances.
- Best Overall Korea Blog, 2008
- Most Thought Provoking Korea Blog, 2008
- Most Current and Timely Korea Blog, 2008
- Most Helpful Blog to Expats in Korea, 2008
- Funniest Korea Blog, 2008
- Happiest Blogger, 2008
- Angriest Blogger, 2008
- Best Pop Culture Blog, 2008
- Best Culture Blog in General, 2008
- Best Food Blog, 2008
- Best Korea Photography Blog, 2008
- Craziest Comment Board in a Korea Blog, 2008
- Most Interesting Comment Board in a Korea Blog, 2008
- Best New Korea Blog, 2008
- Up and Comer – Blogger To Watch in 2009
- Best Post or Series by a K-Blogger, 2008
- Korea Blog Most Completely Taken Over by Obama’s Run To The Presidency, 2008
You may nominate more than one blog for each category, as these are nominations, not award votes, or choose the categories you care about, and skip the rest.
Let the fun begin!
17/01/2009 at 1:25 pm Permalink
Hey! I wanted to nominate a blog that really help me out before I came to Korea and once I got here too. It’s: http://www.eatyourkimchi.com and they also have a youtube page (just search simonandmartina). I like it because they do a video with EVERY blog and they’re really funny and happy to be in Korea. They respond to every email I’ve ever sent and they have a great flickr page with Korea pictures. Check it out!
# Funniest Korea Blog, 2008
# Happiest Blogger, 2008
# Best Culture Blog in General, 2008
17/01/2009 at 1:41 pm Permalink
I have some questions/comments.
It seems that some of the categories are quite similar.
Best New Korea Blog, 2008
Up and Comer – Blogger To Watch in 2009
Funniest Korea Blog, 2008
Happiest Blogger, 2008
Best Pop Culture Blog, 2008
Best Culture Blog in General, 2008
Craziest Comment Board in a Korea Blog, 2008
Most Interesting Comment Board in a Korea Blog, 2008
So it would be good if you gave some rules as to what goes where. For example what is the difference between crazy and interesting. Someone might find a comment interesting, and a different person would say it’s crazy.
Also some blogs are really businesses that act like blogs. Like some photography blogs.
Do the blogs/bloggers need to be in Korea? Should the blogs be in English?
Also, it seems that a couple bloggers here run a food blog and a photography business blog, so maybe promoting it here would be a conflict of interest (just my opinion).
17/01/2009 at 2:49 pm Permalink
Hi WonderGirl.
I don’t really think there is overlap in those categories:
an up and comer might be someone who showed up in the last half of 2008, who has yet to make a serious mark on the blog landscape, while best new blog 2008 would be someone who already HAS made their mark on he scene. I’d name some up and comers I can think of, as well as some new blogs that only really got running this year, but I don’t want to skew results.
Pop culture would be something dealing with music, fashion, or film, while culture is a much broader spectrum — more academic, and/or observational, and/or sociology-based. Again, I could give examples, but I don’t want to skew results — but if a blog is telling everybody about Kim Ah-joong’s new haircut, and Song Hyegyo’s red-carpet dress at the latest award ceremony, and Rain’s latest romance rumor, and who’s been cast as the male lead in the newest upcoming drama, that’s pop culture. If it’s analyzing the Korean salary-worker’s tendency to work long hours, and the effect that has on his/her quality of life, that’s culture in general.
I would distinguish a crazy comment board from an interesting comment board by this litmus:
Does reading it make me upset and/or entertained (in that slowing down to watch a car crash kind of way) by the extremity of the opinions stated, and the ways they are expressed, or does reading it make me think? If it enrages me, and other commenters get attacked for their views, I’d vote crazy, while if it engages me, and other commenters really address ideas logically and clearly and respectfully, offering food for thought… I’d vote interesting.
The blogs don’t necessarily need to be in English, though all-Korean blogs might not get many votes in the survey stage (other, possibly, than photography blogs), as most of the readers of this blog read mostly English blogs, and the bloggers certainly don’t need to be living in Korea, if their topic and focus is Korea.
Finally, short of starting a totally new blog just for this survey, of course there’s going to be a bit of conflict of interest, and yeah, maybe some of the bloggers who post on The Hub Of Sparkle will be nominated in some categories. Occupational hazard when running a meta-blog. Of course I’d love people to vote for me… that’s why I’m leaving nominations to readers, rather than just chunking my own blogs, Roboseyo and The Hub Of Sparkle, into every category. I respect the intelligence of the readers at The Hub Of Sparkle enough to try to come up with nomination lists that are as fair and even-handed as possible. Otherwise I’d just throw my own favorites into each category, instead of opening the floor to nominations.
Thanks for the questions: I hope that clears things up, WonderGirl.
-Roboseyo
17/01/2009 at 4:04 pm Permalink
I’m glad that is what you found when you looked up “golden clog.”
I was going to answer your questions about best this or that blog, but the K-blogs today are often so full of anger and resentment and even bigotry that I just thought, Why bother?
18/01/2009 at 1:17 am Permalink
I can’t help thinking the questions were created to garner the answers that you think might be right. Exhibit A) #7: Brian, B) #17: the Metropolitician etc etc and so on. Mind you, # 17 would have been a competition but for the fact that a lot of really quite surprisingly bitter ex-pat Republicans stopped talking about it fairly early on.
Anyhoo, #2 is more-or-less a competition, and I say it’s the Joshing Gnome for his work with Amoral Familism and the death of “jeong,” defying the probable trend for Ask A Korean and all that stuff about complaining foreigners.
18/01/2009 at 8:25 am Permalink
I don’t know, Greenman. I can think of a good three candidates or more for each category. For example, in #17 – ROK Drop, Marmot’s Hole, and Expat Jane also showed signs of becoming Obama/McCain blogs instead of Korea blogs, both in the posts and especially on the comment boards for ROK Drop and Marmot. #7: have you seen Stafford’s rants about the Korean internet? Sure, there are some repeats, as in any award show, but give me some nominations instead of critiques of the categories, so we can get this ball rolling.
18/01/2009 at 12:09 pm Permalink
OK, here are my favorite posts or series’ of the year.
any responses? any ommissions?
does anybody know whether ROK Drop’s (down right now) documented chronicle of the violence surrounding the 2002 anti-American protests/attacks/etc. was published in 2008, because if so, it’s on there, too.
Metropolitician: Ajusshis ruin Everything
http://metropolitician.blogs.com/scribblings_of_the_metrop/2008/02/ajussis-ruin-ev.html
Gord Sellar – Defending the WonderGirls (response to James Turnbull)
http://www.gordsellar.com/2008/04/17/wondergirls/
The Joshing Gnome – What is Jung and How Can We Kill it? (link to part one, links from there to parts 2-5)
http://joshinggnome.wordpress.com/2008/06/30/what-is-jung-and-how-can-we-kill-it-part-1/
The Grand Narrative – Why Lee Hyori’s Breasts are a Metaphor for Korean Celebrity Culture
http://thegrandnarrative.wordpress.com/2008/04/17/why-lee-hyoris-breasts-are-a-metaphor-for-korean-celebrity-culture-updated/
The Grand Narrative – Women In Korea (parts 1-3) – Body Image, Cosmetics Advertising, Dating, Beauty Ideals
http://thegrandnarrative.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/korean-women-part-1-dating-and-body-image/
http://thegrandnarrative.wordpress.com/2008/04/15/korean-women-part-2-exercise-and-cosmetics/
http://thegrandnarrative.wordpress.com/2008/04/26/korean-women-part-3-final-a-caucasian-ideal/
Gord Sellar, Roboseyo, The Korean, et al.: Complaining Expats/Defensive Koreans (table of contents after link)
http://roboseyo.blogspot.com/2008/09/welcome-korea-herald-readers.html
Who am I forgetting?
18/01/2009 at 2:18 pm Permalink
Good point greenman. Also, think about if the judge is pointing out his favorite blogs, a judge whose comments carry a lot of weight. I am pretty sure that roboseyo favorites (if he pushes for them) will be the winners. Not that robo will cheat, but his comments carry weight.
Roboseyo, what do you think about the name “golden sojus” or “golden kimchis” that lets people know that we are talking about Korean blogs. Klogs sound dutch, dontcha know
18/01/2009 at 2:21 pm Permalink
nominations, please!
I’m not the judge; winners will be decided by survey, which anyone from any blog can link to, to push their own pages.
i only get one vote, like everybody, if I vote at all.
I’m asking you to fill in the gaps — so take the opportunity, thanks.
(Golden Kimchi: maybe next year. These ones already have their name; sorry.)
Kushibo: that’s EXACTLY why to bother: to highlight the good stuff that deserves another look.
18/01/2009 at 6:24 pm Permalink
1. Best Overall Korea Blog, 2008golden-kimchi — Marmot’s Hole, Hub of Sparkle, Korea Beat, Brian in Jeollanam-do
2. Most Thought Provoking Korea Blog, 2008 — B in J, Metropolitician, Grand Narrative, Gusts of Popular Feeling, Ask a Korean, Seoul Searcher’s Blog
3. Most Current and Timely Korea Blog, 2008 — Korea Beat, Marmot’s Hole, Cross-Cultural Reviews
4. Most Helpful Blog to Expats in Korea, 2008 — RateMyHagwon, Foreign/er, Korea Law Blog, Socius, ROK Drop
5. Funniest Korea Blog, 2008 — Dokdo Is Ours, A Geek in Korea, Big White Barbie Does Busan, Elyse Sewell, ROKetship
6. Happiest Blogger, 2008 — Roboseyo, Joshing Gnome, ExPat Jane
7. Angriest Blogger, 2008 — Brian in Jeollanam-do, Metropolitician, Andy Jackson (Marmot’s Hole), Richardson (DPRK Studies)
8. Best Pop Culture Blog, 2008 — Feetman Seoul, Korea Pop Wars, PopSeoul, SeoulBeats, AllKPop, YeinJee’s Pop Channel
9. Best Culture Blog in General, 2008 — Gypsy Scholar, The Western Confucian, Gusts of Popular Feeling, The Grand Narrative, Frog in the Well
10. Best Food Blog, 2008 — Fatman Seoul, Seoul Eats, ZKFJ, A Food Journey in Korea
11. Best Korea Photography Blog, 2008 — Feetman Seoul, Marmot’s Hole, Lao-Ocean-Girl, Fatman Seoul
12. Craziest Comment Board in a Korea Blog, 2008 — Marmot’s Hole, B in J, Metropolitician
13. Most Interesting Comment Board in a Korea Blog, 2008 — Ask a Korean, Hub of Sparkle
14. Best New Korea Blog, 2008 — Hub of Sparkle, Fatman Seoul, Ask a Korean (new?), Chubbo Chubbington, The Constant Crafter, Gyopo Wife
15. Up and Comer – Blogger To Watch in 2009 — Hub of Sparkle, Chubbo Chubbington, Kimchi Ice Cream, Fatman Seoul
16. Best Post or Series by a K-Blogger, 2008 — “Why Do Expats Complain/Why are Koreans Sensitive” (The Korean/Roboseyo); “I’ve attracted the ire of Korean netizen bullies.” (B in J); “Tips to Avoid Being Assaulted in Korea” (Metropolitician); “Protests, public space in Seoul, and cyberspace” (Gusts of Popular Feeling); “Creative Korean Advertising” (Grand Narrative); “It’s Not the Wondergirls, it’s what they say about Korea” (Grand Narrative); “Form over Substance in Korea” (Grand Narrative); “Why Lee Hyori’s Breasts are a Metaphor for Korean Celebrity Culture (updated) (Grand Narrative); “Century-old expat complaints” (Gusts of Popular Feeling)
17. Korea Blog Most Completely Taken Over by Obama’s Run To The Presidency, 2008 — Where the Hell Am I, Scribblings of the Metropolitician, DPRK Studies
Other suggested categories and nominees
Best Sports Blog — East Windup Chronicle, Horse Racing Korea
Best Financial Ruminations — Cross-Cultural Reviews, Marmot’s Hole, Korea Law Blog
Best Personal/Diary Blog — Roboseyo, Chosun Bimbo, Big Fat Barbie Does Busan, Geek in Korea, Joshing Gnome, Foreign/er, The Constant Crafter, Gyopo Wife
Best Events Blog — SeoulSteves, Korea Gig Guide
Hottest Blogger — Lao-Ocean-Girl, B in J, Annalog, Chubbo Chubbington, Elyse Sewell
Best Tech Blog — TechnoKimchi, Web 2.0 Asia, Y for Yendetta, KoreaCrunch, Korea’s Information Society
18/01/2009 at 6:56 pm Permalink
There’s no “Best Podcast category?” What’s up with that!?
18/01/2009 at 9:51 pm Permalink
Best New Korea Blog, 2008
MYSELF
here here to Arrogance~!
19/01/2009 at 12:04 am Permalink
hmm. we can add one. I know of SeoulPodcast and Midnight Runner… any other notables I should include on the ballot?
19/01/2009 at 12:42 am Permalink
First second and third all get one point? Or( can I suggest that first gets 3, second gets 2 and third gets only one point). Should anybody after four votes get nothing or get a point? I think that to be fair, voting for yourself or your pal should be OK.
Sorry for asking so many questions, I guess I am being silly to ask that. I am sure you have your own math on who should win.
JOY LOL, don’t worry I hope you win!!!
19/01/2009 at 12:51 am Permalink
As I said before, I am asking for nominations now: I don’t think Joe’s lists were in any particular order.
As with the academy awards and other award shows, they publish nominations, and from those nominations, a winner is chosen.
The winners will be chosen in a survey where readers can all vote on their favorites. Stay posted, and you can weigh in on the survey. Hang tight: I want to try and gather more points of view before I compile the final survey, in order to try for more fair representation.
have a good one!
19/01/2009 at 1:55 am Permalink
i’ll throw my hat in the ring for funniest, happiest, and best new blog.
i feel like one of those might apply to georgegoeskorean.blogspot.com
19/01/2009 at 11:39 am Permalink
Now that ROK Drop is back online, I have to add his excellent, annotated history of Anti-American activity after the 2002 Armored Vehicle Incident to the nomination list for “post or series of the year”
http://rokdrop.com/2008/06/13/gi-myths-the-2002-armored-vehicle-accident/
can we narrow The Grand Narrative’s “best post”s down to a single one, so he doesn’t steal votes from himself, the way James Caan, Robert Duvall and Al Pacino’s “Best Supporting Actor” nominations split the vote and denied Godfather 1 from winning another well-deserved Oscar?
19/01/2009 at 3:08 pm Permalink
1. Best Overall Korea Blog: Grand Narrative, Gusts of Popular Feeling, Frog in a Well
2. Most Thought Provoking Korea Blog: Metropolitician, Grand Narrative, Gusts of Popular Feeling
3. Most Current and Timely Korea Blog: Korea Beat, The Marmot’s Hole, ROK Drop
4. Most Helpful Blog to Expats in Korea: Korea Gig Guide, Korea Law Blog, Hub of Sparkle ^^;;;
5. Funniest Korea Blog: FeetManSeoul, Dokdo is Ours, Chubbo Chubbington
6. Happiest Blogger: Roboseyo, Chubbo Chubbington, Chosun Bimbo
7. Angriest Blogger: Brian in Jeollanam-do, The Marmot’s Hole (collective), Metropolitician
8. Best Pop Culture Blog: Korea Pop Wars, Korea Gig Guide, Dramabeans
9. Best Culture Blog in General: The Grand Narrative, Gusts of Popular Feeling, Gord Sellar
10. Best Food Blog: Homebrew Korea, Wine Korea, Aeri’s Kitchen
11. Best Korea Photography Blog: Metropolitician, FeetManSeoul, Marmot’s Hole
12. Craziest Comment Board in a Korea Blog: Metropolitician, The Marmot’s Hole, Dokdo is Ours
13. Most Interesting Comment Board in a Korea Blog: The Grand Narrative, FeetManSeoul, Hub of Sparkle ^^;;;
14. Best New Korea Blog: Naked in the Sauna, Dokdo is Ours, Hub of Sparkle ^^;;;
15. Up and Comer – Blogger To Watch in 2009: Chubbo Chubbington, Foreign/er Joy, Dokdo is Ours
16. Best Post or Series by a K-Blogger, 2008: Grand Narrative (pick one, any one), Korea Beat (Naver News of the Week), Korea Pop Wars (Weekly Box Office)
17. Korea Blog Most Completely Taken Over by Obama’s Run To The Presidency, 2008: The Marmot’s Hole, Where the Hell Am I?, Metropolitician
Fatman thinks you’ve overlooked an essential category: Worse Title Pun of 2008
19/01/2009 at 10:15 pm Permalink
Most Thought Provoking Korea Blog, 2008
ROBOSEYO
19/01/2009 at 10:16 pm Permalink
Most Thought Provoking Korea Blog, 2008
ZENKIMCHI
19/01/2009 at 10:20 pm Permalink
http://igot2shoes.blogspot.com/
I got 2 shoes
Funniest Korea Blog (see above)
Up and Comer – Blogger To Watch in 2009:
http://seoulpatch.blogspot.com/ The Seoulpatch
19/01/2009 at 10:22 pm Permalink
http://igot2shoes.blogspot.com/
I got 2 shoes
Funniest Korea Blog (see above)
Up and Comer – Blogger To Watch in 2009:
http://seoulpatch.blogspot.com/ The Seoulpatch
Most Current and Timely Korea Blog: Zenkimchi, Roboseyo
(That is all I can think of for now)
20/01/2009 at 1:43 am Permalink
This is definitely interesting because not all of us follow all the same blogs. Although there does appear to be a core few that most know well. Here are a few nominations:
-Best Overall Korea Blog, 2008: Marmot’s Hole (mostly for photographic documentation), Brian in JLND (for sheer volume of info posted), Korea Beat (for becoming my main source of the my Korea news)
Funniest Korea Blog, 2008: Dokdo is Ours (there’s a fine line between funny and mean), The Joshing Gnome (Young, Dumb and Full of Jung)
Happiest Blogger, 2008: Annalog, Chubbo (both make me happy when I read them)
Angriest Blogger, 2008: clearly Brian (since there’s no prize for most F-Bombs)
Best New Korea Blog, 2008: Chubbo (really dig whatcher bringin’), Wanderchomp (please post more often!), White on Rice (let’s see where this one goes…)
Up and Comer – Blogger To Watch in 2009: White on Rice (for time capsule blog concept), Kimchi Ice Cream (for attention to detail posting style), George Goes Korean (still new enough to be in the honeymoon phase of culture shock)
Best Post or Series by a K-Blogger, 2008: Not sure who it was but the song about Korea with the bald dude playing the lute killed me. Also Ask a Korean for “Fan Death is Real” (oops that was 2009 eh?).
New Category proposal: “아깝다! or, Is my Reader Broken? Blog”: Naked in the Sauna (for going silent after a couple great posts)
20/01/2009 at 2:21 am Permalink
OK Korea is a really neat ex-pat blog.
http://okkorea.blogspot.com/
20/01/2009 at 4:11 am Permalink
Roboseyo wrote:
Huh? You have a category for “angriest blogger” and “craziest comment.” It’s like you’re encouraging the very thing I’m talking about.
And to be honest, a good chunk of the nominees already are from blogs that I personally find annoyingly tiresome. It’s just the same old shi+ just rewritten with a new set of fancy words and an attempt to outdo other writers with some outrageous comment that sums up what expats think about Korea but often bypasses reality on the ground altogether. Self-reinforcing ignorance and outrage.
With some of the bloggers mentioned there, I don’t even have to read beyond their first paragraph to know almost exactly what they’re going to say (again).
Let’s just have a three-day “We Are Pissy Expats” festival in downtown Itaewon every month and destroy the impetus for 90% of the K-blogs in one fell swoop.
Until then, here are some suggested categories:
1. Blog sounding most like a broken record
2. Most righteously indignant post or comment
3. Most righteously indignant blogger (hey, maybe I can with that one)
4. Best example of self-deprecating humor
5. Biggest Korea basher
6. Blogger most likely to think that the 2008 beef protests are an analogy for anything and everything in Korea
7. Blogger most likely to think nothing good besides “hot babes” will ever come out of Korea
8. Blogger most likely to think nothing good will ever come out of Korea, including “hot babes”
8. Korean or kyopo blogger with biggest hate-on against Japan
9. Non-Korean blogger with biggest hate-on against Korea
10. Ugliest example of Korean word rendered in NAKL-style Romanization
11. Best example of comparing Korea to Japan to show what a shi++y place Korea is
I could do this all day.
20/01/2009 at 5:09 pm Permalink
Wow, Kushibo. sounds like it’s time to switch from K-blog-reading to another hobby less, uh, infuriating. Or retool your favorites and your RSS feed to cull some of the vitriol off your reading list. I’ve seen a number of new blogs come up in the last year plus some, which are quite interesting, observant, funny, and either positive, or neutral.
Maybe I’m an idealist, but I still hold a bit of faith that the blogs that offer up better balanced, informed, and complete views will slowly gain relevance and readers, while the one-note ranters and self-repeaters will eventually fade into obscurity. And no, I don’t think ANY of the k-blogs are immune from losing readers if they go too far, or fail to balance themselves. There are some very well-known K-blogs I almost never read anymore for that reason, and I bet I’m not the only one.
Making it a category isn’t necessarily a sign of approval — more a reflection of what’s out there.
Jaim, Tony and Joy: thanks for the input.
20/01/2009 at 6:01 pm Permalink
Wow, Kushibo. sounds like it’s time to switch from K-blog-reading to another hobby less, uh, infuriating. Or retool your favorites and your RSS feed to cull some of the vitriol off your reading list.
I don’t read many K-blogs anymore, and I don’t have an RSS feed. Every now and then I check out some of the stuff to see what’s going on (e.g., the “whine cellar” at Marmot’s or some major K-blogs or a blog where someone has linked an interesting comment or post) and see what’s different. But I often see it’s the same old same old, maybe even worse. People like Oranckay are gone, the people who provided perspective and balance. It’s like all of the K-blogosphere has been enveloped by the Dark Side with only a few rebel holdouts.
I’ve seen a number of new blogs come up in the last year plus some, which are quite interesting, observant, funny, and either positive, or neutral.
Well, I agree there are some out there. But a vote-for-your-favorite ends up being a popularity contest that favors the blogs with heavy traffic, which tends to be the same that where bitching and bashing are the coin of the realm.
Maybe I’m an idealist, but I still hold a bit of faith that the blogs that offer up better balanced, informed, and complete views will slowly gain relevance and readers, while the one-note ranters and self-repeaters will eventually fade into obscurity.
Maybe I’m a pessimist, but I think a lot of the one-note ranters end up getting so much traffic because they comfortably reinforce the negativity of a lot of their readership. Few people really like to be challenged, much less told their wrong. Don’t get me wrong, there’s hella many things I wish were different about Korea and I would change in a heartbeat (and I have addressed loads of those issues) but Korea is rarely the one-sided clusterfuck against foreigners that it’s painted to be in, say, the Marmot’s Hole whine cellar or by certain bloggers who seem to be followed by trouble wherever they go.
And no, I don’t think ANY of the k-blogs are immune from losing readers if they go too far, or fail to balance themselves. There are some very well-known K-blogs I almost never read anymore for that reason, and I bet I’m not the only one.
I’m sure you’re not. There are at least two of us.
Making it a category isn’t necessarily a sign of approval — more a reflection of what’s out there.
Well, I guess that’s one of the things I was protesting a bit. Do we really need to construct a more efficient echo chamber?
20/01/2009 at 9:54 pm Permalink
“1. Best Overall Korea Blog, 2008golden-kimchi —”
I like the name of the award ZenKimchi!! It has such a good ring to it.
20/01/2009 at 11:08 pm Permalink
i second bo’s comments. too many one note k-bloggers have fallen to the dark side. it is about time somebody stood up and said something. thanks bo, you rule.
i tried to fix things and clean things up, but i just got sick and tired of the sexism racism and homophobia. not to many of the male bloggers were ready for a lesbian who happens to be korean and not some demure submissive asian girl of their sexual fantisy.
i know korea is not perfect, and i pointed that out many times in my blog many times. its time we took a stand, i am with bo on this.
21/01/2009 at 7:18 am Permalink
thanks bo, you rule.
Yes. Yes, I do.
21/01/2009 at 7:51 am Permalink
Nom nom nom
1. Best Overall Korea Blog, 2008 – Roboseyo
4. Most Helpful Blog to Expats in Korea, 2008 – http://kimchi-icecream.blogspot.com
5. Funniest Korea Blog, 2008 – http://whitemaninkorea.blogspot.com
14. Best New Korea Blog, 2008 – http://seoulpatch.blogspot.com
Bonus category I just made up:
Best Vlog about Korea – http://www.youtube.com/user/prcrossman
21/01/2009 at 9:03 am Permalink
I second Roboseyo’s reply to Kushibo myself, but I’d be much less polite myself.
Hell, everyone has different tastes, and is perfectly entitled to dislike certain or even most Korean blogs…but man, what a holier-than-thou, evidence-less, generalizing rant.
You admit that you don’t read many Korean blogs anymore, but still feel qualified to dismiss the literally hundreds out there as “lacking perspective and balance” that apparently only Oranckay (did) and an elite group of “a few rebel holdouts” and (presumably) yourself still do. Yeah, the Marmot’s Hole comments section does seem to have many whiners, and trouble does seem to follow “a certain blogger” much more than most (although it hardly seems his fault), but if looking at those two very old blogs and who links to them is your idea of “seeing what’s different” then I suggest you try looking a little harder next time.
For someone who complains about “one-note ranters” about Korea, you seem to be a prime example of the same about the Korean blogosphere. Like Roboseyo said, give new blogs a chance, and just consider actually reading them before you criticize them, otherwise you really should find a more constructive use of your free time.
21/01/2009 at 9:34 am Permalink
“fallen to the dark side”
Korea has Sith?
21/01/2009 at 9:52 am Permalink
Nom nom nominations
1. Best Overall Korea Blog, 2008 – Roboseyo
4. Most Helpful Blog to Expats in Korea, 2008 – http://kimchi-icecream.blogspot.com/
5. Funniest Korea Blog, 2008 – http://whitemaninkorea.blogspot.com/
9. Best Culture Blog in General, 2008 – Steve Thoughts – http://smorphie.blogspot.com/
14. Best New Korea Blog, 2008 – http://foreignerjoy.blogspot.com/
Additional category that I just made up
Best Vlog: http://www.youtube.com/user/prcrossman
21/01/2009 at 11:09 am Permalink
lol, Jaim.
But if the negative bloggers were Sith, there could only ever be two: a master and an apprentice.
I, for one, can think of THREE negative Korea bloggers, and have heard rumors of one or two more as well (ㅋㅋㅋ), so I guess that rules The Force out of influences on blog content over here in KBlogLand.
How do you say “The Force” in Korean?
May The 정 be with you, Jaim.
For the rest, I’d refer you back to the “why do expats complain” series at Ask A Korean!, Gord Sellar, and Roboseyo, where my final conclusion was that, IMHO, one’s impression of Korea boils down to where one focuses one’s gaze… and probably one’s impression of Korea Blogs boils down to the same.
Kushibo: your point about constructing a “more efficient echo chamber” was a very good one. Sure, it’s bringing attention to something that is a pet peeve of many K-Blog readers. On the other hand, like winning a Razzie for “Worst Picture of the Year”, an “angriest blogger” nomination might be good for a laugh, or it might bring certain bloggers’ attention to how they’re being perceived by readers. (on the other hand, I can think of one or two “angriest blogger” nominees who put a lot of positive stuff up, only to have it ignored in favor of the occasional rants).
But I’d like to mention too, that even if some sites get heavy traffic by reinforcing the negative prejudices of their readers… maybe my blog gets lighter traffic because of my tone, but I wouldn’t WANT those readers (and commenters) even if they were offered to me. I’d hold up James Turnbull’s blog, The Grand Narrative, as a really good example of a blog whose content determines his readership, and who has a consistently intelligent and interesting comment board, because his tone and style attracts the kinds of readers he wants to chat with in the comments.
Have a good one, and thanks for weighing in, James, Nora, and Kushibo.
21/01/2009 at 11:26 am Permalink
The Korean nominates the Korean as the best-looking K-blogger.
Seriously, if you guys saw the Korean, you would agree.
21/01/2009 at 1:25 pm Permalink
James Turnbull wrote:
I second Roboseyo’s reply to Kushibo myself, but I’d be much less polite myself.
Yeah, I probably was a bit “oba” and I apologize. I think what you said makes sense, but I’m at fault for not making clear that I do read and do appreciate some of the new blogs.
Hell, everyone has different tastes, and is perfectly entitled to dislike certain or even most Korean blogs…but man, what a holier-than-thou, evidence-less, generalizing rant.
That’s why I’d win most righteously indignant blogger.
You admit that you don’t read many Korean blogs anymore, but still feel qualified to dismiss the literally hundreds out there as “lacking perspective and balance” that apparently only Oranckay (did) and an elite group of “a few rebel holdouts” and (presumably) yourself still do.
Sorry. Like I said, I think I didn’t explain my own position very well. You’re right that no one should just read a handful of blogs and then pass judgement on the whole lot. I’m sorry for not explaining my point better, because I do read a little bit of a lot of blogs, and most of them are quite all right. I got too hyperbolic in my rant and I think I may have offended the K-bloggers who are out there putting in a hard day’s work writing worthy material.
Yeah, the Marmot’s Hole comments section does seem to have many whiners, and trouble does seem to follow “a certain blogger” much more than most (although it hardly seems his fault), but if looking at those two very old blogs and who links to them is your idea of “seeing what’s different” then I suggest you try looking a little harder next time.
I’m not sure if we’re talking about the same “a certain blogger” but your point is well taken.
For someone who complains about “one-note ranters” about Korea, you seem to be a prime example of the same about the Korean blogosphere. Like Roboseyo said, give new blogs a chance, and just consider actually reading them before you criticize them, otherwise you really should find a more constructive use of your free time.
Again, you’re right that I should take a broader view. And I do think I too easily slip into negativity about the negativity. If you saw some of the drafts I never published, you’d really think so.
Anyway, all I was trying to do was make a point that this nomination and voting process seemed to be rewarding the heavily trafficked blogs where people just reinforce negativity, but I muddled my own message. There are a lot of good blogs out there, and I recognize Roboseyo’s attempt to give some of the recognition. His is a good blog, so is Ask a Korean’s. I like some of the things Metropolitician has to say, and there’s a lot of stuff I find interesting to read from a lot of different blogs I encounter, even if I don’t read them every day.
21/01/2009 at 1:51 pm Permalink
Feel free then to use this as an opportunity to bring blogs you like, but maybe don’t yet have heavy traffic despite putting up good stuff. Fatman is exceptionally pleased to have been mentioned for photography and for food blogging, and we definitely don’t have a big readership. Something like this could potentially mean a lot for smaller blogs like ours.
21/01/2009 at 2:29 pm Permalink
I’d just like to say that all the discussion above is one of the reasons that I’m so thrilled to be a part of this particular blogging community. We all enjoy getting our blood pumping by disagreeing and agreeing with people, and I think the way that disagreement and dialogue take place here is downright the way it’s supposed to be.
I think having categories like “Angriest Blogger” are healthy because we all go through an angry phase when we come here. We are angry at ourselves mostly, for not being able to process everything in the way we expect, and it comes out as being angry about the things that are confusing us, or confronting us about the way we approach the world. And when you’re angry, it’s nice to find other people who are a little angry. It’s part of the expat experience, and I believe acknowledging that is okay.
And the way in which this forum is handled is impressive. I love that we can disagree and argue points without reverting to our 7 year old selves!
I vote Rob as most diplomatic blogger.
I’ll get my other nominations together soon! How long do we have again?
21/01/2009 at 5:46 pm Permalink
“Korea has Sith?”
If they do, they would pronounce it 씨스 and would be masters of the 다크 사이드 옵 다 포스.
Anyway, back OT:
Craziest Comment Board in a Korea Blog, 2008
Angriest Blogger, 2008
Both, IMO, go to the Ask the Lawyer guy over at EnglishSpectrum.
Even for a “lawyer”, he’s quite the tool.
21/01/2009 at 8:52 pm Permalink
1. Fatman’s bang on: this IS a great chance to give some lesser known blogs a bit of attention — that’s how Roboseyo got some of its first looks (from people other than my Dad, my sister, and my other sister): when Brian from JND, way back in February, mentioned me in a list of “upcoming new blogs that are bringing something to the table that’s different than the same old blogs on everbody’s ‘links’ sidebar”
2. I also second what Chubbo Chubbington said, that the classy way all parties have conducted themselves during this conversation is very heartening, and a sign that K-blog comment boards DON’T have to regress into flame wars every time they pass 25 responses. Yay us!
but
3. I recommend you move fast, Chubbo Chubbington, to submit your nominations…I haven’t decided whether I’ll put up the survey just before, or just after this weekend, but it’s coming soon.
4. Fan Death Avenger: thanks for that one…wow.
5. The Korean: send pics, please! Our female readers demand it.
22/01/2009 at 5:34 pm Permalink
after carefully considering what roboseyo and james said, i have to go with kushibo on this discussion. he offers the most balanced and fair perspective.
my vote for best k-blog of 2008. the one and only kushibo.blogspot.com, of course. now that oranckay is gone, he really is one of the lone voices that offer balance and honesty. also, his humour is very john stewart with a little bit of colbert. if you haven’t been reading kushibo.blogspot.com, it offers insight into korea that few k-blogs even come close to. kushibo, was the original “ask a korean” and as far as debunking myths about korea like rokdrop, kushibo has been doing that for years. he really sticks his neck out. now that i think about it, i am voting kushibo for the following.
Best Overall Korea Blog, 2008
Most Thought Provoking Korea Blog, 2008
Most Current and Timely Korea Blog, 2008
Most Helpful Blog to Expats in Korea, 2008
Funniest Korea Blog, 2008
Happiest Blogger, 2008
Best Pop Culture Blog, 2008
Best Culture Blog in General, 2008
its about time he got some recognition. i think kushibo would make an excellent additional writer for this blog. Less kimchi, more nunchi
22/01/2009 at 5:36 pm Permalink
I think, to get “attention” one has to be linked to – either in a post, or on a sidebar. And (part of) the problem as I see it is that people travel in the same social circles so that many of the oft read and linked-to blogs sound sorta the same, link to each other and generally respond to each other’s comments and share in a kind of virtual camaraderie that leaves out a big chunk of other bloggers. It feels very much like high school to me, actually. I don’t think that there’s really a conspiratorial boys club of bloggers out there – but I think there is a definite lack of *active* participation in finding out about (and helping out) other bloggers.
Now I know most of the K bloggers out there are nice people and would bristle at the idea of being snobbish or cliquish – and because *I* try to be a nice person, I don’t want to directly say that. I know it’s not universal or intentional. But, still, I think this is an issue.
I mean, I’ll use my blog as an example. I’m pretty sure this is dangerous territory because your immediate response will probably be something like “oh, she’s just got her knickers in a tangle because nobody reads *her* blog”" or something like that. And there might be an element of truth there – but it’s not the whole truth (because lots of non-Korean bloggers read my blog, lol:) So anyway: I’ve been blogging in Korea, and regularly about Korea and Korean issues for 3 years. I also do a lot of boasting about my kid lately – but the majority of my posts have been Korea related. I leave comments on other blogs and participate in occasional discussions. I’m not a lurker. I think I’m a reasonable writer and my posts are properly punctuated. Usually. ! But I’ve noticed – and it took a while to notice this – that very few Korean bloggers would link to my blog, even fewer answered my comments and some didn’t even answer emails with very specific and reasonable questions. Weird.
So I actually started thinking about it and wondering about the criteria for being ‘linked’ and getting “attention”. It’s clearly NOT based on topic, quality or frequency of posts, nor does it seem to be connected to how often a person comments. I know that I just used myself as an example but I know of about a dozen really interesting – and really really written – blogs out there that just never get mentioned or noticed in the mainstream bloggy club.
If anyone out there would like to offer insight into this I’d be happy to alter my stance but right now this is what I’ve come up with. To be given “attention” in the Korean blogger world you should meet at least 2 of the following criteria:
willing to mock Korea
live in or around Seoul
be male
be able to socialize outside the internet (fair enough)
So this is my long-winded way of saying a) seriously, thanks for the opportunity to talk about Korean blogging because I too – like Kushibo and others – think that it’s a tilted field and b) if you really think that you’re open to reading new blogs then make an active effort to link new blogs, or mention them to your readers. Oh, and c) I too want to see a picture of the Korean! ^^
My nominations coming soon!
22/01/2009 at 9:25 pm Permalink
Melissa, I can fully understand and appreciate much of what you said in your comment – believe me, I’ve been there – and I completely agree with about 90% of it, but much of what you say does seem to rest on the assumption that other, more well-known bloggers are obliged to link to new and upcoming bloggers. Sorry, but while some bloggers certainly do see this as their role – the Marmot’s Hole and ROK Drop for instance, list a great many blogs, and Roboseyo has done a sterling job with this post – I think that to have the notion that with *cough* great power comes great responsibility(!) is to have a very flawed and naïve view of the blogosphere and the bloggers within.
There are many blogs about blogging – and in my view no-one can complain about their blog lacking popularity until they’ve at least read and incorporated the advice of one – and one of the best I’ve ever come across is this one by Skelliewag, and in this post, she likens a new blog to a tourist attraction in the middle of a forest. It may be a brilliant, 5-star resort, but if there’s no advertising of it and/or no routes into the forest then no-one’s going to visit; alternately, if there’s a lot of paths and roads in there and everyone knows about it…but it’s a hut with no electricity and a bucket for a toilet, then no one is going to visit it either.
So, leaving comments in other blogs, writing in forums related to your blog, emailing people and so on is indeed a good way to make roads for people to visit your blog so to speak. But you have to do it regularly, even though it may be a long while before people notice you. And if the “big boys” don’t notice you, then aim lower instead. Although it’ll be a sad day for me personally when I don’t respond to a worthy comment or email, and I do still think that someone who has the time to do but doesn’t is a jerk, still…man, some days I spend 3 hours or more a day on either (really), and that’s both before writing an actual post and more than many people spend on their blog in an entire week!
Which means I can understand wanting to flag replying to some and/or getting a bit jaded about the whole thing sometimes. Do please consider how your comment or email may look from the big blogger’s perspective: why should he or she make the time to reply?
Because he or she may not have much spare! Every morning I personally have newspapers to read and about 150 posts on various blogs and newspaper websites and so on to sift through to find stuff to write for my own blog, and I have those comments and emails to deal with too, and I image most other established bloggers have similar workloads. So you have to make the blogger want to reply and/or link to you, and the onus is on you, the fledgling blogger, to do that yourself.
How? Well in my experience the biggest flaw with new blogs is that they’re all over the place and/or too personal. If someone links to me and or leaves a comment then I’ll probably check their blog out, and I do indeed often some excellent content on them that I’m interested in and consider linking to. But the next day…it’s about getting drunk in Hongdae. Then the day after that, wistful reflections on what old university classmates are doing in Montreal. Then Obamamania. Then the weather. Sigh. Why the hell should I spend ages waiting for more good stuff that might come or go through years of archives to find stuff that might be there? Sometimes the combination of issues and personal stuff works, sure, but I’d wager that about 9/10s of the time it falls flat. In the meantime, I have 4 people on one income to support, 2 daughters to raise, a job I detest…and then finally my own blog to deal with! So forgive me, but I’d rather focus my very limited blogging time on reliable sources.
If you have good content and want people to know about it then, I have two suggestions. One, write about the same subjects, and thereby become known for it: you’ll very very rarely find stuff on my own blog that isn’t about Korean gender issues and feminism, advertising and/or popular culture, and what’s more I let people know what my blog is about as soon as they arrive at my blog. Don’t like them, then don’t visit, but you’l know what to expect if you do, and which is why I dominate google searches for my niche(s). Which leads me to number two, to let people find your good stuff easily. Again, you do all the work to enable that, not them. Someone who can’t find what I want to show them on my own blog? They must be blind, because it’s in their face. And see here for a very funny post on Skelliewag about the logic behind all that.
There’s so much more to say, but my own blog is a testament to the fact that you can make it even if you’re only one of those four things on that list you put up (that would be the male part)! It can take a hell of a long time though, and a lot of work, which becomes more, not less as your blog gets more popular (I really do spend about 15-20 hours a week on my blog). I made a lot of mistakes though, and no-one would ever link to me or reply to comments or emails either, but I did all the hard work and it paid off eventually…after a year. There’s not many bloggers out there that can say the same thing though, and hence yes, we do all tend to form a little club and comment on and just link to each other’s blogs. But while it’s not an exclusive club, it’s up to you to become a member!
P.S. Sorry if all that ended sounding a bit arrogant, but I’m not going to edit those 1038 words again! ㅋㅋㅋ
22/01/2009 at 10:00 pm Permalink
I hereby invoke the Nora Challenge.
22/01/2009 at 11:06 pm Permalink
Woah! Wasn’t expecting that!
Actually, I have to admit that I was (and hell, still am) pleasantly surprised at Kushibo’s apology, but did think that Nora was just a bit out there. Serisouly…Kushibo rants, I very briefly challenge his rants, he gracefully admits to them and apologizes. Not exactly much of a basis for *her* to say:
“…after carefully considering what roboseyo and james said, i have to go with kushibo on this discussion. he offers the most balanced and fair perspective.”
WTF? Still, I voted freak, not sock.
Sorry, to bring down the tone of the discussion Roboseyo, but you too will be blown away by that link of Mark’s!
23/01/2009 at 1:17 am Permalink
wow! a lot happens when one’s internet blinks out for an evening (including the reply I had written for Melissa being swallowed by my computer.)
Melissa:
I understand your frustrations too: everyone (or at least everyone who started blogging later than 2004) felt that way at first.
1. James said what I was going to say better than I probably could have: I try to stay abreast of as many Korea blogs as I can, and also to return the favor when someone links to me; sorry yours slipped under my radar, but you’re on my RSS feed now. I also really like what he said about focusing the content of one’s blog: lack of laser-focus is probably the main thing keeping Roboseyo from jumping to the next popularity-plateau.
2. For Roboseyo, those tips are exactly the things that got my blog on the radar of some of the guys who first linked me, and got my name out. I haven’t always been part of the scene — I pretty much butted myself into the discourse this spring — the Marmot’s Hole comment boards were the first place I put my name out there, and that led to being linked by Brian, ROK Drop, and Big Hominid in early 2008 — whatever “the big guys” means, I certainly wasn’t one in January 2008, and some of those “big guys” still don’t answer my e-mails or link my blog. I also wasn’t shy to pimp my own blog in comment boards of heavier-traffic blogs: “I wrote an article about this topic at my site . . . click here… ” From there, it was the crossposted Ask A Korean! series that really got my name out there. Joe Zenkimchi often talks about “gimmicks” — top ten lists, cross-posts, guest-posts, (cough cough) surveys, and things like that, as the things that improve one’s traffic.
3. As I said before, part of the reason I AM doing this Golden Klog Awards thing, is to give people what might be a first look at some of the good material being produced around the K-blogs; I sure DO hope some sites get a jump in traffic by being nominated; I’ve already found out about three or four blogs that have gone onto my RSS feed list, thanks to this comment board alone. That’s also why I do the K-blogger of the month series, and try to (at least sometimes) name bloggers that aren’t already fixtures on the scene.
RE: the Nora Challenge
Wow. That blew my mind, too. Thanks for the heads-up, Mark.
Joy nominated herself; I wouldn’t have had a problem if Kushibo had done the same, but I suppose nominating himself for almost half the categories though a sock changes things. I’m with you, James, a little surprised, and a little taken aback at this unexpected turn in what was heretofore a really nice discussion. I hope an e-mail from Kushibo to roboseyo[at]gmail[dot]com, or a comment explaining this situation will be forthcoming. If not, Kushibo/Nora, this is your official notice. If Kushibo and Nora appear on the same comment thread again, both will be banned.
Roboseyo (Admin, Hub of Sparkle)
Finally: I seem to have found a picture of The Korean.
Feast your eyes, lads and ladies: http://askakorean.blogspot.com/2008/04/korean-revealed.html
23/01/2009 at 6:13 am Permalink
norapark wrote:
now that i think about it, i am voting kushibo for the following.
Best Overall Korea Blog, 2008
Most Thought Provoking Korea Blog, 2008
Most Current and Timely Korea Blog, 2008
Most Helpful Blog to Expats in Korea, 2008
Funniest Korea Blog, 2008
Happiest Blogger, 2008
Best Pop Culture Blog, 2008
Best Culture Blog in General, 2008
If drafted, I will not run; if nominated, I will not accept; if elected, I will not serve.
I know you’re being a bit hyperbolic, but I was none of those in 2008.
its about time he got some recognition. i think kushibo would make an excellent additional writer for this blog. Less kimchi, more nunchi
I have no interest in being a writer for this blog or any blog but my own. I don’t mind if people link to my blog, of course, but I’m not interested in writing for anyone else, not that anyone but Roboseyo has the power to ask anyway.
23/01/2009 at 7:41 am Permalink
I see that Zen Kimchi has nominated me — along with four others — for Best Culture Blog in General:
9. Best Culture Blog in General, 2008 — Gypsy Scholar, The Western Confucian, Gusts of Popular Feeling, The Grand Narrative, Frog in the Well
Thank you, ZK, for this honor, but I think that the category in which I best fit is “Best Blog for Dire Warnings in Defense of the Absolute and Horrifying Truth Concerning Fan Death!”
Regretably, it’s not a category that I’ve seen listed anywhere.
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
23/01/2009 at 10:12 am Permalink
You’d have competition this year from The Korean, HJH.
Kushibo: Mike and I are co-admins, and we usually talk invitations over before we extend one.
23/01/2009 at 12:04 pm Permalink
Yeah, I just saw that long post on fan death by The Korean. I’m not convinced by his ‘scientific’ argument.
Wait! What am I saying?! Fan Death is real!
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
23/01/2009 at 1:35 pm Permalink
Tony Opda: do you have an URL for the White On Rice blog you nominated for “Up and comers”?
23/01/2009 at 5:33 pm Permalink
Should a blog where most of the nominees are also writers hold something like this?
Also: Korean expats do hit the web more often than expats in most nations. But if you stand back and take a good hard look at “The Korean expat blogosphere” you pretty much have an ESL cafe forum without the convenience of a single URL: Same small set of people, discussing the same limited set of topics, waving their textual cocks at each other, the same drooling wackjobs that everyone keeps around to feel better about themselves, again, and again, and again…
What I’m saying is: I don’t think there’s enough good material out there to make what you’re proposing seem like anything more than ego masturbation.
23/01/2009 at 8:09 pm Permalink
Should a blog where most of the nominees are also writers hold something like this?
Well, William, as I already said before (see comment 3), apart from creating a completely new anonymous third-party blog just for this post, I don’t really know how else it could be done. I’m taking nominations rather than just putting up lists, in order to try and balance out what could be seen as conflict of interest, and winners will be decided by reader votes, not by me and Mike Hurt putting our heads together and going “any of OUR PEOPLE nominated in THIS category?” — and any blog can link to the survey when it comes up, of course. At this stage in the process, if people fail to post nominations, I can’t be responsible for not having given them the opportunity. So far, my nomination list has 80 separate blogs in different categories, only nine of whom have written for “Hub of Sparkle”, and frankly, I respect my readers’ intelligence too much to try and pass of a bit of self-promotion as an award survey. As per Melissa and FatManSeoul’s comments earlier, this is more about letting people know about all the other good stuff out there than an H of S self-promotion.
Also: Korean expats do hit the web more often than expats in most nations. But if you stand back and take a good hard look at “The Korean expat blogosphere” you pretty much have an ESL cafe forum without the convenience of a single URL: Same small set of people, discussing the same limited set of topics, waving their textual cocks at each other, the same drooling wackjobs that everyone keeps around to feel better about themselves, again, and again, and again…
What I’m saying is: I don’t think there’s enough good material out there to make what you’re proposing seem like anything more than ego masturbation.
Then don’t nominate, don’t vote, and don’t read the post. You’re free to refrain from all those activities; some of us disagree with your dismissal of the entire K-blog scene, and we are taking a moment to recognize the good stuff that HAS been published on K-blogs over the last year.
In my personal opinion, I feel like your description may have fit the Korea Blog Scene of 2005, but have you SEEN how many blogs are listed on the Korean Blog List lately? Have you perused some of them? Things aren’t the same now as they were back when Dave’s and Marmot were pretty much the only sources. Frankly, if you have such a dim view of the K-blogs, I wonder why you take the time to read, and comment, instead of finding a different hobby; for those of us who DO think the K-blogs have more to offer than “Same small set of people, discussing the same limited set of topics, waving their textual cocks at each other, the same drooling wackjobs that everyone keeps around to feel better about themselves, again, and again, and again” and “ego masturbation”,let’s have some nominations! Voting is next week.
Have a good one.
23/01/2009 at 8:17 pm Permalink
“Wait! What am I saying?! Fan Death is real!”
Well, of course it is… why would we need an avenger of it if it weren’t?
23/01/2009 at 11:34 pm Permalink
Yes I do. Thanks.
White on Rice:
http://konggipap.blogspot.com/
24/01/2009 at 12:37 am Permalink
I don’t think I’ve waved my textual cock at anyone.
Perhaps that’s why I only have 2 nominations….?
Something to try this weekend at any rate.
24/01/2009 at 2:25 am Permalink
Nominations:
Most Thought Provoking: The Grand Narrative, idiot’s collective
Funniest: Stuff Korean Moms Like, I Got Two Shoes
Happiest: Going Places, Foreign/er, Annalog, and erm…ChubbO (despite all the Rage issues)
Best Culture Blog: Ask a Korean
Best Food Blog: ZenKimchi, Pajeon Princess (not in Korea at the moment, but will be again)
Best Photography: OK Korea
I think this is all I have time to get together for now, but already am reading so many new great blogs because of this post! Woot.
24/01/2009 at 3:26 am Permalink
Roboseyo wrote:
Frankly, if you have such a dim view of the K-blogs, I wonder why you take the time to read, and comment, instead of finding a different hobby;
I think you may be correct with your first point in response to The William G (i.e., “then don’t nominate, don’t vote, and don’t read the post”) but this other point is a false note. I can think of any number of reasons why people would sift through K-blogs while simultaneously finding many of them to be mostly crap or reverberations from the proverbial echo chamber.
One might, for example, be particularly interested in Korean issues where most of the (English-language) backstory material on said issues are in Korea-related blogs.
Saying that if he disfavors this nettlesome tendency among the K-blogs then he should just give up and leave is suggesting that his “dim view” is not valid. I certainly think his point is quite valid (though I also appreciate how you feel this “award” may help remedy that). That’s my quibble with your response.
And having said that…
TheWilliamG wrote:
But if you stand back and take a good hard look at “The Korean expat blogosphere” you pretty much have an ESL cafe forum without the convenience of a single URL: Same small set of people, discussing the same limited set of topics, waving their textual cocks at each other, the same drooling wackjobs that everyone keeps around to feel better about themselves, again, and again, and again…
What I’m saying is: I don’t think there’s enough good material out there to make what you’re proposing seem like anything more than ego masturbation.
Whoa-hoa! That certainly was a prurient set of similes you threw in our faces!
And harsh, to boot. Weren’t you the guy who called me to task for being about as harsh about Shelton Bumgartner. 
24/01/2009 at 5:37 am Permalink
Fan Death Avenger, I’m with you . . . metaphorically. We need tough men like you patrolling our borders, protecting us against the barbarians who would invade and destroy our way of life.
But how does that work, exactly? Are fans themselves the enemy? Or those who manufacture them? Or the mysterious principles of ‘nature’ that propel fans into battle? Or the ‘Author of Nature’ Himself?
Upon what . . . or whom . . . whatchamacallit . . . or Whom . . . do you wreak vengeance?
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
24/01/2009 at 5:38 am Permalink
Fan Death Avenger, I’m with you . . . metaphorically. We need tough men like you patrolling our borders, protecting us against the barbarians who would invade and destroy our way of life.
But how does that work, exactly? Are fans themselves the enemy? Or those who manufacture them? Or the mysterious principles of ‘nature’ that propel fans into battle? Or the ‘Author of Nature’ Himself?
Upon what . . . or whom . . . or whatchamacallit . . . or Whom . . . do you wreak vengeance?
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
P.S. Sorry about the typo.
24/01/2009 at 7:06 am Permalink
Tony: thanks.
Stafford: I was going to add some categories where you’d be a solid nominee, including “best laugh in a Korea podcast” “weirdest picture of a person who resembles a k-blogger to randomly appear” and “best Korean technology rants” but couldn’t think of any competition for those ones.
Seriously though: do you have nominations for “best Korea tech blog”, which I think is a good category to add, though not a kind of blog I frequently read?
Kushibo: I’m not sure if I totally agree with you that it’s not valid to suggest a person tired of the negativity and posturing of K-blogs would be unable to avoid it.
For example, by subscribing to certain blogs, and reading them in the reader, thus avoiding the comment boards, could spare one a great deal of the nastiness to be found online; staying with “just the bare facts” blogs like Korea Dispatch or Korea Beat, and avoiding the ones which connect every topic with the 2002 Armored Truck Incident, 2008 Mad Cow Bullocks, and Dokdo, or just hitting up ROK Drop’s “Weekly Linklets” would help one only see the good stuff.
As I wrote after a lot of “why do expats complain” discussion, for various reasons, it IS true that Korea looks worse online than it does on the ground, for the same reasons human beings in general act a lot worse online than they do in real life in any corner of the internet, and I’ve found personally that when I DO get down on Korea, the thing that helps the most is to get off the computer and go climb a mountain or invite my friends to meet me at a good restaurant. Doing those things DOES put me in a better frame of mind.
Regardless, I DO see your point, Kushibo. Thanks for weighing in.
24/01/2009 at 12:38 pm Permalink
What? Good thing I checked. Posted my nominations here yesterday and they’re nowhere to be found. Weird.
Most Thought Provoking: The Grand Narrative
Most Current and Timely: Korea Beat
Funniest: Stuff Korean Moms Like, I Got Two Shoes
Happiest: Going Places, Foreign/er, Annalog, ChubbO
Best Culture Blog: Ask a Korean
Best Food: ZenKimchi, Pajeon Princess (not in Korea at the moment, but will be)
Best Photography: OK Korea
24/01/2009 at 3:01 pm Permalink
Jeffery,
Fans. I hate fans. Fans must die.
And closed windows. They must die, too.
I feel sorry for Koreans, whose kimchi-laden diet has made them vulnerable to fans and the gruesome way they suck up all available oxygen in the room (ironic since that same kimchi cures them of SARS, AIDS, cancer, and bird flu), but their deaths SHALL BE AVENGED!!
24/01/2009 at 10:46 pm Permalink
Yes, Fan Death Avenger and Window Breaker. You are right. Windows must no longer win but must also — like fans — be defeated. They shall henchforth be known as “defeatows.”
But what about kimchi? Should it also die? That’s a tough call, you must agree.
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
24/01/2009 at 11:31 pm Permalink
Quite a few of the nominations that I was going to propose have already been made, so here’s my list of blogs that weren’t already nominated for categories.
01. Best Overall Korea Blog, 2008: Gord Sellar
02. Most Thought-Provoking Korea Blog, 2008: Gord Sellar, Roboseyo
06. Happiest Blogger, 2008: Stay Puff, Seoul Patch, Roboseyo
07. Angriest Blogger, 2008: Foreign/er
08. Best Pop Culture Blog, 2008: Gord Sellar
11. Best Korea Photography Blog, 2008: a href=”http://maoloinkorea.blogspot.com/”>Maolo in Korea, Hermit Hideaways
12. Craziest Comment Board in a Korea Blog, 2008: Foreign/er
13. Most Interesting Comment Board in a Korea Blog, 2008: Gord Sellar
16. Best Post or Series by a K-Blogger, 2008: Gord Sellar 1. Soybean Paste Girls as a Barometer of or Catalyst of Consumerization of Korean Society 2. To Unpredictable Passions: Yeşil Grena/yoonsookjin, Lip-Syncher of Turkish Tunes 3. 빠삐코 + 놈놈놈 = 빠삐놈 (And an Update on the Starcraft Pansori, with Video); Brian in Jeollanam-do‘s “festivals” category was extremely useful this year, with Fall Festivals in Jeollanam-do 2008 an excellent example. I also enjoyed his posts on 2. Suncheon Bay, 3. Some Stuff About Korean Love Motels, So Pay Attention, and 4. the guest-post he wrote over at Roboseyo’s blog, Before You Plan Your Summer Vacation … Jeollanam-do, by Brian; and since other people have nominated themselves I might as well throw in my set of posts on Korean temples.
25/01/2009 at 1:12 pm Permalink
Oh, geeze… where to start?
“see comment 3″
I got into the habit of trying not to read comments on blogs. I feel better about the bloggers that way.
“Frankly, if you have such a dim view of the K-blogs, I wonder why you take the time to read, and comment, instead of finding a different hobby;”
1- I normally don’t. (I’m not going to ask you to look at my posting history across the “K-sphere” over the last seven months or so vs. a year or two ago… That’d be dumb to ask, and dumb to go look up. But trust me on this.)
2- I do have a different hobby. I think I’m getting a bit good at it though I have further to go.
“In my personal opinion, I feel like your description may have fit the Korea Blog Scene of 2005, but have you SEEN how many blogs are listed on the Korean Blog List lately? Have you perused some of them? Things aren’t the same now as they were back when Dave’s and Marmot were pretty much the only sources. “
Now, I think this is a fair comment.
I haven’t been keeping up because there hasn’t been much of anything to make me want to. I do keep up with KoreaBeat, but mostly because it enables me to sigh and shake my head at the inane type of evil I left behind me in Korea. Perhaps it is because I’ve seen all of this shit before and I don’t need to find out about Johnny Expat’s first experience getting ttong-chimmed at the Lotte Mart. The name changes but the song remains the same, as they say.
So I’ll accept any accusations of being jaded.
But the problem still exists: “reverberations from the proverbial echo chamber. “ and the “the negativity and posturing”… even if it’s cleverly written.
To put it another way: Should you get an artistic reward for coloring in someone else’s lines? Or receiving kudos for being a professional when you still engage in the same sort of petty bickering?
So maybe you’re right and the bar has been raised a lot higher than when my perceptions of the online Korean expat “scene” was formed. But right now I think it’s a misstep because I don’t think that the goods are really there yet.
“this is more about letting people know about all the other good stuff out there than an H of S self-promotion.”
I understand the desire to promote the good out there, but one thing I learned the hard way a long time ago is that this sort of thing is a breeding ground for clannish in-fighting. (And it’s going to stick around to be thrown back in your faces later on. Maybe you’ll all be able to shrug it off, but who can say?)
But I’m just a single dissenting voice in the crowd. Best of luck.
25/01/2009 at 10:38 pm Permalink
I’m just wondering if any other socks…er…bloggers want to nominate Kushibo’s blog for an award.
Kushibo, either you have a great sense of humor, or you are completely f*cked in the head. Either way, it’s great to have you back in the Korean blogosphere. Now if only Shelton and Baduk would return to provide more entertainment.
26/01/2009 at 7:01 am Permalink
Have been waving my textual cock about all week, still no luck.
Anyway…best Korea Tech blogs of ’08:
Waiguoren’s Weblog : http://vaiguoren.wordpress.com/
Technomad in Seoul : http://technomad.batungbacal.com/
and of course the various rantings of myself : http://www.stafford.net.nz
26/01/2009 at 7:05 am Permalink
Best Korean Tech Blogs ’08
Technomad in Seoul http://technomad.batungbacal.com/
Waiguoren’s Weblog http://vaiguoren.wordpress.com/
my own incoherent rants http://www.stafford.net.nz
26/01/2009 at 12:12 pm Permalink
William G. : “Same small set of people, discussing the same limited set of topics, waving their textual cocks at each other”
I had mine tested for textual during my Dirty English Teacher E-2 Health Check ™. My cock is certifiably free of textual.
29/01/2009 at 12:36 am Permalink
I think you need an award for “English Teacher Needs to Go Back to School.”
I think you need an award for “Does a Good Job of Promoting Learning Korean Language Rather Than Whining About Everything One Doesn’t Understand.”
And finally, “Doesn’t Massively Overestimate Their Korean and/or Teaching Skills.” I guess that could be two categories, actually.
I can think of several bloggers for each category.
BTW, Zen, it’s BIG WHITE BARBIE, not BIG FAT BARBIE. Careful there, those ESL Cafers are going to use it as more proof that all male expats think all female expats are cows.
29/01/2009 at 3:30 pm Permalink
and while we’re at it, Fatman would appreciate a category called “Best Food Blog with Orange in its Color Scheme” and “Best Photography taken with a Sigma 17-77mm F2.8/4.5 Macro Zoom Lens” or at least a “Greatest Devotion to 홍어” category.
One tiny little thing: The name of the blog should be written as one word: FatManSeoul. Apologies for being picky.
Incidentally, we tried waving our cock around, but when we were done there were feathers everywhere and the neighbors reported us for keeping poultry inside city limits.
29/01/2009 at 5:35 pm Permalink
so, Fatman… just to be sure… you think Amanda wants these categories added in order to garner more nominations for Amanda Takes Off?
I don’t know many people who create categories that disparage their own blogs for the sake of self-promotion. I should try it.
How about a category for “Stupidest/Most Shameless Head/Facial Hair Style In A Cheesy Grab For Links and Hits”? I’d be a shoo-in for that one. Or “Most off-topic posts in an ostensibly Korea-Themed Blog,” “Blog Most Obviously A Thinly Veiled Attempt to Get A Job Offer From Tourism Korea”. Or “Worst Pun In A Blog Name” (actually, there’d be some serious competition for that one).
I just hope those categories aren’t Amanda’s choices, because there are some bloggers she’d like to pick on, by nominating them for said categories, or explaining to them and/or her friends why she DIDN’T nominate someone for those same categories. Because that would be mean.
Let’s keep our textual cocks in their coops, and leave the crowing to the textual roosters.
30/01/2009 at 9:39 am Permalink
No, no. no, Fatman likes these categories because Fatman thinks that if we just narrow the categories enough, *Fatman* can be assured to garner more nominations! Unfortunately, as Roboseyo has clarified methodology, we would then have to find a minimum of two more food blogs with orange themes, sigma macro lenses, and dedication to fermented skate. Personally, we might wonder why there aren’t more of them (since orange is wonderful, marcro lenses beautiful, and fermented skate is heaven on a plate) but we were being mostly facetious and not taking any digs at Amanda at all.
Roboseyo, we don’t know quite how to tell you this, but you’re going to have to work a heck of a lot harder on your blog title if you want to even be nominated for worst Korea pun. With the legions of “Seoul” this and “Kimchi” that out there, you don’t stand a prayer. We suggest you rechristen your blog, “Roboseyo’s Seoul of Kimchi: Gittin’ Jjigae With It”
Our cock has been returned to the farm to be fattened up for samgyetang.
30/01/2009 at 7:00 pm Permalink
WOW a lot of great blogs. A lot of those blogs I didn’t even see that they were nominated, so I am glad you put them on the list.
Melissa, great comments. Too many bloggers get popular because of what you said.
willing to mock Korea
live in or around Seoul
be male
be able to socialize outside the internet (fair enough)
I think Roboseyo gave a good balance by picking lesser known blogs to be voted on.
Amanda (owch, but some truth in that)
30/01/2009 at 9:00 pm Permalink
Roboseyo gave a good balance by picking lesser known blogs to be voted on.
Roboseyo didn’t pick the blogs to be voted on — they were nominated by all the members of this site.
01/02/2009 at 8:34 am Permalink
Actually, Roboseyo, I have great respect for people who learn Korean. That’s why those categories are up there. I’d put several bloggers up for those–and none of them are me.
And as for the Teacher one…hey, I think someone who teaches English should be able to write clearly most of the time. Note that I did not say “perfectly.”
If I were going to nominate myself for something, I’d create a category for “Continued the Blog After They Left” because, unfortunately, most of the bloggers I read who leave Korea just quit blogging.