As 2015 winds down, it’s time to review the best and worst of 2015 on Mormon blogs. As usual, we’ll have a 3 week nomination period. We’ve taken the liberty of starting with a few of our consistent nominations.
Here are our 2015 Wheaties categories:
Best big blog:
Best group blog:
- Wheat & Tares
- Juvenile Instructor
- Faith Promoting Rumor
- Zelophehad’s Daughters
- Doves and Serpents
- Exponent II
- Peculiar People
- Exploring Sainthood
- Worlds Without End
- Main Street Plaza
- Mormon Mentality
- Modern Mormon Men
- Segullah
- No More Strangers
- Approaching Justice
Best podcast:
- Mormon Matters
- Mormon Stories
- Mormon Expression
- FMH Podcast
- Mormon Expositor
- The Cultural Hall
- Engaging Gospel Doctrine
- Maxwell Institute Podcast
- A Thoughtful Faith
- Infants on Thrones
Best Mormon Facebook community or discussion forum:
- FMH FB Group
- StayLDS.com/forum
- exMormon reddit
- Mormon Hub
- New Order Mormon
- Exploring Sainthood
- Mormon Stories Facebook Group
Best Bloggernacle Controversy:
- The New Church Policy on Gays
Best apologetic blog:
Best new blog (first published in 2015):
Best solo blog:
Best new blogger:
Best blog layout/graphics:
Best overall blogger:
Best commenter:
Most memorable comment:
Funniest Blog:
Funniest thread:
Best post title:
Best humorous post:
Best satirical post:
Best historical post:
Best post series:
Best post on feminism:
Best apologetic post:
Best spiritual post:
Best doctrinal post:
Best post on church policy:
Best personal post:
Best faith crisis post:
Best current events post:
Best Post on the Temple
Best book/article review:
Best contribution to the Bloggernacle in 2015:
Best contribution to interfaith dialogue:
Best Mormon Activism:
Write-in category:
And here are the categories for the Tarefic Awards!
Worst Mormon Internet Drama:
Worst Commenter:
Biggest Soapbox Commenter:
Commenter that started the most arguments:
Most missed personality on the Bloggernacle:
Worst Mormon Activism:
Write-in category:
Immediately springing to mind for nominations:
Best Commenter: Mary Ann
Most missed personality: New Iconoclast – not that he’s vanished completely , but the number of comments dropped dramatically after winning last years best commenter award.
Not wanting Mary Ann’s comments to head the same way…
Worst Mormon Internet Drama: Chairgate… never forget…
Best current events post from this blog: http://www.wheatandtares.org/17186/looking-at-iraq-via-the-book-of-mormon/
Can you remind me what Chairgate was? Is there a link?
Hedgehog, now that the holidays are waning down I’m hoping to get back in the swing of things. Thanks for the nod.
I’m curious about chair gate too.
best family themed/humorous blogpost:
http://bycommonconsent.com/2015/09/23/my-family-a-proclamation-to-the-world/
So my family.
A number of us apparently did forget chairgate.
Best book review: Cheryl L Bruno’s Beatles inspired review of the Hales’ Polygamy Book:
http://www.withoutend.org/monkey-business-joseph-smiths-polygamy/
Best book review: http://www.withoutend.org/monkey-business-joseph-smiths-polygamy/
(The link to Rational Faiths is wrong.)
Best new blogger: Nathaniel Givens
Best blog layout/graphics: Probably W&T
Best overall blogger: Hawkgrrrl
Best commenter: SilverRain
Best historical post: Anything by J Stapley
Best post series: Tips on being an independent scholar at FPR
Worst Commenter: Chris H
Biggest Soapbox Commenter: Myself!
Commenter that started the most arguments: Howard
Rational Faiths has a podcast. There’s also the specialty podcast we do monthly of “Ask a Mormon Sex Therapist” that I would humbly beg you consider
Outside the Book of Mormon Belt. outisdethebookofmormonbelt.com
It’s very intelligent and always pushing the conversation in a humane direction.
Ha ha! Maybe Chairgate was only a big drama in my mind! Chairgate was a facebook fight caused when Kate Kelly complained about there not being enough room for people during her Sunstone presentation. It was a big drama amongst the Sunstone organizers because her presentation (which also included John Dehlin, Rock Waterman, and the Calderwoods) was given the most space of any of the presentations at Sunstone. It caused quite of bit of drama for two days until she finally apologized to the Sunstone organizers. Not sure if the original facebook post is still up or not.
Thanks cburch. I think a better name is “Kate Kelly tantrum at Sunstone”. I was there for her presentation and saw the Facebook fight, but don’t know anyone who called it chairgate. But it was definitely a tantrum.
Wow. I did a terrible job with that nomination.
Solo Blog Nomination: Life Outside the Book of Mormon Belt, by Lisa Torcasso Downing.
http://outsidethebookofmormonbelt.com
Besides the Lisa’s rigorous moral intelligence, I’m also impressed by how she uses the blog not only to communicate with Mormonism at large, but with her own ward. She can do 10,000 feet in the air and boots on the ground in the same post.
“Worst Commenter: Chris H”
Normally I would be honored, but I do not comment much anymore. Though, Jeff, I hate you, too. (If nomininated, I will try to win)
I second Stephen Carter’s nomination of Life Outside the Book of Mormon Belt. Lisa is amazing.
No hate, Chris. I just know that you have a certain knack for getting banned. I’ve never seen Geoff ban anybody else, really. It’s a badge of honor, really.
Yeah, no love lost between Geoff and I. Still, I am pretty sure that was in 2014. I have not even posted that much at my own blog.
I swear at people. Mormons are touchy about that. Though, Geoff banned me for offering to give Ivan Wolfe a hug when he was weaping about all them Mormon liberals who are mean to him and the other Nazis at M*. Something like that. Geoff really really hates hugs.
Ok, I accept the nomination and pledge to win that category. If anything, as a matter of my bloggernacle legacy.
Best Mormon Facebook community or discussion forum: Mormons Building Bridges! They had some hard work to do this year, especially after Nov. 5. This is a discussion group that has literally saved lives.
We should also do some sort of shout out to the Mama Dragons.
Worst commercialization of general conference: ponderizing
Best satirical post: Love the Banker, but Hate the Bank (by Michael Austin) http://bycommonconsent.com/2015/07/02/57095/
Mmmm, best new blogger: Michael Austin?
Biggest soap box commenter: Meg Stout
Is Nathaniel Givens really a new blogger? I think he’s been around for a long time.
Not sure if this falls better in best personal post or best temple post: http://bycommonconsent.com/2015/10/21/the-sealing/
I nominate Lynette’s post “Dodging the Temple Bullet” for best personal post: http://zelophehadsdaughters.com/2015/10/
I nominate Kristine as best commenter.
Is he the M* guy? I think he banned me in 2012.
Best Group Blog: FEMWOC
Best New Blog: FEMWOC
Best Solo Blog: Jana Riess’ Flunking Sainthood blog
Best Group Blog: Expert Textperts
Funniest Blog: Expert Textperts (we’re really funny sometimes even though we never win this category)
Best Post Title: http://www.experttextperts.com/2015/12/toys-are-from-mars-women-are-from-venus.html
Best Humorous Post: http://www.experttextperts.com/2015/03/are-you-defending-family-enough-take.html
Best Post on Church Policy: http://www.experttextperts.com/2015/11/10-ways-to-feel-better-about-lds-church.html
Best Current Events Post: http://www.experttextperts.com/2015/10/does-lds-church-have-anything-to-say.html
Write in category:
Best Post About Pop Sensation Taylor Swift: http://www.experttextperts.com/2015/03/kindness-or-why-im-huge-fan-of-taylor.html (hey, I can try)