Point & Clique: The 2011 RFT St. Louis Web Awards

Best Politics Blog

Fired Up! Missouri
http://www.firedupmissouri.com

Jennifer Silverberg

Best Sex Blogger Kendra Holliday, The Beautiful Kind to you.

Jennifer Silverberg

Mike Flynn with his real live kitty which he won't punch. Flynn's Punching Kitty, however, was selected as this year's Best Local Celebrity Web Site.

Related Content

• 25 Reasons to Love Summer in St. Louis
  May 24, 2013
• "Blasphemous!" Cardinals Fans Outraged By "Horrible Idea" of Soccer at Busch Stadium
  May 22, 2013
• Flying Saucer Draught Emporium: Review Preview
  May 14, 2013
• Music Video: St. Louis Native Bhi Bhiman Covers Dire Straits' "Walk of Life"
  May 9, 2013
• Jenna Fischer, Murphy Lee, Joe Buck and More Lend Their Voices to Citygarden
  May 1, 2013

More About

• St. Louis Cardinals
• NL Central
• National League (MLB)
• Science and Technology
• Internet

The Judges Say: In a state dominated by a Republican legislature and an increasing number of right-wing talk shows and blogs, Fired Up! Missouri often stands as the lone voice of reason, keeping state and federal legislators in check. Sean Nicholson may be the hardest-working blogger in the state, routinely scooping the big dailies on news about Missouri politicians. Moreover, his in-depth reporting has exposed more about campaign finance and billionaire financier Rex Sinquefield than any other news source.

Finalists
STL Today Political Fix – http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/political-fix
John Combest – http://www.johncombest.com
St. Louis Beacon – http://www.stlbeacon.org/issues-politics

Best Local Activism Blog

Urban Review STL
http://urbanreviewstl.com

The Judges Say: Steve Patterson works diligently to make St. Louis a better place, whether by addressing the city's lack of curb cuts for the disabled, championing public transit and bicycling options, comparing the city's downtown grocers to those in other major cities or chronicling the bars that are not in compliance with the city's smoking ban. He works hard at gauging the opinions of his readers through polls, and he encourages them to get involved by publishing information about public meetings and urging them to vote.

Finalists
St. Louis Activist Hub – http://stlactivisthub.blogspot.com
St. Louis Volunteen – http://www.stlouisvolunteen.com
Slow Food St. Louis – http://www.slowfoodstl.org
Preservation Research – http://preservationresearch.com
NextStop STL – http://www.nextstopstl.org
Show Me No Hate – http://showmenohate.blogspot.com

Best Flickr Pool

tjl photography/Tom Lampe
http://www.flickr.com/people/tom_lampe_photography

The Judges Say: To see why we picked this one as the winner, just look at his work! It's wonderful. Tom Lampe covers well-known and obscure events alike — and brings his unique perspective to both.

Finalists
Bob Crowe – http://www.flickr.com/people/bobcrowe
Louis Kwok – http://www.flickr.com/people/lhkwok
Peat Wollaeger – http://www.flickr.com/people/stensoul
Steven Fitzpatrick Smith – http://www.flickr.com/people/12301761@N00

Best Use of Video in Entertainment

Lo-Fi Saint Louis
http://lofistl.com

The Judges Say: Bill Streeter makes the real St. Louisans he profiles seem larger than life; on this site, even the guy parked on the bar stool next to you somehow seems worthy of fame. There's a seamless style to the videos at Lo-Fi Saint Louis that echoes the look and feel of the website. In addition to the fantastic picture quality, the lightboxed videos help keep your place should you watch too many in one sitting.

Click here for "Sweet and Lo-Fi," the RFT's 2006 feature profile of Bill Streeter.

Finalists
Living St. Louis – http://livingstlouis.wordpress.com
ToastedRav – http://www.toastedrav.com
The Rise to the Top – http://www.therisetothetop.com
Camping Gear TV – http://campinggeartv.com

Best Use of Video in Food Blogging

Scott Roberts
http://www.scottrobertsweb.com/weeklyfirecast

The Judges Say: When it comes to food, some like it hot — and some like it Scott Roberts hot. If you have a thing for spicy chiles and delicious barbecue, the Weekly Firecast is for you. Roberts' spoonful taste-test reviews provide an honest, real-time reaction to some of the world's hottest sauces. We love the passion he brings to his niche corner of the food world.

Finalists
Let's Dish – http://www.stlmag.com/St-Louis-Magazine/Food/Lets-Dish

Best Use of Twitter to Promote a Business/ Organization

Charter Communications
@Charter

The Judges Say: With super-quick response time and an empowered customer-service team, Charter goes above and beyond for its social-media savvy customers. The staff monitoring Twitter doesn't just solve problems for anyone whose tweets mention "charter" or "@charter" — they actually follow up afterward to make sure everything has worked out.

Finalists
Saint Louis Science Center T-Rex – @SLSC
STL Metro Transit – @STLMetro
Pi Pizza Truck – @PiTruckSTL
Schlafly Beer – @Schlafly

Best Use of Twitter to Promote a Personal Brand

David Garland
@TheRiseToTheTop

The Judges Say: 2010 was a busy year for video blogger/entrepreneur/author David Siteman Garland — yet he's still found the time to amass 27,000 Twitter followers. Even when limited to 140 characters, Garland manages to mix witty banter and industry ideas into a pleasant stream. He calls himself "The #1 Non-Boring Resource For Building Your Business Smarter, Faster, Cheaper." And in his case, that's not even hyperbole.

Finalists
Claire McCaskill – @clairecmc
Dana Loesch – @DLoesch
Danielle Hohmeier – @daniellesmyname
Michael Tomko – @michaeltomko

Best Use of Facebook to Promote a Business

Cranky Yellow
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cranky-Yellow/27298581605

The Judges Say: More than 1,300 people are fans of Cranky Yellow on Facebook, and after reading proprietor David Wolk's witty status updates, it's not hard to see why. There's much to smile at here, and there's so much interaction with the store's fans, you'll actually see them posting pictures on Cranky Yellow's wall. The photo albums, too, are a marvel. If the album "Things We Sell" doesn't make you want to stop by and browse, you clearly lack of an appreciation for Cranky Yellow's special brand of whimsy.