Following the trend of UGC (user-generated content), Howard Owens whips up his own set of newspaper web awards for 2006. Worth a look. Some of the winners are those you would expect. Others are sites you might learn a thing or two from. #

Why should I give awards? Why not? Besides, I just wanted to highlight at the end of 2006 some of the best work of the newspaper industry online. If you don’t like my awards, give your own. If you do, let me know and I’ll link to your post. If enough bloggers give these awards, maybe we’ll arrive at some sort of consensus awards. #

I agree with Owens’ assessment that Washingtonpost.com is king of the heap for online presence right now. And it’s hard to see where anyone is going to overtake them soon. That said, I think each newspaper (and I’m talking to college news staffs and advisers here) should find something to focus on and do that well, whether it be podcasts, vidcasts, audio slideshows, or user-generated content. Be the best at one thing – anything. #

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