As for the "Founding Fathers" misnomer, read blogHer to find out who said what. I think Dave Sifry's reply in comments, and his swift category name change to "Pioneers" represent a good way to handle these things. He didn't moan and groan and accuse the world of berating the American White Male. He fixed it. Nice. Whether or not this conversation will affect the grander blogosphere's consideration of women nominees remains to be seen.
Dave Rogers raised the most important questions (gender neutral!) in comments here:
First, what is the basis for believing that AlwaysOn and Technorati are entities that are worthy of bestowing "honor" on anything or anyone?
Second, what indicates a need for "a framework of this emerging industry?" What is the framework for? Who will use the framework and to what end?
Third, isn't the purpose of this list really to draw attention to Technorati and AlwaysOn? Don't those two entities have a need for attention that is greater than any "need" for a "framework of this emerging industry?"
Finally, where's all the transparency here? After all the nominations are submitted, who will decide? Are they really nominations, or votes? What is the process for final enumeration of the list?
I am hoping Technorati and Co. handle giving us answers to these process/methodology questions as elegantly as Dave did handling the Founding Fathers thang.
But the larger questions Dave raises are not unrelated to the discussion over at Shelley's place about blogrolls.
Shit.
When did we all begin taking this place so seriously?
We need a sensibility transplant in the blogosphere.
And yet, here I am, debating whether or not to give my two cents as to nominees. Or to remain on the sideline.
I think I will list the people I'd like to see in these categories. However, I'm not kidding myself that listing them will mean anything in the long run. And I'm only listing in categories I understand. There sure are a lot of categories they forgot. In ABC Order, I submit:
Pioneers
Rebecca Blood
Christopher Locke/RageBoy
Shelley Powers
Dave Winer
Tool Smiths
Stewart Butterfield
Caterina Fake
Mena Trott
Ev Wiliams
Trendsetters
Roxanne Cooper
Aaron Hawkins (posthumously)
Blog Sisters
Stavrosthewonderchicken
Practitioners
George Kelley
Liza Sabater
Jason Toney
David Weinberger
Enablers
The Joi Ito Category.
(Is there anyone else?)
