I'll admit that I've been a bit oblivious to honors and awards in the blogosphere lately, but it's come to my attention that I'm actually a finalist for Best Medical Weblog.
I also note that the competition is fierce. Fellow surgeon Sid Schwab is there for Surgeonsblog, as is one of the pioneers of medical blogging, Kevin, MD. Oddly enough, I'm also nominated for Best Health Policies/Ethics Weblog.
In any case, thanks to all who nominated me, and be sure to head over and vote for your favorite, especially if it's me, and don't forget to vote in all the other categories. Polls close on Sunday, January 20, 2008
Well I certainly hope you beat Kevin MD. His blog is a somewhat insincere one. That's not to say that he lies about his position on issues but that he deliberately posts about inflammatory issues to keep the hit rate high and to keep ad revenue up--and he's even admitted in the comments section to pushing controversy, though he generally is rather heavy handed with the deletion of criticism of himself or comments that may allude to this occasionally admitted fact. Or at least that was my impression.
Your blog--and good blogs--come off as a sincere representation of your interests rather than a cynical set of links designed to maximize your hit rate.
Stan,
First off, there is no shame to coming behind to a great blog like Respectful Insolence.
Regarding moderating comments, I do receive a lot of criticism, but only those containing foul language or personally attacking me or others are deleted.
I have left plenty of comments that are critical of me or my positions.
Thanks,
Kevin Pho, M.D.
http://www.kevinmd.com
Hi Kevin,
Thanks for the response. I agree, RI is a great blog.
"Regarding moderating comments, I do receive a lot of criticism, but only those containing foul language or personally attacking me or others are deleted."
My experience was different.
And I was careful in my post here not to claim that you remove all criticism, only to claim that you can be heavy handed about it. But I've solved the problem by the most democratic method available. I skip your blog. I think we can all agree that is the best approach :-)
(BTW, I didn't really mean to start a bash Kevin subthread, but I find you frustrating. You are a smart and engaging writer with some interesting things to say but I find your cynical--profit driven--approach to science blogging disheartening.)
Boys, let's not get rough with each other now ;)
I am honored to be nominated alongside you both, and wanted to note that after three years, I've only ever had to delete about 3 comments for heckling & foul language. Otherwise, as Stan notes, it's wonderful to let free speech reign, even when many readers may heartily pound your opinions.