By: Chuck Miller
TU Blog Community, Uncategorized

The TU’s Best of the Capital Region: Community Bloggers First-Team 2015

If you read my blog for any precipitous amount of time, you know that I am fiercely loyal and supportive of my fellow Times Union community and independent bloggers.  I’ve championed their top-quality writing and blogging and observations and repartee.  I’ve laughed at their words, cried at their thoughts, and came back feeling better for reading them.

And I’ve always felt that the community bloggers deserved better treatment by the Times Union.  So much so, in fact, that every Thursday I set aside my blog to showcase the posts of ten of my fellow TU bloggers.

Now comes this year’s announcement.  The Times Union’s annual “Best of the Capital Region” survey and lovefest, in which we all vote for Olive Garden as Best Italian Restaurant and Billy Fuccillo as best local celebrity, has finally concluded.  Businesses and organizations are now taking out TU ads and using that red-circle-gear logo as part of their “Best of 2015” advertising campaigns.

So who were the community bloggers who received the most reader votes?  Wouldn’t you like to know?

So here’s the deal.  Here are, in alphabetical order by name, the community bloggers who received a substantial number of votes.  In sports, it’s the equivalent of being named on the “All-League” team or the “First Team All-American” squad.   The team would be chosen of course by you, the loyal TU blog readers.

And let me add something.  There are at least three dozen Times Union community and independent bloggers who, even though they didn’t get as many votes, still have fantastic blog posts and cognizant ideas and enjoyable posts.  And next year, you better vote for them.  I mean it.

So who made the first annual “Best of the Community Bloggers” All-League First Team?

In alphabetical order, the top vote getters were:

So let me say this.  I’m very glad to be able to share this news.  Andrew Gregory has championed local music in the Capital District for ages.  The CRUMBS blog is an amazing resource to find and promote bands and artists in this area.

Brian Huba’s blog is funny and satirical, and he knows how to push the right buttons while still garnering some great response.

Gina Peca’s blog is a tremendous story of triumph over adversity, love over loss, and the beauty of finding ladybugs.

Stephanie Snyder has chronicled her family’s journey from West Virginia to Ohio to the Capital District; her transformation from wife to “wife and mother,” and her undying love for Marshall University sports.

Congratulations to all of them for making the All-League First Team 2015.  And next year I want to see you readers vote for Roger Green and Rob Hoffman and Ken Screven and Lawrence White and Sara Rose Wheeler and Jeannine Trimboli and Fran Rossi Szpylczyn and Warren Roberts and Carl Strock and Dan Lyons and everybody else.  Read their blogs and enjoy their writings.  The Times Union has a fantastic collection of independent blogs, and you have an opportunity to sit back and enjoy every single one of them.  They’re all just a click away.

Oh yeah, and that other name on the All-League First Team?  Yeah, he got votes too.  Even though he told everybody not to vote for him.  Honestly, though… I’m humbled.  Thanks, everyone.

So now I have one more thing to take care of.

Hey Michael Huber, any chance we can use that red-gear-logo “Best of” for the All-League First Team of community bloggers?

Just sayin’ is all… 🙂