UAE site wins major blogging award

Dubai: UAE blog Secret Dubai diary has been named the best in the region at the prestigious ?Bloggies? awards in America.

The popular site, which often makes controversial and witty observations about life in the UAE, was voted for by a panel of 200 fellow bloggers.

It beat off competition from four other bloggers, including Healing Iraq and one called Raising Yousuf (from Palestine) to be named the best blog in Africa and the Middle East.

The annual Weblog Awards ceremony was held at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas.

The anoymous Secret Dubai hoped that it would encourage other people to enter the blogosphere, saying: "I am really amazed and delighted to have won, particularly given the high standard of the other blogs. 

"It is very exciting and I hope it will encourage other UAE-based bloggers. 

"Blogging has been quite a life-changing experience for me:  what started as more of a personal 'expat experience' travel journal has evolved into a community experience where I have met people from other countries and cultures I never would have otherwise, including UAE locals.  It has been eye-opening and even opinion-changing."

For her trouble, Secret Dubai will pick up the princely sum of 2007 cents. That works out at roughly Dh75.