The Official Shorty Awards Blog

Category Profile: #LifeSavingHero

The #LifeSavingHero Shorty Award, presented in partnership with The Weather Channel’s Coast Guard Alaska, a show about an elite team that risks their lives in search and rescue missions in harsh weather conditions, will be awarded to a real life hero using Twitter and the social web to save lives. Here are profiles of the finalists:

• Gidi Traffic (@Gidi_Traffic): A popular Nigerian traffic monitor, Gidi Traffic is a prolific eye-in-the-sky to keep track of the chaotic streets of Lagos.
• Sophia Bush (@SophiaBush): Actress Sophia Bush is also an activist, spreading environmental and social rights awareness.
• A Broader View (@ABroaderView): A multinational volunteer corps organization, A Broader View coordinates across four continents to provide volunteer assistance.
• Scott Mills (@GraffitiBMXCop): The Toronto-based Scott Mills uses social media to prevent crimes. 
• Humanity Road (@HumanityRoad): A disaster-assistance NGO that uses social media to coordinate maximal disaster relief.
• FDNY (@FDNY): The Fire Department of New York has been serving New York City citizens since 1865.

Announcing Shorty Vox Populi and Finalists!

On Monday, March 26th at 7:30pm, tune in live at ShortyAwards.com to see who the best content producers on Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Tumblr, YouTube, Quora and the rest of the social web are!

Shorty Vox Populi:

New this year, the person or organization with the most nominations in a featured category is the recipient of the Shorty Vox Populi distinction. For a chance to win a Shorty Award, finalists from several of the featured categories have been chosen to be presented to the Real-Time Academy of Short Form Arts & Sciences (http://rtacademy.org). The Academy will then select one from each chosen category to declare as a Shorty Award winner, complete with 140-character acceptance speeches.

Who are the finalists and the Shorty Vox Populi?!

#YouTubeStar (Presented by @AETV’s #BreakoutKings) Vox Populi:  Paolo Feliciano @kimpoyfelician, Jamich @Ilovejamich, Peyton Sanders @TheRealPSanders, Julie Anne San Jose @MyJaps, Justin Bieber @JustinBieber, Curtis Paradis, @CurtisParadis

#Celebrity (Presented by @BIO) Vox Populi: Kim jae joong @mjjeje, Justin Bieber @JustinBieber, Miley Ray Cyrus @MileyCyrus, JEDWARD @PlanetJedward, Selena Gomez  @SelenaGomez, demetria lovato  @DDLovato

#Weather (Presented by @WeatherChannel) Vox Populi: Andy Gabrielson @FindTheTornado, AL Storm Spotters @alastormspotter, Brad Panovich WCNC @wxbrad, Nazaneen Ghaffar @SkyNewsNaz, Weddar @Weddar, Maurice Shamell @MoeWx

#LifeSavingHero (Presented by @WeatherChannel) Vox Populi:  Gidi_Traffic @Gidi_Traffic, Sophia Bush  @SophiaBush, A Broader View - NGO @abroaderview, Scott Mills,  @GraffitiBMXCop, Humanity Road @HumanityRoad, FDNY, @FDNY

#SocialFitness(Presented by @HealthJoinIn) Vox Populi: Fitocracy, @Fitocracy, Christopher Brisley, @TakeaChallenge, JohnBasedow @JohnBasedow, Cassey Ho, @blogilates, Cellucor @Cellucor, Katrina & Karena @ToneItUp

#Apps (Presented by @Pepsico) Vox Populi: Missing e @theMissinge, Jasmine V App @JasmineVapp, ManageFlitter @ManageFlitter, Instagram @instagram, Twitter @twitter, SocialBro App @SocialBro

#Journalist (Presented by @MuckRack) Vox Populi: West Wing Report @WestWingReport,  Sarah Nadav @sarahnadav, Steve Silberman @stevesilberman, Andy Carvin @acarvin, Nicholas Kristof @NickKristof,  Kim Segal CNN Miami @CNNkimsegal

#VideoBlogger: PrankvsPrank @Jessewelle, DJ TAY JAMES @DJTayJames,  Marie Forleo @marieforleo, Fafa The Groundhog @FafaGroundhog, Mario @MarioGlove, Sam Pepper @sampepper

#TVShow: Vox Populi: Pretty Little Liars @ABCFpll, WWE @WWE, Attack of the Show @aots,  The Glee Project @TheGleeProject, The Vampire Diaries @vampirediaries, Castle Show @Castle_ABC

#Humor: Vox Populi:  Louis Tomlinson @Louis_Tomlinson, Christian Beadles @LittlecBeadles,  Kingsley @kingsleyyy, Ryan Higa @TheRealRyanHiga, Marian Rivera @superstarmarian, Bri Robert Domingo @bridomingo

#Gaming: Vox Populi:  Tom Syndicate @ProSyndicate, JJ Olatunji @KSIOlajidebt, The Sims 3 @TheSims3, Toby Turner @TobyTurner, Sean Plott, @day9tv, LReporta @LReporta

#Finance: Vox Populi:  GS Elevator Gossip @GSElevator,  Lucy P. Marcus @lucymarcus,  xtremepicks @xtremepicks_com, Profit.ly @profitly, Slow Money @SlowMoney, atelieradvisors @atelieradvisors

#FakeAccount: Vox Populi: Tusk @TUSK_IV, The Fake ESPN @TheFakeESPN,  The Doctor @ItsTheDoctor, Dilma Rousseff @dilmabr, The DM Reporter @DMReporter, Jim Moriarty @ItsJimMoriarty

#Director: Vox Populi:  Alfredo Flores @AlfredoFlores, Dean Sherwood @Dean_Sherwood, Lewis Cater @lewiscater, KAT BROOKS @thekatbrooks, Daniel Duran @danielduran4, Ryan Butler @itsRyanButler

#Food: Vox Populi: Niall Horan @NiallOfficial, Mud Baron @Cocoxochitl, SORTED @sortedfood, Hannah Hart @harto, RebeccaSubbiah RD @chowandchatter, Epic Meal Time @EpicMealTime

#Charity: Vox Populi:  PSU Dance Marathon @THON, Meg Styles @meg_styles, Echelon House @TheEchelonHouse, Random Acts @therandomactorg, SPCA Helper♥ @AmaniForSCPA, 501st Legion @501stLegion

#Band: Vox Populi:  Jonas Brothers @JonasBrothers, One Direction @onedirection, mcfly @mcflymusic, 30secondstomars @30SECONDSTOMARS, the wanted @thewantedmusic, paramore @paramore

#Green: Vox Populi:  ian somerhalder @iansomerhalder, Michael Q Todd @mqtodd, Jerry James Stone @jerryjamesstone, Lynn Hasselberger @LynnHasselbrgr, ABroaderView Charity @abroaderview, Stana Katic @Stana_Katic

#Actor: Vox Populi:  kevin jonas @kevinjonas, ian somerhalder @iansomerhalder, Dwayne Johnson @TheRock, Misha Collins @mishacollins, Nathan Fillion @NathanFillion, Tom Felton @TomFelton

#Actress: Vox Populi:  Selena Gomez @selenagomez, Rosmeri Marval @rosm18, Miley Ray Cyrus @MileyCyrus, Agnes Monica @agnezmo, Stana Katic @Stana_katic, Anahi @Anahi

#Fansite: Vox Populi:  Sherlockology @Sherlockology, Girls’ Generation @SMTown_SNSD, Justin Bieber Babes @belieberbabes, MileyCyrus.bz @MileyCyrusBz, MileyOnline.com @TeamMileyNY, Demi Lovato Brasil @demilovatobr

#Webshow: Vox Populi:  Anthony Cumia @AnthonyCumia, Zack Ryder @ZackRyder,  brian redban @redban, hippojuicefilm @hippojuicefilm, Awkward Black Girl @awkwardblkgrl, Divine: The Series @DivineTheSeries

#Science: Vox Populi:  Virtual Astronomer @VirtualAstro, Reid Gower @ReidGower, Matt Parker @standupmaths, Awel Evans @Astro_Awel, Jenny ★ @astrojenny, Nature News&Comment @NatureNews

#Fashion: Vox Populi:  Agnes Monica @agnezmo, Sarah Wright @SarahWrightTX, Ann Li @thisisAnnLi, StephenKGlickman @StephenGlickman, Melissa Stetten @MelissaStetten, Luke Reichle @RedCarpetLuke

#Photography: Vox Populi:  Wyatt @wyattkostygan, Jared Leto, @jaredleto, Kirill @KirillWasHere, Adam Bouska @bouska, jaafar jackson @jaafarjjackson, JohnnyLace @JohnnyLace

#Government: Vox Populi:  Rafael Correa @MashiRafael, Gov. Buddy Roemer @BuddyRoemer, Sunlight Foundation @SunFoundation, QPS Media Unit @QPSMedia, NASA @NASA, Centro de Operações @OperacoesRio

#Music: Vox Populi:  demetria lovato @ddlovato, Miley Ray Cyrus @MileyCyrus, HENDRA @HENDRAMUSIC, Justin Bieber @justinbieber, Agnes Monica @agnezmo, deadmau5 @deadmau5

#Sportsteam: Vox Populi:  Kol Knight Riders @KKRiders, New Orleans Saints @Saints, New England Patriots @Patriots, Sheffield Wednesday @swfc, MERCEDES AMG F1 @MercedesAMGF1, Liverpool FC @LFC

#Activism: Vox Populi:  Anonymous @YourAnonNews, TwitCause @TwitCause, DewaKlasikAlexander @Dewa_Klasik, AnonOps @anonops, #OCCUPYWALLSTREET @OccupyWallStNYC, Sea Shepherd @SeaShepherd

#Comedian: Vox Populi:  ⒶⓛⓔⓧⒸⓞⓝⓢⓣⓐⓝⓒⓘⓞ @AlexConstancio7, Smosh @smosh, Jim Norton @JimNorton, Matt Walker @funnymatt, Perver Beliebers ♔ @iimaginaperver, Christian Beadles @LittlecBeadlers

#Travel: Vox Populi: Charles Trippy @CharlesTrippy, G Adventures @gAdventures, Insider Perks @InsiderPerks, Hjortur Smarason @hjortur, Sassy Stew @sassystewrants, Citi Pond @CitiPondNYC

Who’s won a Shorty before?
Past winners include Conan O’Brien (@ConanOBrien), Cory Booker (@CoryBooker), Sesame Street’s Grover (@SesameStreet), Suze Orman (@SuzeOrman), Ted Leo (@tedleo), Neil Patrick Harris (@ActuallyNPH) and NASA (@NASA).

Can I come?
Yes! Tickets are available at shorty4.eventbrite.com.

Stay tuned for more finalists to be announced next week!

Shorty Interview with Newark Mayor Cory Booker & Kathy Legg, @BarackObama Account Manager

Watch the Shorty Interview with #Government Shorty Award winner, Newark Mayor Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) and Kathy Legg, Account Manager for @BarackObama, a #Government Shorty Award finalist.

The interview was conducted by our friend, Sree Sreenivasan (@sree), Columbia Journalism School Dean of Student Affairs, Professor and Real-Time Academy Member.

For more videos from the Shorty Awards, visit our YouTube channel.

Announcing the Finalists for The #Nurse of the Year Award

Nurses are the uncelebrated professionals who serve as the backbone of our hospitals and medical system. Twitter has made them heard, and now they’re being celebrated.

The #Nurse of the Year Shorty Award, created in partnership with the hit SHOWTIME® series Nurse Jackie, will be awarded to a nurse who is making a difference through Twitter and social media. 
 
The winner will be selected based upon the number of nominations they’ve received, the impact and creativity of their tweets, and the level of innovation in their use of social media as judged by the Shorty Awards Editorial Board. Only real nurses are eligible for this Award. 
 
Actor Stephen Wallem, who plays nurse Thor Lundgren on the Emmy and Golden Globe Award-nominated series, will announce the winner live at the 3rd Annual Shorty Awards on Monday, March 28th, 2011 at The TimesCenter in New York City. Tickets are on sale now. Are you a finalist? Register here to let us know if you can attend the ceremony.
 
We are happy to announce the six finalists that were chosen from your nominations for The #Nurse of the Year Award:

Ronivin Pagtakhan @ronnievinn
Ronivin is a clinical instructor & nursing lecturer at the MAPUA Institute of Technology School of Health Sciences in the Philippines, and before that was a Nursing Instructor at the University of Manila. He has 6 years of teaching experience and has served as a local board examination reviewer for 5 years. He’s a co-author of a published book for nursing review titled “National Board Exam Review Notes.” Ronivin graduated from the University of the Philippines, Manila with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and is now working on his Masters of Arts in Nursing Thesis. Ronivin tweets about his experiences as a nursing scholar.

Jake @nurse_jake  
Jake Mossop aka @nurse_jake is a Registered Nurse from Toronto, Canada. Last year he spent three weeks in Kenya working for the the Global Volunteers Network using his medical skills & knowledge to help Kenyan medical clinics. You can read about his whole experience at http://threeweeksinkenya.blogspot.com/. Jake was also a cast member of MTV.ca’s “1 Girl 5 Gays” which aired in the U.S. last October on MTV. Jake tweets about his experience as a practicing nurse and strategies on staying healthy.

Nurse K @ernursek  
Nurse K, who goes by K, is an ER nurse who writes their own nursing blog at http://crasspollination.blogspot.com/ specifically covering ER nursing care and experiences working the in ER.  Nurse K tweets about their experiences working in the ER and uses lots of medical jargon.

Matthew Browning @MatthewBrowning
Matthew Browning is CEO and founder of YourNurseIsOn.com an online healthcare communications platform which offers two-way messages via voice, SMS and email for real-time response capture. Matthew worked as a Registered Nurse in various Connecticut healthcare facilities for 10 years after receiving his Masters degree in Nursing from Yale University. Since then he’s been working on his nursing startup for the past 6 years. Matthew tweets about health care and technology.

Shelley Webb @ShelleyWebbRN
Shelley Webb is a Registered Nurse and geriatric care manager. Shelley writes about caregiving education on her site http://takingcareofthefolks.com/ She has published a report titled “15 Things You MUST Do to Care for Yourself While Caring for an Aging Loved One”. Shelley tweets about healthcare articles and wellness strategies.

Lynn Fishman @lynnfishman
Lynn Fishman is a Registered Nurse in Montreal, Canada. She is the founder of Brainwave Architect.com (@brainwavetweets), where she develops scientifically-based, guided brainwave entertainment CDs, downloads and applications to promote brain fitness. Lynn tweets about personal development, overcoming problems and mental health.

Congratulations to the Shorty Awards finalists!

An honorable mention goes to:

Nancy M. Short @profshort
Nancy M. Short is an assistant professor and Chair of the Accelerated Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing Program at the Duke University School of Nursing in Durham, NC. She has 31 years of experience as a Registered Nurse. She is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow and in 2005 served as a Legislative Health Fellow in the office of the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, Dr. Bill Frist. Nancy uses Twitter to retweet health policy articles and to tweet about healthcare research.

Announcing the Finalists for The Connecting People Award

Social media allows individuals to make a meaningful impact in their communities by inspiring people, cultivating optimism and creating opportunity within their communities.

The Connecting People Shorty Award created in partnership with Nokia will be given to a person who is genuinely bringing people together through Twitter and social media.
 
Nominees will be judged based on the impact they’ve had on their communities and the creative ways they’ve used the social web to connect people.

The Real-Time Academy of Short Form Arts & Sciences will determine the winners from among these finalists. The announcement will be made at the Shorty Awards Ceremony on Monday, March 28th, 2011 at The TimesCenter in New York City. Tickets are on sale now. Are you a finalist? Register here to let us know if you can attend the ceremony.

We are happy to announce the six finalists that were chosen from your nominations for The Connecting People Award:

Tim Burrows @TrafficServices
Tim Burrows is a Toronto Police sergeant who is in charge of strategic communications for the city’s traffic services unit. Burrows began using Twitter in 2009, originally to show that he was aware of traffic accidents. Then he branched out, using the site to communicate with reporters, share safety messages, and tips of the day through the Traffic Services Twitter account. His goal is to help educate followers from across North America about traffic safety for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. He also uploads content to the Toronto Police Facebook page. One voter wrote, “He is one of the most engaged police officers in social media, regularly and consistently talking to his followers on a daily basis.”

Paul Carrick Brunson @OneDegreeFromMe
Paul Carrick Brunson is an American life coach and matchmaker who founded One Degree From Me, a matchmaking and life coaching company that serves New York, Washington, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. He is also the host of Modern Day Matchmaker Wednesday, known by the hashtag #MDMW, which is Twitter-based matchmaking where he helps a bachelor or bachelorette make meaningful connections. Brunson also uses Twitter to share events, discuss dating and relationships, and interact with followers. One voter wrote of Brunson, “Doing an amazing job through Twitter and Facebook at connecting people as friends and potential love interests. He also gives out great information and advice that betters his followers’ lives.”

Kyra Gaunt @kyraocity
Kyra Gaunt is an associate professor of ethnomusicology, anthropology, and Black studies at Baruch College-CUNY. Gaunt, based in Brooklyn, New York, is also a social media expert, a TED Fellow, an author, a jazz and R&B recording artist, and a public speaker. She utilizes tools such as Scribd to disseminate e-books on anthropology and racism that are co-written with her students. Gaunt also uses Skype and Facebook in her classes to connect students with social entrepreneurs and other individuals from around the world. She uses Twitter to share news and information about the subjects she focuses on as a professor and in her daily life. One voter wrote, “I have been priviliged to attend her classes at Baruch and she uses social media to teach.”

Shannon Miller @shannonmmiller
Shannon Miller is a school district librarian and technology specialist in Van Meter, Iowa. Miller uses social media tools including Twitter, Facebook, and Skype to help local students connect with their favorite authors, as well as with other students and educators around the globe. She also keeps a blog called “Van Meter Library Voice,” where she shares information about libraries, education, technnology, and Van Meter students. Miller uses social media, including Twitter, to interact with students and crowdsource information to help them. One voter wrote, “She connected me to my favorite author Amy Efaw, who I now have on Facebook and talk to her often. I am only fourteen, she has changed my life.”

Amanda Palmer @amandapalmer
Amanda Palmer is a singer, songwriter, pianist, and composer based in New York City who was formerly the lead singer of the band The Dresden Dolls. Today, Palmer has a successful solo career and performs with the band Evelyn Evelyn. She has embraced social media, and Twitter in particular, to stay connected with her fans as the recording industry struggles to stay relevent. Palmer uses her verified Twitter account to share photos, concert information, and dispatches from her travels and day-to-day life. One voter wrote, “She has single-handedly shown every other artist on this planet how to use social media to thrive in this age in which buying art on plastic discs has gone the way of the dinosaur.”

Jay Park @jaybumaom
Jay Park, also known as Park Jaebeom, is a Korean-American singer, rapper, actor, and b-boy from South Korea who lives in Seattle. Park had a cult following as a member of the Korean band 2 PM. In 2009, Park allegedly posted “unfavorable comments” about South Korea on his MySpace page, although fans argue that the comments were misinterpreted. After Park was dismissed from 2 PM and JYP Entertainment, his fans boycotted the band. Park became a solo artist and got involved in charity projects, including an effort to knit hats for newborns. Currently he is an Art of Movement dance member and has two rap singles on iTunes. His fandom is called “J-Effect” and fans are “JWalkers.” Park’s cover of B.o.B’s “Nothin’ on You” won an award for Best 2010 Web Video at the Mashable Awards. He uses Twitter to communicate with fans in English and Korean, and inspires fans to volunteer and donate to good causes. Park received more nominations for this award than any other finalist. One voter wrote, “We not only support Mr. Park but also lend out a helping hand in improving the society around each of our communities in attempts to follow in Mr. Park’s footsteps in spreading love and respect, a motto he lives by.”

Congratulations to the Shorty Awards finalists!