Idolblog

Idolblog is an unofficial blog site dedicated to the talent search television show "NZ Idol". Since its launch in 2004, the site has attracted a dedicated communitycite web
url=http://www.marketing.org.nz/cms/News/1864
title=Which New Zealand sites hold on to their audience the longest?
date=11 May 2005
publisher=The New Zealand Marketing Association
accessdate=2006-11-07] and its popularity has led to national media coverage in New Zealand.

After the first season of "NZ Idol" ended in 2004, "New Zealand Listener" columnist Russell Brown cited Idolblog as an example of how fan-run sites can build communities around programmes more effectively than broadcasters, claiming the site generated "a degree of engagement that the official Idol website never achieved".cite news
last=Brown
first=Russell
url=http://listener.co.nz/issue/3369/columnists/3009/idol_hands.html
title=Idol Hands
date=December 4-10 2004
publisher=New Zealand Listener
accessdate=2006-11-07] The site was featured on the TV2 programme "Flipside", [cite web
url=http://flipside.nzoom.com/flipside_detail/1,2359,293448-212-223,00.html
title=Flipside - STORY: Idolblog
publisher=TVNZ
accessdate=2006-11-07] and mentioned in the "New Zealand Herald" as a notable source of opinions on "NZ Idol". [cite news
last=Trevett
first=Claire
title=Idol split hits sour note with fans
url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/6/story.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10127334
publisher=New Zealand Herald
date= 2005-05-25
accessdate=2006-11-07] [cite news
last=Lawrence
first=Hannah
title=Carlson by a nose, say the odds
url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=339&ObjectID=10349750
publisher=New Zealand Herald
date= 12.10.05
accessdate=2006-11-07]

Idolblog won the 2004 "NetGuide" Web Award for Best Youth Site, [cite web
url=http://www.netguide.co.nz/awards/2004/winners/bestyouth.php
title=NetGuide Web Awards 2004- Best Youth Site
publisher=NetGuide
accessdate=2006-11-07] and was a finalist in the 2006 NetGuide Web Award for Best Blog. [cite web
url=http://www.netguide.co.nz/webawards/
title=NetGuide People's Choice Web Awards 2006
publisher=NetGuide
accessdate=2006-11-07] In 2005, Nielsen//NetRatings ranked Idolblog as the sixth New Zealand website by average session duration.

Idolblog was created by Auckland-based couple Rachel Cunliffe, a website designer and University of Auckland senior tutor in the Department of Statistics, and Regan Cunliffe, who runs a web hosting and design company. The site was created from blogs Regan created for the Sydney Olympics. [cite news
last=Greenwood
first=Darren
title=Storm on the internet
url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/management-focus/storm-on-the-internet/2005/09/12/1126377241364.html
publisher=Sydney Morning Herald
date=September 9, 2005
accessdate=2006-11-07]

After the final season of NZ Idol aired in 2006, the site was abandoned and left online as an online tribute to the show and its fanbase. Only parts of the website are still functional.

Controversies

In 2004, an Idolblog member exposed that "NZ Idol" runner-up Michael Murphy's debut single "So Damn Beautiful" had previously been released by Austin, Texas band Vallejo; the song had been promoted as an original by Murphy's manager Paul Ellis. [cite press release
title = New Zealand Idol Scandal!
publisher = The Official Vallejo Website
date = September 10, 2004
url = http://www.vallejomusic.com/mnf_091004.htm
accessdate = 2006-11-07] The resulting controversy attracted press coverage both within New Zealand and internationally. [cite news
last=Gray
first=Christopher
url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/column?oid=oid%3A229327
title=Kiwi Conundrum
publisher=Austin Chronicle
date=2004-09-17
accessdate = 2006-11-07]

In 2006, Idolblog's maintainers issued a legal warning to its members after potentially defamatory statements were posted on the site. [cite news
last=Hudson
first=Ursula
title=Idol fans told to back off blogging
url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3822172a15815,00.html
publisher=Stuff.co.nz / Sunday News
date=8 October 2006
accessdate = 2006-11-07]

References

External links

* [http://www.idolblog.com Idolblog]