N.Z. Bear Named Blogger of the Year
When Moe Lane posted a one-liner, shortly before the start of Happy Hour about N.Z. Bear being named Blogger of the Year, I thought he was kidding around. Especially when he appended, “PS: He buys first round.”
It turns out to have been the real deal. Rob Bluey reports:
The man behind Porkbusters, Victory Caucus and The Truth Laid Bear was named Blogger of the Year by Human Events and RedState. Human Events’ Jed Babbin and RedState’s Erick Erickson presented the award, citing N.Z.’s work that led to the passage of the Coburn-Obama government transparency bill last year. More photos available on Flickr.
It’s a well-deserved honor.
N.Z. was one of the major bloggers when OTB got started a little over four years ago. Eventually, though, his blogging tapered off to the point that I’m not sure he’d even identify himself as a “blogger” any more.
But, just as people get elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame for “contributions to the game,” N.Z. has made a huge impact on the blogosphere. His TTLB Ecosystem continues to be one of the prime metrics, despite the explosive growth of the genre and the constant need to revamp the system to deal with those who would game it.
Over the last couple of years, N.Z. has continued to do some behind-the-scenes technical work but has impacted the blogosphere mostly through his energy in organizing its leeward side into some very worthwhile efforts. He was a leading force in setting up conference calls between bloggers and the candidates for the House leadership a while back. And Porkbusters has made a real impact.
While no longer technically a blogger, NZ has done what few other ‘Sphere-o-phile’s have done. He has made tangible effects upon the ‘real’ world. And unlike the primary-winning-Lamont-chest-thumping of Kos, NZ seems much more comfortable letting his achievements speak for themself. An award well deserved.