2AWA: Best Dub Dub Dubber

Here are the nominees for the Best Dub Dub Dubber category for the 2nd Annual Wellingtonista Awards (2AWA).

Web-Writing-Wellingtonians:

We love Wellington. And we love the Interwebs. So what could we love more than someone writing from Wellington on the Interweb? Exactly. Our nominees are a diverse bunch to reflect the tremendous amount of talent that goes on in our city, and to represent all kinds of different things..

(nominees after the jump)

WINNER!!!
A. “Cracker” – Damian Christie

It’s true that the vexed subject of Damian Christie is a polarising one around the Wellingtonista water cooler. If you like him, you’ll vote for him. If you don’t like him, well then you’ll still vote for him, secure in the knowledge that his receiving an award as a professional Wellingtonian might just be horror enough for the poor lad, finally tipping him over the edge and back to Auckland where he’ll feel a lot better. That said, Cracker sometimes makes us laugh, and frequently gives us something to talk about, and he’s the only nominee in this category to have his movements tracked in the Wellingtonista Celeb Vista, and that has to count for something, right?

B. “The Dropkicks” – the Dropkicks

Even though the Wellingtonista ∩ The Dropkicks = 3 we’re not afraid to nominate our own when it comes to writing and podcasting informed and humorous sports commentary. Especially when it gets mad props around the world (they were mentioned in both Le Post and Le Monde), and covers important issues like who has the hottest uniforms. The Dropkicks are a combination of “a bunch of guys who know some stuff about sports but have strong opinions” and “non-muntery” that appeals to both fans and non-fans of sport.

C. “Coffee Geek” – Brenda Wallace

Coffee Geek AKA Brenda Wallace AKA Taniwhaiti on flickr is the superhero of open source in Wellington. She’s spearheaded the successful and very popular SuperHappyDevHouseAotearoa – a monthly hackathon where coders from across Wellington hang in one place and get their code on. Why this rocks is because SHDH is not about people from different companies competing or poaching staff, but about bringing together like-minded geeks to share knowledge, and that is just a little bit awesome. Plus she has the largest collection of gadgets in the whole of Wellington, takes fantastic photos of our city, and how could we not include someone who is so passionate about coffee that they have it in their URL?

D. “Read/Write Web” – Richard MacManus

Richard MacManus is probably the most widely-read Wellingtonian you’ve never heard of. His blog, Read/Write Web, is immensely popular and influential world wide and is, according to blog tracker Technorati, the 19th most linked-to in the world (by comparison, Public Address and Kiwiblog, perhaps the two biggest NZ focussed blogs, are 21,189 and 21,620 on the same list). Its mix of web technology and web industry news may not appeal to everyone… but the whole point of the web is that even a narrow(ish) niche is now filled with an audience of millions. Kudos is due to MacManus for successfully steering his blog through his chosen niche and into the global A-List.

E. “Lively” – NZLive

Many of the Wellingtonista are public servants, and it’s entirely possible that a large part of at least one of our day jobs may revolve around the issue of blogging in the public sector. That’s why Lively is inspiring – it’s for the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, and it’s interesting. Through a mix of guest bloggers and a range of topics, Lively escapes the drab image that something paid for by the government might have. We’d like to see it updated more often, but it’s a fine start.

Follow the links in the images above to check out these fellow Wellingtonians and their fantastic websites before voting opens on November 19.