Laura Power
Northern News Services
Published Monday, January 14, 2008

ARCTIC BAY - When Clare Kines began blogging about two and a half years ago, the internet journaling phenomenon hadn't really hit the territory yet and he wasn't expecting a large audience.

Clare Kines is a blogger living in Arctic Bay. He created The Nunies this year, which is a way to recognize Nunavut's best bloggers. - Photo courtesy of Nunavut Blogs

"Originally, I thought that it'd be something for my family and friends to read - I never dreamt that there would be other people interested," he said.

Now, his blog gets about 200 to 300 hits per day.

"I think my mom hits the refresh button a lot.," he said.

From his home in Arctic Bay, he's seen the trend grow enough to start a community of Nunavut bloggers.

Last year, Kines created Nunavut Blogs, which is a place for people like himself to post journal entries and photos.

"Blogging in Nunavut has really exploded with the broadband coming up here," he said.

Now, he said, there are about 50 bloggers on the site, and he would like to be able to give recognition to some of the outstanding bloggers.

"(Nunavut Blogs) is its own little community in lots of ways, and it's just nice to recognize the people within that community ... It's like any other thing that goes on - it's nothing worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize or anything," he said.

There are no gigantic, expensive prizes for the winners of the competition, said Kines, but along with the recognition and a badge to post on the winners' blogs, there are a few small prizes such as a dinner for two at a bed and breakfast, should the blogger ever make it to Arctic Bay.

Artist Nancy Shaver will also provide a small acrylic painting of the winner's community.

So far, at least 16 people have nominated blogs for The Nunies, and there's time for many more as the deadline for nominations is Monday, Jan. 21.

"Anybody can submit a nomination - you don't have to have a blog. You don't have to be from Nunavut," he said.

There are three categories that bloggers can be nominated for, including best Nunavut blog, best post and best new blog.

Blogs nominated in the new blog category must have been started at some point in 2007, and bloggers from outside Nunavut can be nominated for the best post so long as that particular post is about Nunavut in some way.

Once the nominations are in, people will be able to vote online for the nominees.

In February, the winners will be announced.