Idolblog
Encyclopedia
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 community 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". The site was featured on the TV2
programme Flipside, and mentioned in the New Zealand Herald as a notable source of opinions on NZ Idol.
Idolblog won the 2004 NetGuide
Web Award for Best Youth Site, and was a finalist in the 2006 NetGuide Web Award for Best Blog. 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.
After the final season of NZ Idol aired in 2006, the site has remained as an online tribute to the show and its fanbase. Only parts of the website are still functional. The site now provides commentary and recaps during the American Idol seasons.
'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. The resulting controversy attracted press coverage both within New Zealand and internationally.
In 2006, Idolblog's maintainers issued a legal warning to its members after potentially defamatory statements were posted on the site.
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
site dedicated to the talent search television show NZ Idol. Since its launch in 2004, the site has attracted a dedicated community 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
New Zealand Listener
The New Zealand Listener is a New Zealand magazine. First published in 1939 and edited by Oliver Duff and the Monte Holcroft it originally had a monopoly on the publication of of upcoming television and radio programmes. In the 1980s it lost its monopoly on the publication of upcoming television...
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". The site was featured on the TV2
TV 2 (New Zealand)
TV2 is a national television network in New Zealand, which is owned and operated by the state-owned broadcaster TVNZ. It targets a younger audience than its sister network, TV One...
programme Flipside, and mentioned in the New Zealand Herald as a notable source of opinions on NZ Idol.
Idolblog won the 2004 NetGuide
NetGuide
NetGuide is a monthly New Zealand technology magazine.It was launched in September 1996 by an independent Auckland-based publisher, then owned by Australian Consolidated Press 2003 to 2008 and now is owned by TechDay...
Web Award for Best Youth Site, and was a finalist in the 2006 NetGuide Web Award for Best Blog. 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
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
senior tutor in the Department of Statistics, and Regan Cunliffe, who runs a web hosting and design company.
After the final season of NZ Idol aired in 2006, the site has remained as an online tribute to the show and its fanbase. Only parts of the website are still functional. The site now provides commentary and recaps during the American Idol seasons.
Controversies
In 2004, an Idolblog member exposed that NZ Idol runner-up Michael MurphyMichael Murphy (singer)
Michael Murphy is a singer and New Zealand Idol runner-up for 2004. Right from the start of the competition, Michael was a hot favourite with the majority of the voters being female and aged between 11-17...
's debut single "So Damn Beautiful" had previously been released by Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
band Vallejo
Vallejo (band)
Vallejo is a rock band based in Austin, Texas, but formed in El Campo, Texas and Alabaster, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama. Albums include their self-titled 1997 debut and Beautiful Life released in 1998, both on the TVT label, and Into the New, released by Sony in 2000. In 2002, Vallejo...
; the song had been promoted as an original by Murphy's manager Paul Ellis. The resulting controversy attracted press coverage both within New Zealand and internationally.
In 2006, Idolblog's maintainers issued a legal warning to its members after potentially defamatory statements were posted on the site.