open web awards

Mashable Open Web Awards 2008 Finalists Announced – Last Round of Voting Begins

The Mashable Open Web Awards 2008 have reached that all-important time: the finalists have just been announced for this year?s last round of voting. After thousands of nominations and voting, it boils down to three finalists in each category.

The full list of the finalists in each category can be viewed now at the Mashable Open Web Awards website. Voting ends 11:59 EST on Sunday, December 14th. Your votes can also be cast via the voting form below.

Congratulations to the finalists and good luck in the voting rounds.

Mashable Open Web Awards 2008 Preparing for Winners

With over 35,000 nominations already, the 2008 Mashable Open Web Awards are already bypassing the votes from the inaugural awards last year. With only two days to go until the nomination process closes and the voting proper begins, the nominees are taking shape.

With 26 categories this year, there are more chances than ever that the smaller names and players can be recognized. This is the beauty of the Mashable awards – everyone has a chance.

If you haven’t voted yet, the timeline is drawing near for your final nomination:

11.59pm PST on Sunday November 16.
02.59am EST on Monday November 17.
07.59am GMT on Monday November 17.

Once the nomination phase closes, the votes will be tallied and the finalists announced for the first round of voting. If you haven’t nominated your favourite web application, blog or tool, now is the time to do so. You can use the voting form here.

(Of course, if you wish to vote for me, all votes are kindly accepted via the preset voting widget in the sidebar). 😉

Full details of the nominees moving forward into the finalist stages will be announced Tuesday November 18, with voting starting the following day.

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Interview on Comet Branding Radio and Other News

One of the great things about social media is the people you meet and connect with. From curious newcomers to social media experts and everyone in between, it’s truly a medium for everyone to connect and discuss. Next week I’ll be involved in the discussion side of things when I talk about the social media press release on Comet Branding Radio.

One of the foremost branding and communications firms in North America, Comet Branding combines traditional branding and marketing with social media and all that has to offer. Their radio show has included the likes of Brian Solis, Jennifer Leggio and others and looks at how to build brands using traditional PR, social media, eco-friendly approaches and more.

The founder of Comet Branding, Al Krueger, kindly offered an invitation to discuss the social media press release. I’ll be appearing with Jason Kintzler, founder of Pitch Engine; Todd Defren, Principal of Shift Communications; and Mike Volpe, VP of Marketing at HubSpot. It looks set to be an interesting discussion – I hope you can join us.

In other “special appearance” news, myself and fellow social media advocate Susan Murphy recently collaborated on a guest post at the blog of author and Emmy award-winning former CBS corespondent David Henderson. This came about after our responses to one of David’s posts on social media and its perceived non-effectiveness in business use. It was an enjoyable partnership and my thanks to David for extending the invite – you can read the guest post here.

Finally, I just received confirmation that I will be a blog partner for this years’s Open Web Awards, or Webby’s. Run by the good folks over at Mashable, the Webby’s recognize the major innovations in web technology. There are 26 categories, and nominations run between November 5 to November 18 2008. The actual voting will take place between November 19 and December 15 – make sure you stop by.

I’d like to thank everyone for inviting me to take part in these events and discussions, and I’m looking forward to hearing and sharing the views of some of my peers and contemporaries.

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